I am in two minds about the recent ‘scrap an old car, buy a new car’ initiative that the industry is suggesting.

The French did this very well – they did all they could to save their car industry as you might expect…

However, as a result, it you want to buy a 2CV (cult classic car) today, and other Citroen and Renault specials, there are more of them in the UK (where they have been preserved not scrapped) as the Citroen Car Club will testify.

However the UK car industry is worth £200bn a year, 200k are employed in production and a further 580k in associated sales and maintenance roles.  Think about the economic multiplier effect here – we can’t afford to let our industry go the wall through inactivity.

But motorists, including members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club, surely shouldn’t be made to feel like second class citizens because they choose to drive older cars. As long as these are well maintained and regularly serviced  for safety and environmental reasons, why shouldn’t they be able to enjoy depreciation-free motoring providing the annual repair bills aren’t prohibitive.

Yes I do feel there can be a social stigma attached to driving older cars yet the employment and transport statistics suggest that the UK motor retail industry could still stay alive by concentrating its resources on maintaining these older vehicles at MOT, servicing and repair time.

Granted it’d be a different industry with fewer and smaller new car dealerships and with more people employed in the garage side of the business keeping older cars on the roads for longer. Why not?

This would be good for female motorists, with franchised dealerships competing head on with the independents to the advantage of the consumer.

Is that really such a bad thing?

Certainly FOXY Choice would come into its own, as the only website to promote quality garage service credentials and female friendly service levels to suit all women drivers, their cars, budget and the occasion.

Let’s hope the industry might discuss these ideas with the Government in advance of announcing them in future.

Better not to build up car manufacturer and UK dealership hopes to then have them dashed by Lord Mandelson who isn’t convinced (like me)  that a scrappage (what a dreadful word) scheme might be the right way forward in these times.

FOXY