Consumers want tougher rules
on salvaged-car sales

"Consumer groups [are] wondering why Congress can't seem to pass a tough bill to prevent such rebuilt wrecks from being sold to unwitting customers. Much of the groups' frustration has emerged in letters to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz.

McCain's committee has jurisdiction over the issue, and many organizations, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, aren't satisfied with the legislation he has co-sponsored to address the problem. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., is the bill's prime sponsor.

Meanwhile, Public Campaign, a citizens' advocacy group, has accused Lott and other co-sponsors of being influenced by auto-dealer lobbyists to make sure the bill is a weak one, a charge that McCain denies.

"People are lured into buying what seems like a bargain, when the real price of making it safe to operate is hidden, and beyond what they can afford' – Rosemary Shahan, California consumer advocate."

– Arizona Republic, September 27, 1999