Survey: Consumers Won't Travel Far for Warranty Services

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - CarGurus, an online automotive community, found in its latest survey that 59 percent of respondents are willing to travel an average of 125 miles to visit a dealer while shopping for a new car. Recent auto dealership closings do not appear to be an issue affecting consumer automotive shopping behavior and sales. However, when it comes to long-term ownership issues like warranty service, the majority of consumers (61 percent) are only willing to drive an average of 27 miles.

CarGurus' survey results suggest those dealership closings may not matter to consumers while they're shopping for a car.

"Consumers are willing to travel long and far to shop for a new car. In fact, 61 percent of respondents in our survey want to visit four or more dealerships when shopping for a new car," said Langley Steinert, CEO and founder of CarGurus. "In the long run, however, manufacturers need to keep a close eye on dealership density in important geographic markets, as having too few service dealerships in a given market could hurt a manufacturer's brand image and loyalty. Consumers will travel long and far to buy a car, but not to have it serviced."