Car shopping site Edmunds.com conducted a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults and learned that Americans claim purchasing a car or truck is more stressful than getting married, going on a first date or watching their team in a close championship game. "Nine out of 10 respondents wish car shopping was easier. We don't see any difference in the experience when looking at gender, age, geography or any other demographic variances," said Edmunds.com's CEO, Avi Steinlauf. "It's clear that the average shopper is craving a better way to buy a car."
Having more trust in the purchase price would relieve a lot of stress for car shoppers. The survey found:
- Nine out of 10 car shoppers would be more excited to purchase a vehicle if it had a set price they felt good about, rather than having to haggle
- Ninety-four percent would buy a car from a dealership where they were guaranteed to save thousands off of sticker price on a new vehicle
- Online resources are the highest-rated sources of car advice across all demographics
American car shoppers loathe haggling over price; in fact, 83 percent of respondents prefer to avoid it. Among Millennial respondents, this number jumps to 91 percent, compared to 78 percent of Boomers. How much do shoppers hate the haggle?
- One in five Americans (21%) would rather say sayonara to sex for a month than haggle over the price of a car; 44 percent would give up Facebook for one month and 29 percent would turn over their Smartphone for a weekend if it meant avoiding the haggle
- One in three Americans (33%) would rather go to the DMV, do their taxes or sit in the middle airplane seat than go through the process of buying a car
Between the Generational Divide and Mars versus Venus, Americans disagree on who to trust when it comes to car buying advice:
- Women are twice as likely as men to seek advice from a family member who is not their parent
- Baby Boomers are twice as likely as Millennials to trust their mechanic
- Baby Boomers are also three times more likely than Millennials to say they have never received good car buying advice
- Friends are consistently rated as the worst source for car buying advice and are twice as likely to be cited as a source of bad advice than a source of good advice
In a continued effort to make it easier to buy a new car or truck, car shopping site Edmunds.com is kicking off the first-ever "Car Week" from June 9 - June 15, 2014. Modeled after successful Restaurant Week events that have introduced diners to local restaurants for over 20 years, Car Week connects shoppers in the Los Angeles and New York metro areas to hundreds of local dealers offering prices at or below Edmunds.com's True Market Value®, which means shoppers can save thousands off sticker price without wasting a second on negotiating through Edmunds.com's Price Promise® program. Participating dealers are also featuring extra promotions, savings and events. More information can be found by visiting www.Edmunds.com/carweek.
Methodology
The Edmunds.com Car Week Survey was conducted online within the United States by USamp on behalf of Edmunds.com from May 2-10, 2014 among 1,002 adult (18+) car owners/intended owners. Age, gender, and region quotas were set to match current U.S. Census figures. USamp handled the incentive for survey takers, who chose from over 200 different rewards—including cash, gift cards, or charitable contributions.