Page Sections - Consumer Guide | autosite.com | MSN Autos | edmunds.com | leaseguide.com | carsdirect.com | consumerreports.org | smartcarguide.com | womanmotorist.com | autoweb.com | cars.com | carprices.com | autos.yahoo.com | theautochannel.com | autobuyology.org | chrome.com | nada.org | lemonaidcars.com | jdpower.com | cartrackers.com | dealertricks.com | thecarconnection.com | vehix.com | automotive.com | carjunky.com | vmrintl.com

Consumer Guide | Auto
http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/

This site has really come along with a revamp during the latter part of 2002 making it an excellent resource for the new or used car shopper.

From the main page you can go all kinds of directions - to an archive of articles on a variety of topics (see the Articles & Advice tab at the top of the page), to specific model reviews or to an advanced search that allows you to look for information on a specific car throughout the site (bottom link under the Research heading at the left).

My only criticism would be the navigation - it seems as if once you are in a sub-section (like articles) you no longer have access to the wealth of information presented on the first page. But this is a minor complaint - over all this is a great site.

This site includes information - such as specifications and safety data - on both new and older cars (back to 1990). To see information on older cars simply select them by manufacturer when using the Used Car Pricing & Reviews selection tool at the left of the page. Be warned that the further back in time you go the fewer cars are available and the less data available on each one.

The Key to Automotive Research
http://www.autosite.com/

This site has been revamped yet again and I thought that the previously great features had been dispensed with. They are still there but have been moved around and I couldn't find them at first.

To get to the detailed information click on the Research tab at the top of the page and select your car from the drop down menus. You'll be presented with an extensive page of information links. Read an overview of your vehicle, look at details (specifications, standard and optional equipment, engines, colors) and find out about ownership costs (maintenance, insurance etc). The best part of this really excellent page is the Shop Smart category at the far right. This area has tons of information on recalls, safety data, market reports, leasing, financing, reviews and lots of other great stuff.

Content here is deep and broad, there are hundreds of links to sites with more information and great tools to assist you in your research. This is a winner and a natural beginning point for any automobile purchase.

MSN Autos - More Useful Everyday
http://autos.msn.com/home/new_research.aspx?src=LeftNav

This site wins as a research tool finally getting the message of consolidation. You choose the vehicle you are interested in looking at and presto you get the whole enchilada (use the Prices & Specs box at the top of the page). Reviews, pictures, quick facts, pricing, ratings, safety information are all there for your easy access. The only thing I would say is missing is a link to recalls and technical service bulletins.

Links on the right (XXX Links - where XXX is the name of the car you are looking at) will show you pricing and info on previous year's model, let you look at all vehicles in the category (for example pickup trucks), view the entire manufacturer model line or find a whole different vehicle altogether. A neat feature is the consumer rating where you can see what other visitors to the site have to say about the vehicle (shown in a graph as well as featuring their full comments - see this option under the Ratings & Reviews tab).

The main research page has other good features including a comparison tool, rebate reports and new car reviews. The only place where I would fault MSN Autos is the absence of a comprehensive buyers' guide that discusses the car buying process from beginning to end. Components of such a guide are on the site but it would be beneficial to have them pulled together into a single document and area. Otherwise a great site for research.

This buying guide includes information - such as specifications and reliability data - on both new and older cars (back to 1988 for some makes). To see information on older cars go to http://autos.msn.com/home/used_research.aspx? and select your make & model from the list below the Vehicle Information Pages heading.

New car prices, used car pricing, auto reviews by Edmund's car buying guide
http://www.edmunds.com/

The Edmunds site does a good job of living up to its motto - 'Where smart car buyers start'. The site is loaded with information on buying new or used cars. There is an excellent, in-depth tutorial titled "10 Steps to Buying a New Car' (click on the Tips & Advice tab and the link is in the top left hand corner).

There is a town hall section (click on the Forums tab) where you can read about vehicles and related issues - this could be very helpful if you are thinking of buying a specific car and want to check for problems being experienced by owners. There are links to safety and road test information, a pricing guide for new cars and reviews and articles.

Look for fascinating - not to mention entertaining - articles in the Tips & Advice section. Past articles have been on masquerading as a car salesman (an Edmunds employee went under cover at a dealership) and the Role of the Service Staff (or 'Who's been playing with my radio?).

This buying guide includes information - such as specifications and safety data - on both new and older cars (back to 1990). To see information on older cars go to http://www.edmunds.com/ and click on the large USED icon.

