Hi at_uni,
I knew what my number one priority was, but to test my opinion, I
polled a few people while on a quick shopping trip this afternoon.
I've no experience with conducting polls, but I don't think I asked a
'loaded' question. I simply asked "If you were going out today to buy
a brand new car, what things would be most important?"
Five people readily said pricing is most important. Three said it
would have to suit their needs -- that was what I thought, too.
Granted, price is very important but no matter what kind of deal one
gets, it's no bargain if the vehicle can't do what you need it to do.
A Porsche might impress the neighbours (as kemlo says) but how many
children can you car pool in a Porsche?
As a result of my John Q. Public mini-poll, I'll list the top two
concerns:
#1) Pricing, rebates, manufacturers' low-interest rates.
#2) Car meets the needs of the buyer.
Other concerns mentioned were pretty much straightforward and harder
to order numerically. I believe I'm listing them in most mentioned
order, though. I'm just paraphrasing these 'quotes.' I sure didn't
stand there and take official notes. People in my rural area would be
astounded by that!
Warranty -- people are concerned about what is covered and what is
not, and for how long. Parts are expensive. One comment -- "Don't want
one of them foreign cars. You wait weeks for parts and pay a bundle to
have them put on, and that's if you can find someone local who knows
how to do the work."
Durability and reliability -- "I always take care of my cars, but I
want to be sure a new one would be in reasonably good shape when the
loan's paid off."
Operating costs -- "I want something that isn't a gas guzzler or
because it's so sporty the insurance premiums are really high."
Handling -- Well, power-steering was a big must for the women I talked
to. It never came up with the men. Men wanted a lot of 'pick-up'
power. One person said that rural living made a difference -- she
didn't need to worry about parking, heavy traffic, lane changes so
much.
Functions -- Women want power locks and windows because of children;
men seem to want good radios/CD players, speakers, bells and whistles
like A/C, woofers and tweeters, power everything! One fellow said to
me, "Can you believe that some cars don't even come with ashtrays
anymore?!" He was just flabbergasted.
Appearance -- Well! I heard that while most people don't particularly
care how others view the car; it needs to suit them personally. They
want what they want as regards colour, hub cups, chrome, pin-stripes,
leather vs. cloth seats, etc. Beauty in this case is in the eye of the
buyer.
And last, but not least:
Brand loyalty -- "I'm a Ford man -- never bought anything but a Ford
-- never will!"
Regards,
revbrenda1st |
Clarification of Answer by
revbrenda1st-ga
on
19 Nov 2002 04:55 PST
Good morning, at_uni,
Google's researcher regulations don't permit me to tell you exactly
where I am, but I think perhaps your wondering what type of people I
polled, so I'll tell ABOUT the area. I'm in Canada, in Ontario.
Although I'm in a rural area, it is by no means remote. We have mainly
primary roads, and some secondary. We are within a half hour of two
cities and a few hours drive from some very large ones. Half the
people I talked to work here and drive the half hour to their places
of employment, two work and live right here, and the other two were
customers who I think live here (but I'm not sure.)
If you need more information, please let me know.
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