You are here > Home > News > Cost of Motoring > Survey: car scrapping incentive
Back to news homepage

Special Report Cost of Motoring

Cost of Motoring

Car Scrap-For-Cash Survey: We Need Your Views

Cash-for-scrap: would £2000 tempt you to buy a new car?

A car cash-for-scrap scheme that could see car buyers handed up to £2000 is under consideration by the government in a bid to get new car sales moving.

Under the plans owners of older cars - typically those more than 10 years old - would be handed discounts on new models in exchange for scrapping their old one. German car buyers already enjoy a £2100 contribution when they trade-in an older car, while Spanish scrap car owners are entitled to a £10,000 interest-free loan. The German dealers' organisation, ZdK, claims that this helps 200,000 more people into new cars.

This scrap cars proposal is being backed by the AA as well as the Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF).

More news in Cost of Motoring
 

Have your say

Would you scrap your old car for £2000?

Post a comment and tell us what you think about this article.

Added: 25 April 2009 13:42

Went to a dealer this morning and got the usual "oh that is rarer than hen's teeth" story. Point blank asked him if the BBC were lying then about the fields and fields of unused cars and he basically said yes. No deal whatsoever. Just where are these dealers and manufacturers who are struggling? I'll give them my business!
Blair Logie, Hamilton
Report Abuse
 

Added: 15 April 2009 07:52

To add to my previous comments, if the Govt brings in this scheme, all that will happen is the dealers will raise their prices by £2000. I have already seen this with the "Vat cut" - my local Nissan dealer pocketed this cut and increased the parts prices by 2.5% as I saw on my invoice, part was £x on day before the cut and £x + 2.5% on the day of the cut - I was very annoyed, typical greedy dealer tactic so the consumer gets none of the government help. Dealers can rot as far as I'm concerned.
Angry Motorist, Stoke on Trent
Report Abuse
 

Added: 15 April 2009 07:43

Absolutely not - My 1999 Nissan Primera will be staying thank you - I've read all the reviews on new car reliability, especially Renault, and feel that old cars are more reliable. Dealers are rude, arrogant and overpriced - no way would I give them my custom. All this will do is increase the value of my current car as it is over 9 years old, it'll now be worth £2000, so the old banger market will die out overnight. Dealers are now getting punished for their past and current greed. About time.
Angry Motorist, Stoke on Trent
Report Abuse
 
Have Your Say!
Added: 13 April 2009 21:36
I am very interested in this, I have an old car worth c. £200 and would use the c. £2000 allowance for a new car which i have NEVER considered before.
Mark, Oxford

Have Your Say!
Added: 13 April 2009 21:14
YES PLEASE.
I own a 1997 ford puma worth about £900. If I could get £2000 for it I would jump at it. Besides the Tax for it is over £200 a year and it does 30 MPG. So I would go out and get a small eco car which would help the envrioment, car industry and my montly budget plus Id have a nice safer, reliable NEW car.
Chris, Colchester

Have Your Say!
Added: 11 April 2009 11:09
My concern is will this incentive distort the bargain market? Will there be a requirement for a minimum length of ownership? Or will every Flash Harry be scouring the classifieds for an aged motor with an MoT just to secure their scrappage discount? In aiding the car industry and reducing CO2 (isn’t that a debatable point?) I hope it doesn’t penalise families like mine. It will be interesting to the see the details of the scheme, but I can’t see it being a perfect ‘magic bullet’.
G D Hay, Basingstoke

Have Your Say!
Added: 10 April 2009 19:52
also, if they are offering £2,000 and it has to be a new car, if you want to get, say, an estate car, where am i going to find the other £16,000+ to make up the difference?! a loan I cant re-pay? if people have old cars that are dying and have savings to pay the difference outright then fine, but £2,000 is not much.
charlotte, high wycombe

Have Your Say!
Added: 10 April 2009 19:45
it is an absolute waste to scrap cars that are in good condition. we have just brought a car that is 9 yrs old and to us that is a luxury and is the newest car we have ever owned, to think that it could be scrapped is a joke. i have a 13 yr old car that has had extensive work done to it,and i will definatly not be giving it up.i can count on one hand the number of new cars i would actually be seen driving in, most are hideous. finally,the replacement part industry would suffer,great for economy!
charlotte, high wycombe

Have Your Say!
Added: 10 April 2009 10:58
I would scrap my 22 year old ford fiesta if new cars where on 0 %.but my car has not failed a mot yet.
jeff hunter, newcastle upon tyne

Have Your Say!
Added: 06 April 2009 14:47
Good idea but at the wrong time.

