STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Now, when it comes to the process of buying a car, you may or may not find the following fact surprising: Women get better deals than men. A new study shows women do a lot more background work when car shopping.
NPR's Sonari Glinton reports on one of the hidden powers of the Internet.
SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Buying a car is all about information - knowing about the car, the price, the financing terms.
John Sternal is with LeaseTrader.com and he's been studying how men and women shop for cars.
JOHN STERNAL: Our data specifically says that women not only have a larger interest in cars overall, but women today are taking a more active role in the negotiating process of a vehicle and in the car-shopping process in general.
GLINTON: Sternal says women do more research, especially on the Internet than men, and because of that they get better deals. And according to Kelley Blue Book, women are more likely to decide on a price before they go shopping for their next car, which also translates into savings.
REBECCA LINDLAND: The assumption still remains today that women aren't car people.
GLINTON: Rebecca Lindland is certainly car person. She's a senior analyst with IHS Automotive. She says even when she goes car shopping she's often ignored or talked down to.
LINDLAND: We know that people expect us to fail, to some extent. That people think that we're not going to know what we're talking about. So we over-prepare, we overcompensate.
GLINTON: Lindland says part of the reason women do more research is a defense mechanism - they want to avoid the hassle of the dealership.
LINDLAND: We don't go into a dealership to browse. We go in, and we know exactly what we want. The shoe department is for browsing for women. You know, so when a women goes into a dealership, you got to pay attention to her because we know what we want, we're in there for a very specific reason and it's that kind of decisiveness that really manufacturers need to understand and take advantage of when people come into a dealership.
GLINTON: Both Sternal and Lindland say that's a lesson the car industry needs to learn quick because the influence of women on car buying is only growing.
Sonari Glinton, NPR News.