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Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

New car website - Carzilla.ie

  • 22-06-2008 2:37pm
    #1
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭


    Hello

    I was hoping you guys would be kind enough to give me some feedback on a new car website I'm developing - http://www.carzilla.ie

    The basic idea is it searches carzone.ie, cbg.ie and autotrader.ie for you.

    I haven't implemented the advanced search yet, but at the moment you can still search for fairly specific results, e.g. black bmw 1999 dublin.

    I'm not totally sure about my design. Are the results easy to read? Would you prefer if they were listed in columns such as "Make Model Colour Mileage Price Location" ...?

    As stated I'm still developing the site, so your opinions at this stage would be very useful.

    Thanks for reading.

    DD


Comments

  • #2
    Anan1
    Registered Users Posts: 22,818 ✭✭✭✭Anan1


    I just tried searching for 'subaru forester auto'. All 5 finds were from Auto Trader, even though there are matching cars listed on carzone. Maybe it's because carzone is set up so that transmission type is not always stated in the ad (they use a tick-box instead). It is a good idea, though.


  • #3
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    Anan1 wrote: »
    Maybe it's because carzone is set up so that transmission type is not always stated in the ad (they use a tick-box instead).

    That sounds like it might be the culprit. I'll look into it.

    Thanks for the feedback. :)


  • #4
    -Chris-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,035 ✭✭✭✭-Chris-


    Going to a more fundamental level than what it looks like or what columns are there, I don't really see the benefit of it at the moment.

    Who are you designing this for?
    How are you going to attract people to it?
    How are you going to get yourself better known than Carzone.ie so that people go to you first rather than directly there?
    How will you make money from it?

    Also, I just searched for "audi a3 2008 dublin" and even on the front page I'm getting duplication of results. Bearing in mind that most people upload their cars in several places, how are you going to deal with the inevitible duplication of vehicles that your site will experience? If I view a car and decide against it, I don't want to encounter the same car 3 more times in my searching.


  • #5
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    Thanks for the reply.
    AudiChris wrote: »
    I don't really see the benefit of it at the moment.

    Well, it would save you from having to search the three websites seperately.

    As stated, it's still being developed, so there are some bugs, but once these are ruled out I think it would save you time.

    Now to answer your questions -
    AudiChris wrote: »
    Who are you designing this for?

    People searching for cars.
    AudiChris wrote: »
    How are you going to attract people to it?
    AudiChris wrote: »
    How are you going to get yourself better known than Carzone.ie so that people go to you first rather than directly there?

    I'm not too concerned with marketing issues at this stage.
    AudiChris wrote: »
    How will you make money from it?

    I'm not doing it to make money.
    AudiChris wrote: »
    Also, I just searched for "audi a3 2008 dublin" and even on the front page I'm getting duplication of results. Bearing in mind that most people upload their cars in several places, how are you going to deal with the inevitible duplication of vehicles that your site will experience?

    It's impossible to tell if two car adverts are for the same car, if they're uploaded to different websites and use different text.

    This is a problem with data aggregation in general.


  • #6
    -Chris-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,035 ✭✭✭✭-Chris-


    Fair 'nuff.

    As a consumer, I'm looking for convenience (which you're providing), and good information that's easy to sort through. I'm time poor and so don't want to spend hours looking through ads, although there is a "thrill of the chase" aspect for people finding and buying their new car, so I will be prepared to visit several websites over a period of a few days/weeks as I try and make sense of the market.

    I'm not sure how your website accomodates that.

    Also - a VITAL part to your advanced search should be budget. If I'm not brand loyal and want a family hatchback and my max. budget is 14k, I don't know how to look for that with your current Advanced Search setup.

    As for your standard search, I can do the same basic search in google and get similar results.

    I'm just trying to understand the why, rather that the how, of your website...


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  • #7
    johnml
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭johnml


    its a great idea dublindude, works well too. well done.

    could u get the pic of the car to come up on the results page.


  • #8
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    TBH I wouldn't use it. Compared to what's already out there it's a heap. Just my opinion, type of feedback you need as well as good.

    I can't imagine anything that would make me use it.

    I like the carzone and carlist layout and the CBG format of cars available. But I wouldn't use CBG either because the results aren't laid out all that well.


  • #9
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    AudiChris wrote: »
    Fair 'nuff.