Building new Cars is bad for the environment, as is scrapping older. However manufacturers will build cars anyway so this is irrelivant.

I drive a Escort gti, 34mpg, poor emissions.
The focus equivalent 2 litre zetec s 39 mpg and better emissions.
is 14k! i prefer paying outright so would not change but it would be good for others. Helps environment.

My worry is this would get irresponsible people into debt! not good for economy in a credit crunch.
Alan, Newcastle Upon tyne

Have Your Say!
Added: 04 April 2009 12:37
The problem with the proposed scheme (apart from the fact that we're not sure what *is* proposed as the govt are dithering over it as usual) is that the cutoff is too arbitrary - I have an 8 year old car with over 100K on the clock which is worth £500 on a good day and would jump at the chance to get £2K for it, but it will probably only apply over 9 years old so decent 9 year plus cars will end up getting scrapped while old bangers like mine will stay on the road. Base it on age or mileage!
Jason, Torquay

Have Your Say!
Added: 03 April 2009 09:15
No way after car manufacturers have just put their prices UP.

Were they anticipating this govt £2,000 giveaway? So now even if you do get the £2,000 it is swallowed up in the price increases.

We are in the middle of a recession, possibly depression and they put up the prices.

[Angry 11 year old car driver] I was considering buying a new/1 year old - Not now, my car will go another 5 years.
Jeff, Weybridge

Have Your Say!
Added: 02 April 2009 16:07
There is no way that this would persuade me to part ex my cars. I have a 13 year old Volvo 850r and a 10 year old e39 M5. Both are good for another 100K and I only do 5K a year. The Volvo doesn't depreciate and the M5 only depreciates a little. In total, both can be insured for the same cost of insuring a new 3 series. Why would I want to buy a new car for £30K, lose money on it, pay more to insure it, pay £400 to tax it and still have less performance and practicality than I have now?
Alex, Cheltenham

Have Your Say!
Added: 01 April 2009 20:47
just a year ago, the government said, many cars on the road, introduced C.Charge, increase road tax and fuel tax, saying people are driving too much, we are going to install satellite in all new cars in UK. The world is gonna end for you driving.

now same government want your old cars for 2000 grands, toward a new car. who is playing who. think about it. cars are here to stay. if UK don't buy. china, india , rest of the world we buy, and manufactural we move there.
olu, london

Have Your Say!
Added: 01 April 2009 10:48
Nope. Why would I? I have a totally reliable, fun to drive, 1998 Nissan Primera which will happily go on for another 100,000 miles.

Why would you want to buy new anyway - you loose so much value just by taking it out of the showroom! The idea is ok in principle, but as other people have mentioned, it would be more attractive on cars up to 3 years old.

Offering it on on only new cars will result in a one-off sales frenzy followed by a crash - also, 2k off a new car doesn't amount to much.
Daniel Coote, Edinburgh

Have Your Say!
Added: 30 March 2009 18:09
Ive got a 1984 Ford Capri 2.0litre Laser which ive had since 2003 and wouldnt sell it or get rid of it even if the Prime Minister came round and kissed my feet. Ive spent alot of money on this car to keep it top notch as these cars need their fans to keep them going. If we all kept buying new eco friendly cardboard boxes on wheels every four years then cars like this would die completely. Which i feel would be a shame.
Martin, Ipswich

Have Your Say!
Added: 28 March 2009 14:04
I own a 1997 Peugeot 306 which will soon be scrapped anyway as it is beyond economical repair. It doesn't have years of useful life left.
The grant would allow me be to buy a new car.
A grant towards a one or two year old car would be even better...
Pete, Hartlebury

Have Your Say!
Added: 27 March 2009 00:05
Just because a car is older does not necessarily mean it is inefficient, if it has been maintained. After all it still has to pass the MOT emmissions standards. In terms of the impact on the environment at manufacture, the longer the service life, the less the impact, compared to a car that is scrapped early. For cars that are imported there is the environmental cost of delivery by ship from whichever part of the globe....
I would never buy a new car for cost and ddepreciation reasons
chris newbold, huddersfield

Have Your Say!
Added: 25 March 2009 13:58
Anyone knows if this grant is available to use with certain car manufacturers or anyone?
Janet, Leicester

Have Your Say!
Added: 23 March 2009 13:33
I take a quite different view to the rest of the industry.

