A sliver less cosmic is the site of the Ford
Motor Company . You can get the financial data and a message from the
chairman, but the site boasts more about Ford’s corporate and family
history than its research. Also, you’ll find perhaps more than you want to
know about Ford's credit and financial services. Sign up as a member of
the Ford Web Customer Focus Team, and they'll send you product ideas and
designs to evaluate. In the virtual showroom you can see the cars’
interiors, and a click on the outside shot yields a full-screen version.
Data includes the MSRP and standard features. Then, of course, you can
locate the Ford dealer nearest you. In the near future, Ford Simulator
software will let you pick, paint, and accessorize the Ford of your dreams.
For use of graphics, you can hardly beat
Autonet, a site representing a
consortium of auto dealers in southern California. There's a virtual
showroom of the various models, with links to the individual dealers.
There's no on-line buying, however: You’ve got to go out and contact the
dealer.
A smaller site befits a smaller maker of smaller cars. At
the Saturn Corporation site, you
can examine pictures of the new lineup, order brochures, read a Saturn
FAQ, and peruse an on-line version of Saturn Magazine, with its tales of
the rich, fulfilling lives led by Saturn owners. The list of dealers
includes, in some cases, the Web pages of the individual dealers.
IntelliChoice sells guides to
buying cars and trucks. While its site is largely an advertisement for
those publications, there is enough information offered gratis to make the
place worth a click. Check out the Best Overall Value of the Year in
various car and truck price ranges, based on cost of ownership, as
determined in their books. You’ll also see collections of buying tips,
economic points, and safety information. To wit: If you've fallen in love
with a certain car, don't let the salesperson know. If repair costs appear
high, don't be put off: Repairs are the least of the average cost items
for a car. For depreciation purposes, own the car as long as you can. For
cheaper insurance, get married. And, yes, the air bag can sound like a
shotgun when it inflates, but that should be the least of your worries.
The
Popular
Mechanics site has well-selected material of benefit to the car buyer.
You’ll find profiles of the latest car and truck models and updates on
purchasing incentives that car makers offer through their dealers. But the
most compelling information may be the results of the ownership surveys
that the magazine sends its readers. One survey asks, for example, whether
you’d purchase your present car if you had it to do again.
You’ll discover a considerable amount of information about tires at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, but
disappointingly little about blimps. But you can get the blimps'
appearance schedule here, as well as the address of your local dealer.
Emphasizing high-end for-sale-by-owner vehicles (luxury, sport, exotic,
and classic cars, plus RVs) is Calling All Cars. By
filling out a form, you can either advertise your wheels for $100 or get
your own Web page for 60 days for $29.95. (They call you on the phone to
arrange payment.) Each page has space for a thumbnail picture of the car,
clickable to bring up a full-screen version. Advertisers are invited to
send in a sharp photo of their offering. But most we saw just had a text
description. The for-sale listings were divided up by make. It seems a
shame there’s no search facility to ferret out the sellers near your home
or see if one of the categories contains one of those MG kit cars you've
been dreaming of. (One category did, actually: made in 1952, driven only
500 miles, never smoked in, asking $11,000.)
Want to buy a car at $199 over invoice? Cars@Cost promises to free you
from having to interact with salespeople by getting you a car at, in most
cases, the factory invoice price, charging you either $199 for the slow,
factory-direct route or $299 to get it from the dealer pipeline.
If living means owning a Corvette to you, then click on over to Vettes On The Net.
Apparently a hobby site gone pro, beyond the many sponsor logos there's
everything you'd expect: technical and background information on
Corvettes, dealers, shows, and want-ads.
Nobody wants to feel naked walking into a dealership. The Car Price Network sells car
price reports for from $4 to $7 each, plus $4 handling. The reports
include dealer invoices and retail prices for each model and for all
available factory-installed options, plus the usual tips on how to deal
with the salespeople.
If your tastes in a used car run more toward a Duesenberg than a Ford
Pinto, then check out the Barrett-Jackson Classic
Car Auction. It lists more than 750 vehicles.
Once upon a time, there was American Motors Co., and its sporty AMX
model tugged at many a heartstring. If you were among that number, you
should see the AMX
Files. There's coverage of the entire history of AMC and all the
cars it produced, including Renaults, Jeeps, and Ramblers, but the
emphasis is on AMX and AMX collecting.
If you want to rent a car, not buy one, try Alamo Rent A Car. Not only can you
reserve a rental car on-line, but you can jump to weather and travel
information sites, information on finding the Alamo office in major
cities, and directions from those Alamo offices to major hotels. Also
offered are those all-important kids' games to keep the noise down in the
back seat.
The Car/Puter site
is a car pricing and referral service. It offers to arrange the factory
purchase of your car (which can take several weeks, incidentally) at no
change, but they ask that you first buy one of their car buyers’ reports,
which run from $10 to $24, with $3 to $5 shipping and handling. These
provide pricing information on new cars and trucks so you'll know what
the dealer is paying and thus gauge what a fair price might be. You’ll
also see tips on how to wrestle with salespeople.
DealerNet is a virtual showroom
that appears to represent a number of car dealers in the Pacific
Northwest, plus a few others scattered throughout the country. The place
has big plans, such as offering insurance and financing quotes on-line.
But at review time it consisted of a database you can search by make,
style, and price range, and then call up lists of subscribing dealers
who offer that model. There was no facility for on-line buying.
The Auto-By-Tel
site lays out a free program offering cars at wholesale prices through
participating dealers, but it doesn't list those cars. State your
preferences: model, year, colors, seating, equipment, and expected
financing, for starters. There is no obligation. The nearest participating
dealer will call you and settle things over the phone. The documentation
suggests that you educate yourself about the market before placing an
order, which you'd need to do if only to select the options intelligently.
And, of course, to dicker with the salesmen who'll call.
For the bereaved former car owner, there's
The Stolen
Car Report, which purports to offer a stolen car locator service.
Actually, it offers an opportunity to post a picture of the car and other
information about it. About half of the dozen cars that had been listed
later allegedly showed up, although the organizers claimed no credit.
You can advertise your car by sending in $5 and a picture of the car at
Car-Link. The site appears to be
more of a model of what is planned than a functioning service. Listings
are arranged by make, but there were few cars listed.
Houston's L&L Auto Brokers buys
fleet and salvaged vehicles. Check out the special of the day.
ABE
has an interesting list of 800 numbers for vendors of automotive
accessories and supplies.
Apparently the Professional
Auto Buyer's Network is another broker/consulting organization,
although about all you learn from its site is that you need to fill out a
form to get more information.
Auto Buyers Choice is
yet another buyer's service, offering delivery anywhere in the U.S. or
Canada. Not much to see, nothing to click on, no makes or models, no
reason to go here.
by Lamont Wood