News: Kijiji says its auto section does not suck

Despite frequent complaints about auto dealers passing themselves off as private sellers, and persistent Nigerian scammers pretending to sell vehicles as sub-retail prices, Kijiji Canada has just issued a news release touting its super-duper auto searching program.

Via Canada Newswire:

Kijiji adds horsepower to Canada's No.1 auto classifieds site

    Locating the perfect set of wheels just got easier with new search
   capabilities

TORONTO, Nov. 4 /CNW/ - With used vehicle transactions predicted to account for nearly 70 per cent of total sales by 2013*, Kijiji Canada is making it even easier for Canadians to find a used vehicle online by rolling out significant upgrades to its Cars & Vehicles category. Following a year of growth as the most visited used autos website in Canada, new features on Kijiji.ca empower consumers to find the exact used vehicle they're searching for, in their area.

Using research about Canadians' online auto-hunting preferences, Kijiji.ca now provides users with the ability to refine and narrow their criteria. Kijiji users can search using preferences including: manufacturer, model, year, price range, body-type, kilometre range, colour, and whether a vehicle is for sale by owner or dealer. Kijiji has even introduced a distance drag-and-drop slider that lets users choose how large of a geographic area they want to search. Online auto hunters can visit http://autos.kijiji.ca to test drive the new search and browse features.

"It's like visiting a used car showroom online," says former race car driver Kelly Williams, Kijiji Canada's resident car care expert. "With the new functionality, Kijiji.ca has become a one-stop-shop for finding used cars locally. It's easier than ever for a shopper to compare prices of the same models, limit searches based on criteria like age, mileage or colour, and even separate hatchbacks from convertibles."

On average, Canadians post more than 25,000 free classified postings to the Cars & Vehicles category on Kijiji.ca every day. Last year alone, Canadians posted 8.14-million ads to the category, which buyers can now browse more quickly, efficiently, and safely.

Why is Kijiji such a popular choice for owners looking to sell a used car? Posting a free classified ad on Kijiji.ca can take as little as one-minute, and it could take as little as a few seconds for a classified poster to receive his or her first response.

Users posting "for sale" ads to the Cars & Vehicle category are prompted to enter details about the vehicle for sale using drop-down menus that help categorize and display their vehicle. The new posting details also help to clearly display photos and attributes for every vehicle on Kijiji.ca.

"Whether you're a novice car buyer looking to purchase a used vehicle from a dealer or a car enthusiast searching for a great deal on a luxury car for sale by owner, the new Cars & Vehicles search engine makes it easier than ever to find the perfect set of wheels, locally," Williams added.

Each month, more than 8.7-million Canadians visit Kijiji.ca for free local classifieds in 99 cities across Canada. In the month of August alone, more than 3.19-million online Canadians visited the Cars & Vehicles category on Kijiji.ca and spent an average of 8.1 minutes on the site.

What are the most popular vehicle brands available on Kijiji.ca? Considering the top five searches reveals that Ford Mustangs, BMWs, Chevy Camaros, Honda Civics, and Jeeps are among the most popular.

"Consumers no longer need to drive a car to find a car," said Ran Ravitz, Head of Kijiji Motors Canada. "We know that more Canadians than ever are turning to the Internet to research their next vehicle and Kijiji gives consumers a free and local option for finding exactly what they're looking for. Kijiji.ca's new search capabilities make it even easier to browse the hundreds of thousands of used car listings available on the site at any given time."

    * Auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers, DesRosiers Automotive Consultants /
   Canadian Press, Sept. 21, 2009.

About Kijiji

Kijiji, which means "village" in Swahili, is a group of classifieds-style web sites that offer a convenient, fun, and easy way for people in the same city to meet, trade, share ideas, and help each other out in areas such as housing, jobs, goods, services, cars, and personals. The entire Kijiji family includes the Kijiji, Gumtree, LoQUo, Intoko, and Marktplaats brands. Kijiji sites are currently available in over 1500 cities in more than 20 markets around the world; it is the most visited classifieds site in Canada with more than 8.7 million unique visitors per month. www.kijiji.ca

For further information: Nicole Tuschak or Jesse Kohl, Environics Communications, (416) 969-2712 or (416) 969-2709, ntuschak@environicspr.com or jkohl@environicspr.com

This post was written by: Gord McCord

Gord McCord, webmaster at You Suck at Kijiji, makes fun of funny things on Kijiji. Do not take him too seriously. Also do not take yourself too seriously. Follow him on Twitter