Hi

It looks like the government is considering a scheme to offer cash rebates for people who scrap/trade in their 9 year or older cars for new/nearly new more enviromentally friendly ones mandelson mentioned it today. This is now happening in France and Germany (1500 and 2500 euros respectively). I wonder how many XMs this will see the end of - almost every car is over 9 years old.

As an aside it seems the least enviromentally friendly policy I've ever heard, since where is the enviromental reason to scrap sometimes perfectly working cars? I mean it is just obviously a means to boose the car industry.

I'm not sure what it will do to the second hand car market either. Possibly there will be alot of people looking for alot of really cheap old cars for the scheme and more slightly newer cars in the market. Weird times.

Cheers

Tony

I remember something written about this in the back of a recent autocar.

It was odd, as i was reading the article i was thinking how this would effect the number of Xms which remain. Then as i read on it said exactly what i was thinking, and mentioned how the great Xm would be lost. That one or two other cars were mentioned.

They have a following these Xms

As far as the scheme goes, i dont agree at all. How much energy does it take to recycle a old car, much more than that car would put out in pollution if it was to let run on.

There is a noticable lack of older cars (2cvs, R4s, Dss, Cx) in france since their scheme was brought in. Its a realy shame, it was always something to look forward to when visiting the country, now there are rare fewer around.

This isn't a new idea and has been used in France about 15 years ago; two of the 1972 1222
engined GS's were actually saved from the scrapyard but HAD to be exported as they had been
officially scrapped - broke my heart trying to chose which one's to save as there was an amazing
choice of 1 owner low mileage BUT OLD cars to select from.

Kevin McCloud from Grand Designs who is noted as a bit of a greenie has said the only germ of
sense lately when on TopGear saying the greener credentials of prolonging the useful life of a
product is the best way of being environmental/aware and using a big dose of a rare commodity
these days, common sense!

Andrew

It's being mooted here in Norway right at this moment. The suggestion is that the buyer of an environmently friendly new car, hybrid or electrically powered will be given the equivalent of £2500.00 cash towards the cost of the said new car.
Not exactly money for scrapping an old car but a roundabout way of achieving the same thing...

Colin.P

Citroenmad

You seem have got the wrong end of my green arguement. Scrapping an olf car takes hardly any energy, however building a new car takes well over half the energy of the car's lifetime. Hence scrapping a car early does not make sense. Plus a nine year old petrol car is quite likely to have fuel injection, will be substantially lighter and won't be too much more polluting than a new car. Savings are therefore marginal over running a new "green" car.

Cheers

Tony

If I understand this correctly...........anyone who wants to buy one of these new 'green' cars would simply have to buy an old car (ie an XM, for a couple of hundred quid), and they can put that against the purchase of their new 'green' car and get 2 or 3 grand back.........is it really that simple?

One things for sure, prices of xm's will be in the region of 2k minimum if your looking at being given £1500 to scrap it!.
And where does this £1500 come from i wonder? since the government/country is up to its eyes in dept already, interest rates are pathetic and Gormless brown is marching on as if everything is going to be ok

D

You know, im going to have to try and proof read my postings, they rarely make sense! Edited the above slightly.

Nah nothing to do with green!!

Its to get new cars out the show rooms so they can build more and keep people working!!!

I already use LPG! How much more green can I be!!! (oh, a green car too )


Rgds
Paul

My Seat costs me £35 a year to tax and does 70MPG on a run. I think im green enough

I doubt it will have much of an effect on new car sales really. Unless people do as minijet says and get an old car, to give in for scrap towards the price of their new car. However if that happens the price of used cars will surely rise?

It would be a shame if that scheme comes to light over here, so many good cars could be lost.

If it did come into affect, your xm would be worth more and so would the xm you wanted to buy but i suspect you would not see many of the woofers up for sale and the only old cars that would survive would be well cared for enthusiasts cars such as yours, the only downside i can see is the end of vehicles being broken for spares, who's going to bother breaking a car when its worth more at the scrap yard?
Its just another stupid attempt at getting people to spend their money, and as you may have noticed i dont like it one bit

D

As has been said, this idea is to scrap a 9+ year old car against the purchase of a new one. Most new car buyers change their cars every three years so they won't be affected. How may owners of old bangers are going to be able to afford the minimum £5k difference between the government's generous offer (of taxpayers' money) and the new car purchase price?

It's easier to take it to a country road, torch it and claim it's been stolen!

Derek

Had a great idea gents.................. Club XM for government

D

I wouldn't take £2k for my XM as a gift - unless I could use it to buy some more XMs