Auto Leasing Guide - The Art of the Deal
http://www.leaseguide.com/index2.htm

This is a fabulous research site that will help you understand all aspects of leasing a car. There are different sections devoted to understanding the numbers involved in a lease, an excellent explanation of the leasing process, a FAQ, spreadsheets and calculators and even (if you can't find the answer to your question anywhere on the site) an 'Ask the Expert' section.

Also worth checking out are the 'AutoVisual Guides' that provide simple, easy to follow guides to leasing, auto pricing, trading in a car and selling a used car (look for them in the Leasing Aids box in the left hand column). If you are considering leasing you should check this site out first.

CarsDirect.com - America's #1 way to buy cars online!
http://www.carsdirect.com/

To access the research center click on the 'Research' tab on the main page (top and left of the page).

CarsDirect has recently added a research center to its site and it is quite good. The Buying Guides are excellent and give you a brief overview of each subsection of the major divisions of vehicles (for example cars is broken down into compact, midsize, luxury and sporty).

Other features of the research area include a quick compare facility for pre-chosen cars (under the Tools menu in the left hand column), links to reviews on hundreds of cars, 360 degree views, CarsDirect top ten seller list and a tool to find information on specific models.

My only criticism is that there is also no help me choose tool (although the Browse tool is helpful). Overall though this is a really high quality site - far superior to what many other sales oriented sites produce. Well done CarsDirect!

ConsumerReports.org: Unbiased product Ratings from the experts at Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/home.jsp

Although much of the really valuable content on this website requires you to pay there is some good free material available too. Click on the Autos tab to get started. Previously the site was arranged in a very clear manner that allowed you to tell easily what was a free resource and what required you to pay for. Now it is difficult to tell what you'll have to pay for.

There are general articles on the basics of car research, insurance, financing and road safety - these are still available for free. Usually if a link is described as being about ALL cars or includes the words rating it requires you to pay. If you do decide to pay for some products I think that the New Car Buying Kit is an excellent choice. With this product you get unlimited new car price reports, technical reports and much more for $39 (for three months). You can access it by clicking on the link in the far right column (New Car Buying Kit).

You could also consider the new car price service. For just $12 you can have the report faxed or mailed to you (or view online for 30 days). The report is 10-20 pages in length and includes lots of worthwhile information, such as the Consumer Reports Wholesale Price which includes current national rebates, unadvertised dealers incentives and holdback as well as safety ratings based on Consumer Reports analysis, alternate vehicle recommendations, advice on how to use information in the report to negotiate your best deal and online buying advice on how to buy or lease your new car.

You might also consider subscribing to Consumer Reports to gain access to the 'subscriber only' information section of their site where you can find a ton of really great looking information, such as advanced help me choose tools, ratings on thousands of cars, safety information, road tests and much more. And Consumer Reports makes it very easy and inexpensive for car shoppers (or any one buying a product that needs to do intensive research for a brief period) by offering a low monthly subscription rate of $4.95.

As well as the New Car Price Service there is a Used Car Price Service which costs $10 and looks as if it would have value to either the seller or buyer of a particular used car. It contains an overview of the car you are considering buying (or are selling), calculations and prices, Consumer Reports reliability details and verdict, the Consumer Reports guide to selling or buying a used car and much more. Ordering any products on the ConsumerReports website is done on a secure page.

Buy A New Car, Used Car, Truck, and SUV - Auto Buying Tips
http://www.smartcarguide.com/

This site is a fabulous resource and is even better since a recent revamp! I suggest that you have a look at this page as a first step when considering buying a car. There is so much information about the buying process as well as some new information on safety that is very helpful and informative. I like these folks' attitude - they are practical, personable and concerned about things like safety and choosing cars that are appropriate to your needs (rather than your desires). A very refreshing 'hype free' site.

My only (small) criticisms of the site are that there is no printing function that would allow you to consolidate all this great advice into a single document and take it with you when shopping. My earlier comments about there being no way to easily return to the contents page from any page within the site has been remedied.

WOMAN MOTORIST car reviews, trucks, maintenance, safety, travel
http://www.womanmotorist.com/

This site - which doesn't require a chromosome test to let you visit - is a super place for anyone to start their search for a new or used cars. I especially like their in depth buying guide which describes the car buying process from start to finish.

This guide discusses things that other sites seem to have forgotten - like figuring out how much you can afford to spend and deciding on leasing or buying. I especially like the philosophy of this site when it comes to buying new cars - this site's editorial staff seem to agree that the only function of a dealership is to provide a 'physical' car that you can look at, touch and test drive.

