Published: October 12, 2009

Carsala Survey Reveals 73% of Used Car Buyers Dislike the Purchasing Process

Share This Story

50% Wanted a Trusted Third Party to Work With Dealers to Get Them a Better Deal

Carsala, the new online service for people who are looking for a used car but hate the traditional buying process, today released results of its Carsala "Used Car Purchasing Survey 2009," which shows that 73 percent of American used car buyers dislike negotiating with dealers, and a majority rated themselves either as poor or only fair negotiators.

In the wake of the federal government's "cars-for-clunkers" program, the U.S. new car market collapsed in September to an expected 9.2 million car purchases annually for 2009, compared to yearly sales of 16 million vehicles seen earlier in the decade. On the other hand, a combination of tight supplies of both new and used vehicles and higher demand from a frugal public have pushed average used-car prices to the highest levels in years, industry watchers say.

In addition, at a time when more and more people are turning to used cars to save money, buying a used car still has all the uncertainty and frustrations traditionally associated with this purchase.

The Carsala-sponsored research, conducted earlier this year, indicates that 42 percent of respondents believe dealers sell higher quality used cars than private sellers. But going through the process of buying a used car from a dealer is not an easy experience, often involving many hours of work and requiring visits to numerous dealers.

The study found that majority (52 percent) of survey respondents expected they would need to visit more than three dealers to find a good used car and 43 percent believed it would take them at least nine hours to find and negotiate for the right automobile.

"Clearly, Americans see the value in used cars for financial and other reasons, but do not enjoy the process of buying a used car from a dealer," said Tyler Elliston, Carsala CEO. "Nearly half of our survey respondents expressed interest in a trusted third party who would work on their behalf with dealers to get a good value for their money. And that is exactly what Carsala was created to do."

One of the more interesting results of the survey was that although an overwhelming 93 percent thought they got a fair price for their last car purchase, a significant number (more than 20 percent) of respondents either got nothing off the dealer price, didn't try to negotiate, or didn't even remember what they paid.

And although price is important, 80 percent of those surveyed think it is more important to get the best value for their money than to get the lowest price.

The Carsala "Used Car Purchasing Survey 2009" was conducted by a third party, via email, among a total of 461 American consumers (212 female, 249 male).

About Carsala:

Carsala is a service for people who are looking for a used car, but hate the traditional buying process. The company uses the latest web technology, in conjunction with its own professional negotiators, to help its customers find the right used car, without the negotiating hassle, at a desirable price.

Unlike autotrader.com and most other online used car services, Carsala works exclusively for buyers to save them money, hassle and time on their used car research and purchase.

The company was founded in 2008 out of personal frustration with the used car buying process. Carsala is privately funded and is financially backed by Labrador Ventures, Launch Capital, Band of Angels and several individual investors.

For more information about Carsala, please visit www.carsala.com

Important Links:

Buying a Used Car without the haggling

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/buying-a-used-car-without-the-haggling/

Negotiate Used Car Prices From Your Smartphone

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/negotiate-used-car-prices-from-your-smartphone/

Carsala on Thrillist

http://www.thrillist.com/the-vault.html?filter0=carsala