Embargoed until 17th July 2008

Broom Britannia – Original Mini Cooper Tops Brits’ List as the Number 1 Classic Used Car

MSN Cars’ Bangernomics poll celebrates our love of second hand motors

Britain zoomed ahead in the recent British Grand Prix and now a poll of 3,500 Brits by MSN Cars (www.msn.co.uk/cars) has revealed that British is best in the world of second hand classic motoring as our own Mini Cooper steams to the top of the list of our favourite classic used car of all time.

With 53% of the votes, the little run around zooms ahead of the German-made VW Golf MK2 (41%) and the Italian Fiat Punto (3%) as the classic starter vehicle we’d buy above all others.

With new car sales continuing to decline as Britain’s credit-fuelled binge comes to an end, MSN Cars has commissioned the study into Britain’s love of the second hand motor to highlight a rising trend coined ‘Bangernomics’ – the process of saving money by buying a second hand car and running it for next to nothing.

Classic Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson’s encyclopaedic knowledge and opinionated manner make him the companion Brits would most want to accompany them when buying a used car with 48% of the votes, followed by 5^th Gear’s Tiff Needall (23%), James May (17%) and Lewis Hamilton (4%).

And if we could buy a classic used vehicle from the world of film and TV, the UK wins again with Bond’s Aston Martin DBS top of our list (56%), and Knight Rider’s 80s classic K.I.T.T, Batman’s Batmobile and Del Boy’s battered Robin Reliant a few laps behind with 18%, 11% and 4% of the votes respectively.

Dodgy Dealers

Unfortunately some of us are still put off buying a second hand car due to the legacy of untrustworthy salesmen, with 37% fearing we’ll be ripped off by disreputable dealers.

This image of used car salesman isn’t helped by car experts portrayed on British soaps with 88% saying they would never trust EastEnders’ legendary car dealer Frank Butcher or Corrie cab mechanic, Kevin Webster for used car advice.

Bangernomics

In the current economic downturn, Brits are increasingly abandoning the purchase of brand new vehicles as 44% of us recognise that with cars losing their value the moment they leave the forecourt, we’re likely to get a better deal with a second hand purchase.

James Ruppert, motoring guru who first coined the phrase ‘Bangernomics’, comments, “If you do your homework you can easily get yourself a good, reliable car for very little money and with cars being manufactured to such a high standard, this has never been truer. Couple this with the current economy crisis and there has never been a better time to come onboard and join the Bangernomics revolution!”

Tom Evans, Content Manager, MSN Cars says: “It’s fantastic that British made cars have topped our poll, our readers clearly have very good taste! MSN Cars Bangernomics is the best place to find out what makes a great used car and what can go wrong. Share your experiences and passion for good value and cars with character that won't cost a fortune to run. Visit us at http://cars.uk.msn.com/bangernomics”

Ends

For further information please contact:

Sinead Purcell 020 7025 6505 sinead.purcell@redconsultancy.com

Sophie Jackson 020 7025 6412 sophie.jackson@redconsultancy.com

Notes to Editors:

All figures sourced from a survey carried out on the MSN Cars site (http:// cars.msn.uk.com) from a total sample size of 3,535 people.

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