    ..... so I will be prepared to visit several websites over a period of a few days/weeks as I try and make sense of the market.
    +1


  • #10
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    AudiChris wrote: »
    a VITAL part to your advanced search should be budget. If I'm not brand loyal and want a family hatchback and my max. budget is 14k, I don't know how to look for that with your current Advanced Search setup.

    Yep, the advanced search will accomodate that. The current options on the advanced search page can be ignored altogether.
    AudiChris wrote: »
    As for your standard search, I can do the same basic search in google and get similar results.

    Interesting. I reckon a lot of people probably don't want to use Google for everything though.

    Thanks for the feedback. It has been taken on board.
    johnml wrote: »
    its a great idea dublindude, works well too. well done.

    could u get the pic of the car to come up on the results page.

    Thanks :)

    I'll see what I can do about including a picture.
    ninty9er wrote: »
    I wouldn't use CBG either because the results aren't laid out all that well.

    Yeah I was thinking I might need to simplify the results.

    Cheers.


  • #11
    louis626
    Registered Users Posts: 84 ✭✭louis626


    Yeah unless there was a pic of the results..i wouldnt really go for it.


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  • #12
    challengemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 16,931 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    It's still very very basic at the moment. I'm sure you probably plan to build on this as development continues, and it's really a great time saving idea, it just needs work imho. Fair play :)

    ps. i think the whole white thing is a little...bland.


  • #13
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    louis626 wrote: »
    Yeah unless there was a pic of the results..i wouldnt really go for it.

    OK, thanks for the feedback.
    challengemaster wrote: »
    It's still very very basic at the moment. I'm sure you probably plan to build on this as development continues, and it's really a great time saving idea, it just needs work imho. Fair play :)

    ps. i think the whole white thing is a little...bland.

    Thanks :)

    I'm probably going to keep the design quite plain (I personally don't like cluttered websites) but I reckon from some of the feedback so far I should change my layout so it is easier to read.

    Thanks for all the feedback so far!


  • #14
    Toots
    Administrators, Business & Finance Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,905 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Toots


    johnml wrote: »
    its a great idea dublindude, works well too. well done.

    could u get the pic of the car to come up on the results page.

    +1, definitely a handy site!

    edit: on an un-car related note, I love the little Godzilla graphic! :)


  • #15
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    Toots85 wrote: »
    +1, definitely a handy site!

    edit: on an un-car related note, I love the little Godzilla graphic! :)

    Thanks! :)

    Regarding the graphic, the Irish cartoonist Bob Byrne made it for me.


  • #16
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Thanks.


  • #17
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    I don't know if I am a very typical user, but having just spent a good while searching for my new car, carzone.ie was by far the winner because I was able to carry out and bookmark quite detailed searches.

    I was looking for all BMW 523,525,528,530,728,735,740 for sale from Dublin dealers only (no private sales), priced between x and y euros. I was able to bookmark this carzone search which was very handy.

    That said, anything that means I don't have to browse the nightmares that are autotrader and CBG is welcome. If I starting over I would probably give your site a go, once pictures were available (I never view ads with no pics), but it would probably be back to carzone for the specific searches.


  • #18
    geoff29
    Closed Accounts Posts: 239 ✭✭geoff29


    hi op,

    first of all - I have spent umpteen hours on carzone and at the other sites. I refer to them as the 'other sites' because they are nowhere near as good as carzone. Whatever about the look and feel of them, they are nowhere as quick or indeed as reliable as the carzone site. Don't even get me started on CBG which has been re-done and re-done.

    If I were you - I would lift the 'advanced search' from carzone - and leave nothing out or to chance. things like 'auto-only' options might to the avg developer seem a little too busy or whatever - but every option is used I assure you. So not having these is/can-be an immediate downer for the user. That really should be on the main page.

    So, if I were you - I would try to replicate carzone's search *and* its results - but for all the sites. Thats what I would aim for. You see the carzone architecture about quite a lot so it seems to be good.

    Buy and sell is rubbish as it takes too long to get to the page where you finally spec your car search.

    second - I was a developer working on e-commerce sites - what are you working in can I ask for old time's sake?! Is this a project for college? Tis a good idea.


  • #19
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    eoin_s wrote: »
    I would probably give your site a go, once pictures were available (I never view ads with no pics), but it would probably be back to carzone for the specific searches.

