Wheel Deals on the Web
Sun Review August 11, 2001

Some people dread the process of buying a new or used vehicle. Others look forward to it, relishing the test drive and arming themselves with enough information to impress even the most jaded salesperson. If you're looking for a wheel deal, why not start your search on the Web? You can discover which dealers have the car you're looking for, what a particular car is worth, read testimonials from satisfied or not-so-satisfied customers, and check the lemon reports.

If you're in the market for a used car, you can use the Web to research what cars are in your price range, what common problems those cars might have, and possibly which dealer has such a vehicle available in your price range. Just be warned: most dealers do not keep their websites as updated as possible, so you might find that steal of a deal is already gone by the time you get there. You might even want to phone ahead before making the trip. Of course the same applies to printed magazines such as the AutoTrader or newspaper classifieds, although these traditional methods of advertising are far more effective for finding privately offered vehicles.

If you'd rather head to the dealer for a test-drive before doing your research, I highly recommend using the Web afterwards to discover the true value of the vehicle. Go to kbb.com, the website that takes Kelley's Blue Book off the dealer's desk and puts it on your computer. Select "Used Car Retail", then choose either private or dealer to find the value you'd expect to pay when purchasing a car from another consumer or through a dealer. Now select the make, model and year, input mileage and the condition of the vehicle, and the Kelley Blue Book spits out a dollar figure representing the vehicle's present market value. The Blue Book offers prices for the US automotive market, but if you enter a ZIP code for Washington (for example, Seattle's 98105) and calculate the exchange, you'll find the prices are fairly accurate. The site is also extremely useful for new car pricing, giving you not only the retail price, but also the much lower dealer invoice price, and the dealer's cost for optional equipment such as moon roofs and cup holders, which means you will know exactly what the salesperson's bottom line really is.

Other useful links for local car shoppers include Canadatrader.com, with over 3700 listings for vehicles for sale in BC, Buysell.com with more than 7000 listings, the popular radio show Car Talk (cartalk.cars.com) and of course your local dealer's website. Don't be afraid to get online both before and after visiting a dealer. After helping my friend test-drive a used car at a dealership recently, I visited the dealer's website and lo and behold, there was the same car we test-drove offered for $1000 less than the lot price.

Questions or comments? E-mail inge@ingenius.bc.ca

© 2001 Ingenius Webdesign