Page Sections - eWheels.ca | Toyota Canada | gmcanada.com | auto123.com | Driving - canada.com network | CarCostCanada.com | dealfinder.ca | autonet.ca | autobuyingusa.com

eWheels.ca
http://www.ewheels.ca/

To get started click on the manufacturer you want to buy from. Next select the model you want. Depending on the manufacturer you choose you may see a quote screen with prices shown or you may be told that a quote will only be available within 48 hours via email. Even if you see a quote screen with prices you will still, at this time, be shown a screen that says a fully customized quote is not available instantly but will be emailed to you.

This is a bit disappointing since the main page of the site specifically says 'Request an instant quote on a new car - online. Most makes and models.' At this time this is not really true. However, on the positive side I did receive quotes back within 48 hours on all the test vehicles I entered and the process to continue to buy the car online was simple and secure.

Another plus for this site is that the entry of your personal information (when you register) is done on a secure form. So although the process is not quite as consumer-friendly as, for example, CarsDirect in the US, this site is quite a big step forward for Canadian buyers. Well done - eWheels.

TOYOTA CANADA : Access Toyota
http://www.access.toyota.ca/

NOTE: The Access Toyota program described below is not available everywhere in Canada. Ontario (except for Kenora) and parts of Quebec do not have Access Toyota dealerships. If there is NOT an Access Toyota dealership in your community and you have to buy a Toyota the 'old fashioned way' make sure and check out your nearest Access Toyota dealership to see what the 'no haggle' price is for the Toyota you want. Then use that figure as your bargaining chip with the dealership. Note that you'll still be able to configure a Toyota at a non-Access dealership website - you just won't be able to request a quote on it nor will you be able to see the Access Toyota price. You should also note that some people (for example competitor CarCostCanada) think that the Access Toyota program is dead (see CarCostCanada's article and make your own decision).

To find out if there is an Access Toyota dealership where you live select your language on the Toyota main page, skip the Flash intro by clicking on the Enter Site button (I hate Flash!), click on the Dealerships link on the right and then select your Province in the drop down list and click on Search. Hover over any black Toyota logo displayed on the provincial map with your mouse (red logos indicate multiple dealerships and you have to click on them to get to a map containing black logos). If the dealership is an Access Toyota dealership the words Access Toyota will appear in red at the bottom of the popup window that appears describing the dealership.

If you live in a location with an Access Toyota dealership then get back to the Access Toyota site by clicking on the link at the top of this review and click on Proceed to Website (in the right hand column). Then click on Price Your Toyota (top right). Select your province and you'll be shown the configurator main screen where you select your model.

The configurator is visually busy with lots going on but works fine. Once you've got the car configured click on Step 4 and save the vehicle. You do this by creating a personal homepage. You don't need to supply much information to create the homepage (User ID, password, user identification question and answer and a name for the car configuration you've just created).

From the personal homepage you can actually select a local dealer and then go on to ORDER it online filling out several forms and placing your deposit with a credit card on a secure page. A $1000 deposit is required - this will be refunded if your application for credit is declined, you and your delivering dealership cannot agree on a value for your trade-in or the vehicle you ordered is not available by your requested delivery date.

Once the credit card info and requested delivery date are entered the deposit and information forms you completed are sent to your selected delivering dealership. The dealership will call within 48 hours with additional information on your order. Way to go Toyota!

gmcanada.com
http://www.gmcanada.com/nas-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+VehicleSearch?

GM has not announced this new development on their website(s) but I couldn't help noticing it and wanted to point it out to you. I consider this new feature on GM sites a major step forward for Canadian online car shoppers.

Basically what GM has done is made inventory of Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chevy truck, GMC medium duty, GMC truck, Isuzu, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, SAAB and Saturn vehicles on dealers' lots nationwide accessible through the Internet. You can narrow your search by year (2000-2003), model and version.

You'll get to see the color of the vehicle, any installed options and the VIN. A price is indicated but although it says purchase price the fact that it is the same as MSRP leads me to believe that this price is not necessarily what you should be prepared to pay (check with an online buying site like Cars4u.com that give you an upfront price to compare).

If you want to set up a test drive or get more information you can either e-mail the dealer (no personal questions to answer) or fill out a form (click on Schedule a Test Drive) and surrender your name, address, phone number etc. There is a privacy statement and if you choose to e-mail the dealership rather than using their 'Schedule a Test Drive' form you won't have to divulge any personal information. If however you do use the form it has no security and does ask you to supply quite a bit of personal data.

