Car Dealer Bob Maloney Picks Up Three Mice

Rogers

www.bobmaloney.com

An online used car inventory and a virtual Kelley Blue Book are the highlights of Bob Maloney Ford Lincoln Mercury’s Web site.

Being able to get trade-in quotes is a big help for anyone thinking about upgrading to a new Expedition or Excursion. (After visiting the virtual showroom, we’re actually partial to the new F150 SuperCrew pickup, with four-wheel drive.)

Add links to all three of his manufacturers, and Maloney’s online lot becomes a virtual automall. We think the static menu and instant e-mail capabilities are also nice touches.

The site debuted about two years ago and underwent a significant upgrade last fall. Gunnar Wright of Getauto.com, who does photography and design for several local dealerships, is the site’s designer. We’re told the recent upgrade was intended to make the site more user friendly, and for the most part we think it worked.

The site is getting about 400 hits per month, and Maloney’s Internet staff said that it has generated sales in markets as far away as Benton and Hot Springs. The dealer’s online sales are mostly for specialty vehicles and luxury cars, we’re told. And a number of customers have elected to carry on dialogues about purchases via e-mail, so Maloney is getting a fairly good response for the negligible cost of keeping the site running.

Our team of reviewers did identify some drawbacks, including the site’s daily weather forecast. There are so many better sources for that information, and rain might discourage buyers from visiting the lot.

One of our art designers said she saw some good things but didn’t like the site overall. She did love the Blue Book appraisals but said the site is mostly “ugly and a pain to use.” We all agreed it’s not as slick as Maloney’s TV ads we’ve come to enjoy.

One technician had an even more harsh take. He called the site, “amateur at best.” He said the pictures are hazy, the text is in varying fonts and italics make reading hard on the eyes.

The rest of us like the site’s diversity and look forward to seeing Maloney’s hyperlink to specials and promotions, which is apparently under construction. We’d also like to see the parts and service link give owners a chance to describe mechanical troubles, maybe get a preliminary diagnosis and schedule an appointment with the shop.

Overall, we thought the effort was good. As long as www.bobmaloney.com is generating sales, the dealer has to be pleased.