BMW’s 3-series has emerged as the number one seller in a private car market that generated £1.81bn worth of sales during the third quarter of 2004, according to used car database, Cardata.co.uk.

11,931 examples of the German executive model were advertised ‘for sale’ over the July to September period, helping to push activity in the private-to-private car market up by 8.8%, or £202m, compared to the same period in 2003.

With vehicles valued at £1.81bn on the market, monitor Cardata.co.uk recorded nearly 25,000 extra owners trying to sell their vehicles privately.

More than 87% of the 324,000 cars advertised were priced in the £1,000 to £10,000 bracket. The average price of a vehicle for the whole private market stood at £5,540 during the third quarter.

Pos.		Model		Number For Sale		Average Advertised Price
1		BMW 3 Series		11,931		£7,905
2		VW Golf		10,442		£5,595
3		Ford Fiesta		7,816		£3,305
4		Ford Escort		7,432		£2,410
5		Vauxhall Corsa		7,368		£3,255
6		Renault Clio		6,675		£4,216
7		Vauxhall Astra		6,277		£3,957
8		Vauxhall Vectra		5,603		£3,680
9		Peugeot 306		5370		£3,499
10		Ford Mondeo		4,939		£3,557