First, it would be an environmental and economic catastrophe to reward people for scrapping perfectly roadworthy older cars, which would otherwise give years of useful service.

Second, the sales increase this scheme would cause may be real in the short-term, but is artificial. There would be a deluge of sales, followed by a long drought.

Finally, who would benefit? The British? Imported new cars are the vast majority sold.
Ling Valentine, Gateshead

Have Your Say!
Added: 22 March 2009 07:10
Yes, but should trade any vehicle over 10 years for any low emission, under 5 years.

Would result in better take up rate and therefore have more economic and environmental effect. It would also help morale which in any situation of adversity would have beneficial effect on economy/society.
Diana , Norwich

Have Your Say!
Added: 21 March 2009 19:03
Would it not be better to just offer a subsidy on new cars such that VED Band A cars get £2000, Band B £1000 and Band C £500? Let the buyers, whether scrapping an old car or generating a second hand motor via their part exchange, see where the incentive is. Scrapping any old car to buy a new one would cause many to scrap economical little motors, which surely isn't the aim. Let the hefty car tax push many bigger cars off the road, although more fuel tax instead of VED makes more sense to me.
Andy, Worcester

Have Your Say!
Added: 21 March 2009 18:49
The new cars sat on airfields are largely the newly unloved poor MPG models. Is the government to help the manufacturers by offering the scheme to shift all new stock? I hope not! I'm reliably informed a new X-type represents about £8000 of parts and labour: the manufacturers could do a lot to help themselves by cutting prices, rather than trying to hold on to a fat profit margin. Any new scheme must not be a bail out, but must be a CO2 reducing incentive to manufacturers and drivers alike.
Andy, Worcester

Have Your Say!
Added: 21 March 2009 15:49
The problem is that for every one right minded person there are 10 schemers waiting to exploit the situation through some loop hole. Clearly the current Government is incapable of implimenting this as proved by the banking crisis. Perhaps some incentive would be to scrap one car and take an existing one, at a discount, from the massive backlog parked up at Bristol. This might be the way to start easing the jam.
Mark, Nottingham

Have Your Say!
Added: 21 March 2009 11:27
If the aim is Green as well as to move on the economy, it should include nearly new as well as new cars or any success of such a scheme will be very limited.
Jeannette, Inverness-shire

Have Your Say!
Added: 20 March 2009 23:42
even with £2000 I can't afford to buy new, but £2000 off a good used car (say 3 years old) would be great (I run a 1994 Golf) and would also help shift new cars, since people need to be able to shift their three year olds to buy new.
Brian Davison, Ilford

Have Your Say!
Added: 20 March 2009 20:30
yes, i have a honda engine fantastic body rusting 1994, am not sure its not swings and rounadabouts new car looses about 2000 taking it off the forcourt, i prefer demo deals, and today there are so many deals on new and used cars, something tells me you can't have it every way!!!
jennifer stewart, knutsford

Have Your Say!
Added: 20 March 2009 19:03
Probably would consider this. Have a 13 year old BMW... engine is fantastic and never any problems but starting to show signs of rust... however the capital outlay needed to make on cars never seems to appeal to me...
CF, Aberdeen

Have Your Say!
Added: 20 March 2009 17:54
Yes... Is this happening and when?
Steven Delaney, Stockport

Have Your Say!
Added: 20 March 2009 17:35

YES
Fraser Hounsom, Worksop

Have Your Say!
Added: 20 March 2009 16:47
I think its a great idea, I have a 10 year old Mondeo which needs a fair bit of work doing on it although it still runs OK. I couldn't normally afford a new car but with this 2K, plus discounts the dealers are offering this may allow me to be able to do so
Phil Turner, Aylesbury

