Car Shopping

Helping you become a better informed new- and used-car shopper

Buying a used car through Craigslist classifieds – or maybe not
October 26, 2015

Buying a used car through Craigslist classifieds – or maybe not

There’s Craigslist. And there’s NOT Craigslist, competitors such as Oodle and Geebo. And then there’s trying to find order in the chaos of classified advertising websites selling used cars to determine whether any is/are worth the time and effort to…

Uncage the 400-pound gorilla in your search for a used car?
October 19, 2015

Uncage the 400-pound gorilla in your search for a used car?

Automotive News once called CarMax Inc. the 400-pound gorilla of the used-car market. Not much has changed in the year or so since then, despite the launch of used-car-only stores by Sonic and Asbury automotive groups, which, for the time…

Most vehicle shoppers use dealership websites – should you?
October 12, 2015

Most vehicle shoppers use dealership websites – should you?

Dealership websites are popular among vehicle shoppers. More than six in 10 such shoppers – 64 percent seeking used vehicles, to be precise, and 61 percent seeking new vehicles – visit auto dealership websites before making a purchase, one study…

Nothing special about used-vehicle website ‘aggregators’
October 5, 2015

Nothing special about used-vehicle website ‘aggregators’

It sounds like such a great idea. Compile used-car listings from multiple websites to give shoppers all the options – everything they need to identify their next vehicle – in one online location. One so-called “aggregator,” autolist, even likens itself…

This is why your vehicle has been recalled for repairs
October 1, 2015

This is why your vehicle has been recalled for repairs

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Or, in the case of recent vehicle recalls, defective airbags, faulty ignition switches and hacking threat, someone (or thing) made enough noise to get the attention of automakers and/or federal government. Somewhere around 100…