Head of My Car Check, Roger Powell, said: ‘For the vast majority, price is always the most important consideration; people set a budget and then see what they can get for the money. The secondary driver is where we see clear differences along gender lines. Women are most concerned with fuel efficiency, a significant ongoing cost of ownership, while men are more concerned with image, the ‘what will my mates think?’ factor.
‘On the scariest aspect of car buying, again, there was a clear difference according to gender. Women worried most about inspecting the vehicle, while men worried most about the price negotiation. The fact is the average buyer, male or female, won’t buy a car very often and won’t have great technical knowledge. In those circumstances, the sums involved can make the process stressful, and with good reason too: almost half of all used vehicles searched on MyCarCheck.com have a warning against them.