Used cars become attractive business

Warranty periods and records of the number of kilometres travelled and how often technical checks were performed were, until a year ago, no more than wishful thinking on the part of buyers of second hand cars. But as the automotive industry developed, importers began to realise the opportunities provided by the second hand car market. “Dealers in Austria complained to us they had had orders for new cars from many customers wanting to replace their old vehicles but could not take in their customers’ used cars,” explained Michael Leitner, the manager of Weltauto Porsche Austria. It is for this reason, says Leitner, that Austria’s largest car importer decided to establish its own brand, Weltauto, in 1993 to deal only in used cars. The Weltauto brand was officially launched in Romania on Wednesday after several months of operating through Porsche Romania in what was more of a trial operation. “We’ve sold 150 cars since the start of the pilot project in April 2004 and have 75 vehicles on display at all times,” said Horatiu Moldovan, Weltauto general manager. ZF