Sens4Miles

Which car dealers treat you best?

In this economy, great car deals abound. But sometimes a great price isn't enough; you want to do business with a dealer who is responsive to your needs and questions.

Which car dealers treat you best?

As more car shoppers use Web sites like AOL Autos to research their car and request price quotes from dealers, a dealer's responsiveness to inquiries over email and the Internet can mean the difference between a happy buyer and a non-existent one. As a result, smart car shoppers will be interested in the results of a recent survey conducted by The Cobalt Group that reports on what brands and manufacturers are most responsive to online car shoppers.

The comprehensive survey, the 2008 Automotive eShopper Experience Study, compiled data based on Cobalt's online inquires to dealerships representing thirty brands. The study ranked the brands, based on responsiveness, follow-through and 13 quality measures.

Those factors were used to calculate a score, the "Automotive eShopper Index" (ASI), that rates each brand's responsiveness to those online inquires. What this means to you is that brands with a higher ASI score will have dealers who typically treat you better if you're using the Internet to research your next car.

The following list reveals brands that made the study's Top 10, including their ASI scores and some of Cobalt's findings:

1. Lexus | ASI Score: 59.5

When asking dealers for information on a new vehicle, consumers expect responses at Internet speed. Lexus responded to these inquiries, via e-mail, more quickly than any other manufacturer. However, with speed can sometimes come brevity. So, Lexus shoppers may need to follow up with a phone call to get more information before visiting the dealership.

2. Chevrolet | ASI Score: 49.4

The biggest news in this study was Chevrolet's leap to No. 2 from its 2007 ranking of 15th. Chevrolet dealers delivered major improvements across the board in response rate and response quality. Not only did Chevy dealerships respond quickly, they were also thorough in answering the shopper's questions, explaining the value of doing business at their dealership, and offering good reasons to buy a new Chevrolet.

3. Volkswagen | ASI Score: 48.7

Cobalt found that shoppers were likely to get an email response to inquiries to Volkswagen dealers, but were not likely to get a phone call soon afterward. But that's the way some shoppers like it. VW dealers were diligent in answering all questions posed by the shopper, especially regarding to the specific model the shopper was interested in -- which is important to consumers but often neglected by dealers.

4. Honda | ASI Score: 48.1

Honda seems serious about giving their customers the highest quality Internet shopping experience. Its dealers responded quickly and were diligent about following up to make sure that the shopper was satisfied with the reply. Honda dealers were more likely than most to quote the vehicle's price, and present alternative choices -- whether it was a lower-cost model, or one with all the bells and whistles.

5. Audi | ASI Score: 46.8

Like other top-ranked brands, Audi dealers were attentive to customers. A quick email response was likely, although a return phone call to the consumer was not as likely. Customers were generally able to find out if their preferred vehicle was available, but were also more likely to have to visit to the dealership in person -- or call - to get a price quote. However, Audi dealerships didn't offer the shopper much info on the benefits of owning an Audi.

6. Toyota | ASI Score: 45.1

Slipping from their 5th-place 2007 ranking, Toyota continued to deliver a balanced performance. Shoppers could expect an email response to their inquiries, although return phone calls were rare. Response speed was about average among the brands surveyed, but odds are good that questions would be answered - especially those regarding new car pricing. Also, Toyota dealers weren't shy about extolling the virtues of buying from them.

7. Hummer | ASI Score: 44.7

Hummer dealerships were more likely than most brands to call their shoppers on the phone, compared to replying via e-mail. Not all questions were answered in e-mail replies, but shoppers received a good deal of info from Hummer dealers about why they should come in and test drive a Hummer as soon as possible. In fact, Hummer was one of the brands that really touted its value and brand strengths, which was rare across the brands in this study.

8. Jeep | ASI Score: 44.4

Jeep dealers definitely favored the e-mail reply over a phone response, and they were the strongest when it came to offering attractive incentives. Their responses typically presented compelling reasons to own a Jeep -- as well as the value of doing business at the local Jeep dealership. Jeep buyers might have to hurry, though, if they want to get a deal -- many Jeep dealerships offered incentives that expired in seven days or less.

