The number of car shoppers who consult the Internet before heading toward a dealership is substantial and growing, according to the Chicago Tribune. Consumer research firm J.D. Power and Associates says 62 percent of new-car buyers used the Internet.

With the average vehicle transaction price around $24,000, "they not only want to see the car, they want to drive the car," said Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). Two to 4 percent of vehicles are thought to be purchased directly online, Taylor said.

Even among those buyers, many went to look at the car at some point, Taylor said. But with more than 90 percent of dealers with a Web site, the Internet is "increasingly a method of

communication with customers," Taylor said.

Customers look to dealer Web sites for a variety of information, Taylor said. About 86 percent want to view the dealer's stock of vehicles, 66 percent want to determine sticker prices, 60 percent want to schedule service and 54 percent want to fill out a financing application.

Slightly more than half use the Web to schedule a sales appointment at the dealership, and 22 percent will order a vehicle online.