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Lance Lawson admires the new Hyundai he purchased with help from the government's Cash for Clunkers program.

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Gary Reaves reports

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DALLAS — Finally, a federal bailout that can really help the average guy — at least the motorist who is driving an aging gas guzzler.

The government's Cash for Clunkers program will subsidize your purchase of a new car if it gets much better milage than the one you've been driving.

Lance Lawson is one of the first in Texas to get a new car with help from a program designed to cut oil imports and help the economy at the same time.

"I came in last night not expecting to buy one, but the deal was good," Lawson said. "I got $6,500 right off the bat, $3,500 for my trade-in."

Lawson's classic clunker — a 2000 Lincoln with 173,000 miles on it — has a book value of just $500. "The a/c is out on it , the wheels are out of alignment," he said. "There is really nothing very appealing about it."

Now, Lawson's Lincoln is headed to the car crusher thanks to the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), also known as "Cash for Clunkers." To be eligible, the trade-in must:

• get fewer than 18 miles per gallon combined city/highway

• be less than 25 years old

• have been owned and insured for the past year

The new car being purchased must be at least 4 miles per gallon more efficient than the clunker; if the MPG difference is between 4 and 10, the government rebate is $3,500; if the difference is more than 10 MPG, the rebate increases to $4,500.

Some members of Congress wanted to limit this program only to cars built by America's Big 3 automakers. Then they realized that the majority of Hondas, Toyotas and even BMWs being driven by Americans are already assembled in the United States, so they opened the program to everybody.

At the Southwest Dealer Group — where sales are down by almost half — general manager Bill Dickason is expecting a 15 to 20 percent boost from the Cash for Clunkers program.

"I think there is a lot of people out there waiting on this program to come out," Dickason said. "There is some pent-up demand for sure."

The rebate program was supposed to start July 1, but most dealers are waiting until July 24, when the government finalizes the rules. It is scheduled to last until the end of November, or until the funding • $1 billion — runs out.

E-mail greaves@wfaa.com