For $12 ($10 per additional report requested at the
same time) you get: the invoice price (the dealer cost);
the typical sticker price (manufacturer's suggested
retail price); additional costs of the factory-installed
options; any rebates or incentives; CR's recommendations
about what optional equipment you should purchase; CR's
safety ratings analysis; similar cars you may want to
consider; and suggestions on negotiating the best deal
for this car.
It's $12 well spent. Free price quotes are available
elsewhere online, but they don't provide some of the
additional information you get from Cr. For $24 a year,
you can look at everything CR tests for that whole year.
Consumer's Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports,
has its own distinct Web site at www.consumer.org.
This site specializes in governmental actions, recalls,
court cases, environmental issues, and similar topics.
For instance, at the time of this writing, a series
of interesting articles titled "The Risk of Rollover
in Some Sport-Utitity Vehicles and Consumer Union's
Testing for Such Risks" appears there. These reports
are free.
Checking Out Edmund's
Featuring the three famous magazines — New Cars
Prices & Reviews, Used Cars Prices & Reviews,
and Used Cars & Trucks Prices & Ratings —
this site also offers a wide variety of information,
including road tests, vividly written reviews, Town
Hall (online discussion groups on all aspects of vehicle
ownership), the "deal of the month," and a
useful New Car Buyer's Workbook (available for $9.95;
specific to the auto you're interested in). Many people
consider the Edmund's reviews to be among the most reliable
and thorough find them at www.edmunds.com.
Pricing from Pace
The Pace Buyer's Guides have been published since 1974.
Now they're online at www.carprice.com.
You'll find free price information and other auto data
at this Web site. If pricing is your main interest,
this site is extremely comprehensive. However, it also
includes a variety of additional information, including
calculators, recalls, rebates, insurance information,
warranty information, tips, negotiation suggestions,
motorcycle information, and other data. This is an efficient,
quick, easy-to-navigate, and valuable site. Give it
a look.
Intelligence
from IntelliChoice
Since 1987, IntelliChoice has been publishing auto reports
in the award winning The Complete Car Cost Guide. Find
it online at www.Intellichoice.com.
You'll be able to compare vehicles side by side, and
a Spanish language version is available. You can also
learn about current rebates and incentives, try the
finance calculator to plan your purchase intelligently,
find out all about pre-owned vehicles, and much more.
IntelliChoice, an independent research firm, also announces
its IntelliChoice awards annually. The firm projects
that these vehicles will be the best values based on
factors including price, depreciation (which can vary
considerably among makes and models), repairs, financing,
and maintenance. Historical data are used to create
projections for a five-year period.
Autos from AutoByTel
Best known as an online car-buying service, AutoByTel
is also a good source of automobile and truck reviews.
You'll likely be pleased with the accuracy and depth
of their coverage at www.auto-reviews.com.
Finding Online Pricing
Your goal in researching pricing online should be to
come to a fair and equitable price. You want to give
the dealer and salesman a fair profit, but you don't
want to lose your shirt. The feeling that you may end
up paying too much for a car is what can make the buying
process uncomfortable.
Luckily, you can get pretty accurate information about
how many automobiles cost online. The more you find
out about what the dealer is paying for the car, the
better prepared you are to give the dealer a fair return
on investment that doesn't cramp your pocketbook.
Prices
and more from Kelley Blue Book
Kelley Blue Book is a venerable, respected institution
that's now available online. Here you can find out the
invoice price that the dealer pays for each type of
vehicle, along with the cost of various options. And
Kelley Blue Book serves as a one-stop resource for automobile
information as well. From within the site, you can find
insurance quotes, vehicle reliability data, and some
of the best, most comprehensive automotive data at www.kbb.com.
Using the Black Book
Available since 1955, the Black Book specializes in
providing "the latest wholesale prices direct from
the auction lanes." Its publishers claim that one
of its great strengths is up-to-the-minute pricing.
Sale prices are checked at auctions daily, then added
to the Black Book database. A complicated process is
used to determine price, taking into account such effects
on an auction as weather, current popularity of the
model, quantity of a given model that was for sale at
the auction, and other factors.
This
service is quite similar to the highly responsive price
shifts that occur on the stock market, where values
move virtually hourly.
Check
out their site at www.blackbookusa.com.
Checking
Out Car Magazines Online
Online you'll find both sites for traditional prints
magazines, such as Car and Driver, and also Internet-only
magazines. Both varieties can be helpful when you're
gathering information.
Car and Driver
At www.caranddriver.com,
you can find tests, reports, reviews, buyer's guides,
archives, lists of the 10 best cars and 100 best roads,
concept cars shows, and various other information's
from the well-known publisher.
Motor Tren Online
Data from this publisher is yours to peruse online at
www.motortrend.com/b1/b1f.html.
Reviews, news, links and other features are yours for
the clicking. Note that this site, and the Road and
Track site, are both particularly aimed at the enthusiast
market. Some everyday cars ignored. Also, you'll find
limited information if you're a non-subscriber.
