James@bangernomics.com

looking quite tidy after a clean and cosmetic tidying and not at all like a 202,000-mile car should look!

“Top on the list of jobs is a rear anti-roll bar to make it handle better but there’s something about the simplicity of this car that makes you think it could just carry on plodding its own sweet way for many years.”

I’m interested in a new BMW i3 but have heard rumours it will get a new battery next year and be phased out in three or four years. I worry that might affect resale values. Advice? Helen Holland, via email

BMW sales boss Pieter Nota recently said the i3 “still enjoys double-digit sales growth and is an extremely successful car which will be with us for some more years”. Even when it does eventually meet its end, values are likely to hold strong because it’s a unique offering. It’s unlikely to borrow a larger battery from its new stablemates because it sits atop a different platform, so you shouldn’t miss much by taking the plunge now.

I’ve been holding on to my old car hoping the government would launch a scrappage scheme. Am I out of luck?

Tom Finchley, Devon

At one point, it seemed the government was considering the launch of a nationwide scrappage scheme, but now that’s looking less likely. Your best bet is to take a look at the incentives offered by individual manufacturers: Mazda, for example, is offering up to £4000 off a new model in exchange for your pre-2012 car and Kia will contribute up to £2500 for a seven-year-old car on some of its models.