This could be the end (for a while)

[Brianmoooore]

You will certainly please any intelligent greenies out there by running your car on LPG, as LPG powered cars are effectively zero emissions! Excess LPG is produced as a part of normal oil production, and is simply burnt off. By running cars on it, we are producing no more emissions than would be produced anyway, and are saving the production (and consequent emissions when burnt) of the petrol we would be using instead.

[Felix79]

Best bit is you just know your peeing off politions and tree hugers by keeping your e30.

Actually you will please the greenies as it is more green to run an older car..

A car produces 75% of its lifetime pollution in manufacture

Even the motor industry magazine calls the scrappage scheme a 'Monsterous betrayal of quality cars'

They hate my Alpina's 21mpg though!

[djk]

Rather than debating the rights and wrongs of purchasing a new car, I'd merely make the point that I simply don't believe that using the scrappage scheme is the cheapest way to go about it - in order to make use of it you have to use a conventional dealer: these guys are carrying the cost of the failing new car market, and hence simply cannot afford to sell cars without a sizeable margin to cover their equally sizeable overheads. There is no point in them selling a new car at a serious discount unless they are on a faintly ridiculous bonus scheme from the importer/manufacturer, which simply won't be the case as the industry has largely battened down the hatches rather than sending good money after bad. The dealer might as well call in the receiver if they are going to let cars go at a bottom line loss. As a result, you WILL NOT get the best deal from a conventional dealer forecourt, scrappage or not - seek alternative means of sourcing the new vehicle, and sell your existing car privately.

Quite apart from that, if a new car is a must, there are considerable numbers of pre-registered cars about, despite manufacturers' protestations to the contrary.

Furthermore, you suggest that you will be borrowing money in order to make the purchase. In a broad sense, if the term of the loan is greater than the length of the manufacturer's warranty on the vehicle (I'm not talking about extended warranty arrangements - these are almost invariably a scam), you are taking an enormous gamble - the potential for paying for continuing credit on a worthless vehicle is frightening.

And if you make use of the scrappage scheme, not only are you choosing the least 'green' route possible, you are also encouraging our government to throw money outside our borders for no-one's benefit but already rich shareholders.

[harry_p]

I'm still trying to work out why you think the Fiat will be cheaper.

Exactly it will depreciate massively, killing ANY savings you think you might be getting

The 'one that makes decisions' is paying for half the monthly payments for the new car as she refuses to drive the E30 (scared of the power and dinging it).

If I can convise her to to take the driving seat, with the saving on LPG then I might be in with a chance

get her to try and drive the e30, and learn that the accelerator is not an on/off digital switch!

my mum drives a grande punto (1.4 16v petrol) and whilst it is a very nice, and suprisingly well built car, it's not actually all that easy to drive.

the clutches are like squashing a sponge, light but no feel at all. likewise the brakes, the accelerator has the usual modern car drive by wire slight delay in action. theyre also hard to see out of and place on the road. you can't see any of the bonnet, the windscreen stretches out miles in front of you, the back window is tiny, the c-pillars are thick, the a-pillars are thick and hide the inside curb on roundabouts. the interiors are nice, but the 'grande' is smaller and more claustraphobic inside than the older normal puntos, and despite being a hatchback the boot isnt all that usefull. the opening is a lot smaller than you might imagine as the tail is quite tapered and the high mounted lights take a big chunk out of the opening.

still, my mum loves hers, it costs pennys to run and can't find anything similar but newer that she would want to replace it with.

[StriderDriver]

I've been looking & shopping around a lot more since I started this thread & the best route seems to be a pre-registered 58/09 plate which offer about £40% less than new.

Obviously no scrappage which is good news for ya'll as this way I can sell the beastie to someone who can keep it going for another 10 years.

It's nice to be taken down a peg or two & put my feet back to reality. looking back at my OP & what I was was trying to achieve now make no sense at all.

I reckon there be a for-sale thread appearing in the next month or so

[djk]

Excellent news! I really hope you end up pleased with your new car, the money in your pocket and the knowledge that the e30 lives to fight another day.

[StriderDriver]

I wouldn't say pleased about the new car - more pleased that the beastie lives, now I just have to find someone who is going to look after her (I know that's a bit ironic as it was going to be scrapped)

[Morat]

I wouldn't say pleased about the new car - more pleased that the beastie lives, now I just have to find someone who is going to look after her (I know that's a bit ironic as it was going to be scrapped)

I'd be quite happy to look after her for you ;) I wouldn't even charge!!

[StriderDriver]

That's fine by me - where do i send the bill

[b4gga83]

LPG it, costs me £20 approx to fill a 50 litre tank at 40p a litre - you can't go wrong.

Yes you probably will get £2,500 through the scrappage scheme but you'll have to cough the rest up either cash or finance.

A good kit fitted by someone reputable will set you back circa £1,500 - happy days!!!

[town325i]

a fiat is one car i would never buy my mom has a fiat stilo on a 53 plate had it from new and in the 6 years its nearly killed my mom once with the front spring snapping and going through the side of the tyre and the same thing has happened again last week and fiat wont do a been there customer service terrable and most the people that work for fiat have a attitude problem when you say there cars are shit