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1. Introduction
The automobile market is one of the most important contributors to the GDP of most developed countries and has been a major factor in improving individual and workforce mobility since the 1960s. Whilst the intensive use of cars has created major socioeconomic opportunities, it has also created problems including congestion and pollution, forcing policy makers to adapt public regulations and car manufacturers to invest into the development of more sustainable technologies ([26] European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (ACEA), 2012). Despite market saturation as well as the economic crisis spreading across Europe, a wide range of new car types, such as luxury vehicles, small city cars and cars with low petrol consumption enter markets with great success ([60] Oderkerken-Schroeder et al. , 2010; [61] Oliver and Lee, 2010). At the same time, used goods markets for durable products ([79] Williams and Paddock, 2003; [81] Yin et al. 2010), and in particular the second hand car market, increase in terms of transaction volume and value ([75] Trend Tracker, 2009).
Both these trends confirm the importance of European household expenditure in relation to new and used car purchases. As a reaction, a growing number of car retailers offer a mix of used and new cars in different segments - offline as well as through online channels ([21] Demangeot and Broderick, 2007; [23] Eastlick and Lotz, 2011; [35] Haan and de Boer, 2010; [66] Reed et al. , 2004; [67] Reynolds, 2002) such as autoscout24, the European marketplace for used and new cars ([3] Autoscout24, n.d.). Overall, these market developments demand a better understanding for car manufacturers and retailers how car purchasing decisions are formed ([54] Marell et al. , 2004; [78] Verhoef et al. , 2007) in an increasingly complex market context, as well as the factors that impact on this high involvement decision ([19] Dasgupta et al. , 2007; [27] Folkes, 1988; [56] Molesworth and Suortfi, 2002) whether to buy a new or used vehicle across different car segments.
Therefore, as there are relatively few papers that assess consumer choice dynamics in European car markets (e.g. [6] Baltas and Saridakis, 2009; [7] 2010; [24] Emons and Sheldon, 2009), the research aim of this study is to explore the impact of consumer attributes - in particular economic,...