Car security and the decision to recommend purchase

Drawing on data derived from Motoring Which assessments, the study investigates the role of vehicle security in the decision of people to recommend the purchase of a particular car model to a friend. This is important because, were security to be shown to be salient in purchaser decision making, it would be a factor in incentivising manufacturers and retailers to incorporate and stress car security in marketing. Crucially for purchasing decisions, security was observed to contribute to the willingness of people to recommend the purchase of a particular car model in 2007. This was not significantly so in 2008, although the association was in the same direction. The results are interpreted as modestly encouraging for the importance of security in purchaser decision making. Research on the role of vehicle crime in diminishing brand loyalty is advocated. Supplementary data analysis indicates that vehicles became more secure on average between 2007 and 2008, and that there was a triangular distribution between car price and car security, with expensive cars being uniformly secure, and cheaper cars exhibiting a range of security levels.