My car is a black 2000 Ford Mondeo Mk2 hatchback, currently under discussion to be replaced by a new Skoda Octavia hatchback or extended by another two years.

Just today our government announced that, as part of a program to strenghten the economy, we get € 2.500 government money if we replace a car of nine years or older with a new one. I think this just comes right since my car will be nine years old next month. So I guess I will be off to see some Skoda dealers later this week to see what they can offer.

Before my current car I had a 1997 Ford Escort hatchback which I lost in a head-on collision, and before that one a VW Golf, a Ford Fiesta, an Opel Acona B, an Opel Kadett C and my first was an Opel Ascona A.