We heard a story on American Public Media’s Marketplace on Friday that caught our attention: What factors do people consider when they’re looking to buy a new car? Here’s a bit of the transcript:
Kai Ryssdal: People who’re in the market for a new car usually offer up a fairly standard list of particulars: Reliability, good mileage, high satisfaction ratings.
I got news for you. A new study suggests a good number of you are, well, lying.
According to a recent survey conducted by JD Power & Associates, a good number of people don’t actually base their vehicle-buying decision on concrete information or data. Rather, opinions are far more likely to be swayed by perceptions about about a car’s reputation, quality, look, and feel.
What we believe this study is picking up on is peoples’ tendency to conform their consumption patterns to social expectations and other sources of subjectivity. You can find out what influences your own purchasing decisions by taking this 12-question survey here at Beyond the Purchase.
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Very interesting. I just bought a car for mileage and reliability…but I bought the car that everyone buys in my area (the Prius). That being said, the Prius’ reputation IS for mileage and reliability so it is hard to separate those. I suppose I should check out the original study, or perhaps you may want to comment on how they separated these in case others who read this post are interested. Thanks for the thoughtful post!
Thanks for the comment! JD Power actually approached their poll from an interesting angle, as they were interested in gauging the reasons consumers fail to consider particular brands or models when they’re shopping for a new car. (This is no-doubt valuable feedback for marketing departments aiming to improve brand reputation). What they found was that the most consumers (43%) stated the primary reason for avoiding certain vehicles was conventional wisdom about the brand’s quality or reliability. Fewer consumers (38%) avoided a model because of ratings or reviews. Granted, different mechanisms and motivations are involved in choosing (approaching) something vs. rejecting (avoiding) something. For instance, they found that gas mileage was the primary reason people gave for purchasing a particular vehicle model.
So with respect to your recent car purchase, I guess the question would be: If reliability and mpg were the main reasons you went with the Prius, what were the main reasons you decided against the Chevy Volt or the Ford Fusion?