Have Your Say!
Added: 19 March 2009 22:19
I drive a heap of sh1t because that's all I can afford. If I got £2000 to scrap it I could only afford another heap.
I dont think this will help the poor that cant afford new eco friendly cars. It will just encourage those who could already afford it but see nothing wrong with their older car to save some money.
Are you with me?
Mel, Great Yar

Have Your Say!
Added: 18 March 2009 18:45
cont. from below... not the major emissions from manufacturing the car. Also I do not like any of the euroboxes on the market just now so why should I change when the only car I'd buy is the new accord but they wouldn't want to give me £2000 off because its not a heap of rubbish. Also I don't want to spend above £2000 on a car.
Mark, Newcastle

Have Your Say!
Added: 18 March 2009 18:42
I think this scheme is an awful idea. I drive a lovely 1999 Honda Accord. Its a 2.0 litre and I've owned it since it was two year old. It currently has 123,000 on the clock and still averages 36mpg doing a large variety of driving. In my opinion that is a waste of a perfectly good efficient vehicle if that were to get scrapped. Yeah its only worth £900 but so what, I'll just run it until it dies and offset the manufacturing emissions. People only think of the running emissions and... cont. above
Mark, Newcastle

Have Your Say!
Added: 17 March 2009 19:45
I agree entirely with the comments below and want to emphasise that not all car owners have brand new/changed regularly vehicles. I own a 13 year old pug 106 which has done 180000 miles and is still going strong. I can afford a new car tomorrow if I wish, but don`t see the need to buy one as my car is only worth pennies. However,if offered £2000 towards a new Pug I would jump at the chance, as I`m sure, would many other car owners.
J lawrence, Pontefract

Have Your Say!
Added: 17 March 2009 16:25
It's not so bad if your already looking to buy a new car, depends on your circumstances
Adam, Wales

Have Your Say!
Added: 17 March 2009 15:50
The scrappage scheme is a no brainer. The benefits are clear: stimulus to a vitally important industry, reduction in environmentally unfriendly cars on our roads, and very low real cost to the public purse with the increased VAT takings that would be generated.

Yet still the Government prevaricates. To help chivvy them along we have launched a Scrappage Scheme petition on the number 10 website - if you care about the car industry or would like £2000 off your next car, sign it now!
David Reed, Meriden

Have Your Say!
Added: 17 March 2009 13:45
Can people please stop generalising that old car drivers can't afford a new one. With the Gov allowance a small car would likely cost around £100 a month on a PCP. I drive a 16-year-old Fiat, want a new Toyota IQ. My (wealthy) vet drives a 15 year old Audi, wants a new 'small hatchback'.My mate drives a 14-year-old Escort estate, wants a new Ford Ka. My boss drives a tired 9-year-old Polo, wants to buy a new Polo. The allowance would stimulate the economy and get us all into more efficient cars
J Adams, Dorset

Have Your Say!
Added: 16 March 2009 16:33
£2000 off a brand new car worth £20k is nothing. If you have a car older than 10 years chances are you are not going to be in a position to buy a brand new car!

It must apply to cars up to 3 years old with low emissions for it to be useful.
Matt, canterbury

Have Your Say!
Added: 15 March 2009 23:05
yes we need this like they have it overseas ! the scrapping premium is the best thing for the car industry and for us. scrap-bonus.com
yes we need, london

Have Your Say!
Added: 15 March 2009 08:24
I wrote to Alistair Darling on the 13th December with the proposition that there should be a cash grant of 3000 pounds to scrap 10 year-old cars and purchase a new, more fuel effisient one.
Paul Phillips, Ryde

Have Your Say!
Added: 14 March 2009 15:39
All it takes is a whiff of gov't cash to help one sector or industry and the big motor manufacturers jump on the bandwagen claiming hardship. They have had it seriously good for the last 10+ years with record sales, yet the only car manufacturers remaining in the UK are foreign owned companies enticed here by massive enterprise grants who've used transfer pricing methods to avoid tax liability for years and are now holding their hand out for government cash! Let some of these chancers go under!
K Walker, Romford

Have Your Say!
Added: 14 March 2009 12:54
This is an odd story - what was the source?

