Abstract

The used car industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years due to the increased need for vehicles among consumers. The main aim of this study was to investigate the consumer buying behaviour towards used cars in Salem District. The research design adopted for this study was descriptive research design. The primary data collection method was used to collect information from the respondents through a structured questionnaire from a sample of 95 consumers using the simple random sampling technique. The research also analysed various aspects of the buying behaviour of consumers, including their attitude towards used cars, influence of society, economic factors, brand perception, purchase experience, push and pull factors, and satisfaction levels. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents (65.3%) had a positive attitude towards purchasing used cars, whereas nearly half of the respondents (49.5%) showed high buying behaviour. The results also revealed that economic factors (42.1%), brand perception (46.3%), and satisfaction levels (45.3%) played a major role in influencing the purchase behaviour of the consumers. The statistical tests showed that there was no significance in the results obtained from gender and the majority of the factors that influence buying behaviour, except social influence. The ANOVA test showed that the difference in attitude and satisfaction was statistically significant according to the mode of purchase. The correlation test showed that there was no significance in the relationship obtained from monthly income and consumer buying behaviour. The study showed that affordability, perception of the brand, and the overall purchase experience play an important role in influencing the demand for pre-owned cars.