A V8 Powered Service- MSN Autos.
Written: Jun 30 '03 (Updated Jul 10 '03)
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Notice: Carpoint is now titled MSN Autos.
When I look for a good auto based web service that I plan on visiting on a regular basis, I look for more than just one chief asset. While many automotive sites focus on just buying or selling automobiles, attracting dealers to their site, or just self promotion, MSN Autos (previously known as Carpoint) offers almost everything I need in an online auto service; all under one roof.
The Site:
MSN Autos is a service that caters to those looking for just about anything regarding any automobile post 1988. As previously mentioned, MSN Autos is not just about buying and selling, so if you just want to find out the past history of a used car, find trade in values, read reviews, find related links, etc., etc., this site has it. MSN Autos also allows you to create your own account for your own car. To explain, when you register your own vehicle with MSN Autos, you can get service quotes (estimates on how much you should pay to have a certain repair performed, etc.), reminders on when to change your oil/maintenance in general, and monthly updates on how much your car is worth. One should note that other than to sell your vehicle, MSN Autos offers all of their services free of charge.
There is only one slight downside to the vast amount of services squeezed into this one site; formatting. The pages at MSN Autos could definitely be better organized, though this is not a huge gripe by any means. Since the selection at MSN Autos is absolutely huge, pages can seem overwhelmingly cluttered. MSN also (why MSN does this is beyond me) adds off-the-wall advertisements mixed in with their links. For example, next to MSN Auto's free CARFAX (lemon check) link is a relatively large dating service icon; if you are not careful when clicking on certain links you can be swept away to some off-topic web service. MSN Autos also comes on a bit too strong when trying to get a person to subscribe to their internet provider; on almost every page there is a sign-up icon.
Buying:
Buying a vehicle from MSN Autos is accomplished via eBay Motors. This could be a good or bad thing depending on how you like to purchase your vehicle. For those of you who are not familiar with eBay Motors, it's mostly an auction service (most people sell using the auction feature), however many users do use the "buy it now option" which allows you to buy a car for a set price. Personally, I feel MSN should have its own original buying service; I'm not big on car sites that link you to affiliated web services to save themselves time and money. To buy from MSN Autos you must first create an eBay account (it's painless and takes about 10 minutes), you can then enter your zip code in the search box to find local cars for sale. If MSN Autos cannot find any local listings it automatically goes to the default setting which will list the selected vehicles for sale nation wide. Unlike many sites which leave you in the cold when their search engine can't find any local results, MSN Autos will (99% of the time) find the car you are looking for somewhere in the country. Unfortunately (even though I have found some great deals) I have never been able to successfully purchase a vehicle using eBay Motors. I have lost most auctions, and despite winning an auction on a 1995 Mercury Sable for $500, the owner never contacted me after I had made several attempts to purchase the vehicle. That was my experience; there are plenty of success stories using this service.
Note: Buying a vehicle via eBay Motors is free of premium charges.
Selling:
Selling your automobile is obviously powered by eBay as well. This means that you have the choice of either auctioning off your vehicle or selling your vehicle for a set price. MSN Autos claim that by using eBay Motors your automobile will be visible to a buying community of 30 million visitors monthly. Since the default setting allows for your vehicle to be viewed no matter where the potential buyer is located, your selling page is subject to much more page views thus your automobile will theoretically have better chances of being purchased. The downside to selling at MSN Autos/eBay Motors is the price. To sell your car using eBay Motors it will cost you between $0.30-$3.30, plus a fee of up to 2.5% of whatever you sell your automobile for. For more information on selling fees you can visit http://pages.ebay.com/help/sellerguide/selling-fees.html#finalvaluefees.
Note: if you need help from customer service at any time, eBay has an online "live" customer service page where you can get all your questions answered. Expect to wait approximately ten minutes to talk to a live representative.
Final thoughts:
Even though I'm not exactly fond of the selling/advertising techniques at MSN Autos, the many positive attributes offered from this site outweigh the negatives. Like many acclaimed sites on the Internet, i.e. Cars.com, AutoTrader, CarsDirect, etc., MSN Autos offers tons of entertainment for both the auto enthusiast and those just looking for detailed info on any type of vehicle. Buying at MSN Autos/ eBay Motors is definitely recommended. Even though I did not get my $500 mint condition '95 Mercury Sable as expected, I have fun with the auctions and one can usually find some great deals at MSN Autos/eBay. On the other hand, if you plan to sell a car, I personally feel that there are easier/cheaper web sites out there that are equally if not more effective at selling your car than MSN Autos/eBay Motors.
Want to read about another great auto based web service? You may want to check out my review on AutoTrader.
-Thanks for reading.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? A Vehicle
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