8:23 am, August 13, 2008
MEN let emotion get in the way when buying a car.
And women? They’re far more rational, focusing on overall costs instead.
So says a survey by Experian, which reports that running costs, price, tax bracket and means of financing the car are much more important to women than to men.
Blokes, however, are more likely to be swayed by the manufacturer’s brand image, and how the car affects their personal image.
That’s why men hold onto cars for shorter periods than women – 60 per cent keep their cars for more than three years, compared to 69 per cent of women. 39 per cent of men will change within three years. Women? Fewer than 30 per cent.
At least men rate reliability more highly than women.
Commenting on the survey, Experian’s MD, Kirk Fletcher, said that women were also more likely to buy older cars. ‘The older the car, the higher the chance of it having some sort of history that would affect a person’s decision to buy it.’
However, ‘men are just as vulnerable if they are more inclined to base their decisions on what the car means to them. A lot of people are reluctant to let a potentially ‘perfect match’ slip through their fingers, but this is exactly the fixation that fraudsters rely on.’
‘All too often we hear about innocent used car buyers, who see a car advertised privately, it appears to be legitimate and they are persuaded into parting with their money… only to later find that it had a hidden history.’
Car dealers, of course, offer far more backup than private sales, and can call upon verification checks such as Experian. This is worth highlighting next time you have a particularly emotive bloke in your showroom.
Or if not to him, to the woman with him…
Influence on buying decision..?
Running costs? Men: 72 per cent. Women: 77 per cent.
Reliability? Men: 73 per cent. Women: 71 per cent.
Make and model? Men: 47 per cent. Women: 36 per cent.
Initial spend? Men: 33 per cent. Women: 40 per cent.
Tax bracket? Men: 27 per cent. Women: 36 per cent.
Ability to finance purchase? Men: 26 per cent. Women: 28 per cent.
Brand reputation? Men: 29 per cent. Women: 20 per cent.
Personal image? Men: 8 per cent. Women: 5 per cent.
