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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 Buying

    NEW 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."