As more and more South Africans look for expert guidance on how to navigate the ever-growing pre-owned car market, one local online classifieds site has set out to assist in the matter.

By broadening the concept of a “winning car”, Gumtree has introduced the Pre-Owned Car Awards to shift the focus from new cars to pre-owned cars.

Using the same criteria that a regular buyer might use to acquire a car – such as value of money, maintenance and all the rest – a definitive list of the best second-hand buys on the local market has been finalised.

Take a look at the finalists in Pre-Owned Car Awards:

In case you’re wondering just how it was they got that list, Gumtree explains:

The finalists were selected through careful cooperation with data partner TransUnion, the definitive data capturers in the pre-owned market. An analysis of the sales data of pre-owned cars (using the best-selling cars as a starting point), we examined factors like the retail price and value retention within our chosen categories and age range.

This was then reviewed by our panel (consisting of representatives from both TransUnion and Gumtree, as well as our Jury Chair; above). The finalists were then put through rigorous road tests in order to provide our final judging panel (consisting of leading motoring journalists and industry experts) with comprehensive information about the physical performance and appearance of the various vehicles.

Our judging panel used the data compiled to selected the final winners based on criteria unique to the pre-owned market/consumer.

Simple, no?

Winners will be announced November 10, and Gumtree is asking you, the public to vote for the People’s Choice Winner for each category. You can check that out here.

What that means is that it’s now up to you to have a say on which car under each category is, well, the best.

To help you out, Jeff Osborne, Gumtree’s Head of Automotive, provided us with some advice:

[T]hink like a judge at these awards to find your own winner. He says the sweet spot for a quality pre-owned ride at good value is usually vehicles which are one-to-three years old and are familiar favourites from mainstream manufacturers which have the most accessible and affordable parts.

He adds that after-sales service is just as important for pre-owned cars as for new.

Osborne also strongly recommends getting a full verification report done by TransUnion on any prospective purchase, to ensure that you are buying a legitimate vehicle.

You can pop over here to vote for your pre-owned car of choice in each category.

You can also keep up to date with all the latest on the awards via the Gumtree Facebook page.

Happy voting.