They suggest once you decide exactly what you want that you go home and begin calling, e-mailing or faxing dealerships asking them to let you know ASAP whether they can supply you the car you want at the price you indicate. The site has reviews written by their own staff as well as links to other online resources. There's lots of helpful and useful information on this site and I would strongly recommend that you spend at least half an hour perusing this site before you begin your new or used car purchasing process.

Autoweb.com - Research, reviews, products & pricing information
http://www.autoweb.com/content/research/index.cfm?

This site has actually improved and now features quite a bit more helpful information than it did previously. There is specific model information available under the Research New Autos heading. Within any model's information there is pricing information, specs, reviews, pictures, competitors, reliablility and much more.

One of the best features of the site is the Autoweb Report Library. To access it click on the Personal Vehicle Report link on the main page (click on Home in the top right hand corner to get there). Here you'll see a number of excellent free reports you can download. You'll have to surrender your e-mail address and zipcode but that's all.

cars.com - new and used car pricing, reviews and buying information
http://www.cars.com/

Cars.com gets an above average score on its capabilities as a research site. Its criteria search is pretty skimpy compared to the one at Autosite (26 criteria versus over 100 for the latter) and the comparison tool is provided by Intellichoice and is nothing noteworthy but there is a lot of other great content here. Especially good are the Buying Guides (see photos on the left after clicking on the Research tab).

There is a helpful automotive glossary, information about airbags and a fascinating list of 'top tens' (top ten sellers, most stolen, operating costs). There are also some super articles - past entries have included stories that explain the window sticker, help you decide whether to buy new or used and examine the pros and cons of different retail options like superstores or dealerships.

This buying guide includes limited data - such as specifications, original and present price and reviews - on models back to 1989. To see this information simply click on the Research tab on the main page and select the make, year and model of car you are searching for information on.

Car Prices Auto Insurance Rebates and Financing for New or Used Cars
http://www.carprices.com/

This well-laid out site offers a lot of functionality for the car shopper including new and used vehicle research, a help-me-choose tool, car comparison tool and a variety of calculators. To get started click on the New Vehicles or Used Vehicles link.

From the new car research area you'll be able to get a quote, search dealer inventory, use the MatchMaker to find the right car for you and read safety information, reviews and rebate information on specific vehicles.

A really cool feature of the site is the MyCarPrices option that allows you to store up to 10 cars in your virtual garage (so you can go back and review them - I have sent carprices a note to ask if prices on configured cars will be adjusted as they change), get access to special discount offers, receive the CarPrices newsletter and access the newsletter archives.

Yahoo! Autos
http://autos.yahoo.com/research.html?refsrc=autos/home

There is good information on this site - the car comparison tool is useful, the listing of online video and audio events about cars is neat and the articles in the Consumer Reports Auto Hub are interesting. Basically though this site uses the carrot of information to tempt you to buy a car from Yahoo's online auctions and classifieds. Navigation is a bit difficult too with a fair amount of backtracking required to go from one area to another.

One plus of this site is the personalization it offers - you can add event notices to your calendar, be reminded of when your car needs an oil change and be alerted to recall information specific to your car. In addition, Yahoo has established a thriving automobile community where you can ask for information, post messages, chat and ask for (or give) expert advice.

The Auto Channel's MAIN STUDIO
http://www.theautochannel.com/F/news/topics.html

This site is as loud and powerful as a Rolls-Royce airplane engine. There is a lot of great information on this site but it is about as sophisticated and well-organized as a monster truck show. Put on some sunglasses and persevere though and you'll be pleasantly surprised. You can look at reviews for individual vehicles by clicking on the appropriate year under the Vehicle Reviews heading (scroll down the page).

The review link will get you a fairly long anecdotal review of your selected car. Unfortunately, you no longer get links to full specs or other information about the car that used to be included with the review - this is definitely a change for the worse. You can get to this information by going to the Buyers Guides (New or Used) link at the bottom of the page and then selecting the car you are interested in. For some reason only 2002 and 2003 models are available (no 2004).

This buying guide includes reviews, some specifications and pricing data of specific models from selected manufacturers back to 1993. To see these reviews go to Reviews Page and select the year, manufacturer and model you are interested in.

AutoBuyology: Teaching Students How to Car Deal Fish
http://www.autobuyology.org/

This rather disorganized and poorly executed site (littered with misspellings, typos and other problems) DOES contain some good information that is unfortunately degraded by the way it is presented and the hectoring tone of the writer.

