Darling, could I have my 2k?

[the spidery land's eye]

Jolly old funster Alastair Darling's going to give us all 2k, if we scrap our 10 year + cars. Any takers? Can anyone actually afford to buy a new car even allowing for the 2k reduction?and will this Baldrickian cunning plan galvanise the 'British' car industry any?

[dollywobbler]

We've got a thread for this already...

[garethj]

I honestly can't think of a new car I'd like at the moment, other than something bonkers expensive like a Connaught or Bristol. £2k won't make much difference to the purchase price, and I'll probably get bored of it within a year, same as with a £500 car I also think it's an insane waste of cash to buy a new car when an 18 month old car does everything as well but saves you shedloads.I'm probably not the kind of punter this is aimed at to be honest.

[Station]

So I could exchange my 5 cars in for a 10 grand discount?Did this even work in Germany? It seems like a foolish, selfish scheme to me.

[bones96]

So I could exchange my 5 cars in for a 10 grand discount?Did this even work in Germany? It seems like a foolish, selfish scheme to me.

would this work trade in ex amount of cars for the car you want at dealership ??????

[Station]

Probably not - they were saying on the news (it was on in background) that the amount of red tape and bureacrasy would blight the system. And seeing as this government (and everyone before it) can't even post a CD containing sensitive data or get out of a taxi with sensitive documents properly, it's going to be a complete disaster with the public being threatened to cover all expenses.

[the spidery land's eye]

frankly, as far as I can see, this government can't find it's arse with both hands, a map, a consultative quango and a healthy grant.

[Dukestar25]

I think £2k is a bit stingey, given the amount they take off us every year... ...but this grant is only available for a limited time so hurry down to your nearest showroom and get your new futureshite order in now!!!

[Father Ted]

Wasnt there some state in America recently that gave everyone $600 and said spend it how you want - sounds like a much better idea for kick starting the economy to me.From the car industyr point of view - Take Mr A, who goes...£600 + what I sell my old shitter for + savings / loan = nearly new Fraud mundane - money goes to the garage, bank and govt coffers.Mr B goes - £600 = keeping my car full of rust on teh road, some money goes to his motor factors, some to the garage, some back to the Govt coffers.Mr C goes - £600 fucking brilliant, just think of all the tabs I can smoke with that... Money goes to spar shop on teh carner and the Govt coffers - you see everyone wins and the Govt get the money back.

[Guest]

Mr B goes - £600 = keeping my car full of rust on teh road, some money goes to his motor factors, some to the garage, some back to the Govt coffers.

Bit unfair that, he does tend to sort rust out quite well does old Bollox.

[Station]

I think £2k is a bit stingey, given the amount they take off us every year...

Not sure if the government foots much of that - it's a partnership with 'de mota indus-tree'. They just don't take as much money as they should. The gov't DEFINITELY does not give 'da mota indus-tree' 2 grand and says 'here, Mr Dealer, this is for you'.I presume you drop your old car off at the dealer, the scrappy man pays for the worthless, ancient 10 year old car?

[FredTransit]

The government pay a grand towards it, presumably to the dealer as I know the owner doesn't see any cash. The car has to be scrapped, good bad or indifferent.

 

You have to have owned the car for 12 months

It has to have an MOT current at the time the new car is delivered

It has to be used against a brand new car

 

More stuff about it on this thread

 

http://autoshite.commlm/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4781

[55bloke]

This makes me incandescent with rage, it's such total bollocks on every level, why isn't someone pointing out the unbelievably flawed logic? I know it's all been said before, but it's SUCH a massive con to peddle this as a "green" idea, it's nothing but an evil scheme to get people into even more debt, just in order to keep the car manufacturers from going bust.

[Station]

Seems the gov't are only concerned with helping out the banks and the car industry. I'd personally let GM and Ford go down the shitter.

[The Main]

This makes me incandescent with rage, it's such total bollocks on every level, why isn't someone pointing out the unbelievably flawed logic? I know it's all been said before, but it's SUCH a massive con to peddle this as a "green" idea, it's nothing but an evil scheme to get people into even more debt, just in order to keep the car manufacturers from going bust.

Too right. I'm thinking of setting up a 'green' classic car club to get some publicity for this train of thought. All classic cars would be welcome, because running any of them would be 'greener' than building a new one - and that's the message we've got to get across. Actually a 'green old banger' club might be better. Or how about a massive demonstration in Westminster, to make sure the world and his mother knows that it's greener to run an old car till it falls in half than it is to scrap perfectly usable ones just so some salesman in a shiny suit can sell them a new one? I actually think we might be able to get some support from the Green Party on this - I'm thinking of joining them on the basis that I appreciated their stance on the 'Scrappage' issue and I'd like to get involved from within to help encourage this way of thinking.I'm incredibly pissed off that the SMMT/Citroen/VW/Vauxhall etc are being allowed to get away with the argument that 'getting the older cars off the road' is somehow going to benefit the environment. And they are getting away with it. This type of thinking is going to be (IMHO) the thin end of the wedge as far as legislation against using older vehicles is concerned. And if we don't shove it straight back at them NOW it won't be long before the wheels of big business will see to it that we'll all be driving 2 year old hybrid plastic boxes. Who fancies getting involved in organising something on a grand scale? I'm well up for it I can tell you!

[dollywobbler]

I couldn't get involved with something like that (more out of a lack of spare time than anything), but it's a cracking idea and you'd certainly find a media outlet for it! Drive It Day is tomorrow. A good chance to prove that old isn't shit!

[AXrescuer]

You don't need a 2k handout from Alistair Eyebrows to get an new car. My mate has just secured a new 09 plate Mondeo with a 2.3k discount as the dealer was desperate to shift some stock. Took him two hours of haggling but he's a real happy bunny right now. Use the recession to your advantage is his advice!

[55bloke]

Interesting ideas there Mr "Main"! A green old-bangers club sounds like a genius idea, (and gives a chance to point out that we ENJOY driving old, but perfectly servicable and characterful, cars, and also enjoy being free of the burden of debt required to run new ones! You can buy a lot of petrol and servicing for what it costs to finance a new car!) Plus, I'd be VERY interested in The Green Party's views on this- I've been curious about their strange silence on the matter thus far.