Since Covid shook the world into hibernation, used cars have seen a huge rise in prices – well most of them. I’m not sure if people have money growing on trees or whether they just like to dream, but in any case you’d have to have a healthy bank account (or Bitcoin) to buy these 10 most searched used cars on Google.
1. Nissan GTR Skyline
Way out in front with over 8.2 million searches in the last year, the popularity of the Nissan GTR has grown exponentially over the past 3 years – especially the 1990’s models. Considering what they cost new back then, if your grandad bought one and kept it in good condition and still has it today, he could cash it in for some serious Bitcoin.
2. Lamborghini Countach
A thing of beauty, the Countach is one of the coolest cars on the road ever. The sleek shape turns heads everywhere – but you won’t get one if you’re on a budget. These cars have not only retained their value over the decades, but have kept rising with older models becoming rare to find. 4.8 million Google searches worldwide.
3. Ferrari F40
With just over 4 million searches online, the Ferrari F40 comes in third and was the last to be approved by Enzo Ferrari himself. It was the most powerful and most expensive of all the Ferrari’s made when it was launched onto the market and came in only one color – Rosso Corsa Red. If you see black and yellow models, they will be aftermarket paint jobs.
4. BMW M1
BMW have put out a huge amount of models over the years, but the M1 is the one most people search for – in fact nearly 2.7 million over the past year. Between 1978 and 1981, BMW made only 453 for the market making it a rare collectable from the start. A quick search returned 4 for sale in the U.S. ranging from $533,000 to $813,000.
5. Jaguar XJS
45 thousand less searches than the BMW M1 is the Jaguar XJS. Available as a coupe or convertible, this popular model was in production for just over 20 years between 1975 and 1996. Leonardo DiCaprio gets behind the wheel of an XJS in ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ for all you movie fans out there.
6. Honda Prelude
A surprising entry in this list is the Prelude that has soared to number six with over 2.5 million searches. Even more amazing is that it scores third place in the most shared on social media with 14.4 billion views on TikTok alone. Not bad for a relatively cheap sports coupe when it was in production.
7. Datsun 240Z
The 1970 240Z was introduced to the American market by Yutaka Katayama (a.k.a. “Mister K”), President of Nissan Motors USA operations. The model lasted until 1973, when a 240Z won the 21st East African Safari Car Rally driven by Shekhar Mehta. It has managed to rank up 2.394 million searches though.
8. Ferrari Testarossa
Not far behind the Datsun 240Z is the Testarossa with 2.376 million internet searches. Ferrari built 9,939 between 1984 and 1991, followed by two model revisions called the 512 TR and F512 M, which were produced from 1992 until 1996. Testarossa is famous for its role in the original 1980’s TV show ‘Miami Vice’.
9. Pontiac Firebird
Helped along by the ‘Smokey & the Bandit’ films starring Burt Reynolds, the Pontiac Firebird has always been a cool favorite across the generations. The Pontiac’s unique decal and design give this American classic a real boost with searches reaching over 2.313 million and rising.
10. Lamborghini Diablo
No, it’s not a mistake. The Diablo equals the Firebird for search results to be ninth equal. Not only that, Lamborghini have 2 entries in the top ten most searched cars online (alongside Ferrari) giving them the edge when it comes to a team effort. However, if you combine the Countach and Diablo ratings, they still fall short of reaching the top spot as Nissan has a major lead. However, if you were to look at the most shared cars on social media, the Diablo is the leader with stablemate Miura in close second. Not bad.
The question is – which one would you buy?
Statistics bought to you by the Classic Car Report on confused.com