Buying a used car online: the new Facebook?

Autoquake.com, UK online used car retailer, has discovered that most of its customers buy cars during the working day. Like social networking site Facebook, it seems Autoquake.com is guilty of distracting Britain’s office workers from the daily grind.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of all used cars sold during the working week are bought from 9am to 5pm. Around 16% are sold between 10am and midday, as employees stretch out their mid-morning cuppa to buy a car. The number of sales peaks between 1pm and 2pm.

It seems online car buyers are researching their next car over the weekend, but buying while at work. Traffic on popular used car advertising sites peaks at the weekend, but Autoquake.com’s busiest day for sales is Thursday, when almost one in five (17%) deposits is placed.

The weekend, when bricks-and-mortar car retailers expect to be at their busiest, is actually the quietest two days of the week for Autoquake.com. Around 13% of each week’s sales take place on Saturday, and less than 10% on Sunday.

“Autoquake.com has turned the rules of car buying on their head,” said Autoquake.com CEO, Garry Hobson. “Instead of marching from showroom to showroom on your day off looking at overpriced cars, more and more buyers are discovering how quick and easy it is to buy a car online. It’s so simple, hundreds of buyers are doing it in between meetings or when their boss isn’t looking.”

Surveys suggest two-thirds of businesses now ban or restrict access to social networking sites like Facebook. “We hope we’re not next,” added Hobson. “Even if we are, Autoquake.com never closes. You can buy a car from us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”