Scrappage Scam Extended

[PlacidCasual]

I have a Golf Estate 14 years old that I have replaced with a second hand Skoda Estate. The Golf will fetch maybe a grand if I sell it. With the scheme though I can get £2000 off a small car, bought cash, and give it to my Mom as a run about. 25-30% off the price of a new car has prompted me to spend money I wouldn't have spent before.

 

[Lashout_UK]

OK, I accept that the BMW E30 M3 is an unique masterpiece of traditional engineering with each vehicle individually hand-crafted by wizened old men in lederhosen living deep in the forests of Bavaria but seemingly no longer very much wanted by a cruel and ungrateful world . . . better now?

Do you know how much an E30 M3 is worth? Or a 325i Sport for that matter? Or a mint 318iS? Or how sought-after any E30 is in good order? Ever driven a good one?.....

Hell, even my 325i I had I sold the day after I advertised it - and for very strong money.

An E30 (or E34 for that matter) in the right spec, with the right history, is always worth a decent chunk of change - and even more so if low mileage. All of these are borderline (or plain) 'classic' now.

Old Colonel Cars, for instance, make most of their money on E30s and E34s alone - an example:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IMMACULATE-BMW-E34-ONLY-46-000-MILES-FULL-HISTORY_W0QQitemZ270463224958

.....and that's "just" the 518i - not even a 6 pot. Even more scarily, it'll sell, too, for near that...

 

[[TW]Fox]

Yea but its 30% off a car v0n has demonstrated used to be some 30% cheaper before this scheme was dreamt up

As your car is worth 1k anyway you are only gettingan extra grand off, something new car buyers have been doing for years.

 

[Janesy B]

How many X or Y reg rusty old death-traps have you seen?

2009 Registered MK2 Focus 1.6 Zetec:

MPG 42
Insurance Group 7
Euro Emissions Standard IV
CO2 Emissions 159 g/km
Road Tax Band G

Euro NCAP Rating - 5 stars

1999 Registered MK1 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec:

MPG 40
Insurance Group 6
Euro Emissions Standard II
CO2 Emissions 165 g/km
Road Tax Band G

Euro NCAP Rating - 4 stars

Yeah, those ten year old cars are REALLY dangerous and polluting compared to new cars

 

[stockhausen]

I have a Golf Estate 14 years old that I have replaced with a second hand Skoda Estate. The Golf will fetch maybe a grand if I sell it. With the scheme though I can get £2000 off a small car, bought cash, and give it to my Mom as a run about. 25-30% off the price of a new car has prompted me to spend money I wouldn't have spent before.

Ahhh, how sweet.

The things people will do to earn the love of their Moms

 

[antijoke]

An appalling use of tax payers money, which sadly our children will end paying back with their taxes, and probably even their children.

 

[snowdog]

Just because the owner didnt want it doesnt mean nobody wants it nor is unsafe. Infact does your i20 have ESP?

Let's go on...


Is the i20 anywhere near as comfy as the merc, anywhere near as fast as the merc, anywhere near as fun to drive ( is it rwd?) as the merc... Does it come with as many options as the merc ? Does it look as nice as the merc ?

I can't see one other reason except running costs, why I'd pick an i20 over a '96 E320...

Luckily a '96 E320 is worth at least 3.5 k here, nobody is stupid enough to scrap it to gain 1k...

 

[jamief]

An appalling use of tax payers money, which sadly our children will end paying back with their taxes, and probably even their children.

In terms of "wastes of taxpayers money" I think it is fairly small fry.... I'd think you should feel more aggrieved about the bank bailouts or ridiculous "wars" that are currently being fought.

 

[Flukester]

An appalling use of tax payers money, which sadly our children will end paying back with their taxes, and probably even their children.

funny post, just out of interest... how qualified are you to suggest it is ?

they are using an injection of cash to boost the car industry, without the boost the loss to the country in car related income would have been a lot more I suspect...

I have a feeling the goverment weighed up many factors before deciding it was economical to do

many here seem to be focusing on wether XYZ car should be scrapped, but at end of the day it doesn't matter, as long as it boosts the car industry to a larger sum than the outlay (ie sales / taxes / jobs etc etc). Though I hate labour, I bet even they would have worked it all out in excel

I bet they have a file called 'the_economy.xls'

I bet they don't have a file called 'to_the_internetz.xls'

 

[Janesy B]

Though I hate labour, I bet even they would have worked it all out in excel

I bet they have a file called 'the_economy.xls'

Back of a fag packet more likely.

 

[stockhausen]

Let's go on...

No, let's not. If you have and love a Merc, do for God's sake hang on to it; if you don't but would love one, go out and buy one - at any cost. However do try to free yourself from the illusion that everyone is a fan of some over-priced metal box on wheels with an engine - which is after all, what any car, even a BMW or a Mercedes is.

Any car is just a means of transport, not some great work of creative genius, thousands of which will end up hung on gallery walls in a hundred year's time.

 

[[TW]Fox]

No, let's not. If you have and love a Merc, do for God's sake hang on to it; if you don't but would love one, go out and buy one - at any cost. However do try to free yourself from the illusion that everyone is a fan of some over-priced metal box on wheels with an engine - which is after all, what any car, even a BMW or a Mercedes is. Any car is just a means of transport, not some great work of creative genius, thousands of which will end up hung on gallery walls in a hundred year's time.

You may think that but the existence of premium brands, multi million pound aftermarket indusry and forums such as this would demonstrate how simplisticly short sighted you are. Just because to you a car is like a washing machine does not make it fact.

