AUTOMOBILE SHOPPING Fuel economy still ranks low for many buyers

Low payments, quality and price rank high for shoppers.
By RICK POPELY
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
CHICAGO -- Even 3 gas isn't enough to make fuel economy a priority for most new-car shoppers.
It ranked 18th among 56 buying considerations for shoppers early this year, says CNW Marketing Research, but it fell to 21st in September as pump prices began to retreat.
A low monthly payment was tops in the CNW's surveys, followed by quality, styling, visibility and the manufacturer's reputation.
Other factors that beat fuel economy were passenger protection; front air bags; interior conveniences, such as cupholders; and the sound system.
Safety got the call when Mike Carter bought a 2007 Hyundai Sonata in August.
Carter had three fuel-sippers on his shopping list, the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Nissan Versa, but with a 17-year-old daughter starting to drive, he chose a large sedan instead.
The Long Island, N.Y., dentist says he liked the Sonata's extensive safety features and the "more substantial" protection of a bigger car.
"There's a tremendous number of huge cars around here," he said. "Those other cars were just way too small and didn't have enough power for getting onto expressways."
Price was the next selling point for the Sonata, which Carter says was nearly 3,000 less than comparable versions of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
"People buy based on what they think the future is going to be, and a large percentage think gas prices will stay the same or go down," CNW President Art Spinella said of fuel economy's declining priority.
Looking ahead
In surveys, CNW asks consumers intending to buy a new vehicle what they think gas prices will be in six months. That's the average time most people spend researching and shopping for a new vehicle.
In September 2005, 78 percent of consumers expected gas prices to go up and 11 percent saw them going down. But in September of this year, only 37 percent expected higher prices, and 25 percent thought they would go down.
As recently as July, 10 percent thought pump prices would fall.
Research by J.D. Power and Associates reached similar conclusions. Mileage ranked eighth among 20 buying considerations in Power's annual APEAL study, two spots behind performance.
The APEAL (automotive performance, execution and layout) study is based on responses from 63,000 purchasers of 2006 vehicles. They were asked after 90 days of ownership what they liked about their vehicles and what was important in their purchase decision.
The top four considerations were reliability/durability, interior comfort, workmanship and exterior styling. Buyers also ranked the vehicle's image ahead of mileage.
"A lot of people think gas mileage is No. 1, and it's not," said Tom Libby, a statistician with the Power Information Network. "Other considerations carry greater weight when they shop for a vehicle."
Indeed, Audrey Abernathy says fuel economy was secondary in her decision to buy a Mini Cooper. It took a back seat to the "purple haze" exterior color and the ease of parking the diminutive hatchback.
"Now I can get into parking spaces I couldn't fit into before," said Abernathy, a copy editor from Washington, D.C.
Comfort and safety were priorities for Rod Fugate, a retired engineer from Lincoln, Neb., who drives his V-6-powered Buick Lucerne about 15,000 miles a year.
He says he averages 20 mpg around town and 30 on the highway by minding the speed limit and using a light, smooth foot on the throttle.
Couldn't he do better with a 4-cylinder car?
"When you figure out how much you're paying at the end of the year, it's not that much more," he said of his Lucerne. "It's maybe a couple of hundred dollars more per year."
Higher pump prices have been widely cited for the sales decline in large sport-utilities in recent years, but J.D. Power's sees that more as a case of buyers choosing from a growing number of alternatives, including car-based crossovers, than higher pump prices.