Volkswagen is the preferred brand by the Romanians who buy second-hand cars, especially the Passat series, as shown by a local car park data for 2021 and the first half of this year. 24%, respectively 2% of the buyers preferred the German car, followed by those who chose brands such as BMW, Audi, Oper, or Ford.
Romanians’ preferences have remained unchanged when choosing a used car for the past two years, Volkswagen being their preferred choice. As for the selected models, 39% of those who bought a car through this local car park chose Volkswagen Passat, while 24% of the IFN’s clients turned to a Golf. As it follows, the top of Volkswagen models is completed by Touran, Passat CC, and Tiguan, each with 6% of the sales.
BMW is in second place, being chosen by 15% of the buyers in 2021, respectively 17% in 2022. The preferred models for this category are BMW 3 Series (44%), 5 Series (23%), 1 Series (11%), X3 (10%) and X5 (4%).
The top is completed by Audi, Opel, and Ford, with a significantly lower percentage than the first two classified. In 2021, 13% of the auto park clients chose Audi, and, in 2022, only 10%. Opel was the option for 8, respectively 7% of the buyers, and Ford by 7% both in 2021 and 2022.
After the pandemic, Romanians have chosen older cars
According to the findings, the majority of clients prefer older car models to newer ones, with 50% of the sales being represented by cars made between 2006 and 2009, and 20% by cars made between 2010 and 2011.
This tendency was enhanced during the pandemic, as Romanians have become hesitant regarding long-term investments. According to the Auto Park representatives, with over two decades of experience in this industry, the taxes, fees, and rising prices determined the Romanians to opt for older cars.
Therefore, Romanians choose older cars because they can more easily afford to maintain them, as costs for these particular models are lower. 70% of the buyers make this choice, using the car for a few years and changing it later to a newer model.