Old Maybach or Lamborghini cars used to be rarely traded in the nation’s used car market. But largely driven by their recent strong sales, they are expanding presence in the secondhand market here.

According to SK Encar, the nation’s largest used car dealer, on Tuesday, the most expensive car for sale was the 2008 Maybach 62S with a price tag of 450 million won ($405,000).

The five priciest cars at SK Encar were all from the ultra-luxury German brand Maybach, whose vehicles were last manufactured in December last year. (The owner Daimler plans to replace Maybachs with the more luxurious S-Class in its Mercedes-Benz brand.)

Following the Maybachs in the top 10 were three Bentley and two Benz models, with prices in the used car market each topping 200 million won.

“In the past, there was little demand for supercars in the used car market due to their high prices and maintenance costs. Their value depreciation was also one of the factors,” said an SK Encar official.

“But now more people enjoy driving supercars. More luxurious vehicles are expected to hit the used car market.”

According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Bentley sold 130 new vehicles last year, up 32 percent from 102 in 2011.

Similarly, luxury brands Porsche and Jaguar saw 54.7 percent and 30 percent growth, respectively, in sales in January and February this year compared to a year ago.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)