Have you all signed the 'Scrap The Scrappage' petition?

[vicsmith]

At this point I predict that the Rover 600 is about to become extinct. Values have been low for years, not only are they Rovers - orphaned and incorrectly tarred with the head gasket brush - but they are big enough to not qualify for cheap road tax, yet not big enough for any of them to be V6 engined. I have noticed become a genuine rarity since the scrap metal hubbub of last summer, and now any survivors have this to surmount. The irony is, being a re-badged Honda Accord they should be able to outlast pretty much anything.Might see if I can find a 623 while I still can, they just don`t deserve this.

[mouseflakes]

Good to see that the TV news coverage (two days back?) included comments from the environmental folks saying the scheme would not benefit the environment one bit.

[FredTransit]

Why not just knock 2 grand off the price of every new car?Im all for kickstarting the car industry but I cant agree with the huge numbers of servicable cars that will end up being crushed for no reason.

Because then they can't thinly disguise this sad marketing ploy as being good for the environment, which it isn't.

[Ratdat]

Sniff Petrol sums it up nicely

[Milford Cubicle]

At this point I predict that the Rover 600 is about to become extinct. Values have been low for years, not only are they Rovers - orphaned and incorrectly tarred with the head gasket brush - but they are big enough to not qualify for cheap road tax, yet not big enough for any of them to be V6 engined. I have noticed become a genuine rarity since the scrap metal hubbub of last summer, and now any survivors have this to surmount. The irony is, being a re-badged Honda Accord they should be able to outlast pretty much anything.Might see if I can find a 623 while I still can, they just don`t deserve this.

I'm sorry to say I got carried away in the unloved Rover scrap frenzy and scrapped my 623... nobody bit when I advertised it a few times at scrap value (£160 - it had a few months' tax and test!).People automatically think any engine over 2.0 litres is going to be some 15mpg gas guzzling monster so avoided it. Petrol was around £1.30/litre at the time, so not a great time to be selling a big-engined petrol car at any price, even though it is no less economical than the 618 or 620, yet a lot quickerThe 2.3 engine is great, a wee bit at odds with the 600's character as it has to be thrashed to get the best out of it. But it is really smooth up to the red line, with multi-cylindered growl when accelerating - it doesn't really sound like anything as rough as a 4-cylinder.I really liked that car, should have kept it

[CortinaDave]

It will mean higher prices for the remaining shite in the years to come after the scheme ends. Ireland had a "successful" scrappage scheme a few years ago which means there's very little tin left there. Hence anyone who wants a cortina, mk2 cavalier etc has to import one from the UK, and they pay a lot more than UK buyersI've sent two cortinas over there in the last couple of years, got good money for both

[dollywobbler]

Thanks folks. I've been away over Easter so had no idea you were ranting about this topic again! All signatures appreciated. It's well maintained tat that is at most risk. All those low mileage Micras and Accords that do sod all mileage and have no trouble passing MoTs. The shitters will still be out there, because their owners can't afford a new car.Ian

[Richard]

The Volvo I was meant to be getting will be crushed if this goes through. That has really pissed me off.I want and need new windows in my house. Window manufacturers and fitters are in as much shit as anybody just now so why can't I be given £2000 towards new windows? New windows in my house would reduce my carbon footprint and most of the money I spent would stay in the UK, unlike money spent on a new car.

[FredTransit]

The Volvo I was meant to be getting will be crushed if this goes through. That has really pissed me off.

Are the current owners going to buy a new car then?

[Richard]

It's my father's car. He is getting a new car in July. It's ordered and he was getting £250 for his old one so I offered to buy it instead. He won't let me have it if he could get £2000 and I wouldn't expect him to.

[AnthonyG]

It's my father's car. He is getting a new car in July. It's ordered and he was getting £250 for his old one so I offered to buy it instead. He won't let me have it if he could get £2000 and I wouldn't expect him to.

If it's already ordered he might not get his £2k.

[FredTransit]

It's my father's car. He is getting a new car in July. It's ordered and he was getting £250 for his old one so I offered to buy it instead. He won't let me have it if he could get £2000 and I wouldn't expect him to.

If it's already ordered he might not get his £2k.

Also, we all know you could probably get the discount any way, the car business is so short of orders. I would say if they don't give you the discount, you are off to Ford.....

[Mr Lobster]

Well, looks like Gordon McFucknut has signed it off so it will be going ahead.

 

Cnuts the lot of 'em

 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArtic ... rs/239506/

[Guest]

Just before we all get carried away, the government haven't even announced a scheme yet, even the fact that it could be £2000 is purely speculation based on what Germans get - some other countries get less than half that. The news stories are all "could" and "might".For all we know, the scrap incentive scheme could be that you swap your car for £10 off a folding picnic table at Hillards.

