Research indicates that nearly 80% of the time taken to arrive at a vehicle purchase decision is now spent online, according to the online vehicle purchasing site.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe needs of the market are fairly clear when looking at the data,\u201d said Charles Grassie, MD at Surf4Cars. \u201cAnd the picture painted is one of affordability: the majority of searches are for small family hatchbacks in the entry-level price bands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of all used car searches performed on Surf4Cars in the last quarter, 60% were for vehicles that cost between R150,000 and R200,000. These are buyers who have a reasonable budget for a car, but high price inflation for new cars means that they\u2019re less likely to shop new and are looking for better value in the pre-owned space.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally, buyers looking for affordable vehicles also want something that is reliable and cheap to maintain,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cTo this end we see that there\u2019s a trend of buyers sticking to familiar, mainstream brands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the top 20 most-searched-for brands on Surf4Cars, the top three are also the three top-performing brands according to monthly sales data in the new car market.<\/p>\n
Volkswagen, Toyota, and Ford make up 44% of the top 20 search volumes, at 22.6%, 20.9%, and 10.8%, respectively. Mainstream manufacturers show up 12 times, in the top 20, and searches for these brands comprise 73% of the total.<\/p>\n
In the model breakdown Volkswagen\u2019s products once again prove most popular with online shoppers. The Polo, Polo Vivo, and long-discontinued Citi Golf have the lion\u2019s share of the top 20, with a combined total of 24% of searches being for these compact hatches.<\/p>\n
![\"VW](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/VW-Polo-Vivo.png\")
<\/a>VW Polo Vivo<\/p><\/div>\n
Hatchbacks make up 34% of search volumes, with buyers also looking at the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, Opel Corsa, Mini Cooper, BMW 1-series, Ford Focus, as well as more recent Volkswagen Golf models.<\/p>\n
South African buyers are also fond of bakkies, with the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu KB, and Corsa Utility all featuring in the top 20.<\/p>\n
This makes up a healthy 23% of all searches \u2013 and shows that there is a demand for these practical vehicles at affordable prices.<\/p>\n
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