Women Find Online Auto Sites More Helpful for Vehicle Research Than Men Do

    SUNNYVALE, Calif.--May 22, 2003--What makes or breaks a consumer's decision when purchasing a car? Cup holders. According to a Yahoo!(R) Autos (http://autos.yahoo.com) survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, more than half of adult American consumers say they would not consider buying a car that didn't include cup holders. Mirrored visors were also a 'must have' for one third of people surveyed. Women find mirrored visors more important than men do, as 35 percent of the female respondents said they would change their mind about purchasing a car that didn't have them (compared to only 24 percent of men).
    Conversely, when asked about pricey optional features, respondents to the survey said that GPS navigation systems would be their top choice. Twenty percent said they would spend an extra $100 in their monthly car payment beyond the budget they had already set for themselves to have a GPS system in their new car. Other optional features considered were leather seats (18 percent), DVD audio surround sound (12 percent) and voice-activated controls (11 percent). Men were far more willing to spend extra money on optional features than women. In fact, 70 percent of women over the age of 55 said these optional features were not worth the extra cost.
    "The Yahoo! Autos survey results supports the thinking that commuting with a cup of coffee in the morning is the standard American driving experience today," said Ramy Mora, senior marketing manager for Yahoo! Autos. "We also found it interesting that consumers are willing to go over budget to have the coolest car gadgets on the block."

    Women Using Online Auto Sites to Get Smarter before Buying

    The survey also revealed that women are employing the power of the Internet to educate themselves about cars and financing options. More than two-thirds of women surveyed said that vehicle pricing information was the most helpful feature of an online automotive site like Yahoo! Autos. Female respondents find financing/payment calculators (50 percent) and online dealer referrals (32 percent) far more helpful than men do (35 percent and 21 percent respectively).
    "We're continuing to find that women are using the Internet to research a vehicle and become confident about their options before making a purchase," said Ramy Mora, senior marketing manager. "This survey data shows that women are finding online automotive sites like Yahoo! Autos to be extremely helpful in empowering themselves before going into a dealership."
    Yahoo! Autos recently enhanced its site with sophisticated content and research capabilities critical to the overall new vehicle researching and buying process. The new features include some of the most advanced photo and video capabilities available online, including up to 19 photos and 360 degree virtual tours for each vehicle. In addition, more detailed information is now provided for each vehicle, including standard and optional features, interior and exterior color combinations, exterior color swatches, gas mileage and headroom, among other detailed technical specifications.

    Methodology

    The Yahoo! Autos survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive(R), is based on responses from 2,137 U.S. adult consumers between May 14-16, 2003 and has a statistical precision of plus or minus three percentage points.

    About Yahoo! Autos

    Yahoo! Autos (http://autos.yahoo.com) is an informative and objective automotive site for people looking to buy, sell or research automobiles. Offering a complete set of tools and services for new car shoppers, Yahoo! Autos helps consumers with every step of the car buying process. New car shoppers can read consumer and expert reviews, get car quotes from local dealers, research models and pricing, compare features, and get access to content from Consumer Reports, Consumer Guide, Kelley Blue Book and NewCarTestDrive.com -- all in one location. Yahoo! Autos offers used car buyers access to listings with detailed descriptions and multiple photos; and provides a platform for used cars sellers to post listings easily and sell cars quickly - all in a very cost-effective manner.

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