Cash for clunkers to end Monday night

DETROIT -- Let the national closeout sale begin: Car dealers and consumers have just four days to take advantage of Uncle Sam's $4,500 cash-for-clunkers rebate before it expires.

The government is ending the program as of 8 p.m. ET Monday, giving dealers and customers time to close pending deals and get the paperwork processed before the $3 billion program runs out of money.

Despite its success at boosting demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, the cash-for-clunkers program has been riddled with problems since the start. Days after its debut, the program almost ran out of money. An additional $2 billion was added to the pot. But many dealers say they still haven't been paid back for cars they've sold with the clunker discount.

Customers heading out to dealers this weekend will find that many car lots are out of vehicles that qualify for the program. And if cars are available, be wary of the grumpy salesperson: Dealers say their salespeople aren't all that motivated to spend hours scanning in papers, faxing them to the government, then dealing with technicalities that crop up once the government starts sifting through the paperwork.

"It's a quagmire," says George Fowler, general manager of Superior PontiacBuick GMC in Dearborn, Mich. "These aren't cars we traditionally make a lot of money on. It's a ridiculous amount of work, and my guys are making $100 per car."

Talking to Philadelphia conservative radio talk show host Michael Smerconish on Thursday, President Obama said the Department of Transportation hired three times as many people as they originally had to process applications.

"We're now slightly victims of success, because the thing happened so quick. There was so much more demand than anybody expected that dealers were overwhelmed with applications," Obama said. "I understand dealers want to get their money back as soon as possible, but the fact of the matter is, this is a good-news story: They are seeing sales that they have not seen in years."