New Survey: Consumers Doing Their Homework, Planning More Research on Auto Financing Options

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 -- More than 8 out of 10 Americans (83%) know they have many options when it comes to vehicle financing and 58 percent feel informed about the auto financing process, according to a new public opinion survey.

The survey, conducted by AWARE, a nonprofit consumer education group focused on auto financing, also found positive trends among consumers regarding their future auto financing plans. The survey showed that:

  * 67 percent plan to do more research on their financing options as they
    consider their next vehicle purchase, with African American (77 percent)
    and Hispanic (80 percent) consumers the most likely to do so.

  * 54 percent will check their credit score before purchasing their next
    car or truck.

  * 64 percent will compare interest rates from different sources.

  * 70 percent say they will negotiate their financing on their next vehicle
    purchase.

"Financial literacy efforts are paying off as more and more consumers feel informed and know about their options when it comes to auto financing," said Eric Hoffman of AWARE (http://www.autofinancing101.org/). "And while this news is encouraging, clearly an education opportunity still exists for organizations like AWARE to fill."

The comprehensive survey was conducted to find out how consumers approach the vehicle financing process. Among the other important findings:

  * Nearly 150 million Americans (71 percent) want more information from the
    vehicle financing industry, especially African Americans (83 percent)
    and young consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 (86 percent).

  * Nearly half of all consumers (47 percent) selected "negotiating
    financing rates" as their first or second choice for what they'd like
    more information about, followed by "finding good rates" (42 percent).

  * When given a choice, consumers chose the Internet (41 percent) as their
    preferred medium for receiving information on auto financing.

"We recognized early on that consumers preferred receiving information via the Internet. That's why we started our website, http://www.autofinancing101.org/," Hoffman said. "Now, this research gives us a further glimpse into the needs of consumers related to the auto financing process. It will help us as we continue building educational offerings that consumers can use in today's busy world."

AWARE was formed to build a greater understanding among consumers about how auto financing works. The group's primary initiative is its website, http://www.autofinancing101.org/, which aims to ensure that potential buyers of new and used autos have the tools and resources they need to successfully navigate the auto financing process. AWARE focuses exclusively on educating consumers on vehicle financing in a web environment free of advertising or lead generation sales tactics.

The national poll, conducted for AWARE by KRC Research, questioned 3,806 Americans aged 18 and older, from July 5-20.

  AWARE's membership includes the following:

  American Financial Services Association
  National Automobile Dealers Association
  National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers
  American International Automobile Dealers Association
  American Honda Finance Corporation
  American Suzuki Financial Services
  AutoNation
  DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas
  Ford Motor Credit Company
  GMAC
  Group 1 Automotive, Inc.
  Jaguar Credit
  Land Rover Capital Group
  Lithia Motors
  Mazda American Credit
  National Auto Finance Company
  Nuvell Financial Services
  Saab Financial Services Corp.
  Sonic Automotive, Inc.
  Toyota Financial Services
  United Auto Group, Inc.
  Volvo Car Finance North America
  Wells Fargo Auto Finance