However the overall deficiencies of the site cannot detract from its wonderful major raison d'etre which is to ask the question - DO YOU REALLY NEED A CAR AT ALL? The Auto Alternatives section has some sobering facts on the true cost of automobile ownership both to your wallet and to the environment that we all share.

So if you are looking for some rather inflammatory reading on how the American public is regularly duped and deceived by the automobile industry this is the place to come. And if you want ammunition to argue why your family, spouse, significant other, boss, friend or whatever shouldn't buy a car but instead try walking, cycling or using transit this is DEFINITELY the place to come.

Chrome Data Corporation | Driving Automotive E-Commerce
http://www.chrome.com/

You may very well ask why I have included this site in the research section of "Where Can I Buy A Car Online?". I have included it because I think that if you are interested in buying or researching a car on the Internet it is wise to gain a little bit of understanding as to who is providing the information and what else they are involved in.

Chrome is huge! To quote them "For more than 16 years, Chrome has served the retail automotive industry exclusively. . . Chrome provides the North American ordering system for General Motors and its 8,300 dealers. We set the standard in ordering systems for fleet management, serving 9 of the 10 largest fleet management companies. Our automotive clients sold half of all new vehicles sold in the US in 2000. We're proud to be exclusively automotive."

Chrome supplies the data - most importantly PRICING data - to a lot of sites and has been rated by CNW Marketing/Research as the most accurate of the eight major data/configuration providers (February 2000 and Spring 2001). You might want to visit their Chrome Standard page (from the main page click on About Chrome and look at the listings on the left hand side of the page) for information on this data provisioning. An interesting new feature is the one page 'Do's and Don'ts' for online car buyers.

Chrome's site is fascinating and poking around on it will give you a better idea of how the online car buying and researching industry is set up and what to watch out for.

NADA.org
http://www2.nada.org/index.cgi

The DriversSeat site has been taken over by the National Automobile Dealers Association and the amount of research material available has been downgraded quite a bit.

There is still some helpful information however such as the Step-by-Step Tips (click on the More Car Shopping Tools at the bottom of the page) and the section on Safety (bottom link in the far left hand column). The safety area contains some startling information - especially in the Child Seat Safety section (did you know that 80 percent of the children who have died in automobile accidents would still be alive if they had been protected by child safety seats or safety belts).

Welcome to Lemonaidcars.com
http://www.lemonaidcars.com/

Phil deserves a big pat on the back (or someone he hired does). His site has been completely revamped and is slick, organized and helpful.

There is a scheme and organization to the site now and clicking on a link actually takes you to the corresponding location on the site (previously clicking on links took you to completely unrelated subjects). Useful areas to check out are the Best and Worst Buys section and the Lemon Aid Gripe Sites.

Of course the main thrust of the site is still to sell the Lemon-Aid books (which by all accounts are useful and worth the money you pay for them) but there is stuff to learn here and its darn entertaining too. Well done Phil! Glad to be able to move your score up!

Welcome to the J.D. Power Consumer Center
http://www.jdpower.com/auto/

It's a mere shadow of its former self but the J.D. Power site still contains a small amount of useful information for the automotive shopper. Use the New/used vehicles link (top left) to see overall ratings of a given car's mechanical quality, feature and accessory quality, body and interior quality, performance, creature comforts and style (note what's missing - value for dollar). You can also use the selector for comparison. There is also a 'help me choose' tool available from the main page (the Vehicle selector link).

From the main page you can see what awards various manufacturers have won by going to the Awards link, clicking on the Automotive button and then clicking on the manufacturer name. There is a helpful glossary (see under the Help heading).

Cartrackers.com - New and Used car pricing and reviews
http://www.cartrackers.com/

CarTrackers' only receives a fair mark for the research resources of its site. If you select a particular car you will only see a very general (several paragraph and completely anecdotal) review of it - no full specs, no links to select comparable cars from other manufacturers and no links to in-depth reviews.

There are none of the neat tools that distinguish the best sites - in-depth reviews of specific models, car comparison tools or links to sites with safety and recall information. I had high hopes for this site as it is the only one with a section devoted to Alternative Fuel Vehicles.

The Think Green section of the site has improved with an excellent new section entitled Nuts & Bolts that explains the basic mechanics of all the alternative fuel vehicles available today. But overall this site still doesn't cut it as a comprehensive research tool.

new car buying tips, used car buying tips
http://www.dealertricks.com/

This humble little site makes interesting reading. It is very simply laid out and is not at all fancy. Yet it contains some good information about tactics that you may be subjected to at a car dealership. Sort of in the vein of the CarBuyingTips site but nowhere near as extensive or vengeful.

