vs.

Lock up your GMs! Seem as if criminals have it out for you this year. Between Cadillacs and Hummers, GM hold 4 of the top 8 spots on this list. In fact, if you have any large American car, you might want to think about building a small shed to house it.

Car: Claims Per 1,000/Average Loss Payment Per Claim

10. Honda S2000 Convertible: 8.1/$13,624
9. 2005-2007 Dodge Durango: 8.1/$9,682
8. 2005-2007 Hummer H2: 8.7/$18,791
7. 2005-2007 Dodge Magnum: 9.9/$8,926
6. 2005-2007 Hummer H2 SUT: 10.0/$23,771
5. 2005-2007 Ford F-350 SuperCrew: 10.7/$20,138
4. 2006-2007 Dodge Charger: 11/$7,047
3. 2007 Cadillac Escalade: 11.3/$14,657
2. 2005-2007 Ford F-250 SuperCrew: 13.1/$19,250
1. 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV: 15.0/$13,060

For the same reason American car makers love to sell large SUVs and truck, thieves are seeking these behemoths out. They are large, cheap ways to get a nice car that will allow you to put expensive stereos, large rims and other accessories on that are easy to steal and resell without too much worry. Dropping 24s on your Hummer may say, “You’re ballin’” to your friends, but it says, “Come steal me” to every car criminal out there.

On the other hand, should be you be looking for the most inconspicuous (boring) cars on the road to protect your insurance premiums and pimped car stereos, you might want to check out the list below. To be honest, not all of them are boring or lame. Some of them just have excellent security systems and car-jackers know that it’s not worth the time to steal the car or there will be no way to re-sell the expensive parts off the car. As you can see, most of the cars are people carriers though with a preponderance of SUVs. The interesting thing is that whereas some of the cars are rather popular (Ford Focus, VW Beetle, Toyota Prius) some of the cars are the most obscure models available (Buick Terraza, Saturn Relay).

10. 2005-2007 Ford Freestyle
9. 2005-2007 Saturn Relay
8. 2005-2007 Toyota Prius
7. 2005-2007 Volvo V70
6. 2005-2007 Ford Focus
5. 2005-2007 Volkswagen (New) Beetle
4. 2005-2007 Buick Terraza
3. 2005-2007 Subaru Forrester
2. 2005-2007 Buick Rainier
1. 2005-2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Source: Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute

Every now and then, I run across a dealer on our website that was sent to us via a feed that contains inaccurate contact information. Whenever this happens, there’s a good chance that opportunities for leads are lost for all vehicles under this dealer. While this is something we can try to fix locally, the way most feeds are setup requires dealers to fix the information at the source. Whether you are currently exporting your data to us or not, it is important that you fill out your information correctly in your management system so your online marketing efforts are not wasted.

With regards to vehicle data I do run across some dealers that do not list the vehicles correctly with regarsd to make and model names. Again, these vehicles are sent to a special closet on the web and are most likely not put on display like their rule following cousins. If you use inventory management systems to keep track of your inventory, please make sure you use standard make and model names that will be easily understood by other web services.

I gotta give it to BMW for understanding its core customers.  A sexy ad indeed.

Could EasyAutoSales really offer the best used cars EVER? According to the new URL (http://best.usedcars.ever.com) over at The Ever Project, EasyAutoSales has the best used cars ever. Well, we of course created this page, and are decidedly biased, but there’s a section for you to weigh in on whether you think our used car selection is the best online…or not. So head on over and let us know what you think of our used car inventory. How do we stack up compared to our competitors? Who do you think has the best selection of used cars? If you are a car dealer and think our selection is lacking maybe you can help us by uploading your used car listings for free. While your checking out our Ever page you’ll also find a link to or Facebook Group, our Twitter Feed, and our Flickr photo stream.

Does EasyAutoSales have the best used cars EEEEEVVVVVVEEEERRRRR? Tell us what you think…

Thank you Squidoo and Seth Godin for this really cool platform.

EasyAutoSales.com now allows buyers, private sellers and dealers to upload avatars in their account. This feature while small - is the first of many improvements to our service that will help add a community feel to the website and help open up the communication for the buy/sell process for both parties.

Real estate agents have long been using their their faces in various marketing materials and websites for local marketing and we feel car sellers can also benefit from the same type of exposure. Assuming you have a trustworthy face, this feature should help you sell cars in the new, web 2.0 market.

Yes, we’ll admit it - we are a big sucker for photos here at EasyAutoSales.com. Head shots of users and unlimited photos for cars are definitely great features to help you sell cars.

Despite the fact that gas prices are through the roof, the value of SUVs is dropping fast, and Detroit may be experiencing more job cuts in the near future, there are reasons to feel good about the car buying industry. Here are 5 reasons to look beyond the climbing gas prices:

1. Hybrids, Electric Batteries, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells - The progress being made with alternative powered cars is significant. They may not be making an impact tomorrow, but they will come sooner than later.
2. Smarter Rides - From fuel displacement systems to collision avoidance software, the technology we are wielding these days is astounding, and making the roads safer every day.
3. Coolness Factor - New cars these days are looking damn good. Not to mention the nifty features that continue to make the driving experience more enjoyable.
4. Automakers Responding Quickly to the Market - If the SUV market had tanked 10 years ago, Detroit’s car makers would have been extremely slow to react. Today, Ford has already said it will cut production and avoid building SUVs that the dealers will not be able to sell.
5. The final reason to feel good about the car buying industry, is without a doubt a self plug, but I think a valid one. EasyAutoSales.com is embracing the internet’s social presence in a way that other car classifieds sites are not. These days, with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, FriendFeed, and many many more, the web of connection cast by an individual across the web is nothing short of remarkable. Imagine if you could use that massive social network to help you buy and sell cars. EasyAutoSales.com is integrating itself into this web 2.0 phenomenon , and the car buying industry will be better for it.

What makes you feel good about the car buying industry (or bad for the matter if you think this is all a crock of ….)?

We designed Easy Auto Sales to help you easily shop and sell cars. Are there key features you would like to see as a car buyer or seller that have not yet been developed? Let us know how we can improve your experience here!

Even though the cost of storing millions of photos is killing us softly, we really do think sellers should take more pictures of their vehicles. Check out this BMW listing that has a whopping 45 photos! Don’t you feel like you know that car intimately after looking at that listing?

Yep, unlike other expensive and stingy auto classifieds, we do not limit the amount of photos you can post for your vehicles. So hit us with your best shots and let’s see if we can help you move those vehicles faster!

We have created a profile over at GetSatisfaction where we will offer on demand help for any portion of our services found on EasyAutoSales.com. Why did we choose Get Satisfaction over creating an in house solution? Well, we feel the process of customer support should be opened up similar to the process of shopping for used cars. It makes the company (and/or dealerships) more accountable.