Scrappage.... your thoughts ?
 

Its 'big news' at the moment, although I'm not convinced myself its that exciting....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7995928.stm

Here it is on BBC news, and heres an interesting snippet where Citroen are so desperate to sell cars, they've taken a leap ahead and are offering the £2000 discount now:

http://www.scrappage.org.uk/citroen_scrappage.html

So, the concept is that you take your 9 year+ car to an ATF (authorised Treatment facility) where they guarantee to crush it in exchange for a COD (Certificate of destruction).

Under the scheme, assuming you meet various other as-yet-undisclosed paramters, Using this COD, you can walk into a car dealership and get upto £2000 of the price of a new car, or upto 1 year old...

This has apparently been really succesful in Germany, however I can't help but think we're thinking of introducing it to try and fix the world car economy slump, which I fail to see it doing - Yes, I can see that it will have a mild effect on getting folks to scrap cars a little earlier than normal in preference for a newer model, but where does it leave us '8' drivers?

Well, I struggle to see how any of us lot would chop our car in for £2000 when it would be a drop in the ocean against a 'nearly new' car of a similar prestige.

Yes, the idea of chopping in a 1986 escort against a 2009 focus - I can see that working, but does anyone here see it working for them?

I can't find any details yet as to whether for example you could scrap '8' for £2000, then use that as £2000 off a car for the missus, or the neighbour, or your mate down the street. I guess they will have closed that loop up or essentially every scrap car in britain would now be worth £2000 !

Thoughts anyone ?

Hmmm let me see. Get 2k for my lovely 5.5k D2? Maybe not. Also 2k of the price of a 65k car!!!!! You can get more by haggling. Those that are new car orientated generally don't swap out from a 2k car. They will do the 3-5 year shuffle Whereas people like me who spend 10k purchase and ???k on mods see no benefits. :)

hi there,

Well, if i was buying a new car that had this offer, i'd hunt the bargain papers for a £100 banger :ROFL:

cya,
Lee

I think they've got that one covered, I think you have to have owned the car for a year for it to be eligable....

If there were £2K on offer, I can't see there being such a thing as a £100 banger +++

Hi there,

Interesting. But that just means a bit of planing. Buy a banger, sorn it for a year and then buy your new car - Or do a deal with the person who owns the banger to buy the car with you etc.

Its not just 2K on offer though....There are plenty of good cars for less than 2K and not everyone wants/needs/can afford a new car...Also a lot of the bigger cars, you loose more than 2K driving it off the forecourt.

cya,
Lee

I'm not sure about this, yes it encourages people to buy new cars, ultimately helping the motor industry. Of which there is none in the UK! But someone driving around in a clapped out banger may be doing so because they cannot afford a new car. By enticing them with 2,000 off it may encourage them to borrow money to buy a car worth say £12k (1.6 Astra/Focus) and take out loans they cannot afford. Not something thats to clever in this financial climate. I guess we will just have to see how much of a success it is in the UK, just my 2ps worth, but then again what does a simple 18 year old know kid know!

And how teh heck are young people going to afford to get on teh road. a lot can't afford 2K for a car and all teh sub 2K ones now will be seen as worth more just because ofthis crazy scheme..

Then you have the classic aspect, how many moggie thous, MGBs, midgets, Spitfires, etc would be left now if people had dome this years ago. Look at the mx5s knocking around lots sub 2K. Are we saying we don't want a classic car scene?

Then there is the BIGGY..... Environmental Aspect of this STUPID scheme.

The VAST majority of the emissions a car produces during its e2e lifetime is in manufacture and 'recycling'. By shortening the useful like of a car is just about the worst thing you can do for the environment. Use em till they fall to pieces then putting them in scrap yards w here they can be stripped by other owners for all parts worth absolutely anything to keep other going is just about as perfect as it gets from an environment perspective.

Muppets teh lot of em

At the same time they are developing a 5k loan against getting a rediculous electric car.
the government has lost the plot and is out to try and win votes, not save the world
Scrappage isn't a bad idea, its only an extension of many dealers that will give you 1k off in exchange for your MOT failure, no matter what the condition.
Personally, if I was getting a new car, it won't be a 40kplus one on my salary, so anything I can put towards it is a bonus, and if that is a guaranteed 2k, rather than haggling with a dealer for £1300 ish for my 8, then yes I would take advantage.
I am not condeming my 8 to the grave, but its something for nothing at the end of the day, unless the car market miraculously recovers and my 8 is worth more than a decent LCD TV!

Its win win for the treasury......
think of the VAT and other taxes they're fleecing you for, far outweighs the scrappage, of which the manufacturer contributes to....

and if you buy a half decent car, you'll fall foul of their ill researched dogma tax the VED

I fully agree that the 'greenest' car is the old one that is well maintained and kept running, after all what is going to happen to all the toxic chemicals and heavy metals in the inevitably horrendously expensive knackered batteries, or for that matter where are the raw materials going to come from, before i even begin a rant about what makes the electricity...... coal, oil, the inefficiency of the energy conversion and the losses in transmission by emf, heat, induction, resistance etc, before it even gets to the plug....
and the HSE nightmare when your neighbour trips over your lead to your toyota pious and maims him/ herself and consequently issues litigation against you......


Call me a cynic, but but it seems that latter day politics is all about headline grabbing, soundbites distraction and obfuscation.

Well...... that's me off the soapbox (for the while) apologies for the rant...

Some of the cars which are being scrapped are just too good to be scrapped:tuttut:
Seen pictures of one owner extremely low mileage, A1 condition Minis, Rovers, Fords etc being scrapped - what a waste:(

Like said before, this is more for votes and to keep bums in jobs than anything to do with the environment....
How many times has it been proved that keeping a banger on the road is better for the environment than building a new car etc - makes my blood boil:mad: