Brian Benstock, vice president and general manager at Paragon, where sales are up 80 percent, is glad to see the "god-awful eyesores” hauled to the crusher. “These cars need to come off the road,” he says. “Most of them don’t have airbags. Plus, we’re seeing a tremendous economic boost, which is what was supposed to happen.”

As of August 10, more than 273,000 gas-guzzlers had been turned in for cash rebates that totaled $1.15 billion, according to statistics from the DOT. The average fuel economy of new vehicles consumers purchased was 25.3 miles per gallon, a 61 percent improvement over the 15.8 miles per gallon average fuel economy of trade-ins.

With a recent infusion of $2 billion, the cash for clunkers program has the potential to pull at least 750,000 gas guzzlers off the road. That would represent a huge lift in new-vehicle sales—so huge that automakers are considering adding shifts at factories to increase production.

But Wilson of the ARA laments the loss of all those used cars, particularly for lower-income folks who can’t afford new ones. It could get harder for them to service and maintain the engines of the older models they rely on.

“We take 750,000 engines out of commerce—basic economics 101, supply and demand—the price of those remaining engines are going to go up,” he says. “Now as far as the other parts, because you’re getting so many parts in, it’s really hard to say how that’s going to flesh out.”