Or this one at Mydealerreport.com about buying from a Nissan dealer whose name I've withheld in this example: "I highly recommend that one avoid doing business with ... if at all possible. First off, if they give you a price over the phone that is really good, you can expect that they will not honor it when you get there." Dealers, as you might imagine, are not enthralled with these sites, contending that many postings are anonymous and that one or two disgruntled customers are not representative of the store's overall dealings. Most sites encourage dealers to respond to complaints on the site, but few take advantage. Site managers say they monitor comments and delete personal attacks on dealer employees by name and are on the lookout for obvious signs of multiple posts by one person with an ax to grind. They also look out for dealers posting fake, glowing reports to boost their ratings. But the biggest drawback to these Web sites is that there's not enough feedback for now to be of much use to consumers. Checking for dealerships in a major metro area of Florida at DealerRater.com, MyDealerReport.com, CarFolks.com, Edmunds and Yahoo produced only a few dealerships that drew customer comments, good or bad. The vast majority had no comments under the dealership name, making the search futile. As these sites become better known and more people post comments, they may become more useful. Until then, car shoppers need to get their research done in advance of going to a dealership. They also need to get every verbal promise in writing, refuse to be bullied into making deals they don't fully understand or that make them uncomfortable, and avoid signing contracts with blank spaces.  | | Here are this week's reader questions: | | | | • | Tough to find dealership reviews online | | • | How can I get rid of a bad interest rate? | | • | Can my parents take my sister's car? | | • | Is "buyer's remorse" grounds for cancellation? |
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