Comments on: Great Cars, Horrible Sites

By: LiLJoKer

LiLJoKer — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:56:37 +0000

Hey i’m a new user here and I just wanna post a question out in the open so I can hopefully get some answers if anyone is willing to help. I have a 1979 Datsun 200sx it only has 2700 orig. miles on it very good condition…. what can I get for it if I were to sell?

By: Steve PRODESIGN

Steve PRODESIGN — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:19:23 +0000

Some of the car dealer’s website is really not user friendly. It just look cool with all the flash and effect, but some information is hard to find….

By: Lesson No. 25

Lesson No. 25 — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 03:26:02 +0000

re - the Scion site “viewpoint control” not working in Firefox…

It didn’t work for me in Firefox (1.5.0.9) initially, and when I clicked the link to install the plugin, it told me I have to be online to do that. (I’m connected to a LAN…)

So I viewed the page in IE, installed the plugin there, and after I did, refreshed the page in Firefox. Works as expected.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 08:37:51 +0000

Anyone know of any sites that let you do street customizations (i.e. rice rocket style)? I was told by a friend that there was such a site, but I haven’t found it.

By: Sage

Sage — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 03:49:21 +0000

Somehow, I don’t think very many drivers use Lynx.

By: Don Schenck

Don Schenck — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 01:39:02 +0000

The Renault site has a feature that I absolutely hate; the dreaded click-and-it-takes-off dropdown.

You go to select your country, and if you accidently choose the wrong one, you’re reading French quicker than you can say “surrender”.

Hate that. Give me a list and a “Go” button.

ARGH!

By: AD++

AD++ — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 01:14:37 +0000

You didnﾂｴt check Audi and Mercedes-Benz. They have great sites. Plus Mixed-tape.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 01:08:21 +0000

Both look different, but pull design elements from VW. They pull the VW brand over, and they do it pretty well. I wonder if this is a requirement from VW? Anyone know?

Yes, I do believe this is a requirement from VW.

Many automotive corporations have strict compliancy guidelines that certified dealers must follow. Everything from logo dimensions and orientation, to color palettes and tints can be strictly enforced.

This is how the automotive corporations “brand” their product and ensure a common look/feel across their certified websites. Companies, like VW, release page after page of written and visual rules which must be strictly followed - and at first glance these rules are quite daunting.

In terms of marketing you can see why these guidelines are neccessary. However, in many cases these same guidelines can kill creativity, flexibility, and unfortunately in some cases - usability. If a specific section of the VW site is coded in a way which makes it unusable, but it is a requirement for VW dealerships to have on their site, suddenly instead of 1 poorly structured site you have 1000’s.

There is a domino effect of sorts and the automotive web industry, in my honest opinion, suffers greatly for it.

By: Brad Lauster

Brad Lauster — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 23:40:46 +0000

You guys are so right, car company websites are horrendous! It’s like a contest to see how few browsers they can support.

My Audi A4 Cab is the most enjoyable car I’ve ever driven, but audiusa.com is an embarrassment. The main navigation doesn’t even work properly in Safari. Bleah!

By: Michael Spina

Michael Spina — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 23:36:46 +0000

Both the Ford and VW sites had a similar problem. I was trying to build a car, so I go to the page for that car (under Browse Models or equivalent) and click “Build.” So it goes to the build page for that car, but is missing some details I thought would be available.

On the VW home page, it says I can have a W8 Passat Wagon. But I try to build and can’t get that option. Ford says there is a Hybrid Escape. But I go to the Hybrid Escape page, hit build, and get options for 4 or 6 cylinder, no mention of hybrid. Can I not build these cars? Are they not on the market? What’s the deal? At least tell me when I get there, “Sorry, our Build A Car doesn’t support this model” etc.