I agree in principle, as I’ve never seen the sense in returned cars not being available to other Motability customers. However, I don’t agree with your suggested price caps or limits, just as I don’t see any sense for them in the main scheme. As long as ALL additional costs are covered through the AP, I see no justification whatsoever in applying limits. All it serves to do is limit choice. The flaw in your idea though is that Motability Operations, with their buying power, should be able to buy new for the price that dealers will ask for nearly new cars.
So… let’s just say – for good measure – Motability allow Toyota to put the Supra on the scheme… somewhere around the £50K mark. First of all, I’d probably have to stump up the best part of £25K advance payment or thereabouts. But what about servicing? I’m pretty sure new tyres for a Supra are going to cost more than a Ford Fiesta’s for example! Oil change? Filters? And then there’s the issue of insurance for the Supra. How much is that for a fifty-grand car over 3-years on Motability? I can see now why Motability do have caps!
You are using an extreme example of a sports car that wouldn’t be practical for most disabled drivers, but Motability used to have much more expensive cars on the scheme years ago. The AP’s were very high but certainly not 50% of the price of the car, as you suggest! If they were that high you would be significantly better off going private! Of course servicing and running costs are more, but you deal with that through the AP as all leasing companies do (and Motability used to do). It really isn’t complicated at all.