The CarGurus Blog

I haven’t been on Facebook long, but I’ve been there long enough to already despise invites and updates on things like Mafia Wars, Gangsta Life, Horse Head in the Bed, and whatever other mob-inspired games are out there.

I’m already sick of them and think someone needs to order a hit on them all.

This is why I surprised even myself when I was sucked into a friend’s post about something called Crazy Racers. I think the whacked-out Taxi is what grabbed my attention. Whatever the reason, it was only about 30 seconds after that first click that I was racing my new Clown Car against that old Taxi in an ice race. And I won! And I wanted more.

Crazy Racers is the latest game offered by Car IQ on Facebook, a fast-growing car community created by the folks at CarGurus.

Just log on, pick a car (you can choose between a tank, an ice cream truck, a school bus, and more) and challenge your friends. Or me. When your challenge is accepted, you’ll compete in either a drag race, a demolition derby, a cannonball run, or an ice race. Then take your prize money (called “carsh”) and buy upgrades until your car is nearly unbeatable! It’s simple, addictive, and most of all, fun.

The Car IQ community is great because it’s built around people who love cars. They share pictures of their cars, review cars they’ve driven, and can even create virtual garages and fill them with every dream car imaginable. Have a question about a car? Submit it to an expert and join the nearly 20,000 folks who have already gotten answers on everything from what year Civic to buy to why a Mitsubishi doesn’t run.

Then there’s the Car IQ game itself, another addictive game in which you try to identify cars by year, make, and model. It’s harder than you’d think, especially as you move up in the game. You can even add pictures of your own cars to the quiz, too, just by uploading some to your garage. Of course, that means sometimes a car can be mislabeled (apparently some people don’t know the difference between a Dodge Charger and a Challenger), so if you see a mislabeled car, there’s a link you can use to report it.

For someone who loves cars, the Car IQ community and the new Crazy Racers game have been a blessing in an online world currently controlled by the mafia. Maybe we can call work together to run the mob down with our cars, then challenge them to a Crazy Race.

Who’s gonna challenge me to a Crazy Race? See if you can beat me and my upgraded Clown Car! Find me on Facebook here.

-tgriffith

Car Clubs, Car Minded, Car Site Review, CarGurus Features and Updates, General Chat

Believe it or not, according to a new Consumer Reports survey, 81 percent of respondents looking to buy a new car are likely to consider a domestic brand.

Yeah, that news came as a surprise to me, too, considering the negative press the domestics have received over the last year.

Looks like a little patriotism goes a long way, because less than 50 percent of folks will consider an Asian or European brand.

Sounds good for the domestics so far, doesn’t it? Well, not if you’re Chrysler. While interest in Ford increased 17 percent from last year and interest in GM increased by 6 percentage points, interest in Chrysler was down 28 percent among all respondents.

While those numbers appear good at first glance for Ford and GM, the survey says only 9 percent of the people interviewed are likely to buy a new car in the next year. Ouch.

Looks like a recovery of the new-car market won’t happen anytime soon, especially for Chrysler. Let’s hope Fiat can turn those numbers around with some desirable cars!

DealFinder can help you find a great used-car deal

On the other hand, among people considering a car purchase, 61 percent are looking specifically to buy used. That seems like a smarter choice for a lot of people in times like these.

If you are one of those 61 percent, or just curious about used-car prices, check out a cool new tool called DealFinder that allows you to search for cars for sale in your area and even tells you if the price is great, fair, or too high compared with national averages. Even if you’re not looking to buy, it’s neat to see what car prices are doing in your area. You can even list a car for sale there for free.

Would you consider buying a domestic new car? If you’re looking for used, search through DealFinder and let us know what you find!

-tgriffith

Car Industry News, Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, Domestic Cars, Foreign Cars

CarGurus survey finds more than half (52%) of respondents admit they have used a cell phone to text or email while driving in the last 12 months.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., August 24, 2009 — CarGurus®, a leading online automotive community, today announced the results of its latest survey of 2,881 online automotive consumers worldwide. More than half of respondents (52%) said they have used a cell phone to read/write email or text while driving in the last 12 months.

According to a July 2009 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study, truck drivers face a 23 times greater risk of a crash or near crash while texting than when not doing so. Given the known risks of texting and reading email while driving, it seems surprising that a majority of consumers appear to be doing exactly that.

Just last month, the Senate proposed a bill (the ALERT ACT), which would ban truck and car drivers from texting or emailing while driving. Fourteen states already have laws barring texting while driving.

“Most consumers would agree that texting and emailing while you drive is dangerous. I was surprised to see that the majority of respondents admitted to distracting themselves from driving,” remarked Langley Steinert, CEO of CarGurus. “Clearly this is not a small problem, but rather a widespread trend. It’s encouraging to see that Congress is moving to enact laws to curb this growing problem.”

