BMW 3 Series is most wanted used car
Wednesday 08 September 2010
The BMW 3 Series has been searched for more than 171 MILLION times since 2004, according to new research by Auto Trader.
BMW’s mid-sized car consistently tops the charts as the most wanted used car in Britain, but the new figures show just how far ahead the 3 Series is.
The BMW eclipsed the second placed Volkswagen Golf, which was searched for 163 million times and the Ford Focus which racked up just over 93 million searches
The 3 Series was the most popular car out of a total of more than five BILLION searches, according to the research conducted by Auto Trader.
Full gallery: top 10 most wanted used cars
The BMW 3 Series first went on sale in the 1970s, but it really came of age in the early 1980s. In total, five versions have been built, and most versions sported a full range of bodystyles: saloon, estate (known as Touring), two-door coupe and convertible.
But all models have stuck to a successful formula, offering excellent reliability, understated style and elegance, rear wheel drive and a number of consistent design themes. For example, the front wheels are pushed as far forward as possible.
A huge range of engines are available, and recent models have been fitted with some excellent diesel engines, which offer better fuel economy over their petrol counterparts, and in some cases, improved performance. The sports model, known as the BMW M3 is been a benchmark for practical sports cars.
Top 10 most searched for used cars
1. BMW 3 Series: 171,010,787
Find a used BMW 3 Series >>
2. Volkswagen Golf: 163,649,052
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3. Ford Focus: 93,343,780
Find a used Ford Focus >>
4. Vauxhall Astra: 88,496,915
Find a used Vauxhall Astra >>
5. Vauxhall Corsa: 79,191,998
Find a used Vauxhall Corsa >>
6. Ford Fiesta: 75,623,502
Find a used Ford Fiesta >>
7. Audi A4: 74,919,486
Find a used Audi A4 >>
8. Renault Clio: 66,954,064
Find a used Renault Clio >>
9. Honda Civic: 63,737,892
Find a used Honda Civic >>
10. BMW 5 Series: 62,572,748
Find a used BMW 5 Series >>
The Audi A3, Ford Mondeo and Mercedes C-Class all narrowly missed-out on the top 10.
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By Rhian Angharad Jones