AA Autobay Offers Value For Money

It is more than a year since AA Autobay [www.aaautobay.co.za] started its business with a promise to give customers the best deal when buying or selling a car. On average, AA Autobay buyers and sellers are realising a minimum of 7 to 10% more value on vehicles traded through the web-based business. Below are a few examples of sales concluded through AA Autobay over the past months. These include:

**All vehicles quoted below were 2005 models traded in February 2008

Make__________Trade______AA Autobay_____Seller Value____Retail_____Buyer Value
BMW320i(E46)__R155,000___R165,400_______R10,000_______R174,700____R9,300
Merc C200K____R184,200___R206,700_______R22,500_______R209,100____R2,400
RunX 140iRT___R97,000____R108,300_______R11,300_______R110,900____R2,600
Getz 1.3 A/C____R67,300____R70,750________R3,250________R76,200_____R5,450
Micra 1.4_______R73,500____R78,825________R5,325________R82,800_____R3,975
VW Polo 1.4____R79,800____R84,210________R4,410________R91,000_____R6,790


Buyers and Sellers want the best possible deal, with factors such as the National Credit Act, soaring interest rates and increasing petrol prices placing extreme pressure on consumers, and AA Autobay has realised this.

According to a report released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), unit car sales decreased by 29 056 units in 2007, with the biggest decline being the entry level market, which showed a 17% drop. This slow down is having a direct impact on potential buyers and sellers and the trade-in prices that they are able to secure when selling a car.

Company CEO Ed Gassner says: “There is a distinct difference between the book value and the actual price that owners are offered by dealers for their vehicles when trading in. Prices generally offered on vehicles are up to 30% lower than the book value, this is another sign of the struggling vehicle market. Dealers are not selling vehicles as fast as they used to and now need to compensate further for the holding-cost of the vehicle, new or used.

“With AA Autobay, consumers are getting a better deal, because we do not take ownership of the vehicle and therefore don’t have any holding costs to pass onto the buyer. In addition, AA Finance offers best-priced finance on private pre-owned cars because we have tested the car and do not need to compensate for additional risk when it comes to private transactions.”

Sellers can access the AA Autobay website and calculate the selling price of their vehicles by comparing the book value to that of AA Autobay’s price without having to physically visit an AA Autobay branch.

“We are delighted that our business model is starting to work for both buyers and sellers. We are confident that we will be able to continue this trend and offer consumers value for their money. Our business model best suits the needs of buyers and sellers of used cars in the current economic environment” Gassner concludes.

AA Autobay has 13 branches nationwide. Visit www.aaautobay.co.za or contact the sales centre on 086 1 22 22 29 to find out more.

Contact Information

Tania Steenkamp

Communications Manager

AA Autobay

Contact via E-mail