(Published December 1‚ 2003)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The state expects to save $2.5 million a year by using state cars and vans past the traditional 100,000-mile life span.

Starting Jan. 1, agencies will pay discounted rates to lease high-mileage cars from the state fleet through a new program created by the state Budget and Control Board called Golden Cars.

The Department of Revenue, which has seen its budgets cut by more than a third in three years, was the first to sign up for the program.

"We're not that much into creature comfort," said department spokesman Danny Brazell.

The department spends $82,000 a year now leasing 11 Tauruses and two vans from the fleet. The plan is to turn in three of the Tauruses and one van in exchange for some of the older cars. This would be a savings of about $12,000 a year.

"If it works out well, we may look into even more cars," Brazell said.

The program would affect about 1,800 of the 18,000 vehicles owned by the state. The vehicles affected are controlled by the state Budget and Control Board's Fleet Management office and are leased out to more than 50 agencies on a long-term basis.

The Golden Cars program would spare the state the expense of buying new cars right away and save agencies money with the lower rates on older cars.

The state keeps track of its vehicles on a computerized system. If a car breaks down frequently, it will be pulled from the program.

These changes were recommended by Gov. Mark Sanford's Management, Accountability and Performance Commission as part of a 190-page study on cutting waste in state government.

State Rep. Leon Howard, D-Columbia, has been fixing cars for 20 years at his family's garage. He said he wants to be sure agencies use the program wisely.

"If you've got some executive or some director who doesn't travel much, driving big Crown Vics that go to Wildewood or Lake Carolina, they're not responsible for traveling some extended period," Howard said. "Why not give the working folks the more dependable vehicles?"

Policies vary from agency to agency, said Budget and Control Board spokesman Mike Sponhour.

Agencies decide what vehicles they need, when they need them and who is going to drive them.

Howard said he hopes agencies will designate older cars for in-town driving and newer cars for field work.