Survey - Most car buyers satisfied with their dealership experience

Overall, car buyers are largely satisfied with their dealership experiences when buying a new or used car, according to a new survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. But understanding key negotiating strategies could help shoppers get better deals.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they were very satisfied with their experience, with another 31 percent saying they were somewhat satisfied. Satisfaction rates increase with age and household income, which are probably influenced by the consumer's accumulated experience with the car-buying process and possibly by the purchase of higher-end models. Ten percent said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied.

Despite this high level of satisfaction, the survey results reveal areas where car buyers could save more money when negotiating. With better understanding of the basic car-buying steps, consumers could get a better deal and possibly be even more satisfied with their experience.

To learn about consumers' buying experiences at new-car dealers, the Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a random, nationwide telephone survey from Oct. 4-8, 2007, contacting 2,000 households. The survey data was collected from those adults who had purchased a new or used car from a new-car dealership in the last 12 months.

Read the full report: "Survey shows that many consumers could save more money."

—Jeff Bartlett