BRENTWOOD, Essex, 2 October 2009 – The advantages of owning a new Ford will be enjoyed by thousands more motorists swapping old for new on the renewed scrappage scheme.
Mick King, of Leybourne, Kent, was driving a Ford Escort Encore when the scheme launched in May. He bought the 1.4-litre petrol car new in 1996 and covered more than 209,000 miles before trading it in for a 1.4 Ford Fiesta Zetec replacement. This week the Government extended the incentives to trade in 10+ year-old cars and vans aged eight years and older.
“I had the car serviced every 10,000 miles,” Mick said. "Every major part was original, including the engine, gearbox, clutch, exhaust system, starter motor and alternator."
Ford Fiesta features new to Mick and his wife include central locking and variable-speed intermittent wipers. "I could well keep the Fiesta as long as my previous Ford," Mick said.
In addition to the new car discount offered by the scrappage scheme, the Kings are also benefitting from the many technological advantages of new car ownership:
New Fords are equipped with state-of-the-art fuel-efficient engines, saving as much as £200* a year on petrol or diesel depending on model. Lower CO2 emissions also mean less Vehicle Excise Duty – or none at all for the 98g/km Ford Fiesta ECOnetic which is zero rated for road tax.
Service intervals have increased, with Mick's new Fiesta due every 12,500 miles while his Escort had to be serviced after 10,000 miles. Mick said he would have typically paid around £150 in labour charges for his old Escort to be serviced. As well as being less frequent, his new Fiesta service price represents a £50 saving at under £100.
A new Ford's three-year warranty and no MoT, costing over £50 a test, further protect the motorist from added costs. And every new Ford comes with a year’s AA breakdown assistance cover valid in the UK and throughout Europe. The average price for breakdown cover with home start, national rescue and onward travel is over £110 a year.
*Fuel saving based on average combined mpg for a 1999 Mondeo 1.8 TDCi LX (44.8mpg) and a 2009 Mondeo 1.8 TDCi ECOnetic (53.3mpg), with diesel at 103.1p/litre.