Is This the Best Search Engine Ever for New & Used Cars?
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AutoTempest The site is one I found quite by accident. I'm not in the market for a used car, I was actually looking for a quote from Bill Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and stumbled upon this gem. Ahh, I love the Internet. The site is called AutoTempest.com. It's only in Beta right now, but the results are awesome!
In the past, when I was searching for a used car, I would bring up the usual suspects — cars.com, kbb.com, edmunds.com. With three windows or tabs open, I would flick between them all looking for the best price, the lowest miles, and the best financing option available.
That was time-consuming and a hassle. But I never thought any more about it until I started pushing the buttons of this new site. (It's like Kayak.com but for new and used cars.) As regular Wise Bread readers know, I'm a huge fan of sites and gadgets that save you time and money. Put a check mark next to both of those categories for AutoTempest.com.
The interface is simple enough. Enter the make and model of the car you're looking for, along with the location, year, price and mileage. Sure, those are the usual features, but AutoTempest goes a little further.
With the advanced search, you can add-in transmission, body style, seller type, and even choose to search collector or niche sites.
After your data is input, you hit search. And then you're greeted with the results from around seven different auto-buying websites. One includes craigslist, and when you get to that page the results will be further chopped down into areas in your state. You know what they say, location is everything.
I'd like to point out, as always, that this is not a paid endorsement or even one that was requested. When I find services or products I genuinely like or enjoy, I think Wise Bread readers will as well. And that's why I'm passing this on to you.
As the site is in Beta, it's also a great chance to kick the tires (ouch, no pun intended) and let the maker's of AutoTempest know what you think of the site, what is working, and what isn't. Hopefully, it will help them create a more robust option for the official launch.
So there you have it. If you're looking for a new motor, try it out. I hope it saves you a bunch of time and money on your next vehicle. I know I'll be using it to find mine.
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Thanks for the info...we have been searching for a few months now for a good used SUV and are pulling our hair out (at mostly the prices, ugh). I just passed this on to the husband and i can hear him in the other room typing away. Thanks again!
Another similar site that's pretty great is Trovit (http://cars.trovit.com). They have this type of 'specialized search engine' but for more than just used/new cars. They also have homes for sale or apartments for rent AND job offers. All with the idea that you're searching listings all over the web, in one location.
I like it. It's easy to use and there are some great tools.
Nice blog post on a new search engine for new and used cars. I had not heard of Autotempast.com before your article, but I will check it out now.
Information is power and the more info you can get on buying a new or used car, the better position you will be in as a consumer. I recommend buying used by the way to get maximum value out of a depreciating asset. In addition to the purchase price, your insurance should be lower for a used car and if you are in a state with a car tax, these taxes will be lower too.
Thanks! Perfect timing. I'm on the hunt right now for a New Beetle. I get tired of opening up different sites.
Hi Paul, I'm Nathan - the founder of Autotempest.com. Just wanted to thank you for this great write-up. That's awesome that you found the site by searching for Shakespeare.. hopefully you've helped increase the exposure so others won't have to! :)
Anyway, just wanted to thank you and mention that you might be interested in my other site, www.searchtempest.com as well. It's a similar concept. It helps users search multiple craigslist cities at once, as well as ebay if they choose, but for anything - not just cars. I also try to present a number of more advanced craigslist options in a more streamlined and intuitive manner. Hope you like it!
I usually go to http://VehicleSearchers.com
It's a similar site like the one you've posted but with less bugs.
I find http://www.localautospot.net/ quite easy to use and fast. It also lists nearby vehicles.
guess it depends if you are looking for a particular car. There are quite a few car dealer directories out there like James mentioned, here are two of the other big ones... http://www.smartcarfinder.com/ and http://www.toplocalauto.com
The site I've used that I still think is the best is http://www.truecar.com but checking different sites is always a good idea.
I have signed up to http://freecarads.com/ today (I was a member of craigaliat before) and done some posting. The website looks great! Now I'm waiting for some results...Hope it works!
No way, WIPZZ is by far much better.
AutoTempest has been old news for awhile now. The new player in the car search game is MotoMiner. Slick and simple interface with the most searchable vehicles. It's the only one I use now.