New figures released today by Motorcheck.ie show an incredible 77% of used car buyers are sourcing their next car directly from the private market and not from a dealer’s forecourt.
The used car sales analysis examined over 660,000 sales transactions that occurred in 2012 and showed that an overwhelming majority of 398,046 occurred on a private basis and did not officially involve a used car dealer.
If you're interested in what makes and models are the most popular - check out the two tables below. They detail the top 20 most popular cars sold privately and by dealers this year.
Here's how the top 20 stacks up for dealer sales. Notice the dramatic difference in age of vehicle!
Why is this the case?
We believe it's a combination of two things - firstly the increased confidence a Motorcheck report gives the savvy bargain hunter means that common problems such as car clocking, poorly repaired write-off’s and cars where finance is still outstanding can now be identified before a deal is struck. This makes it easier than ever for a buyer to avoid the hidden problems that are commonplace in today's market.
Secondly - economic factors are forcing buyers to look at cars in lower price brackets. Our statistics would support this in that they show the top 20 cars purchased in the private market this year to be greater than 10 years old whereas car purchased from dealers are all less than 10 years old.