Survey Results

Across the CarGurus Network, 2,881 respondents answered the question:

About CarGurus LLC
Located in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, CarGurus LLC is a leading online automotive community founded by Langley Steinert, formerly Chairman/co-founder of TripAdvisor LLC, the 3rd largest online travel site in the world. CarGurus’ founders, board, and investors bring a wealth of experience from such leading web companies as TripAdvisor, eBay, Expedia, and Yahoo. For more information about CarGurus, visit us at www.cargurus.com.

CONTACT: Steve Halloran, Editor, CarGurus LLC
617-354-0068, x12
press@cargurus.com

Car Minded, Car Politics, Car Safety, CarGurus Features and Updates, General Chat

CarGurus survey finds more than half (51%) of respondents say gas mileage will be an important factor in their next car purchase.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 20, 2009 — CarGurus®, a leading online automotive community, today announced the results of its latest survey of 3,391 online automotive consumers worldwide. When asked how important a consideration gas mileage will be in their next car purchase, forty-one percent of respondents said it would be important, and ten percent said it would be the most important factor. These results are of some surprise given the fact that regular gasoline costs 38% less in the U.S. than it did a year ago (source: U.S. government Energy Information Administration). In fact only 19% of respondents said gas mileage would not be a factor at all.

“Automotive consumers have a long memory. Despite the fact that U.S. regular gas prices peaked about a year ago, consumers remember $4.10 regular gasoline and are wary of buying a car with poor gas mileage,” remarked Langley Steinert, CEO of CarGurus. “To their credit, car manufacturers do appear to have heard these consumer concerns and are now building smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles.”

Survey Results

Across the CarGurus Network, 3,391 respondents answered the question:

About CarGurus LLC

Located in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, CarGurus LLC is a leading online automotive community founded by Langley Steinert , formerly Chairman/co-founder of TripAdvisor LLC, the 3rd largest online travel site in the world. CarGurus’ founders, board, and investors bring a wealth of experience from such leading web companies as TripAdvisor, eBay, Expedia, and Yahoo. For more information about CarGurus, visit us at www.cargurus.com.

CONTACT: Steve Halloran, Editor, CarGurus LLC
617-354-0068, x12
press@cargurus.com

Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, Gas for your car..., General Chat

CarGurus survey finds almost half (44%) of respondents want Pontiac to survive GM’s downsizing, and a quarter want Hummer. Few consumers care about Saab or Saturn.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 15, 2009 — CarGurus®, a leading online automotive community, today announced the results of its latest survey of 1,693 online automotive consumers worldwide. When asked which of the four GM brands they want to survive planned elimination, forty-four percent of respondents selected Pontiac, and 27% chose Hummer. Saab was chosen by 20% of respondents, and Saturn by only 9%.

“Pontiac has a trailblazing heritage – the 1964 Pontiac GTO is widely credited with starting the muscle-car craze – and its current G6 is the 20th best-selling car in the U.S., so I’m not surprised to see consumers vote to save this historic brand,” said Langley Steinert, CEO of CarGurus. “What did surprise me, however, was the relative popularity of the Hummer brand over that of Saab and Saturn. The Saturn Vue, for instance, is a top-50 best-selling car in the United States, while Hummer’s best-selling model – the H3 – ranks 153rd. I would have expected Saturn to be the other brand consumers wanted to see survive GM’s reorganization.”

Survey Results

Across the CarGurus Network, 1,693 respondents answered the question:

About CarGurus LLC

Located in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, CarGurus LLC is a leading online automotive community founded by Langley Steinert , formerly Chairman/co-founder of TripAdvisor LLC, the 3rd largest online travel site in the world. CarGurus’ founders, board, and investors bring a wealth of experience from such leading web companies as TripAdvisor, eBay, Expedia, and Yahoo. For more information about CarGurus, visit us at www.cargurus.com.

CONTACT: Steve Halloran, Editor, CarGurus LLC
617-354-0068, x12
press@cargurus.com

Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, Classic & Vintage Cars, Domestic Cars, General Chat, Trucks & SUVs

Here’s our latest Car Blog Showdown. This week, tgriffith and jgoods were invited to tell us about their first cars – what did they love about it, and why wasn’t the other’s a great choice? What was your first car? Did you love it? Why?

1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe

jgoods’ 5 reasons why he loved his black 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe:

• I lowered it, so it bottomed out frequently, but the car looked great.
• It was very customizable, so I added dual exhausts, leaded rear deck, bigger bumpers, a couple of engine mods.
• The car had its own notable odors—burning oil on fast acceleration and the smell from the rear opera seats where a friend had gotten drunk and thrown up (no opening windows back there, and no getting that smell out).
• The electrical system would cut out periodically, always producing the thrill of a new driving adventure.
• Absolutely nothing was cooler in my high school parking lot.

tgriffith’s 3 reasons why jgoods should not love his 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe

• If you love your car because it smells like puke, something must be wrong.
• Can the Deluxe Coupe really be appreciated by a kid getting it as his first car?
• This is a car to have later in life, to restore, and to treasure forever. Imagine how it must have been treated by a high school kid!

