Words About Things

The Governement’s car and van scrappage scheme was statred last May and proved to be quite popular. The original £300m set aside for the project is due to run out by February although some have said that it may not even last that long.  The scheme offers £2,000 off the price of a new car to customers trading in one at least 10 years old.

At the Labour Party conference Lord Mandleson has pledged to provide funding for another 100,000 cars and vans. This extra investment means that the scheme is likely to last until next February or perhaps sooner if it remains popular. A slight change has been made to the rules of the scheme in regard to used vans. which only need to be 8 years old now rather than 10.

The recession may technically be over but there are a lot of people still struggling to make ends meet (or make ends meat as I used to think the saying went). The rise in unemployment has lead to an increase of people trading as a man-with-a-van according to classifieds website VivaStreet.co.uk.

For those overseas who may not have heard of the MWAV the premise is very simple: you pay the man to help you to transport stuff in his trusty white van. It’s like van rental but without the need to do any driving yourself. All you really need to set yourself up as a MWAV is a van, preferably a white one with ‘clean me’ written in the dirt on the back. Those of us who know people who own a van are lucky enough to be able to get this service for free or in exchange for some beer or egg custard tarts.

A man with a van can sometimes be better value than normal van hire depending on your needs. A word of warning however: it is not acceptable to hire a man with a van to go and fetch you some fish & chips, apparently.

Sales of used Volkswagen campervans are booming in the UK thanks to the recession. The VW Transporter has been a cult classic since it was launched almost 60 years ago with used models in good condition often selling for big bucks. Now the camper van’s appeal appears to be widening with sales up 250% this summer.

It has been suggested that the rise of ‘staycations’ where people holiday in the UK to save money may be fueling the rise in sales. Consumer specialist Dominic Harrison of the Future Foundation belives that the recession is causing people to reconsider their work/life balance and consider taking time off work or working fewer hours.

“The recession is causing many to ask serious questions about their habits and work life.”

Applications to test drive new Volkswagen Van models have also risen by 200% according to a company spokesman.

I was walking to work the other day when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a tatty looking yellow van. It was a Robin Reliant (three wheeler) with something written on the side. It wasn’t until about 10 minutes later that I realized why this car had caught my attention, it was Del boy Trotter’s car from Only Fools and Horses!

Now you too can own a piece of British comedy history in motoring form. A garage in Hampshire is selling a used van it claims was used in the television series for just under £7000. It is one of six models used in the 10 years the series was on the air and even has the company name painted on the side.

‘Inside, the car needs a good vacuuming. It has a 700cc engine and you can get up to about 55mph before you endanger your life. But it’s fully roadworthy with a current MOT certificate.’

As you can imagine there aren’t many of these iconic vans for sale. Boxer Ricky Hatton is said to own a version of the van although he hasn’t been seen driving it around yet. It even comes complete with the website delboysvan.com so that you can continues the previous owner’s van hire business. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would want to arrive at their wedding in the back of a Reliant.