 

[Janesy B]

Any car is just a means of transport, not some great work of creative genius, thousands of which will end up hung on gallery walls in a hundred year's time.

Jay Leno would like to disagree with you.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/

 

[[TW]Fox]

No, let's not. If you have and love a Merc, do for God's sake hang on to it; if you don't but would love one, go out and buy one - at any cost. However do try to free yourself from the illusion that everyone is a fan of some over-priced metal box on wheels with an engine - which is after all, what any car, even a BMW or a Mercedes is. Any car is just a means of transport, not some great work of creative genius, thousands of which will end up hung on gallery walls in a hundred year's time.

You may think that but the existence of premium brands, multi million pound aftermarket indusry and forums such as this would demonstrate how simplisticly short sighted you are. Just because to you a car is like a washing machine does not make it fact.

 

[stockhausen]

... Just because to you a car is like a washing machine does not make it fact.

Cars are mass-produced. Washing Machines are mass-produced. Those are certainly facts.

There are cheap washing machines and there are expensive washing machines. There are cheap cars and there are expensive cars. Those too are facts.

At the end of the day, no matter how attached to them some people may be, washing machines wash clothes, cars transport people and goods. Some people may form a somewhat unhealthy attachments to their washing machine or even to their car.

I'm sorry to break this to you but none of that idolatry makes either a mass-produced washing machine or a mass-produced car into a great work of art.


However, do not despair or bother to repeat yourself Foxy, the Government's evil scrappage scheme will not tear your much loved car away from you, whatever it may be

 

[Wicksta]

Just when I thought Robbie G couldn't be beaten we now hear that car enthusiasts have an unhealthy attachment to their vehicles.

 

[Lum]

your concern is based around a highly convoluted scenario that may or may not even exist in reality...using ficticious examples with no statistical analysis.

It's not that convoluted or unlikely.

People running 15 year old cars that are near death traps and barely scrape through the MOT each year (MOT pass may or may not involve backhanders to the tester in some cases) aren't the people who can afford to take on a 6 grand payment for a new Hotpoint I20

People running 15 year old cars in excellent condition, properly maintained and serviced by a reputable knowledgeable garage and who have no issues at MOT time are the sort of people who can afford to take on a 6 grand payment on a Hotpoint I20.

Therefore it's the well maintained looked after cars that end up getting scrapped. It's pretty simple really.

Look at my complete nail of a Volvo 940 for example, I drove it for 6 months with a head gasket failure, carried on driving it after 3rd gear fell off and then I started looking for a replacement, while looking for a replacement I lost 5th gear and Reverse was starting to go.

The only reason I managed to buy a good condition one to replace it is because the previous owner just couldn't bear to see it scrapped when his wife insisted on getting some Citroen MPV thing. He probably lost a few grand on that deal, most people wouldn't be so sentimental as like you say they're no different to washing machines to normal people, so I would've still been stuck driving that damn thing while this really nice 940 Wentworth went to the scrapyard.

 

[Flukester]

Cars are mass-produced. Washing Machines are mass-produced. Those are certainly facts.

There are cheap washing machines and there are expensive washing machines. There are cheap cars and there are expensive cars. Those too are facts.

At the end of the day, no matter how attached to them some people may be, washing machines wash clothes, cars transport people and goods. Some people may form a somewhat unhealthy attachments to their washing machine or even to their car.

I'm sorry to break this to you but none of that idolatry makes either a mass-produced washing machine or a mass-produced car into a great work of art.


However, do not despair or bother to repeat yourself Foxy, the Government's evil scrappage scheme will not tear your much loved car away from you, whatever it may be

as much as I'd like to agree with you, this is just the wrong analogy

reason is simple, it's fun to drive some cars, just driving on some days for the sake of it.

no matter how expensive a washing machine is you'll never wash for the fun of it, and it'll certainly not bring a smile to your face unless your a weirdo!

your talking tosh man

 

[[TW]Fox]

So if we dont drive an i20 we have an unhealthy attachmment to our vehicles?

Are you for real?

 

[LostPhil]

Some people may form a somewhat unhealthy attachments to their washing machine or even to their car.

And I guess all those Spitfire owners/restorers have an unhealthy interest in their planes too. I suppose the iconic Flying Scotsman wasn't worth rebuilding as it's just an outdated form of transport. Mk 1 Golf GTI owners must me mad.

A car is a lot more personal than a white good. You don't spend a lot of time sitting next to your washing machine getting to know it's quirks, appreciating it's design, letting it thrill you (well, depending on your tastes I guess...!) and relax you on a trip home from a bad day at work.

Whether you like it or not, cars are a part of history and a fair few have had a large part in influencing the design of modern cars. Some are beautiful to look at, some are thrilling to drive and there's a lot of reasons why cars should be saved from being scrapped.

If you can't see that, then you're not even remotely interested in cars and of course you're not going to understand an enthusiast's point of view.

Yes, there's a lot of run down, rubbish tat on the roads but there's also ones that could really do with saving - and there are a good few examples in this thread.

As also pointed out in the thread - the "discounts" on the new cars were also around before except you weren't forced to scrap your car to get to them. Why the government couldn't just subsidise new cars without scrapping the old ones I have no idea. Car industry propped up, less wastage. Anyone buying a new car because of the scheme would've been able to afford it anyway.

The only thing the scheme has done is encourage more personal debt and wasteful consumerism. I don't have a problem with incentives, just not ones that don't make any sense what so ever or are implemented because of political/green kudos points.

.....Hmm, maybe the bad day's got to me a bit... Ha