26/08/2003

Car buyers to spend £46bn in six months, says survey

According to the Sainsbury’s Bank Car Buying Index, which tracks the number of people planning to purchase a vehicle on a six-monthly basis, nearly 6.5 million people plan to buy a car between now and February 2004 – spending £46 billion, or £7,167 each.

The bank says that around a quarter of this, some £11.27 billion will be financed through loans. In terms of where people will purchase their cars, 60% will do so from car dealers and the bank is urging customers to haggle over the price because, with a brand new car, it claims savings of around £1,200 can be made per vehicle.

The previous index findings, which covered the period March to August 2003, revealed that the same number of people intended to purchase a vehicle but that the average individual spend would be £8,116, or collectively £52 billion, with 22% of this financed through loans.

Steven Baillie, Loans Manager, Sainsbury’s Bank, said: “There are two main reasons for a potential decline in expenditure, the first being a fall in car prices. Two years ago second-hand cars were around 20% more expensive, and prices for new vehicles in June 2003 were 1.3% lower than 12 months earlier.

“The second reason is that more motorists are planning to buy second-hand cars as opposed to brand new ones. Findings from the previous index revealed that 60% of motorists who intended to purchase a car said it would be second hand whereas the corresponding figure for the next six months is 66%.”

On a regional basis, the East Midlands tops the league with 21% of people intending to purchase a car within the next six months compared to only 2% in East Anglia and 8% in the South West.

(gmcg)

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