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Automotive Guide Hoffman Estates Used Cars

By: David Foley
Automotive Guide

If you asked Americans to name the auto brands they'd most aspire to own someday, European nameplates would rate high on that list, especially in the used car department at dealerships like Hoffman Estates Used Cars. Despite the recent high end gains by the Japanese, the luxury car heritage associated with nameplates like BMW and Mercedes Benz gives those brands a permanent "cachet halo" among U.S. consumers.

This was illustrated dramatically in the 2001 Vehicle Quality Study conducted by J.D. Power. Respondents were asked to rate their feelings about the "overall image" of 34 brands on a scale from 1 ("Unacceptable") to 10 ("Outstanding"). J.D. Power then ranked each nameplate based on the percentage of respondents rating a brand 9 or 10. The European brands captured eight of the top twelve "image" positions:

1. Mercedes-Benz
2. BMW
3. Lexus
4. Porsche
5. Jaguar
6. Volvo
7. Acura
8. Audi
9. Cadillac
10. Lincoln
11. Saab
12. Volkswagen (Land Rover was number eighteen)

Most of us would probably be surprised to hear that all nine European nameplates combined accounted for only 6.9 percent of U.S. car sales in 2002. But of course, exclusivity breeds cachet. If everyone drove them, they wouldn't be considered so special. This is even true of used cars, as recently noted by hoffman estates used cars dealership.

Likewise, if we were asked to name the auto brands with the highest dependability ratings, many of those European nameplates would be among the first few mentioned. And most of us would be surprised to learn that few Europeans are among the quality leaders today. But perception hasn't caught up with reality on these brands. They still retain their strong positive images, built over many decades. As a result, compared to the domestic nameplates, the Europeans typically sell for higher prices, need fewer incentives, and retain their value better as used vehicles at dealerships all over the country including hoffman estates used cars.

As with the Japanese, there are a few tiers of European competitors, based on sales volumes and market strength.

• The Tier 1 sales leaders, Volkswagen/ Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz, accounted for 76.7 percent of European nameplate U.S. sales in 2002.

• Volvo is alone in Tier 2 (9.5 percent of European brand U.S. sales in 2002), well behind the leaders but ahead of the rest.

• Jaguar, Land Rover, Saab, and Porsche are at the bottom in Tier 3 and combined they represented 13.8 percent of 2002 European-nameplate sales in the U.S.

David Foley is a writer for Car Deals Search, a website commited to helping the general public learn more about the automotive market and how to obtain the best possible deals, and how to buy used cars at the same price used car dealerships pay. To learn more about how to obtain the best possible deal on a new or used car, visit Car Deals Search for more information:

http://www.cardealssearch.com/hoffmanestatesusedcars.html

Automotive Guide Tag : Hoffman Estates Used Hoffman Used Cars

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