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.
As more car shoppers use websites 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:
