Top 5 Reasons Why Car Shoppers Avoid Certain Cars
Ever wonder if you’re the only one that avoids buying a certain car because it’s ugly?
J.D. Power and Associates has revealed the main reasons why car shoppers avoid certain cars. The study looks at the reasons consumers purchase, reject, and avoid models in the marketplace.
Below are the top five reasons why car shoppers avoid certain cars among non-premium brand models.
5. Didn’t Like the Image Vehicle Portrays
Perhaps some shoppers don’t like the idea that owning a Toyota Prius or a Chevrolet Volt portrays the image of being “green.” Or maybe that getting caught behind the wheel of a Mazda Miata hints that you’re having a midlife crisis. There's also all those Teslas out there now with "I bought this before Elon went crazy" bumper stickers.
4. Costs Too Much Money
This one might not come as a surprise, but shoppers avoid certain cars because they cost too much money. Most car shoppers have experienced it before: seeing their dream car on the dealership lot while cautiously walking over to the sticker in the window. Then their eye catches the higher-than-expected price tag, and they quickly walk away uninterested. These days, almost everything is too expensive for what you get compared to just a decade ago—looking directly at you, Ford Mustang.
3. Concerned About Reliability
Vehicle reliability has become an increasingly important factor when deciding what vehicle to purchase. Concerns about reliability will lead people to avoid a certain car. Unfortunately, some brands routinely find themselves at the bottom of J.D. Power’s annual reliability study. Chrysler, Audi, Land Rover, and Volkswagen have all routinely found t hemselves at the bottom in the last few years.
2. Don’t Like Its Interior Look or Design
Sometimes, no matter how great a car looks on the outside, there are certain elements you just can’t get past once you get into the cabin. Maybe it’s too bland or maybe it’s too flashy, or sometimes it’s because certain buttons or knobs (or lack thereof—we’re looking at you, Volkswagen) just aren’t where they should be intuitively.
1. Don’t Like its Exterior Look or Design
And the top reason shoppers avoid certain cars is that they just simply didn’t like the exterior look or design. An overwhelming majority of shoppers will leave a car behind on the dealership lot if they think it's ugly, proving just how important a car must look if it hopes to succeed in the marketplace.
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Or obvious design defects. I parked next to a Ford Maverick yesterday and noticed that the driver side top rail of the bed was missing. It's plastic, not rolled over steel! In my book, that tells me this is a $16K to $18K vehicle. NO THANKS at $30K!
Concerning (lack of) reliability of Audis and VWs - I've owned/own three of them (and a Porsche Macan) over the past 14 years. I've had ZERO issues with any of them - but I also meticulously maintain them per their manufacturer's recommendations - nothing more/nothing less. Could it be that people who've traditionally owned Japanese and domestic "workhorse" cars don't understand or appreciate what they need to do to take care of a "thoroughbred."