New car listing site?

[skutchhenks]

You can sell ads/cookies around the content if it's getting enough traffic, but your uniques per day would have to be 100K plus to make a living. Getting to that point would be epic IMO.

 

[milehimike]

@skutchhenks I want to keep the site banner ad free. The classifieds site is already a place for ads for cars for sale. Ads on top of that is something I find irritating.

Is there a way to get compensated from just the dealers who benefit from the service?

 

[craigh]

There's a way, but convincing them you offer something that the others doesn't is the difficult part there.
Can you prove that your visitors aren't also viewing cars.com, etc?

Take a look at CarLister.co - they're trying to take a fresh run at Classifieds and a whole new approach.
I'm certainly not saying it's done right, but you might be able to learn from them.

 

[milehimike]

@craigh That's a neat looking website.

Proving that a lead has not been on another website will be difficult.

 

[craigh]

@craigh
Proving that a lead has not been on another website will be difficult.

Correct. Luckily you don't have to prove it, just convince the dealers.

 

[tomwhitejr]

Not to further pile on this thread, but you are about to waste a considerable amount of time and money (and I don't care what you say about being able to build your site for free - that's fantasy land)... And without taking personal shots - the fact that you come into this forum (made up with perhaps the smartest people in the car business) and make statements like "I'm not a car guy, but I'm reading up as much as I can" is a slap in the face to many of the people you are asking advice from. IMO you can't just up and drive NASCAR...

 

[milehimike]

@tomwhitejr

The website has to be free as I don't have any money My statement that you quoted above is in fact true. The only contact I have had with the dealerships is as a car buyer. So reading up what's available on the internet is one way to build *some* knowledge about the industry. I don't understand why you think an expert would feel "slapped"? Going by your logic, you are not supposed to read up on something if you are not already an expert on the topic , and to talk about your analogy, Yes even a NASCAR driver learned to drive at some point (I don't know of any that was born with driving expertise) in his/her life.

I also previously mentioned that I will be seeking further assistance from actual dealers/people with expertise who may be willing to partner with me.

But I do want to make it clear to forum members. I am not trying to insult anyone here, and am deeply appreciative of your responses.

 

[Chris Cachor]

I think what @tomwhitejr meant was that you think you can build something comparable to companies that employ hundreds/thousands of people in your spare time. That's why I was saying you're in la-la land if you think that. I think the prototype you're working on will teach you a few things, though. Not as easy as it looks...

 

[milehimike]

Chris, Agreed that the prototype will teach me a few things and tell me about the feasibility.

I have an even bigger problem right now. I was trying to come up with a name for this site, and well...let's just say this: Anything I came up with was already taken.

 

[Chris Cachor]

@milehimike You could always sell your prototype/mockups. Maybe do a design brief on some of the pitfalls and how yours is better. There's a lot of companies that will pay big $$$ for this sort of thing.