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I wonder if they are able to determine in any way the "extras" on a car. A bare base model car doesn't really compare to the same car with every extra tacked o

by icefox 15y ago

I wonder if they are able to determine in any way the "extras" on a car. A bare base model car doesn't really compare to the same car with every extra tacked on especially if that extra upgrades the engine. Paying 2K for what was originally 10K of extras might very well be worth it. Edit2: Searching for Manual Infiniti G35 it sadly did exactly what I thought it might do. Two '05 matches, $1k apart so it hides the more expensive one. Looking at them though the 1k gets you nav, heated seats, better stereo etc i.e. the upgrade to the premium package of that year. At 1K price difference I would rather try to negotiate for the nicer one first. There UI does provides a simple way of showing the worse off cars so this is all moot. Really great little way to show off their tool and get some advertising. You still have to click on all of the cars.

freehunter 15y ago
When I was searching for my newest (used) car, I wrote a little algorithm that could strip the relevant data down to something I could parse at a glance, including looking for keywords like "4x4" and "heated seats", etc. I ended up settling for the basic model and paying for the upgrades out of pocket. One thing I've found is people grossly overestimate the value their add-ons provide. I bought the car with the features I needed and went after-market (and self-installed) for the features I wanted. Saved $3000 on the car (paid $5500 for it off the lot), and only spent $2000 and two weekends adding in leather seats, a locking rear differential, upgraded suspension, and extra power outlets. It's the hacker manifesto, why pay for it when you can build it?
- Danieru 15y ago
  Actually this is the Hacker Manifesto: http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=7&id=3&mode=txt http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=7&id=3&mode=... You might be thinking of the DIY Manifesto.
ryanhuff 15y ago
If they could determine the value of each option (others do it), they could then sort by "best value". With your Infinity G35 example, if the options that you mentioned were worth $1,500, then the nicer equipped G35 would appear first.
khinelinkl 15y ago
IMHO, this tool is of course not perfect, because it takes lots of variables to truly compare the two car listings, but it saves you time for grouping all the similar listings just using three major variables (year, mileage, price) deterministically, which you won't normally be able to spot with bare eyes when the results are displayed traditionally with a bunch of pages + thousands of listings to browse through.

by icefox 15y ago

freehunter 15y ago

When I was searching for my newest (used) car, I wrote a little algorithm that could strip the relevant data down to something I could parse at a glance, including looking for keywords like "4x4" and "heated seats", etc. I ended up settling for the basic model and paying for the upgrades out of pocket. One thing I've found is people grossly overestimate the value their add-ons provide. I bought the car with the features I needed and went after-market (and self-installed) for the features I wanted. Saved $3000 on the car (paid $5500 for it off the lot), and only spent $2000 and two weekends adding in leather seats, a locking rear differential, upgraded suspension, and extra power outlets. It's the hacker manifesto, why pay for it when you can build it?

Danieru 15y ago
Actually this is the Hacker Manifesto: http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=7&id=3&mode=txt http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=7&id=3&mode=... You might be thinking of the DIY Manifesto.

ryanhuff 15y ago

If they could determine the value of each option (others do it), they could then sort by "best value". With your Infinity G35 example, if the options that you mentioned were worth $1,500, then the nicer equipped G35 would appear first.

khinelinkl 15y ago

IMHO, this tool is of course not perfect, because it takes lots of variables to truly compare the two car listings, but it saves you time for grouping all the similar listings just using three major variables (year, mileage, price) deterministically, which you won't normally be able to spot with bare eyes when the results are displayed traditionally with a bunch of pages + thousands of listings to browse through.