Credit Crunch/scrappage scheme?

[mattblack]

Had an interesting chat with with owner of my local garage while getting the Rover MOTed. It's a proper old school 'repair' place and I asked if the scrappage scheme had cost him work. He told me never been busier than since the 'credit crunch', was working untill 9.30 some nights, and phoned 2 customers while I was there (5.30) to ask if he could pick their cars up that evening so he could fit more work in. One chap who was there at the same time as me was spending about £300 having inner and outer sills and a clutch done... on a tatty 'N' plate Escort!

[Mr Lobster]

The up side to it all is that some people are hanging onto cars longer meaning they are spending more on keeping them on the road. Not everyone is trading old stuff in for scrap.

[scrappylad]

Is it everyone cobbling their car through the mot for a few hundred so that they can get £2k off a new one on scrappage and finance?

As daft as it sounds, I've heard of this happening...Somebody fixed up their Audi 80 to get it through the MOT... spending 400 quid in the process! Crazy fools!!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Just shows what I've said for years - the average garage has been struggling for years because too many cheap new cars are sold - and that the real money is made in repairing/servicing cars and NOT new cars sales.

[Station]

If anything this greedy scrappage thing has taught me more is that a 100 quid 1994 Escort is more valuable than a 2009 £14,000 Focus (NOT INCLUDING PLATES, TAX, DELIVERY, DELIVERY TAX, PLATES TAX, TAX TAX, PLATES TAX TAX, WARRANTY, WARRANTY TAX, SCRAPPAGE SCHEME TAX).