LAST year was the worst year that the used car industry has experienced in almost a decade, according to the latest data from global information services company Experian.
Used car sales fell by 5.7 per cent during 2009 to 6,798,864 – the worst performance in the used car market since 2000, when 6,713,269 used cars were sold.
Ford and Vauxhall continue to own the lion’s share of used car sales. The best selling used car was the Ford Fiesta. Second, was the Vauxhall Corsa with the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra taking third and fourth place respectively.
BMW was the only manufacturer to see a rise in sales across all used models for the year as a whole.
Kirk Fletcher, managing director for Experian Business Information and Automotive, says: “The recession and the scrappage scheme have had a big impact on the used car market.
“Consumers who would have normally bought a used car were considering a cheaper new car through the scrappage scheme. This resulted in smaller new cars moving into a price range that had previously been occupied by used cars.
“The scrappage scheme has also affected the number of used cars available for sale. Furthermore, the recession has resulted in people holding onto their cars for longer, which has also affected the choice of used cars on the market.”
Sales of used cars in the Mini segment, such as the Fiat Seicento and the Daewoo Matiz, saw the biggest drop in 2009 (9.1 per cent). As in 2008, the best selling segment was the Supermini, which includes the Ford Fiesta and the Vauxhall Corsa.
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