Buying a car is hard these days
If you get the impression that buying a car is supposed to be fun from all the constant advertising on TV and on YouTube, you’d be disappointed the minute you step into a dealership. Suddenly, you’re dodging pushy salespeople, sitting through endless back-and-forth over pricing, and trying to make sense of the confusing finance terms.
It’s stressful and time-consuming, and for many people, the dealership experience feels more frustrating than exciting. With rising costs and tighter credit, the pressure’s even worse, and buyers are starting to look for better, simpler ways to get into a new ride.
However, if you or someone you know tried to buy a car in June and walked away frustrated, you are not alone. According to a new report from CDK Global, the dealership software company, car buyer satisfaction metrics dropped the sharpest for the first time in three years last month as just 77% of buyers said the process was easy, down from 90% just one month earlier.
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Buyers were the most frustrated with financing
CDK found that buyers were the most frustrated with the Finance & Insurance (F&I) part of the deal, and it is easy to understand why. This is the part where they run your credit score to apply for financing, choose warranties or protection plans, and sign all the documents. Just 53% of buyers said the credit application was easy, the lowest score since CDK started tracking this information three years ago.
The dealership software experts also found that buyers struggled to understand all the extra add-on options offered, such as extended warranties or gap insurance. Only 57% of buyers told CDK that they felt confident in their decision to choose these other products. Additionally, just 68% of buyers felt that the process went smoothly when it came time to sign everything.
Buyers feel like they’re wasting time on cars that may not exist
However, while the supply of new cars has improved in 2025, buyers are in the dark when it comes to the inventory that dealerships may or may not have on their lots. Just 67% of new car buyers told CDK that they found it easy to find the exact car they wanted.
This shows that more people are giving up on factory orders or waiting on cars in transit and settling for whatever’s available on the lot, even if it’s in a weird color, a higher or lower trim level, or lacking certain features. These situations are not ideal, as they could involve spending thousands more on top of the tens of thousands of dollars buyers are already forking over.
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Additionally, buyers are finding that they’re wasting time at the dealership. In June, 36% of buyers said the whole process took longer than expected, up from 31% during the previous month and one of the worst scores that CDK has ever seen.
The issues didn’t end there, as buyers also found that negotiating the final price between salespeople and dealership managers proved to be incredibly challenging. Just 56% of buyers told CDK that this back-and-forth was smooth; however, buyers found the experience more complicated when a trade-in was involved. Less than half of buyers, 48% to be specific, said they had a positive experience running their trade-ins.
Final thoughts
This data shows that for car buyers who normally enjoy browsing the lot, test-driving, and spec’ing out the perfect car, the process of buying a car is starting to feel more like a multi-day chore than an adventure. To make matters worse, high interest rates, credit problems, and dealership delays continue to take the fun out of buying a new ride.
Personally, almost all of my friends and family who have bought cars recently have had less-than-stellar experiences. On average, they went to at least three different dealerships to not only find the “perfect car” in the perfect color and trim level but also because they were given wildly different financing and lease terms at each establishment.
If CDK’s data has anything to show, it means that if dealers want to win back trust, they must make things easier, faster, and more transparent, with more information about inventory and a smoother process from start to finish.