Boo to new scrappage scheme

System

But you know a lot of people will

Or they might just have to lower the price to something more sensible if people vote with their feet

onomatopoeia99

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

Never spend more than £1000 buying a car...

My first four cars were like that. Afterwards, I got bored with spending most weekends replacing worn out parts and the endless bills for said parts.

Nowadays I'll pay more for reliability, comfort and having a car that actually does what I need it to.

jase1

patman99 wrote: »

Anyway, Ford were one of the many who increased vehicle prices by £2,000 a month prior to Brown's scrappage scheme, thus using it to rip off the customer.

The only people who really gained from the original scrappage scheme were those who traded in knackered Micras and the like for new, and very basic Korean replacements.

I knew a work colleague who bought a Picanto for just over four grand. His wife's Micra was pretty much dead and he knew it wouldn't pass another MOT. Worth £200 on a good day.

But trading in anything for a £20,000 Ford at £2K off full retail, that you can get at 6 months old from Motorpoint for £13K? Daft.

BeenThroughItAll

Car_54 wrote: »

But that isn't the choice facing the owner of a 20-y-o Accord. He isn't likely to buy a new one.

If he doesn't repair, the alternative is probably a slightly newer banger.

Or maybe, precisely because they choose to keep a 20yo Accord running rather than wasting a huge amount paying for depreciation, they could afford to but choose not to because they'd rather own their house/a yacht/holiday in the Caribbean four times a year/retire at 40.

buglawton

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

Are these Korean boxes from the north or south?...

Dunno, but mine goes like a rocket.

motorguy

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

Motorguy - the same pounds can't be in both, opportunity cost

No, the same pounds cant buy both, however :-

• Driving a £1,000 car does not by default make you financially astitute.
• Driving a £1,000 doesnt mean you ARE making seriously good investments elsewhere
• Not driving a £1,000 car doesnt mean you arent financially astute
• Not driving a £1,000 doesnt mean you ARENT making seriously good investments elsewhere.

I like interesting cars. I am also a bit of a perfectionist. Interesting old cars are a PITA to run frankly. They tend to be unreliable and you have to just accept a lot of compromises or spend a fortune rectifying them.

If someone is happy running say a 1.8i Vectra at £1,000 and it gets them from A to B until it finally dies, then great.

If you want to run something old and fun and are happy with the risk or the potential spend and the constant tweaks / niggles, then great also.

If you're someone who can buy some old barge and just ignore bits not working or clunks and rattles, then fantastic.

Not for me.

motorguy

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

My first four cars were like that. Afterwards, I got bored with spending most weekends replacing worn out parts and the endless bills for said parts.

Nowadays I'll pay more for reliability, comfort and having a car that actually does what I need it to.

Thats exactly it. Wholly how i feel about cars these days.

System

Depends on the price you put on comfort & reliability, I just take down the garage, so it's a financial calculation, so far I did have some bad luck, but still save Vs a new when opportunity cost and depreciation factored in

motorguy

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

Depends on the price you put on comfort & reliability, I just take down the garage, so it's a financial calculation, so far I did have some bad luck, but still save Vs a new when opportunity cost and depreciation factored in

Its does yes, and its not a financial calculation to me. Its hassle and using up my valuable spare time when i could be doing something else.

I work away Monday to Thursday where the car sits at the airport and does nothing then gets used a fair bit on the friday and over the weekend.

"Just taking it down the garage" to me means either no car to go to the airport in so having to get my wife to do the 80 mile return commute twice to drop me off then pick me up, then theres the hassle of getting the car to and from a mechanic, usually on the Sunday before and picking it up the following Saturday.

All that is just hassle.

I'd some very interesting older cars in the last couple of years - Volvo T5 2.5 Turbo (225BHP modded to 270BHP), a MG ZT 2.5 V6, a track prepared Clio 172 which was road legal, a Clio 197 and although not cheap, a 2004 Porsche Boxster. Had fun with all of those.

But just too much hassle for me - almost constantly having some bits a pieces needing done - so i ditched the T5 and the Porsche and we now run a 2016 Passat TDI alongside the Mercedes A45. The Passat does 55mpg against 25mpg in the T5 so theres maybe £100 odd a month saved in fuel and the depreciation it suffers is offset by zero repair costs.

The Merc A45 is our indulgence, and theres no justifying it at all other than we enjoy it.

We could flog them both and run two £1,000 cars easily, but why bother? We dont need to, nor want to.

System

You could leave one car at home and one at the airport... Although 80 miles is a lot, I just do town & country driving, never more than 20 miles from home, I avoid motorway given the choice because I don't know if I'd be able to merge in