My Car Purchase Decision Making Process

A question all consumers are faced with is how involved they are willing to get in a purchasing decision. I found myself facing this dilemma a few weeks ago when my car of four years finally started to show it was on its lasts days. I had quite an emotional attachment to my car and knew it would be tough to let go and knew the next purchase to replace it would be a very involved one. But none the less it was one I had to make after selling my old car I was left with a little money in which I reinvested into my future car purchase taking on a monetary risk.

I first looked to my rational side. What could I afford, would the car be well equipped for the winter, and would it be good on gas. I then allowed emotion and perception to enter my decision making process examining the social and psychological risks. With a purchase of this magnitude it is clear emotions played a critical role in the decision making process. I needed a car I felt comfortable with, something I would be proud to call my own.

After looking at my rational and emotional appeals I had a picture of what I wanted. A medium size SUV, something good on gas while also allowing for me to feel comfortable and proud of. Finally after all this internal seeking for knowledge I knew it was time to begin my search in the marketplace for a solution.

Having a family friend who owns a Ford dealership I was already quite sure I would end up with a Ford. After sitting down and talking with him he showed me a car, a 2005 Ford Escape. Having already quite a high level of product knowledge as well as someone I could trust to guide me in my decision, I found the risk to be well within my comfort level and was ready to quickly make a decision. All my needs were not only being met with this car, but rather surpassing my ideal state comfortably leading me to the final decision to purchase the car.

Reflecting back on this decision I realized involvement in a purchasing decision is not linear but rather quite the opposite. Rational and emotional appeals come into play all through the purchasing decision showing marketers all too well how complex it can be to properly position themselves in the right way at the right time. Yes, I may have been bounded by many rational factors, but ultimately my decision ended up being a fast one and ultimately I acted on impulse drawing from my internal knowledge.