It goes without saying that cars which sell well as new models do the same on the used market. Volume brands score well second-hand for a simple reason – there’s more of their product out there for people to buy. In terms of factory-fresh vehicles, Ford was easily the winner in the UK last year, with 319,000 new cars sold. Vauxhall was a distant second with 237,000.
But when it comes to the used market, it’s Vauxhall which edges ahead of its great rival. According to number-crunching firm Experian, the Corsa supermini was the most popular used car in 2009, with 291,000 sales. The Fiesta was a close second with 288,000.
When you dig into the detail of these newly-released results, there are two very intriguing trends. The first is that the Vauxhall Astra – top dog used car in 2008 – has dropped to number three. It shows that more and more people are downsizing, opting for Corsa and Fiesta-sized vehicles instead of something larger. And secondly, when the best sellers in each car category are examined, Vauxhall took three class wins – Astra in the Lower Medium segment, Zafira in the MPV and Corsa in the Supermini. Ford didn’t get a single one. The ‘blue oval’ has been praised for its striking designs and the outstanding driving experience its current crop of cars offer. But clearly not everyone is impressed.
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