HELPDESK: Michael McAleeranswers all your motoring queries
From C Boyle: I am currently seeking a used car and would like to spend around €5,000 (maximum). I drive about 500-650km weekly on bad country roads. I currently drive an old car which is petrol. I am not trading in. What would you suggest I look at? Volkswagen Golfs are a pet hate.
With no trade-in to offload you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the car choice you have before you. The thing to remember is that, while you might manage to get an older premium car that you’ve always wanted to own, with the sort of mileage you are doing and the sort of roads you are on, reliability is the key.
When you get into prices below €5,000 you need to be careful about the mileage as well. In your case, low mileage is important as you will quickly find yourself in expensive wear-and-tear replacement costs. The most reliable car in the world will still need parts replacing when the clock touches 100,000km. That means you want a car where parts are plentiful and not too expensive. You should also buy off a dealer offering a year’s warranty on the car and be sure to go through the fine print on that warranty deal.
After that, I’d seek out a popular Japanese model from Honda, Mazda or Toyota. With your sort of mileage I’d also suggest you opt for diesel, but even if you go for a petrol version, an Accord, Avensis or Mazda6 would be a good buy. I’d suggest you go for a larger car rather than a family hatchback, simply for comfort and space. They generally carry more safety features as well. You should be able to get a 2003 version below 160,000km for a cash deal, so shop around. Remember to take the car for a test drive, preferably on some stretch of road you regularly use so that you can judge it against your current car. Best of luck.
From A Taylor: I read in last week’s Motors that the Government has been asked to introduce a scrappage scheme to help the car industry. I don’t think they need help after all those years of making money off us.
But does it mean that the industry reckons cars more than 10 years old are too dangerous for the roads? Surely there aren’t that many out there these days. I haven’t seen a car from the 1990s in ages. As for those that I do see, does that mean all the 2000 cars will be taken off the road? They don’t seem that old or in such bad shape. Also, will the scrappage scheme apply across Europe and therefore allow us to use it on imports?
There are actually more cars of 10 years or older on our roads now than back in July 1995 when the last scrappage scheme was introduced. Back then, there was a recorded 213,000 cars of 10 years or over, while today that figure stands at 312,000.
That’s not to say that cars from 2000 or earlier are dangerous; they simply do not have the same level of safety equipment that is fitted in today’s cars. Nor are they as clean: a Ford Fiesta 1.25 three-door from 2000 had emissions of 175g/km (the same as the new Audi Q5 2-litre diesel SUV), while the latest model spews out just 128g/km.
There is nothing inherently wrong with 10-year-old cars, provided they are looked after and the motor industry doesn’t expect all 312,000 cars to be scrapped, but if 50,000 of the oldest ones were removed from everyday usage on our roads that would improve the quality of the overall fleet.
In reality, all the industry is looking for is an increase in footfall at dealerships. That said, judging by the e-mails I received this week, customers are still unhappy at the deals being offered by some dealers.
As it would be a national scheme there are no plans for a Europe-wide scheme. While some other states, such as France and Germany, have introduced similar schemes – and Britain is reportedly considering it – any scrappage deal here is really an incentive to bolster local dealers, not those in the UK.