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I was talking to my friend last night and she was telling me what a nightmare she had recently had when taking her car to the garage. She said she felt that she had been treated really badly by the staff. The reason that her problems arose in the first place was because she had been sold a duff car which had been pushed through it’s MOT. She may have been one of many people who get sold used cars which actually have more problems than the seller lets on. Many cars which have previously been written off are cleverly repaired with filler and paint and then re-sold. There are also a number of “Cut and shut” vehicles - one car produced by welding together the front and back of two different vehicles, as well as stolen cars or ones with outstanding finance.

However, whilst many dealers will try and sell dodgy cars to unsuspecting customers, many of whom will be women, there are some sellers who you can trust entirely. One such seller is www.carsite.co.uk which is not a dealer but a route through which ex-fleet cars are sold directly to the public at wholsesales prices. All Carsite cars are independently RAC inspected and HPI history checked and there is a 100% as described guarantee. If you are not totally satisified, then you pay nothing.

Perhaps if my friend has used Carsite then she would not have run into the problems which she did, and would never have felt intimidated at the garage. But, this in itself is a problem which needs to be addressed. According to a survey by Direct Line one in five female drivers refuse to travel on Britain’s motorways because of a fear of breaking down. Perhaps they just cannot face the hassle of the garage which would follow.

As they say, prevention is better than cure!

New statistics have revealed that women may not be so clueless when it comes to car buying, but in fact may be manipulating their situation to their own advantage. Research carried out for eBay motors says that a quarter of British women have lied about how much money they’ve got to spend on a car, one in ten have played dumb so that the salesmen will take pity on them and 10% will flirt if it helps them get a better deal. Some also admit to deliberately leaving their partner at home which eschews the idea that women need a man in order to get a better price on a car.

However, the fact is that women are only able to secure a good deal on a car because they appear to be foolish, or because the salesman may have the hots for them. This shows a striking lack of knowledge on the part of the female buyers. They should not feel intimidated when they try to talk to the salesmen on their own terms. Women car buyers should not feel that they need to resort to flirting when buying a car but should arrive armed with the knowledge to do some serious bargaining. That is what we hope you will do after your visit to GalsCarGuide!

The eBay motors survey also shows that 52% of women don’t know what MPG stands for and 65% are in the dark about the essential V5 document. At GalsCarGuide we were so shocked at these statistics that we immediately put the facts on their site. To find out the truth about V5 and MPG visit the ‘Find the Right Car’ section.

Another finding of the survey was that a quarter of women would prefer to buy a used car from a women than from a man and 40% think female private sellers are more honest and will tell buyers about any small fault in the car. But, why make buying a car such a gender specific hassle?! If you choose to buy a car online from a site such as carsite.co.uk or eBay then this will be eliminated. Similarly, at carsite there is a 100% as described guarantee.

With almost half (48%) of women not getting a final say on what car they drive you could infer that feminism has a long way to go. Or, perhaps, more correctly, you may realise that car dealers simply aren’t very good at inspiring trust in their customers. A greater proportion of men (46%) than women (42%) admit to feeling patronised by car dealers. Maybe we should all be car shopping online.

1. Although the view that men are more interested in cars than women is one embedded in our culture, it may be an outdated one, according to MINT loans. One woman in every ten who took out a loan with the company did so specifically to buy a new car. MINT also states that many women even make sacrifices in other areas to facilitate spening on their car. The company’s research shows that almost one in five women make an effort to spend less on their social life or forgo a holiday, and almost one in ten prefer to focus funds on their car rather than buying new clothes. Jerry Toher, managing director of MINT, said “our research clearly shows that today’s woman is taking a keen interest in cars and taking a keen interest in cars and taking every opportunity to get behind the wheel.”

2. Give thanks that you can actually buy a car for yourself! In a recently published book by Effie Valardo called Beyond the Invisible Wall the treatment of women from the 1930s-1960s is discussed. She writes about how women could not even buy a car without a man’s signature. No other information was necessary about that man, as long as it was a man’s signature! So rather than moaning about knowing nothing about cars and relying on men for information women should be grateful that we live in an age in which they are able to buy a car at their own free will. No male signature required!

3. The Women’s Automotive Association (WAAI) is hosting a networking event especially for women in the automotive industry, held in New York. The event is a testimony to the tremendous amounts of women working in high powered positions within the industry, and some of these will give talks at the event. The WAAI was founded in 1995 as a non-profit professional society comprised of women who are key players in all aspects of the automotive industry. To date they have awarded over 30 scholarships to deserving young women seeking a career in the field. The very fact that this society exisits shows that the automotive industry is geared towards emplying both men and women and treating both groups with respect.

4. Of course…there is the fabulous GalsCarGuide!

…and many more…

Women purchase more than 50% of new cars, and up to 62% in some brands. They influence over 80% of car purchases in America and by 2010 they are expected to control more than 60% wealth in the country. If this is the case why is it so often assumed that women need a man’s help when it comes to choosing and buying a car?! Armed with the facts from places such as gals car guide anyone should be able to feel comfortable about purchasing a car. After all, knowledge is power!

So, do women need men’s help when it comes to buying a car? Have your say now.

Suzanne Bedfourd recently interviewed thefounder of galscarguide on Southern Counties Radio. Suzanne, whose airtime centred on the question ‘do women really need men when it comes to buying cars?’, admitted that her boyfriend had found her past four cars for her.

Surveys suggest that, like Suzanne, many women still take their boyfriends or husbands with them to car dealerships.

Why is this?

Is it because they think they need a man, or are they just lazy and apathetic when it comes to the details of car buying? Are women putting their men under unnecessary pressure to be a car expert and simply burdening them with what should be their own responsibility? Why should somebody be a car expert just because they are a man, and is it true that women are merely disinterested in cars? Is it wrong to make such generalisations when it comes to gender? Can cars be specifically marketed to women without perpetuating gender stereotypes? Women complain about the automotive industry being male dominated…but is that the way we really want it?!

What do you think?

And whilst you’re thinking…is Jeremy Clarkson an irritating chauvinist or secretly quite entertaining?