Car buying is for many consumers the most dreaded, anxiety-provoking consumer experience. Please note that this material is copyright protected. Therefore, it is illegal to display or reproduce this article for any commercial purpose, including use as marketing or public relations literature. Most people I know would much rather buy a house than a car. Yes, houses cost 10 times as much and take 30 years to pay off instead of five, but there's only one price listed in the newspaper for a house.
Cars are another story.
That's only an example, the salesman says. So along comes the Internet, promising to revolutionize the car-buying process. And in many ways, the potential for revolution is there. However, all that car Web sites have managed to do so far is move the confusion from the corner parking lot to the Net. At least that's the conclusion of a recent study from CNW Marketing Research, which found that the car prices quoted online were often higher than the prices dealers offer people in the offline world.