Having said that the basic idea is lousy - Other European trade-up scheme's are a taxpayer handout to the motor industry. Thats neither green or in the long term interests of the motorist.


Haggard Pete, Sunderland

Have Your Say!
Added: 14 March 2009 10:55
Just tell me when I can apply, and my old reliable Astra estate is dust. With car prices at the most depressed in history, and someone giving an extra £2000 off, together with better fuel consumption; what's not to like?
Oily Rag, Southampton

Have Your Say!
Added: 14 March 2009 00:09
Question: does anyone think that the owner of a 10 year old car worth £500 might be in a position to buy a new car worth £10,000 even with a £2000 government hand out? i don't think so, hey! maybe they could get a BIG loan, that would be responsible!
Taylor, Bristol

Have Your Say!
Added: 13 March 2009 19:44
have 2 commute250 miles/wkMy old skip does 35mpg,could offset cost of a greener 2 year old not normally afford, skeptical re reducing running expense. Is not the greener vehicle a whole new industry of expensive part obsolescence/replacement though? What impact this? maybe we should seek a grant 2 be able to give up the commute and walk 2 work etc Financing means more debt, and who says fuel hikes wont make it unsustainable, back 2 square1
none of it makes any sense if you think about it for
9ion, london

Have Your Say!
Added: 13 March 2009 19:34
have 2 commute250 miles/wkMy old skip does 35mpg,could offset cost of a greener 2 year old not normally afford, skeptical re reducing running expense. Is not the greener vehicle a whole new industry of expensive part obsolescence/replacement though? What impact this? maybe we should seek a grant 2 be able to give up the commute and walk 2 work etc Financing means more debt, and who says fuel hikes wont make it unsustainable, back 2 square1
none of it makes any sense if you think about it for
9ion, london

Have Your Say!
Added: 13 March 2009 16:35
yea.. this is the sort of thing we need for government to put forward... it will be worth evrythin..
nauman, london

Have Your Say!
Added: 12 March 2009 22:20
Brilliant, we have a govenment that allowed a credit run society, now trying to lure more people who cannot afford credit into the downward spiral. With an average speed around the city of London of 3 to 12 miles an hour if they want to make a start on motoring issues why dont they limit all cars in inner cities to 1000 cc's or less all band A ved if its the green credentials they are really intrested in, now that would impress us and show commitment on their part OOOPS NO CAR TAX SO NO CAN DO.
9tiger9, notts

Have Your Say!
Added: 12 March 2009 21:57
Am due to change my car, this would make me consider a brand new one rather than a used car, esp it it applies to the more CO2 friendly cars.
Peter Channon, Manchester

Have Your Say!
Added: 12 March 2009 14:10
If SMMT and the big fat cat car manufacturers want us to buy new cars, make them CHEAPER to buy!!!!!!!

Why would I want to scrap my perfectly reliable car and buy a new car to keep a big fat executive in a job and pay themselves huge bonuses?
Sat Singh, Milton Keynes

Have Your Say!
Added: 11 March 2009 22:30
Scrapping old assets does not make us poorer. What WILL make us poorer is if government revenue from car sales drops. If production workers, salesmen,car transporter drivers etc. etc. lose their jobs, and have to be supported from taxes, rather than paying taxes. THAT will make everyone poorer. So, what do you want to do? Pay tax to modernise assets, and keep people in work, or pay more tax to reinforce a deflationary spiral, and keep people in idleness
Bert James, Dorchester

Have Your Say!
Added: 11 March 2009 13:42
Perfectly good cars are to be scrapped and new cars bought.

This fails on a number of levels:

1. 80% of all the CO2 caused by a car is produced in making a car, not in running it. Even if you do not accept the AGW story, it makes no sense.
2. Destroying working assets makes us poorer - read Bastiat.
3. It will take taxpayers money, making everyone poorer.
4. An end to cheap old cars.

