That would presumably depend on the financial situation. Anecdotally I've run into 2nd or 3rd car plans moving forward (e.g. a kid mobile to cart the family aro

That would presumably depend on the financial situation. Anecdotally I've run into 2nd or 3rd car plans moving forward (e.g. a kid mobile to cart the family around, or a small car for use by the older children) and outright buying a 2nd Mercedes as a matter of making a point. I can't recollect anyone in my circle of acquaintances that did this for who money would have been much of a consideration. Intuitively I do not think anyone is buying an old clunker as a supplemental vehicle to dodge such policies. The regulations during pollution spike control efforts could ban their use anyway, so it would need to be a recent car. And if cheap is a decision factor, you're probably using a combination of public transportation and the occasional cab anyway. (Public transportation is good enough in most major European cities that you can live without a car.)