The expert told why owners sell their cars

Recently, after surveying the readership of AUTO.RIA, we determined that the average time a passenger car stays in the hands of the average Ukrainian car owner is 4 years. As the next step, we decided to find out: why cars are sold. Of course, everyone has their own reasons, but some of them should be the main ones, and others should be secondary. Why should we all know this?

This knowledge adds to the understanding of what our car market is like, which means that it helps to sell and buy cars more meaningfully, quickly and for the money that is worth it.

In the survey, which lasted a week and collected the votes of more than three thousand participants. There were ten questions, but we will group the answers to some of them, adding to the visual infographic comments about what this or that question means in practice. So let's get started.

Market mechanisms

You can include 5 answers in this group at once, most of which also received the majority of votes. The option "Sell to buy a more modern used car" has maximum support. Significant interest in cars with mileage is confirmed by statistics: 12-70 thousand new cars are sold in 80 months (and this trend will continue for the next few years). And there are more than 500 used ones.

The next category is "Sale for the purpose of changing the type of vehicle", 19% of votes. It demonstrates the internal activity in the market, where almost 1/5 of motorists are in constant search for new experiences that can be obtained from a different type of car. Also, if we are talking about commercial cars (for example, when a person changes a passenger car to a bus), this indicates the activity of a small business, where "wheels" become a tool for supporting the business, and transport for travel comes second. Marketers should be interested in such a result.

"The car has become old and often breaks down" is a completely logical option, voted for by 15% of respondents. It is logical, because the average age of our car fleet has reached 16 years, it is mostly replenished with not too young "beushka", and not all products of the Soviet car industry have been sent for remelting yet. The downside is that they try to sell old cars instead of handing them over for disposal (or at least for scrapping). However, there is also a positive in such a fairly significant number of owners who sell cars due to their physical aging - this creates a new wave of demand, both for used cars, with low mileage and age, and for new ones. And after the introduction of the technical inspection, the situation with the sale of cars in the condition "almost on its way" should change significantly.

The next of the "market" items is "I am a racer or a bargain." Many "poisonous" posts on this topic appeared in the comments, but only 7% of respondents said that car trading is their business. So, according to the results of this survey, the vast majority of sales on AUTO.RIA are from owners, and only about 7% of visitors are entrepreneurs who are professionally involved in "serfing" or reselling cars. It is worth noting that in the countries of Western Europe, up to 80% of sales of used vehicles take place through dealerships or "autocommissions". In Ukraine, it is less than 10%. In fact, it is not so good, but the topic is debatable and needs separate attention.

"I'm tired of the "beushka", I'll buy a new car from the showroom" - 4% of respondents. If we calculate what share this is from the total annual volume of the market, we will get about 24 thousand cars. Perhaps, although it still needs more detailed research, this is the number of those who, after owning a car purchased "second-hand", move into the category of new car buyers.

A step into the future

3% of survey participants are ready to change their gasoline or diesel car to an electric car. Not a bad trend, which is again confirmed by statistics: the total annual volume of the market is about 0,6 million vehicles, and three percent of it is 15 cars. Which corresponds to the current statistical data - a thousand "with a tail" of electric cars and hybrids are registered every month.

A forced step

Unfortunately, the realities are such that sometimes the car has to be sold in order to urgently receive a certain amount to cover needs that have arisen contrary to plans. The answer "I'm selling because I urgently need money" received 4% of votes. This, first of all, means that the car is still considered as a kind of investment, more precisely, as an alternative to a bank deposit. Also, to a certain extent, this indicates the unsatisfactory financial condition of the population, the lack of conscious lending, and underdeveloped insurance services, which in difficult times could be a support for those who have unforeseen expenses.

You eat too much

"And that's why I'll sell you to buy a more economical car," said 5% of respondents. And what is meant is not the transition to electric cars, which were a separate item, but to cars with internal combustion engines, but with less appetite. After all, if the distance that modern "electric cars" are capable of covering is not enough, then the question arises of a car with HBO, or a lower power and/or cylinder volume, so that gas station checks do not have four digits in the "amount" column. The fleet of Soviet automobiles, which have never been characterized by economy, also adds their own value: paying gas bills like a "jeep" and getting the quality of a "Zhiguly" ride in the 21st century clearly does not fit.

Goodbye, until better times

2% of respondents decided to sell because it is too expensive to maintain the car. Well, it's a pity, but there is such a reason. For those who really do this, we wish that things will improve, and soon there will be opportunities to keep your own car. And we would also like to thank you for knowingly approaching the issue - sold it, period, and not drag it to the last one, without maintenance, putting yourself and other road users at risk.

Also for information, here are some data on the cost of maintaining a car in Germany. According to ADAC, the monthly costs for an almost new Dacia Duster (including fuel bills based on mileage of 15 km/year, insurance, maintenance, taxes, etc.) there are 456 euros, and a several-year-old VW Golf will cost 453 euros. And this, if translated into hryvnias, is 12 hryvnias per month! Of course, owners of budget old cars in Ukraine do not spend so much.

Infrastructure

Got trams and tracks, eternally busy parking lots and potholes on the roads... only 1% of car owners. A relatively small number of respondents are ready to walk or use public transport, having sold their car because it is not comfortable to own. After all, there were times when the roads were not repaired in principle, and sometimes the side "field" was evener than the asphalt surface arranged "under Tsar Panka". Now the situation is gradually improving, at least with the roads, and with regard to parking spaces and traffic jams, we hope that this will also be regulated, synchronously with the increase in the volume of the car fleet.

Summary

Despite the negative impact of such factors as the low purchasing power of citizens, the lack of credit support for car sales, and the shortcomings of the infrastructure, in general, our car market looks quite healthy. The average time of owning a car is 4 years, and the main reasons for selling are market reasons, i.e. switching to a newer car, or a more economical one. I am pleased with the steady growth of interest in electric cars, which also correlates with real statistical data. The fear that the "beushka" trade is exclusively in the hands of "overbuyers" can also be dispelled - more than 90% of sales on the secondary market are from the owners.