[Mr Lobster]

True, but it certainly appears imminent.

[FredTransit]

I was appalled by this when I first heard of it, imagining mint Mk2 escorts and Mk1 golfs being crushed, but at the end of the day you have to remember they buyers still have to fork out for the rest of the purchase price, which will mostly mean they will have to lock themselves into finance for the rest of the price tag. Many people don't want to do this these days. That alone will limit how many cars this will see off. Not that I want to see any perfectly good car off you understand.

[andrew e]

I reckon it will happen.... my small scale investment before christmas at 5p a share is now 17p after rumours of the scrappage scheme...

 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/hotStocks ... 6520090414

 

Not promising news....

[dollywobbler]

Well, we've gathered our petitioners 'signatures' together and they're now winging their way to 11 Downing Street...Just need to get the website updated now!Thanks everyone.

[Volksy]

The government have announced today plans for a £5k incentive to purchase an electric/zero emmisions vehicle. Although most wont be availiable before 2011 at the earliest.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8001254.stm

 

 

So by the time all the new shitbox's people are gonna buy on finance are ready for there first MOT, they probably are gonna still be worth £5k!

 

So to 'protect the enviroment', why are we subsidising people purchasing vehicles which are going to be largly irrelevent within three years.

 

What a crock!

[Negative Creep]

If you remember the response to the road charging petition, I don't hold out much hope. What do they care what we think anyway?

[Mr Lobster]

^ They don't care what we, the public think. They have their own agenda and will push it through regardless. If they can get the public on side by throwing a few sweeteners like £2k for scrap in then all well and good but they really are not interested in whether the voting public likes it or not.

[FredTransit]

Sadly this is true, and it will all be sugar coated in the name of the environment

[simmo]

There's just been a bit on Radio 4 about the scrappage scheme in Germany. The guy at the scrap yard was interesting, he doesn't like it much, obviously can't sell the cars on and although he can salvage and sell on salvaged parts there is now a glut of salvaged parts and therefore prices are poor. Anyone else hear it? I missed what the car was with only 20K on it that was crushed, sounded like a total waste whatever it was.

[pompei]

Yes, I heard that too. The car dealer said that his 5,000 sq m showroom is empty, such is the demand for his cars - unfortunately they didn't tell us which models he sold. They had to placate customers with coffee and cake until a salesman became available! One of the critics of the scheme mentioned the home companies such as Opel were not benefitting as people were buying small "foreign" cars. The scrapman had taken in a '97 Golf with 20,000 kms and it had to be crushed. Basically his business is shafted because although he can keep spares off the cars, the demand for them has plummeted since so many older cars have been scrapped.What a waste of taxpayers' money was the conclusion.

[Minimad5]

Are the government really that stupid ?Maybe afew million people buying brand new cars would atleast help the car industry a little BUT ..Buy electric cars ... surely that would mean more electric would be being used. To create electricity what is burnt off FOSSIL FUELS causing what ?POLLUTION and again "harming the environment" This is one vicious circle Or am i stupid and missing the point ?

[Richard]

Governments only ever operate on economic grounds, and usually for the benefit of the MPs themselves or their cronies.

[FredTransit]

Are the government really that stupid ?Maybe afew million people buying brand new cars would atleast help the car industry a little BUT ..Buy electric cars ... surely that would mean more electric would be being used. To create electricity what is burnt off FOSSIL FUELS causing what ?POLLUTION and again "harming the environment" This is one vicious circle Or am i stupid and missing the point ?

Somebody is bunging somebody somewhere. The pollution won't reduce, it will just be displaced to where the power station are. Do they imagine there is a big bubble over the towns that won't allow the power station's pollution into the the town air??

[Ratdat]

Actually the deal with electric cars isn't quite like that. Power stations do make more efficient use of fuel compared with internal combustion engines so theoretically the emissions from fossil fuel use would actually be less. However, I'm sure the manufacture of and disposal of BEV's, batterie packs etc would more than make up for it.

[Mash]

That's true and there are many more ways to generate electricity by renewable methods.It's the waste of energy and resources from unecessary production and scrapping that is the major "crime" here.

[dollywobbler]

I have to agree, especially as power stations tend not to sit in the middle of cities - so it's helping to improve air quality in city centres. I've always been a bit against electric cars - I mean, I like engines. But the truth is, modern cars are generally so quiet and efficient that their engines have to character anyway - so you might as well replace them with electric motors.Biggest issue I see is that using lights and wipers is always heavy on juice. We live in a country where it rains all the time and Europe wants us all to have daytime running lights...Hmmmm.