Quick Decisions

Think it’s prudent to buy a car without test-driving it first? According to a survey of 2,000 consumers conducted by the research company DMEautomotive in Daytona Beach, Fla., 16 percent of new-car buyers avoid taking a test drive before sealing the deal. What’s more, 33 percent said they tested only a single model during the shopping process. Clearly many consumers have their minds firmly made up before setting foot on a dealer’s showroom, thanks largely to the wealth of information available to them on the Internet. “More people are stealthily comparison-shopping dealerships and inventory online, and then swooping in to buy when their minds are already made up,” says Dr. Mary Sheridan, DMEa’s manager of research and analytics. Still, with a new car averaging $32,000, it’s well worth the time to put a vehicle in which one might spend as much as three or four hours a day fully through its paces before signing on the proverbial dotted line.