I suggest you peruse this site before you go to any car lot. Perhaps you could even print some of the pages out and take them with you so that you could identify the behaviours and dialogues that you might observe and be on your guard against those particular ploys.

The Car Connection - The Web's Automotive Authority
http://www.thecarconnection.com/

This stylish site has lots of subjective information but is a bit slim on the nuts and bolts that I believe most of you are looking for. Reviews are not searchable but are simply divided into categories (cars, luxury vehicles, trucks and SUVs etc) and then listed by the date they were written.

The reviews are heavy on subjective data and good writing but skimpy on technical data (very abbreviated specs at the end of the review) and no links to safety data, manufacturer's site, video/pictures of the car or other information are given. The so-called Buyers' Guide does nothing but list the models available from each manufacturer and give a very brief (several sentence) overview of each model.

There are no comparison tools on this site, no links to price guides or to manufacturer sites. However a search tool has been added that allows you to perform non-Boolean searches of selected areas of the site. There is a lot of interesting stuff to read but its usefulness to the new or used car shopper is limited.

Vehix.com
http://www.vehix.com/

After being very disappointed in this site from a sales point of view I hoped that it might garner more points in the research category - but it didn't. The comparison tool is okay - allowing you to compare up to three cars - but it is in no way superior to others out there and is slow and unwieldy to configure.

There is a link to the New Car Test Drive database (and at least you can go about finding your car test drive in a logical fashion) but other than this link there are no other reviews or assessments of new cars offered by this site. There are links to safety and recall information but it is quite clear to the most casual observer that all this site is interested in doing is getting you to submit a request for a quote.

Bottom line - don't bother with this site - it has nothing special to offer and does a poor job of presenting standard tools and information.

Buy Cars, Used Car Classifieds, Auto Financing at Automotive.com
http://www.automotive.com/

This recently revamped site is of little use as a buying guide since the emphasis is so much on BUYING rather than GUIDE. Most disappointing is the fact that you cannot get detailed pricing information without surrendering a bunch of personal information (albeit on a secure form) AND waiting for the info to be emailed to you. This is a big black mark against this site - I am looking for information at this stage not a quote and I feel that these hard sell tactics are a major turnoff and will keep users away in droves.

I also take issue with the 'How it works' text that is shown on the Buy New page. You are NOT shown car reviews, MSRP, invoice pricing etc - they are emailed to you which isn't the same thing at all. And I'm sorry but I consider having to surrender my email address to get this information directly in contradiction to the expression 'No commitment'.

The rest of the site has little to recommend it. The so-called reviews are just spec sheets with a single photo and no valuable info such as ownership costs, reliability information or safety ratings.There are none of the tools that are found on the leading sites in this category - things like links to external reviews, car comparison tools or help-me-choose tools.

The site is nicely laid out, it looks good and it's nice that they collect your personal data on a secure page - however these cosmetic touches do not disguise the fact that this site has very little to offer the discerning car shopper.

Car Information by CarJunky.com Providing you with Free Online Auto Information
http://www.carjunky.com/news/newtext/1.shtml

This archiving and portal site has great potential but like many sites that use this format you have to wade through too much mud to find the gems. There are links to hundreds of automotive sites here as well as collections of articles that have been clumped together in somewhat uneasy categories.

I am sure that there is good information on this site but finding it is just too difficult. So unless you want to read juvenile brags about horsepower and hotrodding while you search for information on the new car you are thinking of buying give this site a miss.

VMR Auto Guides - Used Car Prices, Used Cars, Collector Car & Truck Market
http://www.vmrintl.com/

Small amounts of general information on a variety of issues involved in buying a used car but no searchable car specific information available (i.e. reviews, safety information). There are about 20 reviews listed but obviously the car you are interested in is more likely not to be on the list than on it with so few to choose from. There are links to safety information, recall notices and service bulletins but these are just general links and not car specific.

The whole site gives the impression of a thrown together piece of HTML that seems to have been put up on the net so that the price guide is not on its own - it needs a lot of work before it can be considered useful for the used car shopper.

This buying guide features data on USED cars only (no NEW car information). However you should note that while pricing information is available on models back to 1946 (wow!) information other than pricing on older cars - such as specs, reviews or safety data - is not very extensive.

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