The Internet Puts Women in the Driver's Seat When Car Buying
23 March 2000
Switching Gears: The Internet Puts Women in the Driver's Seat When Car BuyingNEW YORK, March 23 April Casey of Tyrone, Georgia was fed up with car buying: one car dealer talked more about paint color and the radio than performance or safety features and didn't even open the hood -- until asked. Another salesman spoke directly to April's husband and avoided making eye contact with her, even though she was buying the car. The last straw was when April learned she overpaid $3,000 on her car lease. "I was apprehensive about buying a new car because I had been burned," she explains. April is not alone. Industry analysts estimate that 50% of women dread shopping for cars because they dislike auto dealers. Ironically, women make 50% of direct car and truck purchases and influence 80% of all vehicle purchases (Detroit News, 1/16/2000). How can the road to a woman's dream car be made less bumpy? The answer may lie on the Information Superhighway. New car buying sites have emerged which allow customers to handle all aspects of the vehicle buying process online. These sites allow visitors to pick their exact car and set their price, eliminating haggling and the negotiation process. April, after exhausting all the traditional car buying options, turned to priceline.com's new car buying service: "By doing some online research and using priceline.com, I got the best deal possible -- and did it myself." Pamela Caputo, Vice President of Auto Sales for priceline.com, explains why priceline.com works particularly well for women car buyers, "While many online services generate leads and invite salespeople to call the customer and negotiate, priceline.com allows women to set the price they want to pay, remaining anonymous until the offer is accepted." Before ever considering buying or setting foot in a dealership, car buyers must arm themselves with information. "Time in the dealership is for test drives, not information gathering. All information -- pricing, features, comparisons, type, power and safety enhancements -- can be gathered online," says Sandra Kinsler, editor of WomanMotorist.com, a Web site for women containing shopping information on buying new and used vehicles. WomanMotorist.com is one of many Web sites, including KelleyBlueBook.com and Edmunds.com, where consumers can turn for third party vehicle information. Once potential buyers have gathered information, test driven vehicles and selected the one they want to buy, Kinsler recommends negotiating with the dealer via email or fax in order to obtain everything in writing. "Or," Kinsler advises, "buy online." After April selected her vehicle, named her price and found a dealer who could guarantee both, the car was hers. "It was a wonderful experience," says April of buying her new 2000 Volkswagon Jetta. "I'm now in the driver's seat."