Today's Net-savvy car buyers are saying that the Internet -- more than dealerships -- is their preferred first source for gathering vehicle information, according to Greenfield Online's new Cruising for Cars on the Information Highway study.

In fact, in this online survey, the Internet at 76 percent, leaves other sources of information such as local dealerships (70 percent), friends and family (53 percent), newspapers (49 percent) and automobile publications (42 percent) in the rear view mirror.

A whopping 93 percent of those who went online to shop for a vehicle feel the Internet makes the auto shopping experience easier. A solid 80 percent of this group says they can better negotiate prices thanks to the information they collect on the Web, regardless of where they make the actual purchase.

The 2,000 survey respondents were active car buyers. To qualify for the study they had to have shopped for a new or used vehicle during the past 12 months. Also, they are Web-proficient, most having been online for almost two years.

So where does the online public go to gather auto-buying information? The top five most visited of 59 auto-information Websites included in the study were (with percentage of shoppers visiting):

Autobytel.com: New 37%; Used 33%

Kelleybluebook.com: New 32%; Used 36%

Ford.com: New 32% Used 26%

Autotrader.com: New 23%; Used 38%

Chevrolet.com: New 22%; Used 22%

While respondents clearly are shopping for vehicles online, most who purchased a vehicle during the past 12 months did so through a traditional dealership (63 percent). These offline purchasers are uncomfortable with buying a vehicle online (53 percent), feel the purchase is too large to conduct online (41 percent) and prefer to use a salesperson (32 percent).

There is some good news for online auto retailers. More than a third (36 percent) of online auto shoppers state they are likely to purchase or lease their next vehicle via the Internet.

About This Digital Consumer(TM) Study

This study is part of Greenfield Online's ongoing Digital Consumer(TM) series that examines opinions of the online public. It contains many more findings than are included in this release and is for sale from Greenfield Online.

The Cruising for Cars on the Information Highway II study was conducted online between Aug. 18 and Aug. 29, 2000, with a sample of 2,000 respondents who have shopped for a new or used vehicle during the past 12 months. All survey findings report aggregate information about groups, not individuals. To join the Greenfield Online participant community, visit http://www.greenfieldonline.com.

To help ensure that data collected through Greenfield Online is fully representative of the online population, Greenfield Online weights data collected from its panel to Forrester Research, Inc.'s Year 2000 Benchmark survey of 80,000 US offline and online individuals.

For three continuous years, Forrester has measured the overall state of the online universe with the industry's largest and most reliable survey effort. By weighting to Forrester's nationally representative sample of online users, Greenfield strengthens the validity and accuracy of its panel data.

For additional information about Greenfield Online and its services, call Gail Janensch at 203-846-5720 or visit the company's website at http://www.greenfield.com.