In July 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued its “Staff Report on Buying and Financing Cars.” The Staff Report consisted of two separate reports – a report from the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (“BCP”) entitled “Buckle Up: Navigating Auto Sales and Financing,” and a joint study entitled “The Auto Buyer Study: Lessons from In-Depth Consumer Interviews and Related Research” issued by the BCP and the Bureau of Economics. This article, the second in a two-part series, will address the “Auto Buyer Study.”

The “Auto Buyer Study” details the results of an in-depth interview study of 38 recent auto buyers. The purpose of the “Auto Buyer Study” was to examine the car-buying process using thorough consumer interviews about their experiences and perceptions in purchasing and financing a vehicle through a dealer.

Originally published in the Winter 2021 issue of Tennessee Dealer News.