    Thanks Eoin. I will contact the relevant sites and see how they feel about me using their images.
    geoff29 wrote: »
    So, if I were you - I would try to replicate carzone's search *and* its results - but for all the sites. Thats what I would aim for. You see the carzone architecture about quite a lot so it seems to be good.

    Thanks for the good tip. :)
    geoff29 wrote: »
    second - I was a developer working on e-commerce sites - what are you working in can I ask for old time's sake?! Is this a project for college? Tis a good idea.

    Ah it's just a hobby. I like making websites. :) I'm writing it all in PHP...


  • #20
    dogmatix
    Registered Users Posts: 1,404 ✭✭✭dogmatix


    1. For advanced search, the ability to search for one, all or any combination of fields. Offer the user the ability to enter as many search criteria as they would want.

    2. The ability to search for a car using keywords such as "sunroof" etc.

    3. For how NOT to create a web based car search page - check out nissan.ie or toyota.ie - their advanced search facility is a good example of bad design.

    4. I don't like the way results are currently displayed - a list type display is the standard every where and for good reason. For search results offer column headings like Brand / Model / Year / Milage / Pictures - yes or no / Dealer or private / Price.

    5. The ability to sort all returned results by clicking on each column

    Essentially if you could merge the best features from the two main websites search features you could not really go wrong.


  • #21
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    dublindude wrote: »
    Thanks Eoin. I will contact the relevant sites and see how they feel about me using their images.

    The image part was really only a small part of my post. The ability to carry out very detailed and specific searches would be a big bonus, and that combined with photos, would probably make me happy to use your site in favour of carzone.


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  • #22
    campervan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 112 ✭✭campervan


    ye I like the site too, but I searched 'new beetle' and only autotader ads came up


  • #23
    tomred1
    Registered Users Posts: 657 ✭✭✭tomred1


    I would like to see cars picture beside the serach results. Otherwise good idea.


  • #24
    quarryman
    Registered Users Posts: 7,496 ✭✭✭quarryman


    i did a search for BMW 325. Seemed to give a limited set of results (I'm sure there's more than 17 BMW 325s in the country.

    Also, the google ads are VERY annoying. Half way down the page and at the end too.


  • #25
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    dogmatix wrote: »
    1. For advanced search, the ability to search for one, all or any combination of fields. Offer the user the ability to enter as many search criteria as they would want.

    2. The ability to search for a car using keywords such as "sunroof" etc.

    3. For how NOT to create a web based car search page - check out nissan.ie or toyota.ie - their advanced search facility is a good example of bad design.

    4. I don't like the way results are currently displayed - a list type display is the standard every where and for good reason. For search results offer column headings like Brand / Model / Year / Milage / Pictures - yes or no / Dealer or private / Price.

    5. The ability to sort all returned results by clicking on each column

    Essentially if you could merge the best features from the two main websites search features you could not really go wrong.

    Some great advice there. Thank you.
    eoin_s wrote: »
    The image part was really only a small part of my post. The ability to carry out very detailed and specific searches would be a big bonus, and that combined with photos, would probably make me happy to use your site in favour of carzone.

    Thanks, I'll see what I can do.
    tomred1 wrote: »
    I would like to see cars picture beside the serach results. Otherwise good idea.

    Yep, sounds like this needs to be implemented!
    quarryman wrote: »
    the google ads are VERY annoying. Half way down the page and at the end too.

    Well, I'm hoping the site will cover some of its costs, so the Google adverts are necessary. Sorry about that. :)

    Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll be implementing most of your suggestions over the next few weeks.


  • #26
    S.I.R
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,837 ✭✭✭S.I.R


    dublindude wrote: »
    Hello

    I was hoping you guys would be kind enough to give me some feedback on a new car website I'm developing - http://www.carzilla.ie

    The basic idea is it searches carzone.ie, cbg.ie and autotrader.ie for you.

    I haven't implemented the advanced search yet, but at the moment you can still search for fairly specific results, e.g. black bmw 1999 dublin.

    I'm not totally sure about my design. Are the results easy to read? Would you prefer if they were listed in columns such as "Make Model Colour Mileage Price Location" ...?

    As stated I'm still developing the site, so your opinions at this stage would be very useful.

    Thanks for reading.

    DD




    too many car sites around imo.... :rolleyes:


  • #27
    AARRRGH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    S.I.R wrote: »
    too many car sites around imo.... :rolleyes:

    Maybe :o but my idea is to merge them all into one :)


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