I must let you know that although I think this GM site offers a great service I have received an e-mail from an unhappy site visitor. This visitor wrote to advise me that you need to take search results obtained with a grain (or more) of salt. His advice is to telephone the dealership to make sure that the car you want to look at is in fact on the specified dealer's lot. This is based on his experience of locating two trucks using the search and then finding that they were not in fact at the indicated dealership when he arrived there unannounced. So keep this in mind if you find the perfect new vehicle for you using this search tool - you might want to call and make sure it is truly there before you take the time to drive down and look at it.

Canadian automotive network - Automotive news
http://www.auto123.com/en/new/quote/

Auto123 has added a quote request service for new cars to its site - thanks to visitor Tony from Calgary for alerting me to this. To get started indicate where you live - you don't enter a postal code but simply pick a province which seems a little strange considering the note on the first page that says if you live within 100 kms of regions that they offer service in you'll receive a quote within 3 days. There's no information about what happens if you live outside of the 100km area.

Next choose your make and then on the next screen your model, trim, transmission etc. This final screen is also a bit perplexing. I know we are supposedly a bilingual country but it is difficult for me to interpret some of the model names as they are all listed in French. I also don't like that you type in your colour and option choices instead of choosing from pull-down menus. Finally, you are asked to surrender personal information on a non-secure form.

You are not told whether you will receive a quote within 3 days or not - I guess you'll have to judge for yourself whether you are within the 100 km region of service that Auto123 talks about. If anyone has used the Auto123 quote request service

Driving - canada.com network
http://autos.canada.com/national/buying/index.aspx

This site allows you to search for a new car in dealer inventories in eight provinces - Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan. You can only search a single province at a time and you can also search either a single region or ALL regions of the province at a time.

This is not very helpful since I might want to search both Ontario and Quebec simultaneously or if I lived in Victoria, BC I might want to search both the lower mainland and Vancouver Island (but not Northern BC) at the same time. However you could use the advanced search that allows you to enter in a postal code and search within a certain distance of that code (although I think the maximum distance of 100 km is far too low).

Once a list of vehicles is obtained you can re-sort it by year, make and model, price, kms and seller's name. Information on individual cars is not that complete and what is most disappointing is on some the VIN actually has some dealer stock number in it instead of the proper VIN. This is because dealers are typically putting in a single listing for a number of cars of the same make and model (so you don't get a color either but just the text 'various colors').

There are no links to further information on the vehicle - not even a link to the manufacturer website. To arrange a test drive or for more information on an individual vehicle you'll have to supply your name and e-mail address on a non-secure form.

CarCostCanada.com - Canada's exclusive online source for automobile dealer cost prices
http://www.carcostcanada.com/en/services_st/premiumintro.asp

You may be surprised to see CarCostCanada in the new car online buying site category but the truth is that with the addition of their new premium service they are offering to complete a lot of the buying process for you.This is not a free service but ranges from $55 - $95 depending on the number of cars you want information on. The service described below (3 cars) is $75 plus GST.

Here's how the service works - you pick out the car you want and configure it with the options, colours and features you desire. You then select three dealers that you'd like quotes from. CarCostCanada takes it from there and will provide for you - within a day or two (and never longer than 3 days) - the following details - your lowest price from each dealer, confirmation of all hidden factor rebate and incentives, all additional costs, including freight,  PDI /PDE, admin fees, current vehicle availability and an estimated delivery date and your CarCostCanada Dealer rep contact information.

You then choose the dealer you wish to buy from and contact the CarCostCanada rep to make the final arrangements. CarCostCanada does not offer financing at this time so you'll have to look after that aspect yourself.

NOTE: In July 2003 I received the following from an unhappy CarCostCanada customer:

"The experience with this company was extremely poor for several reasons:

1. The dealer invoice cost provided by the company was later verified to be inaccurate by about $1000.

2. The "negotiator" indicated that there were no 2003 vehicles available and that I would have to pre-order a 2004 model at an unspecified price (although the final price would allegedly be some nominal increment above invoice cost). I considered it incomprehensible that vehicles of this configuration would not be readily available, so I visited one of the dealers originally selected and bought a 2003 model with no difficulty. In essence, the information provided by the company was incorrect, invalid and could have had a substantial financial impact.

3. When I contacted CarCostCanada about this situation, they refused to accept responsibility for the problem, refused to credit any of the fees I had paid them, and refused to return subsequent hone calls on the subject.

Buyer beware. I would advise your readers to look elsewhere for accurate and helpful information."

