The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
My email box is now teeming with questions from readers! So many emails so
little time. One of the most common types of questions I get is on how
people can use the Internet to help them buy things. Big things. I’m going
to let you (and 35 million others) in on a little secret: if I were to get
10 megabytes of hard disk space for every horror story I get from people
upset with their car buying experiences, I'd be The Very Rich Virtual Woman.
But the goal here is not the enhancement of The Virtual Woman’s personal
wealth (at least not short-term); the goal is for me to help out my readers!
So this week I am focusing on answering various questions that will educate
you about how you can use the Internet to assist in buying or selling a car.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I have bought four used cars
and sold three used cars. Quite frankly, I'm
amazed that I'm still alive to tell the tale. I've hated every minute of
every purchase and every sale. But ultimately I like the results. I cannot
afford to pay the premium on a brand new vehicle and would rather hunt down
low mileage cars and buy them used. Unlike my previous experiences, as I
head into my fifth purchase and fourth sale, I now have a computer and
access to the World Wide Web. What's out there that'll help?
- Used In Potomac
Dear Used:
The Virtual Woman has good news for you: the investment you made in your computer and in getting Web access is about to pay off. There are resources out here that will give you excellent information on the amount of money you should be paying for your new used car, the amount you can expect to get from your old used car as well as actual used cars available in your area that meet your criteria.
It sounds like you're a pretty experienced person so if you know the make and model car that you want to buy used, one of my favorite stops is Kelley Blue Book at http://www.kbb.com/. As you know from your car selling days, Kelley Blue Book is the place everyone goes to to research the value of used car values. I remember back 1989 BIWP (Before Internet Was Popular) it was nearly impossible to get your hands on a Blue Book (you had to have a co-worker's sister-in-law's cousin who worked at a bank loan you one). Now, all the values of all used cars are online in database format so you can get a very close estimate of a car's worth by entering in variables like year, make, model, condition, mileage, features and your geographic location. Enter the variables and bang, 30 seconds later you have an estimate of either what you should pay for the used car you want or what you should be getting for the used car you're selling.
You should also head over to AutoConnect.Com (http://www.autoconnect.com). They specialize in used cars. And it shows. The site has a large number of used cars listed and they make it super easy to look up cars by price, model and mileage radius from your home. I found a nice selection of used Toyota Celicas within 30 miles and an even larger collection 40 miles away. The information is current and the response time from prospective buyers and sellers appears to be very fast; I left an email for a local car dealer and within 3 hours got a call back. Another very cool thing about this site is that you can post a classified ad for your used car at no charge.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I love your column!
Can you tell us what you look like? If not, can you help
me find information on new cars? I finally got a raise at work and one guess
as to what I'm doing with it!
- Steven R.
Dear Steven:
The Virtual Woman is very pleased that you like the column! Regarding your first question, all I can say is that The Virtual Woman has a look and feel all her own. But enough about me, let’s get onto your brand new car!
One of the best places to research a car purchase is Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com). This site is brought to you by the same guys who have been providing consumer oriented car guides since 1966. Edmunds is jam packed with information and reviews on new and used cars. And they offer extremely helpful pages of information. I found "The 10 steps that every car buyer should follow: a quick step by step guide on what to pay," And "How To Get Your Way at the Auto Dealer, ", By Dr. Burke Leon, author of The Insider's Guide to Buying a New or Used Car to be just two of many great articles available to anyone perusing Edmunds.
Spend at least an hour at Edmund's before you hit the car lots and The Virtual Woman guarantees you'll save money. Preparation is a huge portion of a successful negotiation and by knowing how much you should pay for the car you want and how much you should get for the car you’re trading in (assuming you’re doing a trade-in) you will save yourself a ton of time and more than a few dollars. One especially useful area is a section that gives you up to the minute information on all the current dealer holdbacks, incentives and rebates. Just last week a friend of mine surfed Edmunds before braving her way over to the car dealer's. While at Edumunds she found out about a rebate that the car manufacturer was offering to dealers on the model car she wanted. She used this information and bang, she leveraged this information to get an additional $2000 off an $18,000 car!
Dear Virtual Woman:
My husband has his heart set on a Ford Taurus and I'm insisting on the Honda Accord. Where can we go to do a side by side feature comparison online?
P.S. Do you do marriage counseling?
- Brenda T. , Seattle
Dear Brenda:
Yahoo's auto section (http://auto.yahoo.com) is an excellent site for obtaining information about purchasing a car. And also, specific to your question, what caught my eye was a comparison feature they have right on their homepage. The feature delivers a lightning fast side by side comparison of the two automobiles that you are interested in including photographs, pricing, engine, interior dimension, exterior dimension, steering, brakes, suspension and warranty information.
The Virtual Woman does not do marriage counseling but thank you for asking!
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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