1966 Plymouth Valiant

tgriffith’s 5 reasons why he loved his white 1966 Plymouth Valiant:

• It sat in my parents’ driveway before I even got my license. I’d sit in it, start the engine, and fantasize about how it would feel to drive on my own.
• Yes, it’s ugly. Perhaps even the ugliest in my high school parking lot. But it was still the car all my friends piled into.
• Sometimes it would start, sometimes it wouldn’t. Every day was an adventure!
• When the driver’s side wiper arm broke in a rainstorm, I had to drive with my head hanging out the window. We still laugh about that day.
• Plain and simple, it was my first car. It could’ve been anything, and I would have loved it!

jgoods’ 3 reasons why tgriffith should not love his 1966 Plymouth Valiant:

• The Valiant had a pretty good drivetrain if you had the V8, but this car is about as sexy as a stone.
• Jay Leno has a V200 with 88,000 miles and the original engine (see it here), and he took his driver’s license test in it when 16, he says. A perfect car for the test, as passenger protection was excellent with all that iron around you.
• Finally, there can be no quibbles about one’s first car. You had to love those wheels.

Okay, readers – your turn: What was your first car? Did you love it? Why?

Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, Classic & Vintage Cars, Domestic Cars, General Chat

Here’s our latest Car Blog Showdown. This week, in tribute to the expected end of the Pontiac marque, tgriffith and jgoods were each invited to tell us about what they believe to be Pontiac’s best-ever vehicle. Which is your favorite?

Before we get to our cars, jgoods wanted to share a personal Pontiac story – here goes:

Fieros have always had an amazingly bad rap—from engine fires (that were rare) to unsafe construction to lack of power. Well, I admit to the latter. My 1986 Fiero SE, like the one pictured here, was silver and slow, and it had the 2.3-liter “Iron Duke” four-cylinder. It had no fires, and it was basically a marvelous car to hotrod and enjoy for very little money. I bought it used in 2002 for less than $2,000 and finally gave it to my younger son, who had just gotten his driver’s license. Two days later he rear-ended a Volvo in the school parking lot while inserting a CD. Naturally, we have not spoken since.

The Fiero had a plastic body over a very strong I-beam structure, a mid-engine design that got even better when they added the V6 in 1985, and decent handling, which could be easily improved. Mileage ranged from 27-40 mpg. The story is well known about Pontiac’s killing the car just when it got good, and unfortunately, this typifies the kinds of marketing decisions GM is famous for.

Now here’s our showdown:

1986 Pontiac Fiero

jgoods’ 5 reasons why the 1986-88 Fiero is the best Pontiac ever made:

* Where are you going to get a well-designed, easily hotrodded, safe, and sporty midengine car for this kind of money?
* The Fiero’s styling still holds up, both in SE and GT (long snout) versions.
* Fieros are still plentiful in the used-car market, many in good condition.
* The Fiero is extremely safe, with plastic body panels over a central I-beam frame, a wide stance, and no rusting.
* Drop in a small-block V8 or a 2.3-liter Quad 4 and watch what happens.

tgriffith’s 3 reasons why the 1986-1988 Fiero isn’t the best Pontiac ever made

* The Fiero was just Pontiac’s attempt to compete with the superb Toyota MR2.
* Some CarGurus user reviews say the Fiero drives like a go-cart.
* If you have a silver one, you’ll get it confused all day long with the “Back to the Future” DeLorean.

2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

tgriffith’s 5 reasons why the 2009 Pontiac G8 is the best Pontiac ever made:

* The G8 GXP is the most powerful Pontiac ever, with a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 13 flat at 108 miles per hour.
* The G8 GXP has the rumbling exhaust and torquey response of 1960s muscle cars combined with the precise handling and responsive ride of modern performance cars.
* The quality of the G8’s interior challenges the likes of Audi.
* The hood scoops and low front fascia make the GXP look as good as it drives.
* The team at Autoblog tried to push the GXP hard enough to expose weaknesses, but couldn’t find any.

jgoods’ 3 reasons why the 2009 G8 GXP isn’t the best Pontiac ever made:

* The G8 has a great engine, but no manual transmission available!
* The G8 still looks like a Pontiac, particularly the front end.
* When GM goes bust, what’s going to happen to your G8 for parts, service, and warranty?

Which do you think was the best vehicle ever made by Pontiac? Why?

Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, Domestic Cars, General Chat

Here’s our latest Car Blog Showdown. This week, in celebration of Earth Day, tgriffith and jgoods were each invited to select their favorite currently available hybrid vehicle. Which is your favorite?

