Dealer demand

The main franchised dealers are competing keenly with car supermarket buyers, which is creating a strong buying market, Manheim Auctions said. Andrew Shepherd, Manheim senior group auctioneer, said 2005 had seen a “very buoyant” start to the market. He added: “Good quality cars with low mileage and unusually high specification cars are still the most sought after but even run of the mill stock appears to be moving quite briskly.” Meanwhile the Seat Altea (pictured) made its used car market debut at Manheim Auctions in Coventry just six months after its UK launch. In a sale of 150 Seat models, 20 Alteas were snapped up for an average of 84 per cent of their new price.