"So, automotive.com is a decent site for researching just about everything related to vehicles (new cars, used cars, insurance, etc.) I used the site as a starting point in my quest to buy a new Hyundai Sonata. After all, from what I read the price of gas is going up to $5 a gallon this summer and this car gets 35 mpg. Anyway, the information that I found on automotive.com was spot on regarding price and I even filled out the form to receive a few quotes and was somewhat satisfied with the response. I also used the insurance section to try and figure out if a brand new car was going to cost me an arm and a leg in terms of insurance. However, I couldn’t find that much information. There was a lot of information about insurance in general but nothing specific to my area or the car I wanted to buy. I could have entered my contact info to have someone get in touch with me but I wanted answers right on the spot. At the end of the day, I ended up buying the Sonata. I suppose I was able to use the info regarding price that I got from automotive.com to my advantage. All in all I would recommend automotive.com for doing research on new cars but the insurance section leaves a lot to be desired.
-Heather
"
"Besides Automotive.com, I also requested a free quote from AutoBytel. I appreciated the fact that Automotive had the MSRP and pricing breakdowns of all available packages and options for each car I looked at(I ended up purchasing a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro), as well as the trade-in-value, private party value and estimated ownership costs-Similar to what KBB provides. Autobytel did not provide this information. Being able to compare how much a new car costs versus the same used model is very informative to the user like me, and the ownership costs over time is also nice to see. I commend Automotive.com for this, even though it looks like their primary business revolvers around selling new cars. More on that below:
After filling out their “Get a Fast and Free Price Quote,” the process was fast-moving and painless on my end. Two Chevrolet dealers in my area followed up with me that day (by email) and they both were able to match my car choice on Automotive.com with what they had for sale on their lots. The internet sales managers from both Dealers (Singh Chevrolet and Rotolo Chevrolet) contacted me first via email, and they right away providing an up-front price that I could buy the car for if I was interested in. They were both pretty close to the same specs I outlined in the Automotive form, so that was a pleasant surprise.
Automotive works with many (I assume) dealers in each city/county, and I would think that their service works best for popular models with popular options. I may have had a harder time getting dealers to respond if I was requesting an obscure model. Aside from that, it was smooth sailing and the price I got from both dealers was just below invoice, which Automotive.com also provides.
I’d say even if you don’t know yet who you’re buying a car from, visiting Automotive and having several quotes in hand would greatly help your bargaining power if you visit any other dealer. I think this is the biggest selling point of this site-being able to secure quotes from dealers without actually having to visit them and waste hours of your time. Also, If you just want to purchase a new car without excessive negotiation and haggling, Automotive.com is probably your cup of tea.
Overall, I’m very happy with my new Camaro and the price I was able to purchase it for."
"Not the best site in the world, but not bad either. Similar to Autobytel.com and Carsdirect.com. I submitted a search for a new Chevy Silverado Heavy Duty Diesel to all 3, and got similar results (they took down some of my basic info—name, email, phone number, address etc.—and they forwarded it to the local Chevy dealers in my area). Apparently each site has their own preferred list of dealers, because Automotive and Autobytel got me a dealer that Carsdirect didn’t (Selman Chevrolet). The prices I got from the internet sales managers from these dealers were similar (relatively—a truck with a fully-loaded leather interior with navigation will be more than one without etc.) but the “internet price” was always lower by a few thousand than the sticker price. But then again, it’s all relative—everything in life is negotiable. I could (and did) negotiate another $750 off the final price of my truck, but going through a “broker” which essentially is what sites like Automotive are, saves some negotiation for you, since they already get a discount at their dealer partners due to the volume they send to them."
"My brother's 98 civic broke down and he was looking for a new car to replace his civic. I decided to help him out so I went to Automotive.com to research possible new cars for my brother to purchase. I found this site to have all the information I needed to find the right car for my brother. I was able to compare other vehicles to the a new Civic since my brother wanted to stick with a Honda. I was pleased with the info, pictures, specs, and reviews that Automotive.com provided. My brother is happy with his new car thanks to me doing all the work for him. :)"
"My wife was in a car accident two days ago. We needed some info about her car as well as to compare similar cars to see what would be the best rental car and to possibly research for a new car purchase. We did some searches and found this site that had all of the info and tools we needed to find and research cars. We're considering a purchase but this site doesn't sell any cars but rather provides the tools and services to find a car. We were very pleased with the info, reviews, photos, and specs we received from automotive.com. "