25,000 vehicles!

Just a brief announcement: TrueDelta’s panel now includes 25,000 vehicles! Way back when I started this was the number I thought I needed to provide accurate results for the most popular models. And the latest results included nearly 100 model / model year combinations. The most popular model in the panel: the Honda Accord, with 742 enrolled. The next most popular: the… More →

The 2008s are done!

For nearly a year I’ve been entering pricing information for 2008 models as it became available. Last night I finally entered the 207th, the 2008 Toyota Sequoia, along with the new Subaru WRX STI (not a separate model in my count). There will be a 208th if Hyundai ever gets around to pricing the 2008 Azera. And a couple of… More →

Introducing the Common Auto Repairs Database (CARDb)

Some people have told TrueDelta that what they’d really like to know, more than average repair rates, is which problems are especially common with a given car. This way, when shopping for a used car they would could: Closely inspect typical problem areas Check if likely repairs have already been performed In response, TrueDelta is launching the Common Auto Repairs… More →

Integrating the VRS and VRHS

It dawned on me while traveling this past weekend that the site could be greatly improved, and many current problems eliminated, if the Vehicle Reliability Survey and Vehicle Repair History Survey were much more tightly integrated. Below you’ll find my initial thoughts. Feedback would be appreciated. Why haven’t these surveys been integrated all along? It’s a matter of history. The… More →

Static price comparisons — for Google, TTAC, and you

TheTruthAboutCars.com starting licensing TrueDelta’s car pricing and specifications pages a few months ago. When these didn’t get as much traffic as was hoped, an SEO (search engine optimization) expert was called in. One of his primary recommendations: static price comparison pages. Google (and other search engines) don’t fill in forms and click submit buttons. So they’ve had no way to… More →

Eliminating the oft misunderstood /

When I created the list of models, I decided to minimize the number of models and simplify future analysis by combining some that were related with a /. I did this in two cases. In some cases one model replaced another. For example, there was the “Z3 / Z4.” In other cases, the special performance variant of a model had… More →