Local classifieds site Gumtree has released an online tool that assists prospective buyers and sellers with pricing vehicles and choosing alternatives.
“Comparison shopping, particularly due the volume of cars on the site, can be difficult,” says Jeff Osborn, head of automotive at Gumtree.
The Gumtree Car Price Checker breaks down complex analytics spanning the entire stock of the 200 000 cars on the site historically sold over the last three months, as well as in realtime.
For example, a customer could click on the “Volkswagen” brand and view a chart of the average price of a Volkswagen sold over the last 90 days, see whether or not the price has increased or decreased and then view the detailed prices for every individual Volkswagen model available on the site.
Once the model has been selected, customers can view the average price per year, model, and mileage.
“This allows the prospective buyer and seller to price the car accordingly,” says Osborne. “The car price checker will also help you to find the car in the colour and fuel type of your choice.”
The tool has already revealed interesting trends and sales patterns. “It’s interesting to see the variety of cars uploaded,” says Osborne. “The most popular cars fall in the R120 000 – R250 000 price range, but there are also quite expensive models up for grabs. Several Ferraris, Maseratis and vintage cars are being sold on Gumtree.”