RIP Edmunds.com

[Vic Vega]

Just visited Edmunds as I do about once a week to view car specs, reviews, etc. The site has been increasingly turning into a car BUYING/FINDING site.

Well, they have a new layout (looks like just this week) where it's basically "We'll find you a dealer" and everything else is an afterthought.

So long Edmunds - I've been using this site religiously for years and it was one of the first websites on the WWW way back when. No more, I won't be back.

 

[waggy]

Just visited Edmunds as I do about once a week to view car specs, reviews, etc. The site has been increasingly turning into a car BUYING/FINDING site.

Well, they have a new layout (looks like just this week) where it's basically "We'll find you a dealer" and everything else is an afterthought.

So long Edmunds - I've been using this site religiously for years and it was one of the first websites on the WWW way back when. No more, I won't be back.

noticed that also. i went to it to find stuff on a vehicle i was just looking at. what it did was send me to auto places selling that vehicle.

KBB is doing the same.

 

[geecee]

While I'm not thrilled with their new emphasis on buying/finding a car, the content is still there (hopefully that won't change), just not featured as prominently. I would think that most car sites are eventually going to go this route, so they can bring in a little more $. It's not the only site I go to, so not that much of a biggie for me, but I can understand why you're disappointed with them.

 

[AustinInDallas]

I feel like it got bought by autotrader

 

[Raizinman]

When you log into their web site once a week, like millions of others, they don't make any money on you. On the other hand, if they can make a few bucks on referrals for new or used car, why not? I have always preferred NADA Blue Book as the authority for values, but its my understanding that most of these Blue Book companies just copy from one to the other.

 

[richardycc]

misleading subject line, please change it. you made it like the owner killed the site, just because you don't like the site and won't visit it, doesn't mean it's dead.

 

[Rumpltzer]

Mostly used Edmunds for the prices paid forums when buying cars. Never bothered much for car reviews; it's not like other places don't cover that info, and Edmunds never told me a lot more than what I could read on car manufacturer's Web site.

 

[overst33r]

http://www.edmunds.com/whats-hot/

That's all I really go there for.

 

[Vic Vega]

misleading subject line, please change it. you made it like the owner killed the site, just because you don't like the site and won't visit it, doesn't mean it's dead.

What the site was and what it is now are not the same. The Edmunds we had for almost 20 years is gone. RIP.

 

[unokitty]

What the site was and what it is now are not the same. The Edmunds we had for almost 20 years is gone. RIP.

++
Agree, Edmunds died some time ago...

Uno

 

[Vic Vega]

Enough people must have bitched because they reverted the website to the last version (which wasn't great)!!

 

[hans007]

a couple of my coworkers used to work for edmunds and know people there (edmunds is across the street from my office...)

insideline was a great site, but from what they had heard it actually did not drive very much traffic and it cost a lot. so that is why they changed it to "whats-hot" and deemphasized it, because they need people to click on all the dealer lead generation stuff.

edmunds.com 's main money driver is the true market value thing. peopel come to the site for that, and they get paid for leads they send to dealers. its just like truecar or cars.com or various other competitors (and they all oddly are based in LA , truecar is literally a mile or so from edmunds) in the end they just are trying to make money and the acual written content doesnt make them very much if it all it turns out. im guessing its becuase no one really reads reviews. i mean if people read insideline or any of the other car mags for tha tmatter (which are all consolidating it seems) no one would ever buy a camry or a corolla.

 

[adlep]

I really liked their "inside line" part until they killed it and turned the entire edmunds.com into new "Digg"

 

[phucheneh]

Pretty much all big-name websites have just become vehicles for advertising. Established name + links to paid advertisers disguised as 'tools' and 'content' = profit.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I agree, Edmunds USED to be a great side for unbiased opinions and to see both sides of an argument from people who actually OWNED the cars.

It now takes a lot of navigation to get past the "advertising whore" front pages.

 

[Jumpem]

You can still click New Car or Used Car at the top and still find all of the traditional information and layout.

 

[Pardus]

msn autos

 

[vi edit]

I went there today and it's even worse. I'm not sure what site has gotten worse in the last 6 months - Edmunds or Yahoo. They both are beyond misery to navigate.

 

[dawp]

thought at first this was about edmund scientific, looks like they're still going strong,

http://www.scientificsonline.com/

 

[madoka]

About 13-15 years ago, I used to work very close to Edmunds' HQ in Santa Monica. They posted a bunch of job openings so I applied. In my cover letter, I carefully outlined how I would create a car community on their website, play to their strengths, and make alliances with dealers and manufacturers. I never heard back from them. About 10 years later, I started noticing they were doing some of the things I suggested, but by then it was way too late. I got the impression they are run by idiots who don't understand the marketplace or have much vision.

 

[Fenixgoon]

i miss insideline

 

[ElFenix]

Just visited Edmunds as I do about once a week to view car specs, reviews, etc. The site has been increasingly turning into a car BUYING/FINDING site.

Well, they have a new layout (looks like just this week) where it's basically "We'll find you a dealer" and everything else is an afterthought.

So long Edmunds - I've been using this site religiously for years and it was one of the first websites on the WWW way back when. No more, I won't be back.

every layout/interface change they've made for the last decade has made it more difficult to find car reviews. insideline simplified that a bit so they had to go an F that up a couple years back.