Women buying force—study

Press, 30 December 1988, Page 13

Women buying force—study

According to a comprehensive American study for “Family Circle” magazine, women play an active part in more than 80 per cent of the new car purchase decisions and are, in fact, primary purchase decision-makers 45 per cent of the time. Even more significantly, women alone are responsible for decisionmaking in nearly 30 per cent of all new vehicle purchases. Those snippets of information form the basis of an article in Canterbury Motors’ house newsletter, “Driving Force.” Canterbury Motors is a newly formed company and handles Subaru, Volkswagen and Lada cars in Christchurch from its Lichfield Street headquarters. Although this information about women and motor cars has reached me in a roundabout way, it is nevertheless, interesting, particularly at thistime, because I’ve been led to believe that some women are aggrieved at the treatment meted out to them by, presumably, male car salesmen.

That “Family Circle” survey brought to light some interesting facts about women shopping for cars. For instance:

• They do not want specific option packages just for them. • They regard safety and dependability as matters of the utmost concern.

• They do not understand the meaning and benefits of technical features, in the main. • They make their purchase decisions depending upon how they are treated by dealers. What is more, the majority of women are not “impulse” buyers. More than half the num-

BEHIND THE WHEEL Peter Greenslade

ber surveyed visited two or more dealers, even after they had decided on the models and potential dealers they wanted. Also, more than half of those who bought cars waited a week or more to buy, while a quarter delayed buying for more than a month after the initial visit. As “Driving Force” concludes, there is certainly no longer any question that women are becoming a significant factor in the purchase of new cars. * * * Taxi drivers seem to be good economic indicators. If they turn up promptly when called upon and are languishing on the ranks when there is obviously insufficient patronage to keep them on the roads, it’s a fairly safe bet that the public is not spending a lot of money. At least that’s what the drivers I’ve ridden with over the holiday build-up have been telling me. In the main, the drinkdrive blitz, with its faintly jack-boot propaganda, does not seem to have been as efficacious economically for the taxi trade as some drivers hoped, although some have had reports of a more reward-

ing work tempo after closing time each night. Even so, at least one driver confided in me that to have a group of traffic lawmen surrounding a local tavern during the evening drinking hours was carrying the drinkdrive blitz just a bit too far, he thought. Undoubtedly there are some people driving cars who should never have been allowed to do so. A lot of the road troubles we are experiencing probably stem from shutting the stable door long after the horses have bolted. Maybe more common sense on the part of the seeming oppressors and the seemingly oppressed would do some good. Traffic officers and their families probably like their macho images just as much as normal road users like being’ threatened! * * * I see that Formula One’s leading gossip writer, the “Autocar and Motor” columnist, Eoin Young, a former Timaru bank clerk and a respected friend, has noted that the Bill Clark P 3 Alfa Romeo, in which Tazio Nuvolari downed the Nazi might in the 1935 German Grand Prix, will be sold by Christies at Monaco in May. Eoin advises, “Don’t dare to put your hand up if you can’t afford to pay two million pounds, because that is the agreed reserve. People believe that if the reserve is two million, it will sell for over three million.” Now, even with the New Zealand dollar the way it is at present, it must be conceded that the Clark family trust will inevitably amount to something worth while. 1989 should prove to be a memorable year after all.