9. Saturn | ASI Score: 43.2

Saturn and Infiniti "tied" for the No. 9 position in the rankings. Shoppers in the study found that, after first receiving a very speedy email response from Saturn dealers, they often also got a follow-up phone call. Although the dealership didn't always answer all of the shoppers questions in that first email, Saturn retailers did offer some of the most creative and attractive incentives in the industry -- and always courteous and professional.

9. Infiniti | ASI Score: 43.2

Tied with Saturn, Infiniti dealers were more likely to call the shopper on the phone than any other brand. It was also one of the brands that replied most quickly via e-mail, and Infiniti dealers did a good job of replying to shoppers' specific questions. Many dealerships stressed the value of Infiniti ownership, but shoppers shouldn't expect much in the way of "slash and burn" pricing discounts. That's just not the Infiniti way, even in a down economy.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayof...dealers.treat/

LexFather

THanks for sharing. Lexus has a significant lead here. Kudos to everyone on the list.

nabbun

lol i still won't get talked to on a serious level by dealership salesmen.

I think it has to do with the fact that I look so young for my age.

I'm 24 but everyone thinks I'm still 17 . . . . . . . . . . . FML

I8ABMR

Man every time I leave the Lexus dealership in town I feel like I have to weite a letter and make a phone call to a supervisor to tell them what an amazing job my service rep does for me. My service rep just won a regional service award and is getting the IS350C lease for 50% off. I am done with Acura and Infiniti, I am getting the wife a Lexus for the next car. I want her to be pampered and well taken care of

Anthony

iTrader: (4)

Me too and it sucks when you know more about the cars than they do and when you ask them something or say something you get that fake little smile/smirk from them.

tofu_house

iTrader: (2)

My two local Lexus dealerships (Wilkie and Thompson Lexus) treat me like crap so I drive over to Lawrence Lexus in Jersey (over 40 minutes away). Lawrence has always treated me very nicely despite my age.

Wilkie and Thompson have gotten thumbs down from me. I guess it really depends on where you are. Because I was treated like a king at my local Mercedes dealership. Confused as hell I was.

highstakes

This doesn't surprise me. When I was test driving cars to see which I like, Lexus was the only dealership that pretty much gave me the keys and told me to come back in an hour. BMW/Merc was just as relaxed, they made a copy of my dl; Audi was the worst, not only they copied my dl (and the sales person came along for the ride), but they called my insurence company to verify that I had full coverage on my current car.

Lexmex

I have had great experiences when testing out Lexus vehicles compared to other dealers. Toyota was also pretty responsive and I asked about a few things via email (this was a local dealer) and got responses even after working hours (meant somebody was doing their work at home on my behalf) like 2 a.m. in the morning, but that's what I want to see.

felixsc300

iTrader: (5)

This doesn't surprise me. I've been thoroughly impressed with my local Lexus dealerships and the freebies they give out.

IS-SV

Lexus earned its place at the top, I agree. But the article places too much importance on followup calls, emails, etc.

CDNROCKIES

I just wanted to mention the fantastic service I received this week from Lexus of Calgary.

I was travelling through the city and dropped off my RX with no notice or appointment. They had the service done that same day, which was nice, even though I didn't pick it up until later.

The really amazing part this time, was the cleaning they gave our vehicle this time. Frankly, I was embarassed when I dropped it off, it was that dirty. We own a rather large dog that is shedding terribly at this time of year. On top of that, some recent warm weather has led to lots of dirty, slushy snow that further compounded the filth.

When I picked up our RX today they had essentially detailed it. The vehicle looked outstanding and it was far more than I ever expected out of the dealer. Keep in mind that they always clean the vehicle for free when it's in, but this went far above and beyond. I actually went back inside to thank them before I left for this little (huge!) extra.