It was thought that the car scrappage scheme, introduced by the government as a way of boosting new car sales, would have an adverse impact on the used car market. Whilst this did seem indeed to be the case in 2009, thankfully, the figures for 2010 increased, and it seems, so they are for 2011.
The number and quality of Used Cars for Sale in Scotland for example seems to be relatively unaffected, and as this is a far smaller market than that of south of the border, it is a good indicator that all is well in England.
This is important for several reasons. Firstly, there is a whole eco-system dependent on the used car market, from garage retailers to mechanics, websites to magazines. Secondly, it means that affordable vehicles are still available to those less well-off people.
The initial fear was that as so many lower end vehicles were being scrapped, there would be an absence of them on the market. This fear now appears to be unfounded, and once more, there is a wide range of vehicles on offer.
So was the car scrappage scheme an overall success? Whilst new car sales were temporarily boosted, this did mean a lull in the second hand market for approximately a one year period. If the aim was to give the car manufacturers a temporary helping hand then this does seem to have worked. If the aim was to boost the economy in general, then it is perhaps more debatable.
