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The UK’s scrappage incentive scheme could be extended to the end of May, Autocar has learned.

High-placed sources have told Autocar that the car makers' trade body, the SMMT, will meet with business secretary Lord Mandelson on Friday to discuss the issue.

The SMMT first broached an extension to the scheme on last month, and it is now expected to formalise its approach.

It is believed that the manufacturers are requesting that the scheme is extended until next May, when it ho...Read the full article

Autocar:

The UK’s scrappage incentive scheme could be extended to the end of May, Autocar has learned.

Hey! That's when the election is due! What an uncanny coincidence!

Hyundai/Kia have just dispatched a bouquet of flowers to Lord Mandy and his current partner in gratitude.

Isnt it also rumoured that the VAT cut may be extended too....?

Ahaha! But what happens to the second hand market? Now theres a short supply of "cheap" second hand cars as they have now all been crushed.

I hope they don't extend it, it's a pain in the arse.

 Why shoud it be extended, when other sectors of the economy are getting no help at all?

Mother-in-law has a 99V VW Polo registered 1st September 1999.

Missed by one day.

Pity

 Car has more holes than said packet of mints.

Should have moved the dates too.

I know that the motor industry needs help at the moment, but then so do many others as well. I'm just not sure that this "scrappage" money is going to the sort of people who really need some help in upgrading to a cleaner car. I have a friend who works for a government quango as a senior manager. I've known him for over 20 years and he's never been interested in driving or cars. He commutes from the outer London suburbs to central London for work by train and although he has a car, he doesn't use it much, having done just 350 miles in the last year, a fact of which he is quite proud. He kept his father's car after his father died having driven his previous 15 year old Fiat into the ground until it failed its MOT. The thing is that he travels everywhere by train or by cadging a lift from friends and could easily afford to buy a new car in the normal way (no mortgage, some £60,000 p.a. salary) and has only thought about buying something new becaue of the "scrappage" scheme and the £2000+ that he can get off a list price. Quite honestly I object to someone who earns twice my salary getting help to buy a new car that he doesn't really need by the use of my taxes when I have paid for my own car, that I need for work and use most days, from my taxed income. I know it sounds as though I'm being envious of his situation, but surely this scheme should be "means-tested" to exclude people like my friend who could well afford to buy their own cars at the normal price. I would not expect the taxpayer to subsidise the next car I buy and see no logical reason for this "scrappage scheme" to be applied indiscriminately to everyone who just fancies a new car just at this moment in time.

130tc:

Ahaha! But what happens to the second hand market? Now theres a short supply of "cheap" second hand cars as they have now all been crushed.

 

Scrapage only helps Kia and similar, this is meant to help all dealers but I sell cars worth in excess of £30k so someone with an old banger is not coming in to see us and therefore our used cars are costing us £4k over book to buy but then the finance houses will not lend the money as they are "over priced".

No British car maker is doing well out of this.... the money goes abroard!

rosstopher:

I hope they don't extend it, it's a pain in the arse.

 Completely agree. Its already taken away a big chunk of the decent honest sub-£1k cars from the used market. Absoulete madness, and its making used prices go up which from a buyers point of view is bad. I could have sworn when the scheme first got introduced they promised it would not be extended once the money has ran out....

drivenfromtherearplease:

Mother-in-law has a 99V VW Polo registered 1st September 1999.

Missed by one day.

Good. Sell it privately to someone who will make good use of it, don't waste a good car. You will easily get £2k of most new cars anyway just for walking into the showroom, failing that theres brokers and nearly new cars.

 you only need you car to be worth £1001 for it to be more worthwhile to sell privately than get a £2k scrappage deal. remember the dealers are giving £1k of their own money, they will give you that £1k whether or not you have a car to trade in, it makes no difference to them.

even if the polo was lowest spec (90k miles 3 door manual 1.0  base trim) according to glass's guide dealer trade in sale price is £1075. so total you could get £2075 trade in discount from a dealer without scrapping it. you could get more from a private sale. unless the polo is a complete wreck, but still even in poor condition you should be able to get an easy £1k for the polo private sale and the a £1k discount for buying any new car.

never look at parkers/what car for guide prices.

 

 

 

To continue beachland2's post, I imagine most dealers are awash with 3-6 month old "demonstrator" cars (i.e. those they've been forced to pre-register by the manufacturers) that they can't shift under scrappage as they are no longer new.

There'll be more than a £1k discount available on those I bet...