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With gas prices getting to be more of a concern every day, consumers are on the lookout for a car that can combine the safety features they expect with the gas mileage that they can afford.

We've kicked the tires on a number of car buying sites and found a good handful that are very easy to handle, with standard features such as news, reviews, FAQ's and real content you can use in making that major purchase.

Many sites combine lists of cars for sale with tips and articles to help you find a car that can save on gas, fit the whole family, provide the safety you want on the road and still look like a car you'd want to drive.

Classic cars, muscle cars, hybrids and SUVs are just some of the models you'll find information on. Searching for what they're saying in the car forums? Thinking about leasing and need more facts? Looking for a place to compare safety ratings or miles per gallon on that car you're considering? These sites will get you on the right road ...

Car Talk - Actual Car Information - The real deal with National Public Radio's Ray and Tom Magliozzi's guide to everything including featured surveys on buying, selling, owning, or repairing your car. Tool around the rest of the site for classic clips from the radio show.

Where Can I Buy A Car Online? - The basics answered for the auto-buying newbie in the U.S., Canada and U.K with a wealth of information about every aspect of car shopping, with related research, financing and insurance links.

New Buyer - Solid information, tips and tricks to buying used and new cars and trucks, with additional guides to car insurance, loans and leasing.

CarBuyingTips.com - Information central for everything you need to know before you walk into the dealership, including Top Ten car dealer scams, how-to's, tips on credit reports and loans, resources and lots more.

Autobytel - Great mileage and one of the longer-lasting buy/sell sites online, offering scores of reviews from customers on popular makes and models, plus breaking news, feature articles, downloadable buying guides, a FAQ, forum, interactive calculators and lots more.

Cars Direct - Easy, steady navigation at this award-winning site where you can buy new/used or sell, together with parts and accessory listings, and a host of features on fuel efficiency, steering clear of lemons, a safety guide, Top Ten list and more.

Autoweb - Sell your car online or buy used/new cars, parts and accessories armed with safety reports, news and reviews, finance and warranty info, trade-in values, payment calculators and more.

MSN Autos - Although their main site offers more edutainment, than news, MSN puts the pedal to the metal with solid content, reviews, a great interface and features such as price comparisons, safety info, related links.

autonet.ca - A popular Canadian portal for prospective new and used car buyers, easy to search by province, car make/model, preferences/ features, along with news and reviews - although leans toward more press release window dressing than solid facts.

Wheels.affari.to - A British site, sent in by Bill ("from Atlanta, GA - now in Milan, Italy") that comes highly recommended featuring "classified ads, news and discussion forums about all sorts of vehicles with wheels (cars, motorbikes, trucks, bicycles, etc.)". The news articles are interesting, even if you aren't currently in the market.

Automedia - Complete car shopping site with reviews - including videos - on a wide range of models. Buyer's guides, articles on features and maintenance, online quotes and more...

also see related feature -> Buying a Car Online

Taking the Risk Out of Buying a Used Car

also in Cars --> Car Forums | Car Directories

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