• Design their ideal vehicle
• Compare vehicles side-by-side, feature-by-feature, price-by-price
• Read reviews, recall information and manufacturer data
• Access hundreds of thousands of new and used vehicles with our powerful search engine
• Research finance and insurance options
• Sell their car online
• Contact a dealer directly

The main page of vehix.com is as shown above. The interface is very attractive and user friendly.
When a customer selects an option, for example Find a Dealer, the system asks for the zip code or
state. Using that zip code or state information the system searches for all the dealers in that particular area and list them as shown below.

Car buying has always felt like a blind negotiation. The salesperson controls all the relevant information: what cars are in inventory; how much each package of options costs; and, of course, the true cost of the vehicle (not the sticker price, which is the obvious starting point for haggling). Even business people accustomed to negotiating with vendors find themselves at a disadvantage.

Systems like vehix.com change the equation, giving the customer much-needed leverage in the bargaining process. It helps customers narrow their vehicle choices, explore the cost of adding desired options (such as kid-friendly leather seats), and obtain a price quote that can help them shave dollars off the sticker price.

It's not only customers who benefit at the end of day. Imagine the burden of the dealers in the absense of vehix like systems. Questions like: What if I do this? How much is it going to cost me? What's so special about this type of car? are very common and how many salespeople are needed to answer all these questions?

The system supports almost all kinds of vehicle buying/selling decisions. For example

• Whether to buy a new or used vehicle?
• Which make to buy?
• Which model?
• Which color?
• At what price to buy?
• From where to buy?
• What features to look for?
• Which insurance to purchase?
• Which finance options to consider?

• Lists all the available models and makes in the market
• Lists all the features of different models and allows to compare two or more vehicles
• Provides insurance and finance information
• Lists all the dealers in the proximity of customer
• Provides safety information, sneak previews, history, warranty information, technical specifications, etc.

• The first problem the system solves is to locate the customer. For each option the customer selects, it asks for zip code(sometimes state).
• The zip code is the key to solving a number of problems. For example prices are different in different states so using the zip code it gives the exact price in that particular area. Also if a customer is finding a dealer in his area, it checks for all the dealers in a customer's area and list the dealers with their contact information.
• The system also helps customers in comparing different vehicles for different features. Each feature is either present or not present in a vehicle. It lists all the vehicles selected by the customer for comparison and provides the value of all the features, present or not present, in a very attractive interface. This allows customers to find the right vehicle even if they have no idea what models and features to choose from.
• It also helps customers in designing their own vehicle. This is a very important aspect of vehix.com. A customer first makes his final decision after comparing vehicles using the side by side comparison feature. The customer is then asked for a number of features which he either wants or does not want. After a customer has finished choosing from all the options, he can request a price quote or go back and start over.

• It collects information from different sources and makes it available to the customer, which is otherwise very difficult to obtain.
• It provides a very simple and easy user interface. All a customer has to do is to select their preferences and click.
• It helps customers to establish communications with reliable third party resources like dealers, insurance agents, etc.
  

From a management angle, traditional car buying or selling involves a number of steps. The time spent between customer's decision making and buying varies from days to months. The reasons for this are inadequate information available and increasing number of options for customers. Who pays the cost for this time loss? The answer is: both dealers and customers. If a customer is convinced, the dealer has made a sale. If not then the dealer's resources are wasted. Now imagine the presence of a vehix like system in which a customer will go to the dealer after obtaining all the knowledge about his vehicle. The customer will only ask for the specific vehicle with already selected features and a known price. Even better, it is possible that the customer will have already communicated with the dealer via e-mails and phone calls and will only go to pick up his vehicle.

Now also imagine a salesperson's job. He is a skilled person who claims to posseses knowledge about all the models, makes, features, etc. With vehix providing all the knowledge to customers,. dealers do not need highly skilled sales professionals. Also they need less number of employees. This reduces their cost.

• Zip code - to give pricing and dealer information for that particular area. This information can also enable the system to track user preferences by geographical regions. This information could be useful to dealers and to advertisers.
• Address and e-mail - to send price quotes, but more importantly to give good contact information to dealers.
  

• Comparison of different types and makes of vehicle.
• Allows customers to search by specific models, or just car types (for example minivan, sedan, etc.)
• Designing vehicles based on customer's preferences
• Allowing customers to see what is currently available in their area