32 years of market research
03/08/2022
Sometimes you just want to know a little more! That's why 32 years ago, in issue 3/1990, an editor from Mainz set out for the first time to find out what was behind a seemingly cheap offer in a classified ad. Since then, every issue has featured a double page with the headline "Nachgehakt" and the official title "Oldtimer-Markt testet Kleinanzeigen" (classic car market tests classified ads).
The first test candidate - a plum-colored Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior for 9800 marks - did quite well, as did most of the classic cars and sellers tested in the following years. Nevertheless, the number of private individuals (dealers are not visited as a matter of principle) who gloss over, lie and even actively cheat is surprisingly high. One seller of a completely worn-out Iso Grifo actually told the wild story of an Iso mafia that advises potential buyers not to buy.
What the Nachhaker experiences during his visits is sometimes completely absurd, sometimes funny, occasionally even dangerous and occasionally simply touching - like the story of the couple with the manila green VW Passat. Or the visit to the old lady who once transported truck tires in her Chinese blue Mercedes Stroke Eight. There are said to be people who open every new issue of "Markt" directly in the back third to see if the post-hacker has caught another fuddy-duddy. I'm one of them, by the way. Thank you, dear colleagues from Mainz!
