New-car shoppers spent September learning an old lesson: the price on the window is only one of the problems. CDK Global’s monthly Ease of Purchase survey, which asks recent buyers whether getting their car was easy, slipped to 79% last month, CDK’s September scorecard shows. July and August both sat at 81%, so September marks the first sub-80 reading since December 2025. cdkglobal
A quick note before anyone panics. The index cratered to record lows of 66% last November and 69% in December, so this isn’t a collapse. It’s a slow leak. Also keep in mind who’s holding the clipboard. CDK sells the software dealers use to run sales, F&I, and service departments, so the company has every reason to frame friction as a problem it can fix. The numbers are still useful. Just read them knowing the survey comes from a vendor, not a neutral referee. cdkglobal
The car you want probably isn’t on the lot
Inventory is the first crack. Only 45% of September buyers drove home something they picked off the lot, the weakest showing since April and below the 50% average for 2025. Just 68% found it easy to locate the vehicle they wanted at all, counting in-transit units and factory orders. cdkglobal
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The fallout is predictable. Thirteen percent settled for a different vehicle than they came for, versus a 10% average last year, and 49% visited two dealerships, up from 37% in August. cdkglobal
That “alternate vehicle” figure deserves more attention than it gets. A buyer who wanted a hybrid crossover and left with the turbo trim, or swapped a midsize truck for a full-size, has quietly changed their fuel budget, tire costs, maintenance schedule, and insurance rate. Premiums are rated by specific model and trim, so a last-minute swap can move your monthly cost more than the sticker difference suggests. If you’re pivoting at the desk, get an insurance quote on that exact VIN before you sign.
Credit is the real choke point
The ugliest number lives in the finance office. Just 56% of buyers said applying for credit was easy, a 14-point plunge from 70% in August and well below 2025’s 63% average. CDK attributes that to stubbornly high rates and automakers trimming incentives, including subsidized financing. cdkglobal
CDK’s separate third-quarter financing survey backs that up. Among more than 1,100 buyers polled, the share who used lease deals or manufacturer offers to cut their payment dropped from 37% in Q2 to 28% in Q3. Captive financing through automaker lenders grew from 15% to 19%, which suggests buyers are chasing whatever promotional money is still on the table. Seventy-two percent said deals and incentives decided which brand they bought. Brand loyalty, it turns out, has a price, and it’s roughly one rate buydown. Financial Hurdles Higher for Car Buyers in Q3 | CDK Global +2
Paperwork slid too. Only 64% found the closing forms easy, down from 68% in August and about six points under the three-year norm. cdkglobal
Time is the hidden cost
Thirty-nine percent of buyers said the deal ran longer than they expected, up from 33% in August, a hair under April’s 40%, and well above last year’s 31% average. CDK’s own research has found that customer satisfaction scores drop sharply once a transaction stretches to two hours or more. One respondent reported settling at the original offer and trade value anyway, noting “The negotiation process took 5 hours.” Five hours to arrive exactly where you started is less a negotiation than a hostage situation with free coffee. Car Buyers Frustrated With Purchase Experience in September
The one bright spot: your trade
Trade-in agreement was the only step that improved, reaching 58% versus 53% in August and beating the three-year average. CDK credits dealers hungry for used inventory. That makes sense. Off-lease supply is still recovering from the production gaps earlier in the decade, and a clean trade is cheaper stock than anything at auction. But there’s a catch in CDK’s Q3 data: most buyers who traded in a vehicle reported carrying negative equity. A generous number on your trade doesn’t help much if it’s rolled into a longer loan on the next car. cdkglobal
What buyers should actually do
Show up with financing already approved from a bank or credit union. It gives you a benchmark rate, shortens the F&I session, and makes the dealer compete for your loan instead of dictating it. Get your trade appraised by at least two buyers beforehand so you know whether the dealer’s eagerness is real money or theater. Widen your search radius early rather than after the second wasted Saturday. And if a factory order means a wait of a few weeks, compare that against settling for a trim you didn’t want and will own for six years.
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Regulators are circling the process, too. California dealers are preparing for the state’s CARS Act, and CDK has published compliance guidance for its customers on price disclosure. Rules like that won’t fix inventory or interest rates, but they could shave off some of the hours buyers spend arguing over what the car actually costs.