Women wear the trousers when buying a new car

Think men have the final say on buying a car? Survey says otherwise.

Women are playing a pivotal role in the buying of a new family car ─ whether men care to admit it or not. That is according to a survey of 2,000 people by online car classifieds website Gumtree Motors, which found 40 per cent of the fairer sex have the final say in the showroom.

40 per cent of blokes were happy to admit they let the women in their life make the final decision “because it’s not worth the hassle of arguing”. Meanwhile 40 per cent of couples admitted the process of buying a car lead to arguments, the majority of which were caused by choosing the paintjob.

Half of the respondents thought it wise to avoid troubled waters by buying two separate vehicles instead of one. 62 per cent said they were going online to find their new ride, as opposed to wondering around a forecourt.

“It’s great to see gender stereotypes being challenged with these results and that women play such an important role in choosing a family car,” Gumtree Motors director Andrew Hooks commented.

“There’s a strong stereotype that only men get to be in charge of buying decisions when it comes to cars so it’s refreshing to see that this isn’t necessarily the case. Finding that almost two thirds of couples will look for a car together, this reaffirms that buying a vehicle isn’t just a man’s domain,” he added.

The survey did see men and women see eye to eye on something. Buying a 4×4 is deemed practical, followed by a Ford Mondeo. Guess that goes some way in explaining why the school run is dominated by rugged vehicles that have never seen a day of offroad use in their life.

Men in the position of buying a new car who want to avoid conflict should avoid going for something flash, as fast cars don’t do a thing for women. Practicality is king, apparently.

A survey from 2012 found 80 per cent of consumers use websites like Recombu Cars to find out whether a car is worth buying. It also found punters were turned off by pushy salesman, leading to avoiding a test drive.