Road
and Track
Yet another magazine publisher creates a presence online.
Find it at www.auto-reviews.com.
Auto Week
This site offers some fast-breaking news because
it's a weekly publication. It also includes respected
reviews about driving, with consumer commentary. Try
it at www.autoweek.com.
Other
magazines online
We mention the sites of several famous car magazines,
but many more are online. Some are sites offering electronic
versions of their newsstand paper counterparts. Others
are all electronic— no paper involved
Online-only magazines are often referred to as zines.
One such zines is AutoZine. AutoZine (home.netvigator.com/-europa)
is an interesting site that publishes independent reports
(no ads, and, as the author says," .no income.
In other words, I do it just for fun."). It covers
a wide variety of vehicles. Established in September
1997, it includes photos, ratings, reviews, specs, and
additional information.
Use
your favorite search engine to locate any of the following
online magazines that interest you: Autofacts; the Autonaut;
Autopedia; All Auto Online; American Automobile Association;
Autoweek Online; CarMag; CarSound Magazine; C.A.R.S.
Unlimited; Car Talk with Tom and Ray; Eric Anderson's
Car Crazy; Kit
Car Buyers Guide; Popular Mechanics Auto; Top Gear Magazine;
TURBO Magazine; Turbozine; Vette Vues Magazine; WheelBase
and World of Wheels.
Microsoft's
CarPoint
Launched in 1995, CarPoint is one of the oldest, largest,
and most comprehensive sources of information about
cars on the Internet. The site gets over 3 million unique
visitors every month. (Uniqueness is important because
some Web sites inflate their activity by counting every
visitor, even repeat connections.) Find CarPoint at
carpoint.msn.com/home/New.asp
Go
to CarPoint to find substantial information, including
-Classifieds.
-Troubleshooting.
-Automotive reviews.
-Specs.
-Prices.
-Safety reports. You'll find ratings based on more than
250,000 incident reports annually from the Automotive
Information System's Identifix program.
-Reliability ratings.
-Buying services for both new and used cars with no-haggle
quotes.
-A Side-by-Side Compare feature that lets you contrast
the spec of two new or used cars.
-A payment calculator to let you figure loan payments,
total cost, interest rate, loan duration, and down payment.
CarPoint offers the current interest rates from more
than 2,700 lending institutions.
- A power search where you type in your desired cost
and type of vehicle, and models meeting your criteria
are listed for you.
Keeping track of your car's maintenance
Also, take a look at the Personal Auto Page, where you
can track your auto's maintenance and repairs, as well
as see the current value of your vehicle. Microsoft
says that 500,000 consumers have used this feature alone.
With the Personal Auto Page, you can see when seasonal
maintenance is needed, when it's time for an oil change,
and so on. You can even request to be sent e-mail when
scheduled maintenance is required or if any reports
or recalls have been issued relating to your vehicle.
And Microsoft says that soon you'll be able to use a
pricing utility that will automatically estimate service
and repair costs, comparing various options for you.
Microsoft's MSN claims that CarPoint has more than 3,500
affiliated dealers nationwide and that hits to this
site each month trigger more than 145,000 leads, resulting
in more than $600 million in car sales. That's an impressive
e-commerce activity level. CarPoint can give you data
on more than 10,000 models and boasts listings of more
than 100,000 used (or pre-owned, as dealers prefer to
call them) cars.
Try
the Exorcist 360-deqree head twist
One cool tool you can find at CarPoint is the 360-degree
video. You're able to "walk around" the outside
of many new car models and also sit inside and "twist"
your head in a complete circle, just like Linda Blair,
and see all the interior details.
100
top ten lists
Would you enjoy seeing what the experts consider the
ten best vehicles in many different categories? Want
to know which cars are most often stolen or considered
the best of the best by Consumer Reports? CarPoint has
collected 100 top ten lists at carpoint.msn.com/Windowshopping.asp.
Among
the top ten lists you'll finds are:
-
Gen Xers' Top Ten (J.D. Power and Associates list of
automotive preferences of 20- to 34-year-olds)
-
AAA Picks Its Top Cars (the famous awards given in 12
classes)
-
CarPoint's Top Ten (the cars that were selected as CarPoint's
New-Car Buying Service 1999 Top Ten)
-
IntelliChoice's Best Overall Values (used vehicles rated
Best Overall Value by IntelliChoice, Inc.)
-
Get the Most Bangs for Your Buck (the most affordable
horsepower powerhouses)
-
Top Ten Towing Rigs (thinking of getting into hauling?)
-
High Rollers' Top Ten Cars (if money is no object)
-
Consumer Reports picks their "Best of the Best"
-
Top Ten Fuel Misers (the ten thriftiest cars)
-
America's Most Loved New Cars (in 15 categories)
-
Most Popular Foreign Cars
-
America's Top Ten Bestsellers (hint: they're trucks!)
