CarPriceGraph.com is a website that does an interesting job of demonstrating, in graph form, used cars for sale in 32 markets across the United States. It's easy to shop for a specific used car without having to wade through a lot of website clutter.
While it is an easy way to shop, there is one subject of concern about the site: it relies on craigslist.org for its listings. As I have written about in the past.
craigslist used car scams abound. I would be especially cautious when pursuing a listing from craigslist. That does not mean all of them are bad.
However, I do have to give Dan Rathbone, founder of CarPriceGraph.com, a lot of credit for coming up with a new approach to selling used cars. That's why I asked him these questions about his .
Q. What is CarPriceGraph.com? What was the idea behind it?
A. CarPriceGraph.com is a new website that shows prices for used cars on a graph. The big idea is that the graphs show interesting trends in car prices, and that anyone can use this data to find a fair price for a vehicle they're thinking of buying or selling. There's lots of data out there, and I want to help people use that data to find a good deal on a used car.
Q. What made you go with the graph format? Initially, I thought it would be cumbersome (I never did well with graphs in math class) but I'm surprised how simple it is to use.
A. Thanks! I got the idea when I was shopping for a used car myself.
I noticed that it takes a long time to collect and compare prices, and I wondered if there was a better way to zoom in on just the models and price range that I was interested in. I thought that a graph is a great way to see a lot of data at the same time. I experimented with the idea, created my first price graph by hand, and you can see it posted on my blog. I found the graph really helpful, so it seems like an exciting idea.
The graph format is a natural fit for car price data. It's really easy to see how different models compare, how their prices change over time, and how much they depreciate each year.
Q. Are consumers shopping this way for used cars? It seems like they might want to punch in used Hyundai Sonata $10,000 and go from there. Why is your way better?
A. The response to the site has been totally positive. I've only just started, I haven't advertised yet, and already I've received loads of email from people saying they really like the graphs, they like seeing so much data at the same time, and they like the simple interface.
I think my visitors are noticing that I'm doing something unique. The graphs make it easy to visually compare model prices and years. All the other used car sites look the same - they basically show lists of classified ads. You typically have to click on each ad to get the details. My site shows all that data at the same time, on a single page.
Consider the sites for Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds, which will also show you prices for used cars. On each of those sites you have to click through about 7 screens to select the type of car you're interested in. Then you get to see a single price. How did they come up with that single price? You just have to take their word on it. On CarPriceGraph.com you can see 1,000 prices at the same time, and each one links to a real car for sale. I simply show more data - and I show it in a way that's easy to read and understand.
Q. How widespread is CarPriceGraph.com? How many markets is it in?
A. We're showing data for 32 cities across the USA.
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Boston
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Jacksonville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Memphis
- Miami
- Minneapolis
- Milwaukee
- New Orleans
- New York
- Orange County
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Portland
- Raleigh
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- Seattle
- San Francisco
- Washington DC
Q. What is your source for the listings on your site? How are they generated?
A. I'm currently linking to posts on craigslist.org (CarPriceGraph.com is not affiliated with craigslist.org), and I'm starting to talk to other car sites about pulling in their data as well.
Q. Your site says it has up-to-the-minute listings. How effective is your site at washing out old ads for used cars that have already sold?
A. This may sound odd, but I don't wash out old data. I'm hoping to keep it, to use it to study trends over months and years. That old data is especially helpful for evaluating cars in niche markets - the vintage/antique/collectors models which are otherwise notoriously hard to price.
Of course, many visitors come to the site simply to browse recent cars for sale. I want to make sure that's easy, so I'm working on a feature where they can shade out older posts. They can simply click a button and all the older listings will instantly turn grey. Then they can still see the older prices for comparison, but it will be easy to focus on the recent posts.
Q. What is the basic business model behind the website? How are you making your money while helping consumers find used cars?
A. I'm experimenting with showing ads, but personally I don't really like them. Instead I think that I can build relationships with other used car sites. I'm showing cars for sale on other sites, so perhaps those other sites will pay me for showing off their cars. That way my site would make money by doing what it does best. For now I'm still trying to improve CarPriceGraph.com and make it even more useful. I read and respond to every piece of feedback that I receive. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!