Merkel's former car sells for $13,300

DUSSELDORF, Germany, May 1 (UPI) -- A German man purchased a Volkswagen Golf II that once belonged to Chancellor Angela Merkel for about $13,300, eBay said.

Sabrina Winter, a spokeswoman for eBay, told the Bild newspaper the North Rhine-Westphalia man purchased the 22-year-old car and a previous auction was canceled in April due to attracting too many bids deemed not to be serious, The Local.de reported Tuesday.

"We're pleased that someone who has a serious interest in the vehicle is getting it," Winter said.

Merkel was said to have driven the car from 1990, when she served as assistant speaker for the last East German coalition government, until 1995, when she passed it on to her husband.

Winter said the seller, whose name was not released by eBay, purchased the car to sell as scrap metal and decided to auction it intact when registration papers revealed the identity of the previous owner.