Car Buying Attracts ‘Armed Unfriendlies’

It’s War Out There: “Armed unfriendlies” is one of four terms analysts at J.D. Power & Associates are using to describe the kinds of car buyers who are prowling the market these days.

The unfriendlies view the process as a battle and go into it armed with knowledge--often gleaned from the Internet--about dealer invoices, factory rebates and other tidbits that might give them an edge in the negotiating process.

While armed unfriendlies make up 33% of new-car shoppers in other states, a new Power study to be released today finds that they make up 39% of the California crowd. Which helps explain why car dealers still rank below lawyers and journalists on those annual lists of respectable professions for your kids.

A tip for worried parents: There is a silver lining if Junior can’t be dissuaded. Most new-car dealers make a lot more money than most lawyers and journalists.

Profiles in Carage: Power’s 1999 Vehicle Shopping Process Study (zingy title, that!) identifies three other principal types of car shoppers.

First are the “highly involved deal-seekers,” the kind of car people who save every issue of Highway 1, have memorized the URLs for every automotive Web site on the Internet and think car dealers are OK people and fun to dicker with. They account for 24% of California’s new-car seekers but only 17% of shoppers in the rest of the country.

Next up: “relationship seekers.” They want a warm, fuzzy dealer to lean on--the kind of people who brag that they’ve gone to Slim’s Auto Emporium for every new car since Grandpa was in diapers. They represent only 17% of California shoppers but account for 26% in the other states.

And finally: “low-involvement pragmatists,” the folks who just want to get it over with and are willing to give up a deal to cut down on the amount of time they have to spend in the shopping and buying process. About 20% of California car shoppers fit the LIP profile, compared with 24% in the rest of the country.

Amen to That! “You need every bit of help you can get when you build custom cars,” says Stephanie Baltierra. That’s why she and her husband, Gabriel, started the annual Blessing of the Cars hot rod and custom show in 1993.

The show, which attracted about 15,000 people to Verdugo Park in Glendale last year, is open to all pre-1968 cars and motorcycles, stock or custom, except Volkswagens. (Baltierra says she’s not prejudiced; she just thinks that VWs “have their own subculture,” one that doesn’t mix well with conventional hot rods and customized cars and pickups.)

Registration for this year’s show, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 31 at Verdugo Park, 1621 Canada Blvd., is $15 for people who want to show their vehicles and get ‘em blessed; general admission is $5. The Baltierras--proprietors of Kingpin Productions in Los Angeles--will be happy to answer questions at (323) 663-1265.

The blessing service is conducted by Father Glenn Sequeries of Holy Family Church in Glendale. Sequeries isn’t a hot rodder, Baltierra says, but he’s a mean skateboard rider.

And Now, Heerre’s the List: More stuff from that J.D. Power shopping study, conducted in October and November:

* Californians like one-price dealerships. About 30% of California shoppers paid a fixed price, compared with 25% of non-Californians.

* Californians aren’t very loyal. Only 30% bought a car from a dealer they’d previously visited, versus 45% in the rest of the country.

* Wednesday might be the best day to get a car dealer’s undivided attention. About 33% of Californians said they only have weekends to do their new-car shopping; elsewhere, weekend-only shoppers accounted for less than 25% of the crowd.

* Location isn’t everything. Whereas 45% of non-Californians bought or leased their new car at the dealership most convenient to their homes, the number dropped to 38% in California. Buyers who chose to go farther afield did so mainly to seek better selection and convivial surroundings. We know that because of the next items.

* Price isn’t everything either. Almost one-third of California shoppers said it is “not worth their time to drive all over town to find the lowest price.”

* Ambience counts. One-quarter of California car shoppers believe that a pleasant experience is more important than getting the lowest price. In the rest of the country, the laid-back approach is less popular, with 19% ranking the quality of the shopping experience higher than getting a bargain.

John O’Dell can be reached at john.odell@latimes.com.