Boo to new scrappage scheme

motorguy

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

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

Yes, thats what we do. The Passat lies at the Airport monday to thursday. Its was when ever there was an issue with a car then we were in to the realms of having to organise to get me to the airport and back - which we found when running older cars was happening all too frequently.

buglawton

motorguy wrote: »

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.

For the more budget-minded that still cannot spare time for servicing, well I ran at least 2 cars from 6 years old till they were 12-13. I used to use a home mechanic who came & serviced it on the driveway while I borrowed OHs car or worked from home. Those old cars never needed a lot of repairs either.

The real reasons for disposal were:

1. Written off in a not fault to me collision.

2. Prospect of (but not actual) a major repair costing as much as the car was worth.

3. Too good to refuse scrappage scheme on offer.

Only when a more recent car was under warranty did the inconvenience start, taking it to the nearest main dealer for minor warranty repairs and recalls, plus preferring the service & MOT to be at same dealer, made the process quite a fiddle.

With the real prospect of internal combustion cars being obsolete within 10 years, bangernomics has never made more sense.

Mercdriver

buglawton wrote: »

With the real prospect of internal combustion cars being obsolete within 10 years, bangernomics has never made more sense.

Whether or not it is a real prospect or not is one thing, but it is more than 10 years until 2040.

Car_54

Robisere wrote: »

Somebody may be able to explain why a Hyundai made in the Czech Republic, is a lot less expensive than a Ford manufactured in Spain.

It's a very long time since I stUdied business economics, but I'd suggest that both manufacturers set their prices based on a host of factors, of which production cost is only one. "What the market will bear" is probably considerably more important.

fred246

We always keep a 2nd car as a 'run around'. When the last scrappage was on in 2009 our car was 11 years olds and eligible. I priced up a Hyundai i20 5 door. Had to be red. Everything I needed £6k. The wife was having none of it and we kept the car. It gave us another 6 years of trouble free motoring. The Hyundai quickly went up in price during the scrappage. I think it was probably another £2k more by the end.

motorguy

buglawton wrote: »

For the more budget-minded that still cannot spare time for servicing, well I ran at least 2 cars from 6 years old till they were 12-13. I used to use a home mechanic who came & serviced it on the driveway while I borrowed OHs car or worked from home. Those old cars never needed a lot of repairs either.

The real reasons for disposal were:

1. Written off in a not fault to me collision.

2. Prospect of (but not actual) a major repair costing as much as the car was worth.

3. Too good to refuse scrappage scheme on offer.

Only when a more recent car was under warranty did the inconvenience start, taking it to the nearest main dealer for minor warranty repairs and recalls, plus preferring the service & MOT to be at same dealer, made the process quite a fiddle.

Oh i take your point.

Part of my problem though is i like nice / interesting cars and i'm particularly fussy so driving an old car usually means i end up spending money getting it up to the condition i want and sorting out niggling problems that the previous owner was happy to turn a blind eye to.

I have ran quite a few older cars, but they are ultimately hassle, particularly if you want something interesting and not just something run of the mill.

Taking either the Merc or the Passat to the main dealer isnt such an issue when the cars under warranty as they'll lend us a car anyway. If its in for something quick ish they have wifi so i can work from there if needs be.

If i wasnt working away from home four days a week then i might feel more amenable to something older again that needs a bit of maintenance every now and then.

buglawton wrote: »

With the real prospect of internal combustion cars being obsolete within 10 years, bangernomics has never made more sense.

Well, it wont be 10 years or anywhere near it. 2040 is 23 years away, and thats only to stop selling new ones, not to ban them. All the more reason to enjoy them while we can i would have thought?

motorguy

Car_54 wrote: »

It's a very long time since I stUdied business economics, but I'd suggest that both manufacturers set their prices based on a host of factors, of which production cost is only one. "What the market will bear" is probably considerably more important.

Local taxation plays a big factor too.

buglawton

fred246 wrote: »

We always keep a 2nd car as a 'run around'. When the last scrappage was on in 2009 our car was 11 years olds and eligible. I priced up a Hyundai i20 5 door. Had to be red. Everything I needed £6k. The wife was having none of it and we kept the car. It gave us another 6 years of trouble free motoring. The Hyundai quickly went up in price during the scrappage. I think it was probably another £2k more by the end.

Actually you may have missed out there, £6k for a decent new compact car with 5 years real warranty. But as a 2nd car maybe your missus was right. I have a scrappage era Hyundai and would consider buying another of this brand were it not for eye watering parts prices, could make fixing a 6 year old car unviable.

Richard53

Those tempted to buy a new Ford with £2000 off list price should remember that the car will lose probably double that in depreciation by the time they have it on their driveway on Day One.