Searching for Used Cars… fast

I have been reliably informed that our web development team have been tinkering behind the scenes of www.visitcars.co.uk to make it run ALOT faster. How fast?..

up to 100% Faster!

So why am I blogging about this I hear you ask. Well cast your minds back to the old Auto Trader. It was simple, easy to use and nimble. It defined a new way for searching hundreds of thousands of cars online. Then one day, Autotrader went all out with a new system and complete redesign. This looks very good we all said, until we used it…

There have been so many complaints about the slow performance of autotrader. It just goes to show that responsiveness and speed are a key factor when searching for used cars online. We have always believed in this theory and think that visitcars.co.uk is an elegant, fast and easy way to search for your next car.

Heres to many more years of fast motoring information and classifieds.

Autotrader Beta testing their new website

We have been taking a look the Autotrader.co.uk new website design.

cool blue and web 2.0

We logged on to the website this morning to be greeted with a bright and bold blue and white themed webpage. Surely we are on the wrong website? Well it seems not: everything is there that we are used to seeing. But it couldnt look more different if it tried.

Taking a look at the editorial post about the re-design, we now see what new features it has to offer:

• A new large car comparison panel
• A brighter and more clear pop-up ‘saved searches’ panel
• Major speed improvements (although this is an ongoing effort)

We also noticed clear and bright ‘error messages’ informing the user of what they have done wrong.

Much of the recently improved content pages have been nicely integrated into the websites template. The navigation may seem hard to grasp at first, as for us it doesnt stand out as much as the old one. However it simplifies the website’s sections into smaller lists.

We look forward to testing more of their website, but we have to believe it will be ‘a grower’.

We’d love to hear what you guys think of Autotrader’s website, please add your comments below.

New option to save car searches

Everytime you perform a used car search based on your chosen criteria, it will be temporarily saved with the option to save your search for another day when you might return to the website.

Simply perform your search as normal on the Buy a Car page, and you will notice that on the new Saved Searches tab in the top right of the search box, the number in brackets will increment.

You can only view the previous 3 recent searches, however you may then click on the save button to keep any number of searches for another time. Saved searches jump to the right hand coloumn, where you can manage your searches by deleting the ones you dont want.

Now you can find your ideal used car even quicker! Try it now: www.visitcars.co.uk/buy-car/

Car Specification Data now live

Our web development team have successfully tamed the huge database of car facts and figures. Today we have launched the Car Specification section which allows you to look up, amongst others,  the following details on any car:

• Fuel Economy and CO2 data
• BHP & 0-60 figures
• Service Interval information
• Tyre Sizes
• Car weight, size & boot capacity
• Standard and optional extras

Use the information to calculate running costs of a potential new car, compare data against other cars, or even just play car ‘top trumps’ with your friends! We hope you’ll find the information useful.

http://www.visitcars.co.uk/car-specs/

Visitcars…. the future of the online car experience

Visitcars, launched in Autumn 2008, has taken the online buying and selling a car market by storm. Visitcars provides a comprehensive online experience for consumers to buy and sell their cars. However, they do not stop there. At Visitcars the consumer is able to also read comprehensive car reviews, advice guides, topical articles, up to date blogs, use car valuations and source car finance.

The buy a car and sell a car markets are saturated with companies that simply offer a standard non-experiential service. Visitcars offers a full range of services to make sure the consumer is able to control their whole car experience through one organised format.

“Visitcars is not simply about buying a car or selling a car. The consumer needs a car management and information tool also. This is provided by Visitcars. To make sure all possible needs of a consumer are met Visitcars has created a complete service. “

Shaun Armstrong, Managing Director of Visitcars

Visitcars has had a recent and very successful launch. The extensive and user–friendly functionality of this website, with its content, is a winning combination and is set to take the buying and selling a car market by storm.