The New Key To Car Shopp (NAPSA)—There’s good news for car shoppers who want to speed up the buying process: A growing number of car dealerships are using state-of-the-art technology to help their customersfind the autos that are right for them. In fact, a recent survey by the National Automobile Dealers Association found that the number of car dealers in the U.S. with a dealership Website has increased more than 40 percent since 1997 and almost 98 percent of current dealership Websites are interactive. Consumers can use many of the Web sites to view dealer stock, fill out finance forms, schedule sales appointments, link to manufacturer and insurance Websites and, in some cases, even order online. In fact, more than 60 percent of car dealerships surveyed reported having completed a sale over the Internet in 2001. The surveyalso found that over 90 percentof car dealers with Web sites also have e-mail—a feature many consumers say helps make the car-buying processeasier. Of that 90 percent, more than 20 percent of dealers said they respond to customer inquiries received via the Web within one (a Newswocty Grends Almost 90 percent of today’s car dealers have Websites. hour, nearly 44 percent within two to six hours and more than 30 percent within seven to 24 hours. To find dealer Web sites, Inter- net shoppers can visit a site called DriversSeat.com. The site gives car-consumersaccess to one million vehicles and the dealers whosell them. Thesite features a search option that visitors can use to cruise through dealer inventories, Web sites, listings of used vehicles, pricing information or consumer advice. For more information visit www.DriversSeat.com.
