The government scrappage scheme for 10+ year old cars seems like a good opportunity to replace something that will probably need replacing in the next few years anyway. Sure, I could get another few years out of my Suzuki, but I won’t get £2000 for it and won’t get the 2.5% VAT reduction either.
I sat down and did my research. Spent hours checking specs, reading reviews, blogs and forums. Eventually decided I’d like a Subaru Justy. It’s a “Kei” car, a sort of taller super-mini. Having arthritis the extra height makes it much easier for me to get in and out, and it’s pretty spacious on the inside too. The 1 litre rubber band is economical, if not particularly exciting. The Twin Cam version really looks the part too.
So off I went to the local dealer, had a test drive and was impressed. I tried out the Suzuki Splash but was not particularly taken with it, and although I like the Mitsubishi Colt it doesn’t have that Kei car hight advantage. So, decision made, I check my finances and decide to accept a loan from my mum so I can give the dealer the full amount in cash, and avoid paying interest on a loan since Subaru are one of the few manufacturers not offering 0% finance. Actually, that last point should probably have rung alarm bells in my mind, but I figured Subaru are a performance oriented brand and so maybe didn’t think they needed to go that far.
Actually, it turns out Subaru won’t budge even an inch. The dealer told me that Subaru instructed them not to offer any discount what so ever to anyone taking up the scrappage scheme offer. That £2000 is supposed to be on top of any existing deals or offers. To add insult to injury, Subaru are keeping the £250 from the VAT reduction. This at a time when every other manufacturer is disparately trying to entice the customers by offering massive deals and nothing-to-pay-for-a-year-then-0% finance.
How the fuck Subaru expect to sell any cars is beyond me.