In the second annual Consumer Reports Auto Buying Survey, 64 percent of a nationally

representative sample of recent car buyers and leasers said they would use the Web either to make a car purchase or obtain a local dealer referral -- up from 41 percent in last year's survey.

And although only 1.5 percent had bought their vehicles online, an additional 3.6 percent had tried to buy online.

Among Web site users surveyed, 70 percent used the Internet to research prices; 60 percent researched car specifications; 43 percent looked

up available models; and 42 percent researched options/trim lines.

"Car buying and the Web make a potentially unbeatable combination," said Paige Amidon, chief marketing officer of New Media and Consumer Reports Car Price Services. "Users are finding a lot of very good information with a few clicks of the mouse. We think online car buying will continue to increase. But for now, there are problems. According to our survey, twice as many people tried unsuccessfully to buy online as were able to complete the transaction. That tells us that Web auto merchants haven't put all the pieces together so consumers can comfortably complete a car purchase online."

Other online car-buying trends from the survey:

- 27 percent of respondents said they would consider using the web to buy or lease a vehicle and have it delivered; 45 percent would use the Internet to get a referral to a dealer.

- 29 percent said they would investigate buying and leasing options available through the Internet the next time they purchased a vehicle.

- 43 percent of respondents consulted manufacturer web sites before selecting a vehicle, making automaker sites the third most frequently-consulted information source (prior experience with make and dealers/auto salespeople were the first and second most frequently consulted sources of information) - up from seventh place last year. 30 percent visited other online auto sites

- Last year, about three out of five respondents said they would not use the Web either to buy or get a dealer referral. This year the figure was down below half (46 percent).

- 8 percent found a dealer from recommendations by auto-related Internet sites.

- Four out of five respondents currently have access to the Web.

The main reasons respondents would not consider using the Web to buy a vehicle and have it delivered are:

- 68 percent prefer to test drive the car. More than 80 percent of the respondents test-drove the vehicle before selecting it.

- 67 percent prefer to establish a relationship with the dealer that they are going to use for service.

- 42 percent were concerned about online security and privacy of financial information.

- 26 percent don't think that Internet buying is the way to get the best deal.

The second annual survey, completed in January 2001, is based on 1,001 responses.