CLOCKING up the mileage isn’t always a good thing but for brands like Exchange and Mart, celebrating its 150th year, age is just a number.

The magazine was published weekly from 1868 to 2009, selling 350,000 copies in its peak.

But as buying habits changed and the world began to embrace everything digital, Exchange and Mart decided to take the bold decision of ceasing print and becoming a fully online business.

It was a huge change for the brand to come away from a magazine that was so popular in its heyday that it made cameos in Only Fools and Horses and Monty Python.

With new businesses appearing nearly every week, it’s hard for consumers to keep track and, most importantly, build a relationship with a brand.

“From 1868 when Exchange and Mart first started out as a classified advertising magazine where people could exchange and sell anything from animals, to stamps and servants, the aim of the business was to keep adapting to the world of buying and selling," said the firm's brand manager Lynn Clark.

"We have, and will continue to be, the smart choice for people searching for a car. Buying and selling has changed massively over our 150 years, particularly with cars.

"You could get them in shops or department stores rather than dealerships, or even through travelling reps, and the place to showcase a brand-new model was motor shows.

"Nowadays, you can live chat directly to a dealer on your mobile, watch video reviews online and even buy your car online and have it delivered to your door.

"That’s why we’re making it easier and quicker for customers to find their next car, by bringing all the best deals from local dealers to them. Whether that is through our website or through our car alerts straight to their inbox."

When Exchange and Mart was first created cars were only beginning to be developed, and driving laws and even licences didn’t exist. However the world has more recently seen huge developments in electric power, with diesel cars thought to be on the way out.