Complete Car Cost Guide shows you more than the cost to buy. This book gives the average cost of ownership over five years. You'll learn about insurance costs, typical repair costs, fuel expenses, and how much the car will drop in value each year.
New Car Cost Guide is published seven times a year and provides current detailed invoice and retail prices for vehicles and options.
Consumer Reports publishes a monthly magazine and annual buying guides with independent reviews of most major models. You'll see how the model you're considering ranks in comparison with similar competitors. Get both the statistics on cars and opinions about handling, comfort, and style.
You can spend days online and find still more sites about buying cars. The ones listed here are some of the easiest and most complete information resources. Remember, though, most Web sites are supported by advertising—try not to let yourself be sold using an emotional appeal, especially at manufacturers' sites.
Fueleconomy.gov is a government site where you can check fuel economy and green house emissions. It also has information about hybrid fuel vehicles.
Safercar.gov The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will show you the safety rating of each model, based on how likely crash-test dummies were to sustain injury in a collision at 35 m.p.h.
Consumerreports.org is the Web site for the magazine.
Edmunds.com Run by the well-known automotive publishing firm, this is one of the broadest and in-depth sources of online information. While it's not as popular as Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com), viewers rate it more helpful. Calculate the "True Market Value" price, which shows you what the car has been selling for in your region, with options right down to the color. You'll find professional and customer reviews of models and the true cost to own a vehicle, including average depreciation.
KBB.com Run by Kelley Blue Book (another car book publisher), this is one of the most popular sites. Request a free online price; this will steer you toward dealers in your area with Web sites where you can learn more.
Any car manufacturer name plus ".com" should get you detailed information on a specific model.