Car Boot Fairs Enjoy Surge In Popularity Brits Set To Make An Epic £2.2 Billion This Summer

The nationwide tightening of purse strings has resulted in more Brits than ever choosing to spend their weekends with their heads in other people's cars with the old-fashioned boot sale enjoying a modern renaissance. An estimated 19.4 million (41 per cent) UK adults say they intend to rummage through three or more car boot sales this summer, with 71 per cent visiting at least one - an increase of 8 per cent compared to last year's boot sale attendance.

Having always attracted an older consumer, boot sales are now more popular than ever with the younger generation

Chevrolet, the car maker synonymous with value for money, questioned over 1,000 UK adults to mark the launch of the "Epica Guide to Car Booty" - an ebook of tips and hints co-written with Eric Knowles on how to spot the best value for money items - courtesy of the new Epica, a 4-door saloon that offers unrivalled value.

Nearly half of Brits (47 per cent) say that hunting for a boot-iful bargain is one of their favourite weekend pastimes. The majority (57 per cent) admit that the current financial climate means they are more likely to go to a car boot sale with approximately 22 million Brits (46 per cent) believing boot sales are the best place to find a real bargain.

Results show the number of car boot sellers has increased significantly this year with an estimated 1.1 million additional traders capitalising on growing attendance figures. Over a third of British adults (33 per cent) are planning to rake it in this summer - as the average car boot seller expects to take £142. With the typical household claiming to have £870 worth of unused goods, the remaining 67 per cent who are not planning to load their boots this summer could be missing a trick.

Well-known Antiquarian Eric Knowles (BBC Antiques Roadshow) comments; "Boot sales are a fabulous way to stumble across some amazing finds for next to nothing. Trust me, there are some great value goodies still waiting to be discovered in the nation's car boots, you never know you could even come across a hidden treasure worth tens of thousands of pounds. Never forget one man's trash is another's treasure, so let the hunt begin!"

The Welsh are more likely to attend a car boot sale than any other shoppers in the country, with a huge 79 per cent planning to visit at least one this year. Wales also appears to be home to the most die hard car boot raiders with 30 per cent claiming to attend six or more this year. Bargain hunters in the South West come second in their love for a rummage, with 78 per cent saying that they will be investigating their local boot sales this season.

Having always attracted an older consumer, boot sales are now more popular than ever with the younger generation. This year attendance by the under 25's is expected to be up by 15 per cent, with younger buyers getting in on the bargain hunting action.

Les Turton of Chevrolet comments: "It's great that boot sales are enjoying a renaissance as they're a brilliant way to make your cash go further at a time when value for money is more front of mind than ever. Boot sales allow us to experience the thrill of shopping, without feeling the pinch."

The Chevrolet Epica "Guide to Car Booty" compiles expert shopping tips from Eric Knowles helping you maximise your boot sale buying potential and showing you how to spot local treasures. The guide also helps when searching for boot sales in your local area and can be downloaded from www.chevrolet.co.uk

The top ten best boot fair finds to date include:

1. A letter from Abraham Lincoln was bought for one pound and is estimated to be worth £500,000, Stratford-upon-Avon.
2. An 18th century Belgian painting of cats by artist Henrietta Ronner which cost 50 pence, sold at auction for £22,000, Inverness.
3. Four enameled glass tumblers bought for 25 pence each sold at auction for £21,600, Brighton.
4. An 18th century porcelain jug was found for 50 pence and sold for £9,200 at auction, North of England
5. An autographed Rolling Stones album found bought for two pounds sold at auction for £4,000, Derbyshire.
6. A 20th Century Scottish artist Stanley Cursiter painting was bought for one pound and sold for £3,200, Taunton.
7. A certificate awarded to an officer who rescued Titanic survivors in 1912 was bought for ten pounds and is worth £3,000, Pease Pottage.
8. A Fabergé vodka cup bought for 20 pence sold at auction for £2,000, Lyme Regis.
9. A signed Broons annual was bought for five pence and sold for £1,350, St Andrews.
10. A 1937 Rupert Bear annual was purchased for 10p and is worth £400, Kent.