Romanian collectible cars: How many Romanians still have an Aro, a Lada or a Trabant

The "market" share of brands Aro, Lada, Wartburg, Moskvich, Trabant and Volga has fallen to nearly 1.6% of the overall national car stock, i.e. around 66,000 cars, according to the Car Registration Department (DRPCIV).
Prior to 1989 these brands were a symbol of affluence, as very few Romanians could afford to buy such cars, which were the equivalent of the current top models of Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche and Bentley.
For instance, more than two thirds of Aro's overall production was exported, with Romanian clients having to pay "incentives" that sometimes were twice as high as the car price, while for a new Trabant delivered from the former German Democratic Republic, one could wait up to 18 years, with parents signing children up to the waiting list at birth.
At present, with nearly 180,000 cars older than 20 years being scrapped this year via the car fleet renewal scheme alone, the fleet of "collection" cars is on a decline. Whilst in 2008 there were around 88,200 such cars in circulation, the equivalent of nearly 2.3% of the then car fleet, last year their share decreased to 1.8% or 77,800 cars, and to 66,500 units in the third quarter of the year.