TECH SECTION
“I’m yet to be convinced that fuel used by an old Land Rover is detrimental compared to energy needed for a new replacement vehicle”
Beware the scrappage schemes. Certain non-land Rover dealerships are offering up to £2000 off a new car if you give them your old banger. With the poorer examples of Range Rover P38, early Freelander and Discovery 1 selling for between £500 and £1500, there’s a temptation for some people to grab a new car and offload what they imagine to be a potential pile of trouble.
But decisions involving cars aren’t all about money. Sacrificing an old Land Rover means saying goodbye to a shedload of character which will be totally absent on any new car. It means scrapping the memories, the fondness, and loads of cash.
Look at it this way. An old Land Rover isn’t going to depreciate any further, and will eventually increase or at least hold its value, while a new car will depreciate around £3000 annually and possibly cost extra for finance. For a fraction of the cost of a new car all those outstanding jobs on an old Land Rover could be sorted by a garage, and there would be plenty left over to cover the Land Rover’s higher fuel consumption, and more.
And there’s the environmental benefits, too. I’m yet to be convinced that the extra fuel used by an old Land Rover is detrimental when compared to the energy needed to produce materials, transport them around the world, and form them into a new replacement vehicle. Preserving an old Land Rover for daily use can help preserve the planet.
Of course, we enthusiasts know all this, but there are plenty of non-enthusiast owners of old Land Rovers who are running them as bangers until they drop. These are the people who are tempted by scrappage schemes, and I guess that each of us knows a few. So, let’s spread the word that these owners are better off selling their vehicles privately and then asking for a discount off their new car. They may even be a tad better off, and will have given an enthusiast a chance to look after and restore their old Land Rover.
Scrappage scheme dealers know that elderly Land Rovers and some other vehicles are destined for classic status. That’s why they retain the option to sell the car on, without any commitment to actually scrap it.