Car Buyers Frustrated With Purchase Experience in September

Over the past few months, car buyers have expressed more displeasure over the purchase process, with about four out of five saying it was easy. Scores in July and August hovered at 81%, but in September, the CDK Ease of Purchase score fell below 80% for the first time since December 2025 to 79%.

And while many metrics fell significantly compared to recent months, and far from the averages of the past three years, they didn’t fall as far as they did at the end of 2025 when the score hit record lows of 66% in November and 69% in December.

The problems this past month were across the board from availability and negotiations to paperwork and long times spent at the dealer. The results paint a somewhat negative picture but one that’s not necessarily bleak.

Availability

Historically, one of the main factors that have coincided with a low overall Ease of Purchase score is finding the vehicle a buyer wanted in stock at the dealership. In September, less than half (45%) of buyers were able to select a car from the lot. That’s the lowest since April’s 44% and below 2025’s 50% average.

Only 68% said it was easy to find the vehicle they hoped to purchase at all whether it was in stock, in transit or from the factory. And 13% said they had to opt for an alternate vehicle altogether, significantly higher than the 10% average in 2025. Most buyers had to visit two or more stores to find the vehicle they wanted as well. Nearly half (49%) visited two stores, significantly higher than the 37% in August.

Purchase Process

Only one part of the purchase process improved in September: agreeing to the value of the trade-in, which hit 58%. That’s up significantly from 53% last month and higher than the average of the past three years. This is likely due to dealers aggressively acquiring used inventory and the recognition that trades are one of the best avenues to do so.

Applying for credit fell the sharpest, landing at 56% down from 70% in August and off 2025’s average of 63%. Interest rates have remained relatively high and many automakers are pulling back on incentives of every kind, including incentivized rates.

Another significant drop was filling out the forms to complete the purchase. Just 64% said that was easy in September, down from 68% in August, and far below the average of the past three years, which hovered around 70%. 

One major source of frustration from respondents was the time it took to complete the deal. We know from CDK’s annual Friction Point Study that the Net Promoter Score falls significantly if a deal takes two hours or more. In our Ease of Purchase Scorecard, we ask whether the time spent met expectations.

This month, a near-record 39% said the process took longer than they expected. That’s up significantly from 33% in August and just off April’s 40%. The average for all of 2025 was 31%, with the highest in November and December of last year at 35%.

A number of respondents cited the times spent both negotiating and finalizing paperwork as major sore spots in their attempt to complete the deal in a reasonable time. There were also a few comments about crowded dealerships and waits to move from one point of the deal to the next.

Customer Feedback

Looking at the results across this month’s survey, it’s slightly surprising that the main Ease of Purchase score was not lower in September. Dissecting the direct responses car buyers provided reinforced the point with the negative responses being slightly severe and many of those who were positive often had a few quibbles as well. There were also a few mentions of buyers feeling pressured or not. A common sentiment we’ve captured over the past few months.

Here are what customers said about dealers who made it easy to buy a car in September:

• “They didn't push me. They had the truck ready, matched the price I wanted, and did the paperwork fast. No games, just business.” 
• “The staff listened patiently and never rushed me to make a quick decision.” 
• “We had a great salesperson who helped us through the process and made it easy. We were selling our other car the same day and she sent an Uber to pick us up to bring us to the dealership to take ownership of our new vehicle.” 
• “I had a pleasant buying experience. I was happy with the higher‑than‑expected trade‑in value for my old car, and the Sales team provided good service. Still, I waited quite a while for financing paperwork to be completed.” 
• “The dealer helped me with financing through the dealership … plus they’re very helpful.” 
• “The overall experience was fine, but the trade-in value for my old car was a bit lower than I expected.”

Car buyers with a negative perspective focused on time and feeling intimidated or overwhelmed:

• “The biggest thing that made the process difficult was the amount of paperwork involved.” 
• “The salesperson was intimidating. I couldn't really think for myself as if I was being rushed through.” 
• “Man, the financing part dragged forever. Like, 40 mins of me just staring at papers. [They could’ve] sent me the loan options on my phone before I came in.” 
• “[They need to] settle the deal without taking so much time. We settled at our original offers and trade value. The negotiation process took 5 hours.”