The scheme is just a way to extort money from taxpayers so that SMMT members can be protected. For Sh
Tim Carpenter, London

Have Your Say!
Added: 11 March 2009 08:52
I think this is a no-brainer of an initiative. In fact, my company has started a petition on the Number 10 website (http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/scrappagescheme/) to help highlight the public desire for such a scheme. If you agree with Parkers, Seat, the AA, the RFIM & SMMT then sign the petition!
David Reed, Kidderminster

Have Your Say!
Added: 10 March 2009 19:34
If the car industry doesn't sell new cars the government doesn't get the 15% vat (£2000+ average), the special car tax, or the registration fees in revenue.So, any incentive like this is cost neutral, it also means that the government wouldn't be paying redundancy pay or any benefits to laid off redundant car workers.Also any car worker then keeping their jobs wouldn't be claiming all the social security benefits, council tax rebates etc for them and their families.We need action now.
sandy, leicester

Have Your Say!
Added: 10 March 2009 19:33
If the car industry doesn't sell new cars the government doesn't get the 15% vat (£2000+ average), the special car tax, or the registration fees in revenue.So, any incentive like this is cost neutral, it also means that the government wouldn't be paying redundancy pay or any benefits to laid off redundant car workers.Also any car worker then keeping their jobs wouldn't be claiming all the social security benefits, council tax rebates etc for them and their families.We need action now.
sandy, leicester

Have Your Say!
Added: 10 March 2009 17:08
As a new, young driver, I would be happy to make use of such a scheme. I currently drive a 1996 N reg Skoda Felicia and barely feel safe when I drive it. At the moment it's off the road due to failing brakes - not something I want to drive around in as a new driver!

£2000 would go a long way to buy a newer, greener and safer car, which would also help to bring my insurance down.

Make it happen, Brown!
MO, Newton-Le-Willows

Have Your Say!
Added: 10 March 2009 12:09
On the face of it a cash incentive seems pointless as most of the UK car companies are foreign owned. However, the Government levies a hefty VAT charge on each car sold, meaning it will recoup some of the cash incentive offered on every car sold. In addition, it will encourage motorists to buy cheaper (and therefore generally greener) cars as £2500 is a much bigger discount on a £10K car than it is on a £20K car. Therefore the car industry benefits, the motorist benefits and the economy benefits
JR, Chertsey

Have Your Say!
Added: 09 March 2009 20:07
Interesting idea but seems a bit pointless. How many people are there that own cars that old that can almost afford a new car? Not many I suspect.

If it included used cars say up to 2 years old but below a certain amount of CO2 then it would work.

It wouldnt persuade me to part with my 13 year old Landrover as a nearly new gets taxed shockingly every year! Although it would tempt me to replace my main car with a cleaner version.

Phil, Cardiff

Have Your Say!
Added: 09 March 2009 15:56
will it be available via brokers? I mean, if you can get £5000 off from drivethedeal.com and others, it will be still better to buy from brokers and bin your old car than to buy from dealer and get the government incentive.



Reg, London

Have Your Say!
Added: 09 March 2009 15:35
!!!SHOULD ALREADY BE IN PLACE!!!

We are in an economic crisis with more and more car factories closing down
Jobs are being lost and more people are having to claim allowances in order to compensate for their lost income

By introducing the scheme we will safeguard British jobs. Reducing jobless payouts meaning the scheme will virtually pay for itself. Remove unsafe cars. Reduce harmful emissions with cleaner and safer cars.Plus it could help to kickstart the economy like quantative easing
James, Reigate

Have Your Say!
Added: 08 March 2009 19:04
I don't see any problem with this. No-one wuld be forced to participate, so if you want to keep an old gas-guzzler on the road, who is stopping you?
Maybe the scheme should be limited to fuel efficient British manufactured cars. If taxpayer's money is to be used,then I think that the taxpayers have a right to insist it is used to keep British workers, paying British tax in jobs. I also think we need to cut imports,and that includes cars and petroleum products
Bert James, Dorchester

Have Your Say!
Added: 08 March 2009 15:15
This move will simply encourage obsolescence, to serve short-term, misguided objectives. Government and industry seem determined to promote sales of new cars, regardless of the economic and environmental consequences of doing so. Compared with the energy cost of building a new car, slight improvements in the fuel economy of newer models make a miniscule difference to the overall "lifetime" energy cost of ownership. Cars should be conserved and maintained, not scrapped and replaced unnecessarily.
Jon Gathercole, Camberley