2009 Saturn VUE Hybrid V6

jgoods’ 5 reasons why the 2009 Saturn VUE Hybrid V6 (sometimes called the VUE Green Line 2 Mode Hybrid) is his favorite currently available hybrid:

• The VUE Hybrid V6 has a 500-plus-mile range and reports a 50 percent improvement in fuel economy over the standard V6 VUE (which translates to 28/31 mpg).
• This crossover uses state-of-the-art technology to couple with a 3.6-liter V6 for high torque and horsepower. The VUE Hybrid V6 will get you to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds and can tow up to 3,500 pounds (not at the same time).
• The Hybrid V6’s 2 Mode system uses regenerative braking, fuel shut-off during deceleration and idle, and two 55-kW electric motors integrated into the transmission. This provides all-electric, combustion engine power, or a combination as conditions demand.
• It’s the sharpest looking crossover out there.
• Despite Saturn’s projected demise, this car will likely continue as an Opel.

tgriffith’s 3 reasons to avoid a 2009 Saturn VUE Hybrid V6:

• Saturn’s probably going out of business. Do you really need two more reasons not to buy one? I’ll keep going anyway.
• An all-wheel-drive system will not be offered with the VUE Hybrid V6.
• The Hybrid V6’s 2 Mode technology was co-developed with BMW and Chrysler, so look for models from them and hope they stay in business!

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid

tgriffith’s 5 reasons why the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid is his favorite currently available hybrid:

• It’s rated at 34 mpg in the city.
• The 2009 model has a new 2.5-liter engine and new brake system, eliminating concerns from previous versions.
• Available four-wheel-drive makes it a practical choice, even in areas that get a lot of snow.
• A 15-gallon gas tank gives the Escape Hybrid a range of about 500 miles.
• It’s a solid, efficient American vehicle from the strongest of the Big 3.

jgoods’ 3 reasons avoid a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid:

• As CarGurus reported, you may have trouble getting one, and even at its high price, Ford is still in the red with this car.
• You may well get better fuel economy with the VUE Hybrid V6 and enjoy its beefier engine.
• Ask New York taxi drivers (and riders) how they like these cars.

What’s your favorite currently available hybrid? Why?

Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, Domestic Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars

Here’s our latest Car Blog Showdown. This week tgriffith and jgoods were each invited to select their favorite mid-’80s 4×4. Which is your favorite?

1984 Toyota 4x4 Pickup

tgriffith’s 5 reasons why the 1984 Toyota 4×4 Pickup is his favorite mid-’80s 4×4:

• The famous 22R four-cylinder engine will run forever. Literally.
• You can drop it into 4WD without getting out of the truck to lock the hubs.
• The truck is easily customizable. Raise it to accommodate monster 36-inch tires, or add chrome accessories and window tint to create a classy truck!
• Leave the truck stock, and you’ll get gas mileage in the low-to-mid-20s.
• It’s a compact truck, but it has a tough-looking stance. It looks as good in a grocery store parking lot as it does tackling the off-road park.

jgoods’ 3 reasons to avoid a 1984 Toyota 4×4 Pickup:

• It’s a mini-truck – a “cute” truck.
• It does NOT go everywhere.
• Ignition problems have been reported.

1985 Chevy K5 Blazer

jgoods’ 5 reasons why the 1985 Chevy K5 Blazer is his favorite mid-’80s 4×4:

• This is one tough truck, not one of them piddling little S10 babies.
• Get the V8, not the V6, which has plenty of power and durability, despite low gas mileage.
• The truck is a blast to drive on the dunes…and anywhere else you want to take it.
• The K5 is versatile and will handle loads of people, bags of feed, vicious dogs, and truck parts to repair your buddy’s ’84 Toyota Pickup.
• The styling is unmistakeable: Love it or hate it, this is the kind of vehicle GM built best.

tgriffith’s 3 reasons to avoid a 1985 Chevy K5 Blazer:

• You’ll get something like 8 miles per gallon out of the V8.
• If the transmission hasn’t blown up yet, expect it to soon. It’ll probably happen on the freeway at rush hour. Then you’ll be THAT guy.
• It’s uglier and bulkier than anything else built in the 80s!

What’s your favorite mid-’80s 4×4? Why?

Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, General Chat, Trucks & SUVs

I’m taking a 10-day vacation south of the border to recover from the shock of tgriffith’s latest post on buying gas guzzlers. For shame, tg, for shame.

No, the real reason is that I’ve been called in to find appropriate vehicles to use in the war on drug dealers. Two in my orange and black colors are shown here. You are invited to submit others for consideration.

I’ll send in occasional posts over the next two weeks to keep you up to date on Mexican food, travel, people . . . and cars.

Keep those comments coming!

—jgoods

Car Minded, CarGurus Features and Updates, General Chat