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Diana Zablocki is getting ready to say goodbye to the 1997 Mercury Villager she's been driving for 12 years.

"I was reading about the Cash for Clunkers legislation and I thought this might be a great time to, you know, separate our ways," said Zablocki.

The recently passed legislation encourages Americans to trade in their old, gas-guzzling vehicles for new, more energy efficient models. In order to qualify, the older car must get no more than 18 miles per gallon. If the new one gets four miles per gallon more, the buyer qualifies for a voucher worth $3,500. Jump 10 miles per gallon, and you're looking at $4,500. Owners of SUVs need only go up two miles per gallon to qualify for the minimum voucher, and five for the maximum. Diana, who gets about 15 miles per gallon in her Villager, is looking to buy a Ford Edge, which should do the trick.

"She should get at least a three to four mile a gallon increase in the city and six to seven miles on the highway. So it's a significant increase," said David Diorio of Dana Motors.

The upgrade could qualify Zablocki for the maximum discount of 4,500.

"That's not small potatoes at all. As a matter of fact, it's pretty large potatoes," said Zablocki.

Not that Diana will see those potatoes herself, since the voucher is given to the dealer, not the buyer. It's then subtracted right off the sticker price.

"It's very easy for them to get in, look at the price and know how much they are going to get off the top based on the rebate," said Ford and Lincoln Mercury Area Manager Christina Alongi.

If you're thinking about running out to get yourself a clunker just for the trade in, don't bother. The rules state that the car needs to be operational and has to have been insured by the same owner for the past year, meaning if it's been sitting in a junkyard or up on cinderblocks in your backyard, it doesn't qualify.

The federally funded program runs through November 1st. However, lawmakers urge drivers not to stall. Congress has set aside one billion dollars, and when the money runs out, so do the vouchers.

Dealers hope the rebate plus added incentives like the sales tax deduction for new cars, and credits for hybrids will help move a quarter of a million cars off the lot over the next six months, jumpstarting the car industry and maybe fueling the economy along with it.

"It should help everybody around. People get a better car, they're gonna save more money on gas and the car companies are gonna do better and we're going to do better," said Diorio.

The program is scheduled to kick into gear on July 1st.