Car Shopping - Is the Deal Too Good to Be True?

CarGurus Integrates Dealer Reviews in DealFinder Service; Helps Shoppers Avoid "Bait & Switch" and Other Questionable Practices So They Can Find Great Deals from Great Dealers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 11, 2011 -- Delivering on its promise of complete transparency in auto shopping, the auto research site CarGurus (www.cargurus.com) today launched the next generation of its free DealFinder shopping tool, which now integrates user ratings of local dealerships in its search algorithm. As always, CarGurus' DealFinder helps consumers find great car deals in their local area by analyzing available car listings, then ranking them according to which offer the best deal. Now, with users' ratings of dealers also factored into the ranking, DealFinder helps shoppers find great deals from the most reputable dealers and avoid deals from dealers that misrepresent cars online or provide bad service - deals that are, in fact, "too good to be true."

"Online reputation ratings and reviews dominate in just about every other service industry except auto sales," said Langley Steinert, founder and CEO of CarGurus. "Yet anyone who has bought a car knows how much the professionalism of the dealer matters in the buying process. Our goal is to provide complete transparency around price and dealer reputation, so consumers can find great deals from great car dealers and avoid wasting their time or money with the minority of dealers that are known to misrepresent the cars they are selling."

Of the thousands of dealer reviews logged to date by users at www.cargurus.com, approximately 26% are negative reviews with ratings of 1 or 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5); 62% are positive, with ratings of 4 or 5. Much of the written commentary associated with positive reviews emphasizes friendly service, honest communications and professionalism of the dealers, while many of the negative reviews cite misrepresentation of advertised listings and poor communication.

Initial tests of the newly enhanced DealFinder tool showed listings with high dealer ratings (>3) get 8% more inquiries than listings with low dealer ratings (<3), suggesting that dealer reputation is an important consideration for in-market buyers when they shop for cars online. CarGurus is the only online car shopping website to offer transparency on both price and dealer reputation, all within the same interface and accessible with just one search.

About CarGurus

CarGurus (www.cargurus.com) is a leading online automotive destination focused on making the car shopping and research experience more transparent for consumers. CarGurus' flagship DealFinder (www.cargurus.com/dealfinder) shopping tool is free and offers shoppers instant guidance on great deals from great dealers in their local area.

Located in Cambridge, Mass., CarGurus was founded by Langley Steinert, co-founder and former Chairman of TripAdvisor, the largest travel site in the world.