Edmunds.com Helped Us Save Thousands of Dollars
Written: Jun 18 '07 (Updated Jun 20 '07)
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At first, I only used Edmunds.com as a source of information about cars. Then I discovered their forums where you could get information about the car you are interested in from people who own it. Later, I found out that you can get an estimated Cost to own information and compare cars based on depreciation and other parameters. Then I discovered their reviews and long-term tests. But the most important and useful function of the site came in handy later, when I used it to buy three cars for much cheaper than even CarsDirect's already low prices.
A Comprehensive Source
Edmunds.com is the comprehensive source of information for anybody looking for information about a new or a used car.
There are several areas of the site: New Cars (information about new cars), Used Cars (information about used cars), Car Reviews, Tips & Advice, Finance & Insurance, Forums.
New Cars
When I was looking to buy new cars (I bought 3 of them recently, with the help of Edmunds.com), I researched them using the site's New Cars area. It is very easy to use, lets you find the exact model and trim level you are looking for (e.g. Honda Accord 2.4 VP) and has pretty much all the information you may need, including (for most cars) so-called True Cost to Own.
This particular feature is unique to Edmunds.com (among well-known automotive sites at least). It lets you estimate the ownership costs for a given car including things like depreciation, taxes and fees, finance charges, insurance, maintenance, repairs and gasoline.
This feature, most of the time, also lets you compare a car to its competitors. I find this comparison very useful. It is too easy to concentrate on price alone without thinking about a car's future depreciation, insurance costs and other variables. In reality, in many situations a lower-priced car can actually be cheaper in the long run.
A good example is a comparison between an Infiniti G35 and a Lexus IS250. Although this is not an apples-to-apples comparison, it is still rather interesting to see that the IS250 (with 100 fewer horses) is much more expensive to insure.
Other sub-areas of the New Cars include technical specifications, pictures and reviews/awards pertaining to the car you are researching.
Used Cars
This area is very similar to the New Cars area, except it applies to used cars. You still can find the True Cost to Own (TCO) most of the time. I find it rather interesting to see how depreciation of the car changes throughout its lifecycle.
Car Reviews
Edmunds provides car reviews as well, including instrumental tests and stereo evaluations. I find these reviews well-organized and useful. Also, there are long-term tests where Edmunds has had a car for an extended period of time and editors can comment on how the car stands the test of time.
Forums
The forums at Edmunds are useful for someone who is either having technical problems with the car, has a question about something or is trying to figure out what issues to expect from any given car and what kind of price they can expect to pay.
The best way to find all forums related to a car you are researching is to go to that car's section/area through New Cars or Used Cars and go to "Consumer Discussions" section on the left side of the screen.
Shopping
The most useful part of the site for me was the area where you can request quotes from dealers in your area. In the last year, I have bought 3 vehicles for about $400-600 less (on average) than the, already low, prices on CarsDirect.com using Edmunds.com and its "Email Dealers" feature.
Here is how it works. You find the car you are interested in, figure out the exact configuration you want and then you are presented with a list of dealers in your area that sell cars of that particular make. You check the checkboxes next to the dealers you want price quotes from, fill out your contact information once and click a button.
Here is my advice to you: find out the price on the car you are researching by using CarsDirect.com and, knowing that you can get the car for that price, using this "Email Dealers" feature on Edmunds.
In my experience, the quotes come back within 2-3 days. Be patient; the best (lowest) quotes in my case were among the ones that arrived last. To give you examples: I bought a two new 2006 Honda Accord VP in July of 2006 for $16,200 and $16,300 whereas CarsDirect.com listed them for about $16,750. I also bought a 2007 Honda Accord VP in April of 2007 for $16,400, whereas on CarsDirect it was $16,880 (MSRP was about $20,050; all prices include destination charges). All cars were not bought for me to drive, but I was the one who dealt with the process of getting the best price and the process was smooth with no haggling, no hassle and only a handful of emails and phone calls received.
In the process of shopping for the above Accords, I also considered a Hyndai Elantra and received an email quote that was also about $600 less than CarsDirect (let alone several thousand less than MSRP).
Conclusion
Edmunds helps me with research on cars, ownership costs and with car shopping. It helped us save thousands of dollars with no hassle and no stress. I highly recommend it for researching cars or car shopping.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? 3 cars
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About the Author
Location: California
Reviews written: 895
Trusted by: 540 members
About Me: I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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