These people are buying more expensive cars than they can actually afford

For some, the car is mostly about common sense: to go from A to B, and it is preferable to spend as little money as possible on car maintenance.

For others, a car is much more than that. It is no secret that many people are making great efforts to be able to buy the car they want. We see this, among other things, in the development of car sales in Norway in recent years. Many people have never bought such an expensive car before.

There are also big differences here depending on the brand of car we’re driving. In the AutoIndex 2022 survey, 13,773 Norwegian car owners gave their opinion about cars and car maintenance. They answered more than 200 questions. Among them is whether they are happy to pay more than they can actually afford — to get the car they want.

class trip

Can you guess which brand is on top here? There are actually two: Mercedes and Audi got exactly the same result, which is 479.

It is interesting in many ways. Mercedes has a long history as a premium brand. In the last two decades, they have greatly expanded their model range and are also becoming more and more popular. But many still stretch far beyond what they can actually afford – to get a Mercedes.

So do some of those who buy Audi. Here, the development was in many ways the opposite of Mercedes. Audi started out as a fairly popular brand, but in the 1970s it started what should be called a solid quarterly ride. The goal was to reach the level of Mercedes and BMW cars. Maybe we can go a long way to say they succeeded.

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The electric car e-tron was an extraordinary success for Audi in Norway. It is also possible that many buyers have gone to great lengths to purchase a car that quickly cost around 800,000 NOK, and is fully equipped.

Volvo just got more exclusive

Here in Norway, the all-wheel drive electric e-tron is a smash hit. This became the best-selling passenger car in Norway in 2020. With an average price of about 800,000 NOK, it is fantastic. Never before has such an expensive car been sold so much in this country, it is also unique at the international level.

In third place, we find another brand that has gone in an exclusive trend in recent years, Volvo with a score of 473. When it was sold from Ford to China’s Geely in 2010, it started over in many ways. They developed new platforms, while Ford technology was phased out. The second generation of the XC90 large SUV appeared first, giving the “new” Volvo a perfect start.

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The second generation of the XC90 was the beginning of Volvo — The second generation of the XC90 was the beginning of the “new” Volvo, having acquired a Chinese owner in 2010. Since then, the brand has gone in a more exclusive direction, which is also reflected in its prices.

Citroen at the bottom

Lexus also has owners who have gone to great lengths to purchase their cars. They have a score of 453 in the survey. Fifth place is perhaps fitting for more surprise, a Toyota with a 440.

If there is one brand that is seen as popular in Norway, it is probably Toyota. At the same time, it is also possible to spend a lot of money on a new Toyota. Maybe we’re talking here about car buyers who pay a little extra for a new car, with the warranty and security that goes with it?

So what does it look like at the other end of the scale? Yes, it is Citroën owners who have stretched at least beyond what they can afford. They ended up with a score of 354. Kia is not far behind at 358, while Nissan finished at 371. The average in the survey is 417.

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