There has been talk of a scrappage scheme bandied about for months. The last time Ireland had a scrappage scheme, the NCT did not exist. Now it does. Still, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, estimates such a scheme would create only about 20,000 new car sales in the market next year if introduced.

This idea of a scrappage scheme really annoys me. We are in an economic downturn, at a time when the Government is going to need to find in the region of four billion in cutbacks and savings and the motor industry is asking for a scrappage scheme?

What is the problem with a car being ten years old, bar its number plate? I have a car that is only one year younger than the cut off point, i.e. I purchased it new in 2001 rather than in 2000. Had I purchased it in 2000, I would be one of these motorists driving around in a car that should be scrapped according to the SIMI.

Except, my car is in great nick. It recently passed its NCT and has never given me any problems. It has never broken down. It is serviced regularly. It isn’t a major polluter, if it was, it wouldn’t pass the NCT. It has low mileage, less than 57000 to be exact, which equates to less than 7000 miles per year of its life. It is a long way off requiring scrappage.

Dressing up new cars as being green and having low carbon emissions is ridiculous. What is the carbon emission of the production of a car?

There is absolutely no argument for a scrappage scheme in Ireland for any reason other than to prop up the motor industry that got rich during the boom years, but taking a leaf out of our governments book, didn’t put money aside to survive the lean times. A scrappage scheme esentially, is a bail out for this foolishness. We have NCTs, so all vehicles with a valid NCT cert are road worthy and therefore do not need to be scrapped. We do not have motor manufacturing. Aside from that, cars are cheap at the moment, I wonder if there is even evidence of a lemon market. If someone wants to buy a car, they’d probably save more at a liquidation auction than they would in a scrappage scheme.

Can we go back to issues that are important? Like sorting out the economy and the health service and putting little people’s interests before the lobby groups like the Society of the Irish Motor Industry? If dealers want more business, why can they not offer their own scrappage schemes?

I for one am keeping my nine year old car. For as long as it keeps passing the NCT. It’s next test isn’t until 2011.

I can’t believe the Irish Times keeps reporting on this issue, I wonder how impartial the motoring section is? Probably akin the Property section. i.e. paid for by the advertisers and the articles are probably based on PR releases from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.