Section 7.4. Shopping for Big-Ticket Items | iPhone: The Missing Manual, 4th Edition

7.4. Shopping for Big-Ticket Items

Shopping for stuff like books, CDs, clothing, food, electronics, and other stuff is pretty easy. But what if you have a larger purchase in mind, like a car or a house? Although these aren't exactly point-click-ship items, you can still use the Web to search and see what's out there, indicate your interest in a vehicle or property, and get on track to make a purchase if everything works out for both buyer and seller.

7.4.1. Cars

The automotive sites in Section 6.6.1 are great places to research and look for new cars. Used cars, which are vast and plentiful, are also for sale on the Web, from listings in your local newspaper's online edition (Section 5.3) to sites like eBay (Section 7.2.2) and Craigslist (Section 7.2.3).

Your local car dealer 's Web site can show you the latest models if you're mulling a new vehicle, and many of the automotive review-and-ratings sites like Cars.com maintain national databases of used cars that you can browse. There are also sites mainly devoted to the buying and selling of used vehicles, like these:

CarMax . Imagine a used car lot with 20,000 cars, trucks , and vans all parked out front, and you get some idea of CarMax's inventory. The company has 67 stores around the country; you can search their inventory at www.carmax.com. You can search for specific makes and models, set your price limit, and narrow down your search to the CarMax retail location closet to you.

The site gives detailed descriptions and photos of each vehicle for sale, along with other factors that can influence your purchasing decision, like total mileage.
AutoTrader (www.autotrader.com ) has a huge database of new, used, and manufacturer-certified vehicles You can search for your preferred price range, make, and model in your area. Many used cars listed are on dealer's lots and have a wealth of information about each one. If you want to know the full background of the carlike how many previous owners it's had or if it's been in any major accidentsyou can click the link to read the Carfax vehicle history report right there on its page.
Edmunds' used car listings are provided by the aforementioned AutoTrader site, but Edmunds (www.edmunds.com) is a great source for background research on the whole car-buying process. It's got tips and advice for buyers , links to reviews, and its Inside Line Webzine covers new models, road tests, and other worthy car news.

7.4.2. Real Estate

The Web can help you do a lot of valuable research when it comes to buying property, too. Real estate sites offer search engines, interior and exterior color photos, and links to email the broker. They're a great way to scope out listings without having to pick up those smudgy catalogs in the supermarket or wait for the weekend paper.

7.4.2.1. Realtor.com

Realtor.com (www.realtor.com) lets you browse two million properties in America's major cities, including both houses for sale and rental properties. You can specify the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you're looking for in your Dream House.

Many listings include a "virtual tour"a 360-degree view of the property that you can manipulate right in your Web browser (Figure 7-6). Other links let you check out the schools in the area, get background information on the location, andif things work outfind a moving company.

Figure 7-6. Virtual tours , which let you manipulate pictures to see things from many angles, give you a much clearer picture of a property and its surrounding grounds than still photos do.

7.4.2.2. RealEstate.com

RealEstate.com (www.realestate.com) aims to be a total source of information for buying or selling a home. It has an extensive setup questionnaire that gathers information on where you want to live, what kind of house you want, and how much you can afford to pay for it. Once it gets your information, it hooks you up with a realtor and listings in your preferred area. And since it's owned by the LendingTree loan site, it also offers to point you in the direction of a mortgage.

7.4.2.3. Century 21

This international realtor's site at www.century21.com lets you search its index of properties. It offers tools like a First Time Home Buyer's Guide and a mortgage calculator. If you register with the site, you can save property searches, see the company's reports on local sales trends, and read exclusive content.

Tip: Want to get a sense of what your friends and neighbors paid for their places? Check out RealEstateABC.com and Zillow.com , both of which provide historical purchase prices, current value estimates, and other real-estate-buying goodies .