GERMANY-New for old, car scrapping system

I think you blowing the situation a bit out of proportion it's not like the cars you mentioned have been completely wiped off the streets

Classics/collectibles will unlikely to be scrapped in return for the 2500 euro, while mechanically simple cars are still out there for those that need/want them.... and if not they can re-import them back from Poland (probaby a couple of million of used cars imported from the west to PL in the last few years...)

 

A rise in sales doesn't really say too much.... well, yes, of course it does reflect the car industry stimulus plan, but it would be much more interesting to know how many people did in fact scrap their old car and claim the voucher.

 

Looks like this idea is going to be introduced to the UK aswell.
I'm not a fan of it in principle. The chances of interesting cars disappearing is obviously high.

Perhaps there could be a database, or advice center. You enter the car you wish to scrap into the database and a car guy at the other end tells you if it's too interesting to scrap or if it's some truly awful piece, deserving of being removed from automotive history for all time.

What do you think?

 

Rik, I took the liberty of embelishing your thread title a little.
The original title, Germany, was a little ambiguous.
Hope thats OK with you.

 

In Poland we love their scheme. The crap cars from Germany are not being imported anymore and the rise in new car demand in Germany is particularly huge for small cheap cars most of which are made over here. Fiat 500, Fiat Panda, Ford Ka which are selling like hotcakes all over Europe are all built in Poland and those Fiat factories here are working like crazy with workers and unions complaining about too much overtime, overworking and so on.

 

Not really... unemployment rates for March '09 are 8,5% USA to 11,2% Poland :/

 

In The Netherlands the government is also planning a similar buy-back scheme.

There's only one reason for this: the economy i.e. selling more new cars. For sustainability and the environment it's a very bad idea.

There are many older (mainly small) cars driving around here with very decent fuel economy and they are nowhere near their sell-by date due to their very good build quality. Prematurely demolishing these cars produces even more polution as is the production of new cars (that aren't that more fuel efficient).

I'm happy it's a voluntary scheme and I wonder if anyone will use it. The voucher in The Netherlands will be about a thousand euros which is peanuts compared to the price of a new or young secondhand car.

 

The intention was to support the local manufacturer. Now the people go for import cars: Toyota, Fiat (500 from Poland), Renault ... Seat (at least a VW appendix)
No benefit for the german 'premium brands'. Only the cheap can laugh.
Second: Tons of energy & material is going into the production of a new car. Just to save one liter of fuel per 100 km stint?
Do you know how many km you have to run the new car until break even?
The overall Öko-Bilanz doesn't justify the swap in most cases.

Third: They block yountimers wherever they can: highest taxes for the catless 80-beauties like 308 GTB QV, Porsche 911 ... etc.
They are banned from most city limits, based on a silly new 'fine dust emisssion law'. Mobbing!!!
(fine dust comes from the Diesels only)