Car scrappage?
By ShepherdSpy
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
Omagh, Northern Ireland
March 20, 2009 9:51pm CST
As a possible stimulus for the UK car industry and sales of vehicles here,the idea has been floated of a scrappage scheme,(already in use in some other countries) that'll basically offer you a price (A suggestion has been made of £2k) on trading in a car over 10 years old against a new car..What do you think about the introduction of a UK scrappage scheme? Would You like one to be introduced? Would you benefit from it? Thanks for responses!
1 person likes this
2 responses
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
21 Mar 09
It assumes everyone is rich. If you are rich the chances are you already own a newer car. A lot of the older than ten years old cars are people who cannot afford a new car no matter what you pay them, unless it is substantial. Who is going to pay the two thousand pounds which would be about four to five thousand dollars in Canada. The taxpayer? The government cannot give you a pound without taking it off someone else (or taking it from you and giving it back).
Why not do this with everything? Burn all old clothes and knock down old houses? After all why are automobile jobs so special, what about the jobs for everyone else.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
25 Mar 09
I agree with you on the new car v old car owner financial status thing-speaking for myself,I don't make enough with my job to save the price to pay up front for a new car in cash! The new cars I've had,I paid for with finance..I'm thinking Part of the reasoning behind the move would be to get older,more polluting cars off the road,and stimulate the car manufacturing business,keeping the wide range of supporting suppliers for the car in business-in short,to create a knock on cash flow effect..a good thing.The Government will then offset the "handout" by getting more money from the registration fees and taxation of the new cars,the DVLA is kept busy,and the recycling business is kept busy with all the old cars coming back..The housing industry would be a slower fix,I think-this slide we're in became apparent with th mortgage/banking problem,so not as many houses being sold or built currently..
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
25 Mar 09
One of the problems I have is that to purchase an automobile you are stuck buying an internal combustion engine which is inherently polluting. You cannot drive a gasoline car without polluting. The government in Canada I know is really dragging their feet when it comes to changing the rules for flex fuel vehicles and electric vehicles. If I go down to the car lot my only viable choice is a gas vehicle or a gas hybrid which is way more expensive.
Ontario had a propane conversion subsidy long ago during the last gas crisis. It fell by the wayside as gasoline suddenly became plentiful and cheap.
@dorypanda (1601)
•
21 Mar 09
I think it's a good idea, but I don't reckon they'd give us much more than a fiver for our car. ;) I know a few people who have had to literally 'scrap' their cars and they've got nothing or hardly anything for them, so it would be good for people like them too.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
21 Mar 09
Doesn't it now cost you (£100?)to scrap a car at the end of its useful life? I enjoyed the Top Gear challenge (repeats on Dave Channel) where the guys had to buy an old banger with a £100 budget,(apparently the cost of a train fare to get them to the TG Track)..Clarkson Won as He'd had a Woman friend go to a dealer and offered them £1 for the Volvo he used-it would have cost them £100 to scrap the car,so they made a profit by selling it for that price! The Engine went bang on the last car I had when I was driving up the motorway..replacing the engine would have cost more than the car was worth at that time! Apparently there's a buzz going through the car industry about this scrappage thing,a lot of anticipation involved! My current car is about to turn 10..I'm interested to see where this thing goes too,as the bucket of bolts just made it thru MOT by the skin of the teeth of its gearbox cogs last month..hopefully a decision will be reached within 6 months,and I'd then have a choice of going used or new on the next one!
