Prior to last week’s Budget announcement that motorists will receive £2,000 for scrapping their old cars for new ones, the used car market was enjoying a surge in trade as cash-strapped motorists shied away from buying brand new models.
And quality used cars have been attracting higher prices because less people are parting with them, leading to a shortage.
The trend has seen car makers, such as Audi, offering tempting freebies such as a free S-line trim worth £880 on its Q7 S line models, including 20 inch alloy wheels, sports seats and a leather multi-function steering wheel, in a bid to win back business.
But it remains to be seen whether the strategy is enough to beat competition from used Audi cars vendors whose lower prices are even more appealing.
The used car market has also been given a boost with the increasing popularity of buying and selling cars online.
Leading online used car portal, www.autoweb.co.uk, continues to host hundreds of private sellers and over 750 dealers and attracts over 15,000 visits per day from motorists looking for a bargain.
The website provides the UK with a national used car database and does not charge private sellers to advertise.
There are some great bargains to be had, whatever the make and model.
For example, the search result for Audi returns details of hundreds of used Audi cars. Each result links to a unique page where more details and photography of the car can be inspected.
A 2009 used Audi A3 1.6 S-line with 100 miles on the clock is offered for just £17,490, well under the price of a brand new model for all the same features.
The website’s handy search tool makes finding a desired make, model, price and location so easy that it’s little wonder so many people are visiting every day.
www.autoweb.co.uk is fast the becoming the place to buy or sell a used car on the Internet and will help to keep the used car market afloat even in the light of Gordon’s Brown’s scrapping fee scheme.