As usual I caution you that your mileage may vary and keep in mind that it's unusual for people to write and tell me how GREAT a site is but fairly common for them to write and tell me it sucks. So take all complaints with a grain of salt.

NEW CAR - WHY PAY RETAIL? CANADA
http://www.dealfinder.ca/

The folks at Dealfinder are offering a very competitively priced service for the Canadian new car buyer. For $149 plus GST they will locate the new car of your choice in your geographic area and get you a guaranteed low price.

Dealfinder guarantees that the price they get you will be cheaper than anything you could obtain yourself. Once they have found your car and you agree to take it you simply go to the dealership, sign the necessary paperwork and take delivery of your new car. They do not offer any kind of financing service so you will either have to bring cash, arrange your own financing or use dealer financing.

To get the process started go to the secure Request form or if you prefer call them toll free. I am not that impressed by the form which is the typical 'lazy man's' configurator form. You have to type in model and trim level (rather than picking them from a list) and you select number of doors, transmission, drive train and cylinders from pull down lists. The problem with this approach is that the car you are requesting might not come with the options you select. Why can't people just offer proper configurators?

After you complete the form your credit card will be charged $149 plus GST. The Dealfinder FAQ says they should be able to tell you how much your car will cost within 3 days. There is nothing mentioned about how long it will take to actually get you the car.

This sounds like a very good service but I would be happier if they offered to tell you what price they could get the car for without you having to pay the $149. For example, if I got a quote of $24,500 from Cars4u (if I lived in Ontario) and Dealfinder told me they could get it for $23,750 up front then I'd be happy to pay them $149.

But if I paid $149 and they then got me a price of $24,450 I wouldn't be too pleased. Presumably though their prices will be in line with what is available online or they wouldn't be doing any business.

In March 2003 I received an e-mail from a customer who wasn't impressed with Dealfinder's service. Here's what he said "I plan on buying a V40 and am looking for the best price. So I tried some of your sites. Dealfinder said they could get me $1000.00 off.

It seemed like a good deal at first, then I found out there's a rebate on the car (which they must have known) and they could've gotten me over $3000 off."

In fairness to Dealfinders I must add that when I e-mailed this particular customer to ask for further details on their experience I never heard back from them. Dealfinders had asked me to do some digging since they said they had no record of someone asking for a V40 contacting them in the first quarter of 2003. It is possible - although I cannot be sure - that the person who sent me the e-mail simply telephoned Dealfinders rather than paying for their service and therefore may have received a somewhat inaccurate price.

Anyway - the take home message is that you should always try and find out if there are incentives or rebates on the car you are looking at. Check the manufacturer's site or consider getting an invoice cost statement from one of the sites listed in the Price Guides category. Then you'll be able to assess, albeit not without some additional cost to yourself, whether the price you are getting from Dealfinders (or any online buying site) is a competitive one and includes any available rebates and/or incentives.

AUTONET.CA - Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Canada, new car, used cars, new car dealers, trucks
http://www.autonet.ca/

This site allows you to search for a new vehicle within Canada. This search gives you much fewer options than the site's used car search. Your criteria are limited to make, year, price and body type. I don't know why model is not included - with this very unhelpful search you have to hope that you have chosen the right body type (for example is a Subaru Outback a hatchback or a wagon). You cannot search by province but only within a 0-999 km radius from your postal code.

The list you are presented with can be resorted by year make/model, body type and price. The listing for an individual car doesn't tell you what colour the car at the dealership is and although there are links to 'related stories' they don't connect to the car you are looking at. Although many of the listings have pictures most seem to be standard manufacturer pictures and therefore shouldn't be relied upon to indicate either the colour or condition of the car you have located.

Should you want more information to be e-mailed to you on a specific car you must become a registered user which means supplying your address and telephone number.

Auto Buying USA - Online!
http://www.autobuyingusa.com/pricerequestcanada.html

Another disappointing quote request online buying site. You fill out the seemingly unavoidable NLF (nosey little form) that has no security and that has you indicate the car you want by using a poorly put together data input form.

For example I thought that I would use the form to indicate that I wanted an Acura NSX in maroon with a black interior - of course such a color combination is not available but because this site (like so many others) has refused to build a proper configurator I can request this combination. There is only one color choice allowed and nowhere to choose options.

After submitting the quote request a dealer will contact you by phone or e-mail as soon as possible (the within 24 hours turn around has disappeared). There is nowhere to indicate your preferred contact method and no way to see and/or choose which dealers your quote request is submitted to. Why would you use this site when so many other better ones exist?