Head out on the highway

For many women, buying a car is right up there on the list of fun things not to do. You spend evenings and weekends driving from one car lot to the next to sift through vehicles that are - to put it nicely - not for you. Then there's the added enjoyment of manoeuvring around overeager sales staff.

There is an easier way. With a few clicks of your mouse, you can browse through virtual lots, research models that meet your needs and locate and even finance your prospective vehicle - without spending a penny on gas. Here's how.

I Really Want a Sports Car…or a Minivan
Maybe you're not committed to one type of car. Or maybe you know exactly what type of car you want but don't know if it's practical. Handy online tools can help you understand what your needs look like on wheels.

If you're shopping for a used vehicle, try the online version of Auto Trader Magazine (www.autotrader.com). Begin by narrowing down the field with The Decision Guide, a tool that asks you to set a budget range and prompts you to rate options, such as transmission (manual or automatic) and engine size. After entering your selections you're presented with a list of vehicles that matches your needs. Although the specific vehicles on the list are located in the United States, you'll get a good idea of the makes, models and years of the vehicles you should be looking for.

Start shopping
A good place to start is www.autotrader.ca, but there are loads of other sites, such as www.autonet.ca, http://ca.autos.yahoo.com and www.ebay.ca. Or just enter “cars for sale” or the name of a car manufacturer or dealer in a search engine, such as Yahoo (www.yahoo.ca) or Google (www.google.ca), and limit your results to Canadian sites.

To find out more about new cars, visit manufacturers' sites (almost all carmakers who sell vehicles in Canada are online). In addition to information about makes and models, many sites let you search for a dealer close to you. Next, visit specific dealership sites to check out inventories, prices and any specials that they may be offering. At www.carsbynet.ca, you'll find a rebates-and-incentives listing for 23 different makes of vehicles.

Kick the tires
Each manufacturer and third-party site, such as www.autonet.ca, lists vehicles and sellers, and most assume that the actual purchase will take place in person. When buying online, grab the chance to slip behind the wheel whenever possible before you take delivery or cement the deal. You need to ask more questions than if you're buying off the lot. Are there power seats on both sides of the car? Has the car ever been repainted? What condition are the tires in? Do all the doors lock securely?

And you still need to go through the paces of getting ministry line checks, asking for service records or obtaining a used-vehicle information package. If all this is new to you, check out an automotive-information site, such as Edmunds (www.edmunds.com), which offers practical advice on everything from what features to look for to how to shop for insurance.