South African motorists will soon find out whether or not they’ve been driving a true winner, as Gumtree South Africa announces their intention to launch the Pre-Owned Car Awards. The inaugural event is set to take place in November 2017 and winning cars will be selected using judging criteria unique to pre-owned cars, including Value for Money, Overall appearance after a number of years, Maintenance costs and more.
“South Africa has a few long-standing motoring awards shows that celebrate the latest releases, but ultimately, we’re a pre-owned market. Pre-owned vehicles are outselling new models at a rate of 2.37 to 1, which means that most consumers have a vested interest in pre-owned cars,” says Johan Nel, Director-GM of Gumtree South Africa. “This is not only an opportunity to showcase the quality and range of pre-owned cars on the market, but also a means to educate consumers about which second hand cars they should be considering and how to make a smart buying decision.”
Nel is confident that the online classifieds giant is best positioned to deliver the pre-owned car awards show, given its vast expertise in facilitating vehicles sales for both private sellers and professional car dealers.
“We’ve dedicated ourselves to facilitating automotive trade for more than a decade,” says Jeff Osborne, Head of Gumtree Automotive. “Gumtree has 75 000 cars listed for sale at any given time, by both dealerships and private sellers, and over 1.2 million people browsing the Automotive category every month. We know what consumers are searching for and how they are evaluating the cars they purchase, and we’re putting that information to good use.”
The awards will recognize and celebrate the best pre-owned cars on the market, as evaluated by a panel of leading motoring experts and backed by authoritative data supplied in partnership with TransUnion.
Finalists will be selected from the best-selling pre-owned cars of the past three years, across several categories from hatchbacks and sedans to bakkies and SUVs. Judging criteria is comprised of 16 key elements of vehicle performance, such as overall value for money, engine performance, mechanical reliability and safety.
South African motorists will also be able to cast a vote for their favourite nominee in each category. Whichever vehicle gathers the most public support will receive a People’s Choice award, based solely on online votes.
All information regarding the awards, including a full list of judging criteria and road tests for each finalist will soon be available online. To stay updated on the latest news around the Gumtree Pre-Owned Car Awards, follow Gumtree SA on Facebook or Twitter.
