Internet Influencing New Car Buyers

DETROIT (WWJ) - It's the second biggest purchase most of us will ever make: buying a new car. But new research shows some consumers are leaving with a new set of keys -- without ever taking a test drive.

Maritz Research has found that 10% of new car buyers don't take a test drive before signing their name to a purchase agreement. The reason for that trend is perhaps over-reliance on information gleaned from the Internet, while others aren't interested in cars and want to get the whole process over with quickly. The research also found that 80% of buyers already know a lot about the vehicle they are interested in before going to a dealership, again, doing their homework by going online.

For the most part, dealers encourage a test drive in order to get a real life experience on how a vehicle will feel to the driver.