MCLEAN, Va. -- In a national study of vehicle buying habits, 74 percent of women surveyed said the hardest part of the car-buying process related to the financial aspects of the transaction.

Women listed these specific elements as being difficult: getting a good deal on price (31 percent), pressure from salespeople to buy more car than they could afford (16 percent), understanding all of the purchase fees and costs (16 percent) and getting a good deal on a loan (11 percent).

Kelley Blue Book Consumer Advice Editor Joni Gray said that consumers are researching vehicles and prices online but failing to educate themselves about financing.

"Women have become savvier car buyers, but they often forget about shopping for financing, which can be a mistake costing thousands of dollars over the life of the loan," said Gray.

The survey also shows that women car buyers overlook auto loans in their research. When asked to rank aspects of the purchase process they spend the most time researching, car loans ranked last (17 percent). Nearly 60 percent of in-market female car buyers said they've conducted no research on their vehicle loan.

The Gender Rules of the Road survey, conducted by Braun Research, interviewed 803 women ages 25 to 55. All respondents had purchased or leased a vehicle in the past 12 months or intended to purchase or lease within the next 12 months. Capital One Auto Finance commissioned the survey.