Have Your Say!
Added: 07 March 2009 19:19
A whacky scheme! Consider the impact. Many owners of old cars cannot commit to a new one even with a £2k sweetner, but perhaps they can make a few pounds selling to someone who feels they can afford to, so the bottom of the used car market gets distorted, affecting the price of all cars by £2000, including new cars, I'm prepared to bet. The car manufacturers benefit, briefly, but when the incentive stops, the whole thing flops again! It encourages reckless purchasers, which is how we got here!
Andy, Worcester

Have Your Say!
Added: 07 March 2009 10:36
I'm really at a loss to understand why some drivers of old cars are still against this scheme. You wouldn't be forced to buy a new car- its just a new option. And the simple way to ensure the unscrupulous don't cash in is to only allow it for those who have owned their old cars 12 months+.
Chris , Porth

Have Your Say!
Added: 07 March 2009 08:22
Well if you are in the market for a new car,this must be a great offer.We are talking about cost to change.So if im driving about in a car worth 1500,i can buy a banger for 50 quid,then get 2000 off new car,then sell own car.Can anybody say this would not be a good deal .And just a note to all the lovers of their age old bangers,would they still be driving them if they won the lottery?
BRIAN, SWANLEY KENT

Have Your Say!
Added: 06 March 2009 23:54
I have a 1997 Volvo V70 T5 CD Auto,183,000mls on the clock,24-32mpg and 20-21mpg towing our 24'-6"twin axle caravan.Neck jerking performance when called upon.It is paid for(long ago).Why would I want to accept £2,000 for it,end up in hock to replace it,WHAT WITH?and get screwed for silly road fund charges.Bribery to give up a perfectly good car,into hock to buy another,balmy VED charges to put it on the road and continue keeping it there.I DON'T THINK SO.The motorist has been a cash cow to long.
johnshepherd, UpHolland,Skelmersdale

Have Your Say!
Added: 06 March 2009 20:30
This was done in ireland and got the bangers off the roads, sooner they do the same here the better.
geoff , lyme regis

Have Your Say!
Added: 06 March 2009 14:42
I wish they would hurry up and decide either way as I need to replace my 16yr old MR2 it's passed it's use by date. I will miss it.
Fiona , Colinsburgh

Have Your Say!
Added: 05 March 2009 21:16
For those who feel that keeping an old gas-guzzler on the road is preferable to receiving 5-10 times its true value and using the money to support an industry giving jobs to hundreds of thousands of people across Europe, I suggest you wake up and smell the coffee! There's nothing stopping you from keeping an old car if thats what you want, but some of us can see the hard times ahead and appreciate the option of buying something in keeping with the times. Or just go and buy another laguna later!
Chris Williams, Porth

Have Your Say!
Added: 05 March 2009 19:36
Utter rubbish.
Why would I scrap my V6 laguna I paid £400 for in very good nick, only to get £2k off a tinny, gutless enviro-box which I'd still have to fork out another 4 or 5k on top?
No thanks - no government will take away my right to a performance/luxury car on a budget, especially not a Labour one!
Matt Weston, Worcester

Have Your Say!
Added: 05 March 2009 17:42
I'd buy a new car if I received £2000 or more for my 11 year old Audi A4. The snag I see is that we are in a situation similar to the stamp duty cut last year. The longer the government dithers over the decision whether to do it, the longer everyone does nothing until the decision is made.
Steve, Canterbury

Have Your Say!
Added: 05 March 2009 14:11
I'd jump at the chance of £2000-2500 to scrap my 12-year-old omega and buy something new or nearly new, as in Germany. However, the 1000 euro incentive given in France isn't really worth thinking about, unless my omega is only fit for the scrapheap by the time the MOT next comes around. Give me £2000-2500, plus whatever discount I can negotiate with the dealer, and I'd buy something today. However, I'm reluctant to buy while the prospect of the scrappage fee is still open.
Chris Williams, Porth, Rhondda

Related News

Scrappage pushes up February registrations
 
High prices puts off car buyers
 
2010 new car sales get off to promising start
 
Future looks brighter for Saab
 
Auto option for 308 CC
 
Search all news articles Search
 
Login   Register