80% Decide Against Car After Visiting Dealer

J.D. Power just released its 2008 Escaped Shopper Study, which — as you can guess from its name — measures why people decided against a certain new car in their-car shopping process. It’s somewhat surprising to learn that 80% of shoppers decide against a model after visiting a dealer.

Three of the top dealer-related reasons for buyers nixing a model included limited availability of different colors, trim levels, etc.; inferior service; and a lack of professionalism from employees.

This is probably the one anecdotal reason we hear most about from readers. If a salesman or dealer mistreats a prospective customer, that’s it. That customer is not only never going back to that dealer again, it also shades their impression of the brand.

The study of nearly 30,000 new-vehicle buyers also found that 40% of buyers decide against a vehicle due to price, with 40% of those shoppers saying it’s not that the car is too expensive, it’s that it doesn’t seem worth the price.

Source: J.D. Power