According to a survey conducted by Car Max Inc, a large used vehicles retailer in the U.S., quality is still the number one consideration among consumers when purchasing a new car or truck. In fact, in 2011, for the second year running, more than double the number of those surveyed said it was their primary factor when car shopping.
Some 45 per cent of American vehicle purchasers said quality was their number one consideration, followed by price and then safety. Even men and women, as individual groups rated quality as a top factor, some 53 per cent of men and 37 per cent of women surveyed said it was their number one consideration.
The survey, which was put together by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Car Max, sampled more than 1,000 adults across the U.S. via telephone interviews during August 19-22, last year and October 6-11 2011.
As a percentage, the importance of both price and safety dropped on the 2011 survey, down from 28 to 22 and 22 to 15 per cent respectively. Besides quality the other notable gain was in re-sale value, which jumped from 4 to 7 per cent.
“Choosing a vehicle that balances high quality with a fair price provides the value that consumers are looking for,” declared Tracy Hanson, regional vice president of Car Max service operations in Nashville, Ten. “It’s why our vehicles go through a rigorous inspection and are thoroughly reconditioned.”
