You cannot fail to have noticed the publicity given to the Government scrappage scheme over recent months.

But is it really as good as it appears. The people I’m most interested in, of course, are the buyers. So is it really such a good deal for them?

Newspaper supplements are crammed full of offers, all of which advertise the car at £2,000 less, making it appear cheaper. Of course, if you don’t have a ten year old car you will have to add that £2,000 back on again.

But what if you do have an old car? Here’s some food for thought. Your old car may actually be worth a whole lot more than £2,000, but don’t expect to get any more for it under the scheme. Similarly don’t expect to get any more off the cost of the new car either. That’s just plain wrong - although I would fully expect to get more than this off any car I was supplying to my clients.

So it’s the usual smoke and mirrors of the motor trade. What’s the moral of the story? Allow us to find you real deals – achieving the best possible price for your current car and the best possible deal on your new one.