edmunds.com

Full review
I love cars. In fact, I’m a car fanatic. I love Ferraris, Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches, and everything in between. Cars just fascinate me. Just about everyone has one, yet every single model is different and everything has something unique. Just recently I bought two new cars - a BMW X3 and a Lexus ES, both 2006 models - and Edmunds was my pal in finding the best rate for my cars. After all, buying two new luxury cars within weeks of each other is no easy task and finding the best rate is absolutely crucial.

I went to Edmunds not sure what types of cars I was going to get. Edmunds was my one-stop information site for my new car purchase.

My task: to get a great deal on two new luxury cars.

The Homepage

Edmunds.com’s homepage seems a bit chaotic at first, but after getting used to it, I realized that it was actually quite organized. On the top is a bar of tabs which allows you to select from: new cars, certified cars, used cars, car reviews, tips & advice, and forums. Further down are more links to new and used cars. You can also go directly for a free price quote. Simply select a make, model, and type in your zip code. I did this for all cars that I was interested in and received many replies in my e-mail from local dealers within hours.

You can also choose to locate a used car. Just select the brand and type in your zip code, and the next page offers more specific steps. Such steps include selection of the model, the year(s) model that you would most likely buy, and how far you are willing to travel to pick up the car. I didn’t have much experience with this part of the site as I was looking for new cars.

Tons and Tons of Information

Further down the main page is even more information. You can view the latest road test results for the newest models and even vehicle overviews. There is a “Top 10” list which offers some really cool information, mostly helpful, some just fun:

Top 10 Tips for Traveling With Dogs
Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars for 2006
Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient SUVs and Pickups for 2006

And much, much more. If you’re looking for statistics, rankings, etc., the “Top 10” lists are really great and I’d highly recommend checking them out. You can also view 2006 Editors’ Most Wanted and 2005 Consumers’ Most Wanted cars. Did you know the most “significant” car is the 2005 Ford Mustang (unsurprisingly)? Edmunds users are able to vote for such titles. In fact, I did too but I didn’t for the Ford Mustang. I thought the BMW 6-series was the most significant, but that’s just me…

I found depreciation ratings to be very helpful in locating potential cars for purchase. The depreciation ratings are divided into subcategories of coupes, convertibles, sedans, wagons, SUVs, minivans and trucks. The way that the categories are separated suggests that the Edmunds designers are big on efficiency and ease; I’d hate having to sift through a list that has SUVs, sedans and trucks intermingling with one another. In any case, one big selling point for my purchase of the ES was that it has one of the lowest depreciation rates. The X3 didn’t make that list…

I love the section called “Inside Line.” It’s so interesting and there’s loads of information…none of it too relevant, but still fun to look at. There’s some road test information, information and pictures of future models, videos of cars, financial news on car companies, and technical information. This is certainly exhausting for the unenthusiastic car-buyer, but I found it entertaining.

How Edmunds Helped Me

As you can already tell, Edmunds has tons of information. I found so much technical data and driving data that my head was spinning. I liked comparing data from one car to the other, such as MPG and price (two biggies). In addition, Edmunds has its own comparisons of models, which I also found to be very helpful.

In any case, after looking at all the information and trying to take it in, I decided to do my final hunting. I had made a list of cars that I especially liked, and from there I decided that I’d look at price as the biggest factor; I really did not need to worry about much else as all the knowledge that I had gained helped me weed out the ‘crap cars’ from the good ones. One example of this is the Jaguar X-Type, which I did research and had found that its safety rating was exceptionally low. $30,000 for a tiny Jaguar and I don’t even get the best…

On the home page, you can choose to research a type of car, such as an SUV, Coupe, Hybrid, etc. I naturally clicked on the Luxury tab so that I could really start narrowing down my decision. Once there, I was given the choice on how to research the car, such as pricing subcategories, size, etc. Once again, I was really concerned about price, so I chose the price range that I was most comfortable with: $25K-$35K.

Once clicking on that button, I was brought to a page with about 25 models of luxury cars in the price range - the Hummer H3, Land Rover Freelander, Lexus IS, and Infiniti G35 just to name a few. The page has small pictures of the cars with basic information, such as price, MPG, editors’ rating and consumers’ rating. The colors used are pleasant and all text on the page is easy to read and understand.

In any case, as I was scrolling, the BMW X3 caught me eye. What a beautiful SUV! I clicked on the picture and was brought to another page. Here was a bigger picture of the X3, which was accompanied with other information such as prices as per the specific model (2.5i or 3.0i), body styles, trim levels, and other options. Below all the information were four other cars that were similar to the X3 that I was informed to “consider.”

I liked the X3, and therefore decided to get more information on specific pricing at my local dealers. I continued onto the next page and was asked to fill out a form so that nearby dealers could contact me about the car. The form asked for my name, e-mail, phone number, address, zip code, contact preference, “buying within” time, and any additional comments. I was also given the ability to check off any preferred dealers (of which I had none). However, there were only about five car dealers to choose from, so I chose the feature which allows me to get information from additional dealers (such as non-BMW dealers that still carry BMWs).

When I finished filling out the form, I was given a list of features to choose from. There were about 30 features to choose from with a price list next to it. I didn’t understand what some of the features were, but there is a tab next to each feature which explains it to you. After selecting which add-on features I wanted, I was also asked the color.

Onto the next page I went: the TMV pricing report. Here, I was given basic information on the pricing breakdown of the X3, such as the invoice, regional adjustment, color adjustment, and destination charge. I was then given a final price, which did end up being a little bit higher than the maximum of $35K that I was hoping for. But there’s always room for negotiating when at the actual dealer…

From there, I submitted my request for dealer quotes and waited just a day before I had e-mails pouring in left and right. I must have gotten seven or eight e-mails with information about pricing, phone numbers, etc. I was asked if I was interested in scheduling appointments, test drives, etc. Overall, I was very impressed that I received so many replies to my request - great job Edmunds!

How It Ended Up Working Out

After talking on the phone with a representative from Lexus of Massapequa (which also sells some German cars, such as BMWs), I told him that I’d be in at a certain time the next day to have a test drive of the X3. When going the next day, not only did I test-drive the X3 but also test drove a Lexus ES - another car that had been on my list. And, as I pointed out before, I was looking to buy two cars.

About a week later, the Lexus ES was parked in my driveway and the X3 was in the shop getting some additional features installed. I got an amazing price because I bought two cars at the same time from the same dealer - much lower than that $36,000 that I was originally quoted.

My Thoughts

Edmunds is simply amazing. Brilliant! I was completely satisfied with every single aspect of the website. There is tons of information - anything you want to know about a car - this is the site to visit. I love the statistical information, pricing options, comparing features, etc. There are just so many resources to use for researching what car you’d be interested in. That’s exactly what happened with me and X3 and ES; I put both cars high on my consideration list and now have them in my driveway.

Though you can’t necessarily buy a car directly through Edmunds, I think they still offer an amazing product. They certainly helped me find a great number of dealers to negotiate with, and in the end I was given a dealer that could give me both cars at very reasonable prices. What more could I ask for?

I’d certainly recommend Edmunds and I urge you to use it when planning on buying a new car. All the information is easily acecssible and can be obtained in a very short time.

www.edmunds.com



Thanks for reading,

jetbluefan1