Best....

New car sales have rocketed in Ireland following the introduction of the scrappage scheme. JOE picks out the models that offer the best value for money.

With the introduction of the new scrappage scheme (explained in detail here) in last year’s budget, new car sales in Ireland have rocketed with the result that there have been more new cars sold in the first five months of this year than there was in the whole of 2009.

The Government’s €1,500 reduction in Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) goes some way to explaining the surge in sales, but various car companies have jumped on the bandwagon and have on offer some seriously enticing offers and bonus deals in addition to the Government scheme that have attracted buyers who previously would have balked at the very idea of buying a brand new car.

JOE has taken a look at what’s on the market and picked out some scrappage deal gems that can save thousands for potential new car buyers.

Under €10,000

Fiat Panda – Granted, your mates might laugh at you for owning a car called a Panda but for the price on offer, it’s definitely worth some consideration. Fiat’s EcoPlus bonus, combined with the government allowance, means that €3,000 has been knocked off the asking price for the five-door Panda, which now retails at a measly €6,995.

The Fiat Panda can be bought brand new for under seven grand under the scrappage scheme

Toyota Aygo – Fans of Top Gear will be aware of the Aygo’s manoeuvrability, as numerous models of the car were used by Clarkson, Hammond and May in a giant game of what could only be called car football. The Top Gear lads were big fans of the little Toyota with a big heart and thanks to the scrappage scheme and some additional discounts from Toyota which add up to €2,500; it can be purchased for €8,170.

Hyundai i10 – One of the most attractive models in the ‘city car’ category, the i10 was voted car of the year in a number of motoring magazines in 2008 and under the scrappage scheme, Hyundai have knocked off an additional €2,000 along with the Government reduction of €1,500. The 1.2 litre five door model can be purchased for €8,495.

Under €20,000

Renault Megane – Renault have some extremely generous discounts on offer through their scrappage scheme and they don’t come much better than the five door diesel version of the Megane. Renault are offering €4,000 off the car in addition to the Government allowance of €1,500. That’s over five grand in total and the Megane is now selling for an extremely reasonable price, starting at €14,800.

Mazda 3 – Many models in the ‘family car’ category such as big sellers like the Ford Focus and Skoda Octavia, offer little in the way of additional discounts to the Government Scrappage scheme, but Mazda have quite a deal for their sporty sedan, the M3. The M3 is available as a four or five door and price start at €17,495 thanks to a discount of just over €2,000 from Mazda in addition to the Government allowance.

There's great value to be had on the Mazda M3

Over €20,000

Renault Laguna – Traditionally not one of Renault’s biggest sellers, but once again Renault’s extremely generous scrappage offer makes it hard to ignore for sheer value for money. Prices for the 1.5 litre five door Laguna start at €20,390, with up to €4,500 off some models.

Volkswagen Scirocco – The further up the price bracket, the harder one has to look for scrappage scheme bargains, as more and more cars become ineligible for the scheme due to the higher level of emissions. Volkswagen aren’t offering anything bar the standard Government allowance of €1,500 off their 1.4 litre petrol and 2 litre TDI models, which both qualify, but the scheme has knocked an additional one and a half grand off a car that was extremely good value for money in the first place. Prices for the Scirocco start at €23,690.

Conor Heneghan