The federal government went on a $287 million car shopping spree thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which funded the purchase of 17,205 fuel-efficient cars and SUVs.
This involved replacing some true gas-guzzlers with newer models that have smaller engines or other fuel saving improvements. The government’s rule was that every new vehicle it purchased had to have a higher EPA rating than the car it replaced. It also bought strictly from Detroit-based automakers.
The purchases included some distinctly low-mileage vehicles like the 4WD Chevy Silverado and Ford F-150, but this is understandable since the Forest Service is unlikely to be cruising around woodland trails in a Chevy Aveo.
More than 5,500 of all the vehicles purchased can run on ethanol, 3,100 are hybrids, and 8,598 were regular old gas-powered engines with improvements in fuel economy.
The Government Services Administration made the purchases and got some pretty good deals. The F-150 only cost $13,798 and the compact Colorado pickup just $15,099. That represents a 57% discount on the F-150 and about a 10% on the Colorado. It also got a 25% price break from Ford for the Escape Hybrid and 7% on the Fusion Hybrid.
The Fusion still cost $25,733—more than twice the price of a Pontiac G6 or Ford Focus, as Drive On points out. However, there was no mention of the lifecycle of a government car, and how long it would take to offset the higher price with gas savings.
The government also bought five compressed natural gas buses and 35 hybrid buses.
