The sluggish economy has impacted how long consumers plan to keep their vehicles and their likelihood of price shopping for auto parts, according to the Aftermarket Business World Consumer Attitude Study.
Sixty percent of respondents said the economy has made it more likely that they will keep their current vehicle. Another 6 percent said it has made them more likely to find a more economical used car. Only 25 percent said the economy has had no impact on their vehicle buy/hold decisions.
The quest to economize also was reflected in their likelihood to compare prices before buying aftermarket parts and equipment. In 13 of 14 product categories, more than 40 percent of consumers said they price shop before buying. Consumers are least likely to price shop for belts and hoses (37 percent) and most likely to compare prices on chassis (83 percent) and battery chargers (88 percent).
Click here to see the entire study.
Methodology: The Consumer Attitude Study was fielded to 19,050 consumers via email with a response rate of 5.1 percent (1,522 responses). The survey has a +/- 2.1 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.
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