-
America's most stolen (the cars that thieves love most)
-
Car and Driver's 10 Best
-
Four-Wheel-Drive Systems
You
can find these and many more, including convertibles,
muscle cars, cars priced over $100,000, SUVs, vans,
and trucks.
AuHo?
"The Automobiles Homepage"
For discussions, archive, photos, specs, and links to
reviews (CarPoint, Edmonds) on a wide variety of makes
and models, check out AuHo? At www.auho.com.
Interesting, Different, and a Couple
of Downright Funky Sites
Just in case you're one of those who likes to go off the
beaten path to round out your more conventional research,
here is a handful of intriguing suggestions that may be
just what you're looking for. Take
the Car-O-Scope psychological test
Do you want to know if you are driving, or considering,
a car that harmonizes with your personality? Don't fight
your own character by trying to fit into a vehicle that
is just plain wrong for you. The Car-O-Scope test promises
to "help you determine if you're driving a car
that fits your psychographic profile." Try it at:
cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Psychographics
Visit
the manufacturers themselves
You can, of course, risk visiting the Web sites of the
automobile manufacturers. You'll find a good deal of
sizzle, as you might imagine, and no biting, or even
very objective, reports. But for completeness of specifications
and glamorous color photos, nothing beats the home site
of a car's own maker. If you've already made up your
mind about the car you want to buy, look up its manufacturer's
description so you can feel good about the great machine
you're about to own. The creators of the car do their
best to put their product on a pedestal.
Ford
Motors
See Ford products at www.fordvehicles.com.
General
Motors
General Motors has a Web site at: www.gm.com. Try GM's
Buypower feature. It includes research, a way to specify
which features you want in a car, dealers' inventories,
and allows you to schedule a test drive and ask a dealer
for their best price (better also check out the other
sources of "best prices" as well).
Gillet Vertigos, Solectrias, Twikes, and 1,000 others
Do you want to visit a less mainstream site than Ford
or GM? Interested in something like a Gillet Vertigo,
a Solectria, or a Twike?
Find the Web sites, and 800 numbers, of everything from
Subaru to Steyr-Daimler-Puch at autopedia.com/html/MfgSites.html.
If
you're French...
Respected French-Canadian journalist Denis Duquet has
been writing about cars for 20 years, or as he puts it:
"Denis Duquet est chroniqueur automobile depuis 20
ans. Professeur d'histoire ancienne venu au journalisme
automobile par un curieux concours de circonstances, il
en a fait son unique gagne pain depuis 1982." If
you understood that, find out what else he has to say
at www.duquet.com/.
About.com
This Web site is a good source of links to other sites
for all kinds of information, discussions, books, awards,
repair histories, museums, parts, dealers, and loads
of other topics of interest to car buyers and owners.
The information at this site itself is broader than
it is deep, but it's deepening all the time. Give it
a try:
cars.about.com/autos/cars.
Car
Secrets Revealed
Car Secrets Revealed is said to be among the most-visited
automotive sites on the Internet, and you'll find issues
raised here that are rarely covered elsewhere. Do you
feel you're getting ripped off on repairs or insurance?
Are you worried that the new car you're about to buy may
turn out to be a lemon? Automotive consultant Corey Rudl's
book may be just what you're looking for. You can get
a taste of the book online at www.igs.net/carsecrets.
The
site sells the book, but you may want to explore other
intriguing topics here, including these teaser descriptions
the site provides of some of the points covered:
-
One thing you must do so you'll never buy a lemon.
-
Learn how every dealer gets a secret rebates on every
car they sell…their most guarded secret is revealed.
-
Which day of the month to buy/lease gets you an extra
$400 discount instantly (no, it is not the last day
of the month)?
-
Are you paying the lowest car price? No, you're not!
You'll be shown the exact dialogue you must use to get
the best deal on your new or used car. Purchase in confidence
that you have obtained the lowest price possible.
-
Discover hidden bogus extras and double-charging tricks
that can cost you thousands... and you'll never know
it.
-
The hidden truth about government seizure auctions (you
know, drug lord cars) - can you really buy a Corvette
for $200 as they advertise?
Got a Lemon?
A
lemon is a new vehicle that has one or more serious
defects, but these defects are not found in all vehicles
of this model (therefore, there will be no recall to
correct the problem). Perhaps somebody forgot to secure
the oil pan on your brand new car, so after a few miles
the engine began to chew itself to pieces. What can
you do?
A
site named Autopedia boasts a number of valuable resources,
including a complete listing of the lemon laws by state.
If you suspect that you bought a lemon, here's where
you can begin the process of getting a fair shake:
autopedia.com/html/HotLinks_Lemon.html.
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the process is complete. Many other car referral
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must provide you with masses of superfluous information
in order for you to make an "educated"
decision on buying a new car or buying a used car.
We believe our customers know what kind of new car
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feel that you require additional information prior
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please visit another purveyor. This site and this
service is not an affiliate site and does not accept
affiliates of any kind.
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