Watching the Carling Cup final last Sunday I realised – being as I am, quite sad – that Audi sponsor Manchester United and Seat sponsor Aston Villa. So as the two football giants battled on field, the Volkswagen Group execs anxiously waited to see which of their brands would come out on top. Bragging rights, as you probably know, went to Audi.
The fundamental principle behind such commercial sponsorship is to send the public a message that “You like football, your club likes our cars, so you must like our cars too.” Which lead me to wonder if the used car prices in areas where football passions run high favour the sponsoring brands.
My objective here is not so much to prove the value of sponsorship but to prove that all sorts of factors create serious regional variation in used car prices. The number of dealers in the area, the affluence and demographic of the area and geography all play a part. Maybe football passion is a factor too?
So, to paraphrase Sunday’s fans, here we go, here we go, here we go:
Seat Leon
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Comfortable ride and competent handling. A stylish interior and exterior. But the price you pay for cool looks is poor parking visibility.
Most economical: 1.9 TDi
Best used buy: 2.0 Tdi or FSI petrol
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: 14
Used Car Expert magazine price guide: The national average price for a 2007 Leon 2.0 TDI is £9,200 with 33,900 miles. In the Birmingham / Aston area, it is very slightly higher at £9,300, whereas in the Milton Keynes area (VW head office) it is £8,700. So maybe the football is helping prices in the Midlands, but high levels of supply in the Milton Keynes area is almost certainly the reason for softer prices there.
Audi A4
Sharpened styling, fantastic build quality and great handling. It has a lighter feel to the steering compared with a BMW, and all the engines have buckets of power. Satisfying to own on every level.
Most economical: 1.9 TDi
Best used buy: 2.0 Tdi or FSI petrol
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: 17
Used Car Expert magazine price guide: The national average price for a 2007 A4 2.0 Tdi is £15,359 with 31,000 miles. In Manchester, the average price is a staggering £12,158. Is football driving new car demand to the point where used cars are in over supply? No idea, but there are deals to be had.
BMW 3-Series
Expensive and popular but probably worth it. Handling and performance are market-leading. Space and equipment are average. But the badge ensures admiring glances.
Most economical: 320D
Best used buy: 320D
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: 11
Used Car Expert magazine price guide: The national average price for a 2007 320D is £15,138 with 34,000 miles. But in North London, where BMW sponsor Tottenham, it’s a whopping £17,611.
To be honest, all these variations have more to do with the affluence and supply in the area than the beautiful game. But the point is the same, check the prices in your region against others if you want to save money.