In the Carrefour des Mureaux car park (Yvelines), Gaëlle, 45, puts her shopping in the trunk of a Skoda Fabia diesel with high mileage.
“I drive an old car that I got from my mom ten years ago,” explains this childminder.
A vehicle that displays 240,000 km on the odometer and that she has paid in several installments.
"She is almost twenty years old, she dates from 2003 ..."
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Her car, this Yvelinoise uses it mainly for short trips in Les Mureaux and its surroundings. An area where old diesel is almost king, since it represents 45.8% of the cars in circulation in the city. The highest concentration of Yvelines. However, this motorist also takes the wheel to La Défense (Hauts-de-Seine) almost once a week, to visit her daughter. Or 60 km round trip each time.
"I have a Crit'Air echelon 4 sticker, I don't know how much longer I could drive the trip," laments Gaëlle, visibly unaware that her car is now banned from the low emissions zone (ZFE ) of the Metropolis of Greater Paris, that is to say in all the towns located inside the A 86 since last June 1.
“In the worst case, I can count on my family,” she reassures.
My mother can lend me her car occasionally, it's newer.
"
Savings not so obvious
But changing vehicle to acquire one less polluting, "it is impossible financially".
Because with her maternal assistant salary, her income does not exceed 2,000 to 2,200 euros in a good month.
Between the monthly rent of 500 euros, insurance and shopping, the car budget is tight.
"The car costs me around one hundred euros per month, around fifty euros for fuel and 42 euros for insurance," she said.
Gaëlle is however considering the purchase of a more recent gasoline or diesel, but it is not for now.
"I have already made several requests for credit from my bank, but I have only experienced refusals, because I do not have a constant income," continues the forty-something.
Which still finds itself in a dead end with its aging Skoda ... and is no longer such an economical choice.
“The last part I had to change was the timing belt, an operation that can cost 500 to 1,000 euros.
Fortunately, I have a friend who takes care of the repairs and I was able to get by for 200 euros.
I will not have the choice to change the car because, with the breakdowns, the parts start to cost me too much.
"