VW Used cars on the Internet
25.01.2011
D he internet makes a lot of things easier - the search for used cars, for example. A few clicks on an Internet vehicle portal show in seconds how much you should budget for the dream car and what is currently on offer.
Most wanted: VW models
But the range is only one side of the coin; what matters is what is currently being sought. Mobile.de, the most frequented vehicle market in Germany with around 62 million visitors per month and thus also an important market observer, evaluated the inquiries of its users exclusively for auto motor und sport .
Unsurprisingly: The majority of those interested in buying (14.7 percent) are looking for a VW because the Wolfsburg-based company has by far the most cars on Germany's roads. The three German premium brands follow closely behind with BMW (14.3 percent), Mercedes (14.0 percent) and Audi (12.0 percent). Far behind are Opel (5.0 percent) and Ford (4.1 percent) in fifth and sixth.
The fact that Porsche (2.3 percent) takes seventh place feeds the assumption that some Internet users simply look out of interest at what a second-hand model from Zuffenhausen costs. However, Mobile.de cannot determine how often the interest leads to a purchase.
Analysis according to segments
More meaningful than the brand analysis is the analysis according to the seven segments that the portal offers as search criteria. They help sort the offer of around 1.2 million advertisements. Since the evaluation summarizes all cars with the same model designation, series with the same name over several generations naturally have it easier to land in the front positions. Example Toyota: The renaming of the lower middle class from Corolla to Auris automatically means that the search queries are split between two models, while the VW Golf includes all cars since the market launch in 1974.
From this effect The front runners in the small car category also benefit. Nevertheless, the VW Polo is ahead of the Opel Corsa (8.9 percent) and Ford Fiesta (4.5 percent) with 12.3 percent. This vehicle class also provides the most precise overview, as all models are at a similar price level even as new cars, while the price classes are much more mixed in the six other groups.
Example limousines:Classic notchback models such as the front-runner BMW 5 Series (11.7 percent) or the Mercedes E-Class (10.9 percent), but also the VW Golf, land here. Apparently, many Mobile.de users click on this feature if they are not looking for a station wagon or van.
Consequently, this category covers all price ranges from small cars to luxury sedans. The top ten show, however, that interest is concentrated on models in the normal and upper middle class. With the BMW 7 Series, however, an upper-class model also makes it into the hit list. After all, 1.8 percent of the inquiries refer to him.
New car bestsellers are also sought after used
The analyzes only reveal surprising results in a few categories: What is new is asked best sold, and these are mostly models from German brands. There is also a clear trend towards used premium models. The comparatively high loss of value ensures that even an upper middle class station wagon will be traded at affordable prices after a few years.
And the price remains one of the decisive purchase criteria, as the Mobile.de evaluation shows. More than 61 percent of all inquiries are in the segment up to 10,000 euros, 44 percent do not even want to invest more than 6,000 euros. In order to stay below this threshold, even high mileages are accepted. 61.8 percent can live with six-digit odometer readings, 13.2 percent do not lose the desire to buy a used car even after around 200,000 kilometers.
Age limit is ten years
However, they are willing to compromise Limits: 74.5 percent believe that a used vehicle should be a maximum of ten years old. 40 percent of Mobile.de visitors pull the age limit at five years How successful the search is cannot be determined from the survey. However, experience shows that well-maintained cars are in short supply, especially in the price segment up to 6,000 euros. Small cars in particular are in great demand, which slows down the decline in value. In addition, many dealerships avoid inexpensive vehicles. They fear high follow-up costs from warranty claims. If anything, you can find bargains from free traders or from private individuals.
Nevertheless, buyers can benefit from the analysis. The greater the demand and the lower the supply, the higher the price of the second-hand model in the end. After all, there are plenty of other interested parties. So if you are not fixated on a certain model, you often drive cheaper if you are looking for a less popular car.
Caution is advised with tempting low-cost offers, especially from abroad: There are still many fraudsters on the Internet. If the seller insists on prepayment or if he blocks an inspection on site, it is better to refrain from buying. After all, online mostly found with littleA corresponding alternative quickly.
