North West motorists put cars before spouses

Buying a new car is one of the most significant purchases anyone can make but some motorists in North West considered it more important than choosing a new house, picking their own children’s names and even deciding who to marry, according to a new study.

On average local drivers take just under three months (2.74) to decide what new motor to buy, while almost a quarter (23.77 per cent) need up to six months to choose before they commit to one. The national average is 2.94 months.

One in nine North West car owners confessed that they spent longer deciding their next choice of car, than they did choosing a new house. And more than one in ten (10.59 per cent) said they spent more time picking a motor than they did deciding what names to call their own children.

Meanwhile seven per cent of women from the North West said they spent longer choosing a car than they did picking their wedding dress. And worryingly four per cent of married respondents told researchers they had put more effort into searching for a motor than they did into searching for a wife or husband.

The survey of 2,000 people was commissioned by Netcars.com, the car sales website, and also reveals that the over 55s are the most decisive car buyers, with 70 per cent ready to choose a new car within three months. Those aged 25-34 are the most indecisive, with four per cent taking more than 12 months to choose the car they want.

Scottish motorists are the most decisive, with over three quarters (76.3 per cent) fit to purchase a new car in less than three months.

Louis Rix, marketing director Netcars.com, said: “We conducted our survey because we were keen to establish just how important car purchasing was for our customers. I have to admit we were very surprised by the results; who would have thought that people would spend more time looking for a new car than they did for a wife? Or that buying a car was more important than giving your child a name.”