Car scrap incentive plan nonsense

donaldtramp

Carmakers call for £2,000 'scrap incentive scheme' Drivers could get £2,000 bonus for scrapping cars

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7917643.stm

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2009/02-feb/carmakers-call-for-2000-scrap-incentive-scheme-168705.jsp

This is absolute madness! Car manufacturers/motor traders are calling for the government to fund a "scrapping initiative" for older cars. They are greenwashing the idea with a smokescreen of getting people into newer "more CO2 efficient" cars.
Crazy! Where does it make environmental sense(or any other sense in fact) to scrap perfectly good older cars (that generated a huge amount of CO2 to build) with new CO2 creating cars.

The government should be encouraging us to keep our cars on the road for as long as possible to reduce environmental impact. There is ABSOLUTELY NO environmental benefit in replacing an older car with a new one. The carbon emissions and energy consumption in the new car construction are huge.

A huge part of the current crisis is caused by people living beyond their means in the first place to keep up with the Jones and replacing perfectly good cars every year or couple of years. This is due to the manufacturers/advertisers convincing us that our wants are needs (The "because you're worth it" punchline)
We should be looking past trickery and not be suckered into the marketing that represents the car industry. At the end of the day this incentive will be paid for out of OUR tax. Why should we let the car manufacturers get away with this (and our money)?

Thoughts?

lostinrates

donaldtramp wrote: »

Thoughts?

Pretty much the same as yours. We were going to trade in for a hybrid about three years ago now and a friend who is some sort of environmental scientist involved in numbers and efficiency warned us NOT to as green measure. We really do want to be as green as possible and running our old car is not the thing hampering that: its the limited range of green options for sale in UK.

Graham_Devon

All the figures for environmental impact are on usage.

None of them take into account how much damge was done creating that car.

So the figures are correct. Driving a newer car does less impact than driving a 10 year old car. And that is what the government will use, as it suits.

They will never, ever, unless it suits them, use the real FULL set of figures as you quite rightly point out.

It's just not financially in their interests to show the full picture. It's like the whole Toyota Prius thing. Toyota market it as a green car, yet, will not show the figures as to how damaging it is in production to anyone. That's why all we have is estimates. Try finding the real figures. Toyota have them, they are required to, but will not release them....and no government is going to force them to release them either.

donaldtramp

We were going to trade in for a hybrid about three years ago now and a friend who is some sort of environmental scientist involved in numbers and efficiency warned us NOT to as green measure. We really do want to be as green as possible and running our old car is not the thing hampering that: its the limited range of green options for sale in UK.

I agree, if you have a working car there is absolutely no benefit changing it for a "green washed" car. The Pious is one of the most environmentally damaging cars out there. The heavy metal in it's batteries (which have to be lugged everywhere) have a huge impact in mining, processing and shipping all over the world. It's fuel consumption aint up to much either.
The best thing you can do is keep your old car running for as long as possible and when it eventually dies, buy a small engined car.
This greenwashing is pulling the wool over peoples eyes. (not mine!;))

bo_drinker

I T Y F they are trying to get car sales moving again as well. They will make it up to suit. Nothing wrong with my P reg Golf Tdi, they must assume we are all thick and see this as a good idea.

ukcarper

How many people driving around in 10 yera old cars would trade them in for new ones anyway the scrapping initiative would have to be pretty good

lostinrates

ukcarper wrote: »

How many people driving around in 10 yera old cars would trade them in for new ones anyway the scrapping initiative would have to be pretty good

I don't expect to get anything back for my Y reg:(. A non green but financially beneficial teaser would convince a lot of people I think

hippey

I got rid of my second car a few years ago, will they give me £2k for my push bike?

I found the best way to save money on the motoring was to manage with just the one car, best thing I ever did, until it rains and I get soaked on the way to work!

Cat695

nothing is ever done for the benefit of anyone other than the sellers pocket


keep that in mind and you can't go wrong

mewbie_2

So if you buy an old banger for two hundred quid, will you be able to 'scrap' it for £2k? Sounds like a plan of sorts.

Arcaine

mewbie wrote: »

So if you buy an old banger for two hundred quid, will you be able to 'scrap' it for £2k? Sounds like a plan of sorts.

Shhhhhhh, that was what I was going to do :rolleyes: