Recent Poll Shows Little Improvement On Biggest Gripes

Buying a car remains a hassle for women, according to a recent poll conducted by CarMax, retailer of used cars. In fact, the poll showed no improvement since the company's last consumer response in 2004. That's not a good thing, in case you were wondering. While women purchase over 50 percent of new and used vehicles, many still feel unaccounted for at dealerships.

CarMax recently surveyed more than 9,800 women on carmax.com about what was most lacking in their car-buying experience. The responses are summarized below, compared with the responses to a similar survey conducted on carmax.com in 2004. What was most lacking when you bought your last car?

What was most lacking when you bought your last car?	This Year's Response	Response in 2004
Quick, effortless transaction	21%	21%
Salesperson I liked and trusted	15%	16%
Fair trade-in value	14%	14%
Respect / Attention to my needs	14%	13%
Fair, reasonable finance rate	6%	7%
Understandable paperwork	4%	4%
Other factors	12%	11%

"Women continue to experience stress when buying a car as demands on their time and the need for convenience increases," said Donna Wassel, regional vice president for CarMax. "That's why it is important to find a car retailer that focuses on providing a transparent, customer-friendly, and easy car buying process."

Wassel offers the following 10 tips for women car shoppers:

1. Use the Internet to research vehicle types, makes, models, options, features, and prices. Visit websites such as carmax.com to see actual prices and photos of every vehicle make and model.

2. Print out fact sheets or information about the vehicles you are interested in, so you can remind yourself about what you want when you step onto the lot.

3. Bring key paperwork items with you, including title and registration for your current vehicle, your driver's license, and insurance card. (CONTINUE...)