8:30 am, July 9, 2013
THE motoring organisation the AA has ventured into the world of selling used cars by creating a new online sales site called ‘AA Cars’.
The new used car website is based upon a new partnership between the AA and VCARS – an established interactive platform that allows dealers to advertise their vehicles on a widely used online resource.
The existing VCARS site has been transformed into AA Cars, representing more than 110,000 used cars for sale from more than 2,000 dealers throughout the UK. It will provide a large range of car buying advice and every vehicle on the site will be given a complimentary AA Cars History Check.
The new platform offers dealers immediate access to the AA’s current 15 million members as well as being visible to the millions of people who visit the AA’s own website – including the eight million who use the AA Route Planner every month.
According to the AA, nearly 60 per cent of motorists say they are in the market for a car. An AA/Populus study of 22,194 AA members revealed that one in three UK drivers think buying a car is a stressful experience, while one in eight admits to having made an ‘almighty mistake’ when they bought a car.
To combat this, AA says the new site ‘will provide buyers with a simple and risk-free way to buy their next car’.
AA president, Edmund King said: ‘The AA de-risks the buying process by offering great advice, car history checks and transparency in putting consumers in touch with recognised dealers.
‘For dealers, this represents a unique opportunity to associate their business with the trusted AA name. For Consumers, the AA has simplified car buying by offering a portal that offers access to thousands of cars in their own locality, with the added protection of an up front car data check worth up to £20. The cost is paid by AA Cars and the check is provided free to the consumer.’
King added: ‘We know from past car history checks that a third of all cars checked had a significant hidden history. In fact, one in ten had outstanding finance; one in eight were recorded as insurance write-offs; one in sixteen had significant mileage discrepancies; while nearly 91,400 had actually been reported stolen.
‘This shows the importance of the AA Cars History Check up front and it should help de-stress the buying process for both buyer and seller so that drivers don’t make the biggest mistake of their lives. It’s win-win fir dealers and buyers.’
