Sun-Times News Group Launches Comprehensive Auto Web Site

- Searchchicago.com/autos inventories cars from Chicago area dealers with vital information and photos - Database provides thousands of reviews by local auto columnists Dan Jedlicka, John Stein, Jill Ciminillo and Ira Siegel - Information on auto safety, maintenance and more - Calculators allow shoppers to compute monthly affordability and compare leasing and purchasing options

CHICAGO, Feb. 8 -- The Sun-Times News Group has launched a new free and comprehensive auto web site, http://www.searchchicago.com/autos, that allows the greater Chicago area to search 540 local dealers and more than 110,000 new and used cars and trucks with a few clicks of a mouse.

"Anybody buying a new or used car in the Chicago metropolitan area will want to go to searchchicago.com/autos," said Cyrus F. Freidheim, Jr., Sun-Times Media Group, Inc. chief executive officer. "And Chicago dealers will benefit by being able to access thousands of qualified car buyers."

The site, announced in conjunction with the Feb. 9 kickoff of the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place, will include all dealers in the Chicago Auto Trade Association's Drive Chicago database, in addition to all automobile listings from the Chicago Sun-Times and the more than 90 daily and weekly suburban papers owned by the Sun-Times News Group.

Buyers can search by make, model and type of car as well as by price or specific dealers in their areas. Sellers can place ads in print and online and reach thousands of local buyers. Car enthusiasts can browse hundreds of photos in the site's picture galleries.

Searchchicago.com/autos goes beyond its competitors by offering advice from a well-known stable of Chicago area veteran auto columnists. More than 1,000 archived reviews are free and accessible on the site. Considering buying a 2003 Nissan Sentra? See what Sun-Times automotive columnist Dan Jedlicka had to say about the Sentra in his Jan. 27, 2003 review. And, owners can get more out of their cars with tips and tools about car maintenance, registration and safety.

"The addition of autos is an important step in building the searchchicago.com family of products," said John Cruickshank, Sun-Times Media Group vice president, publisher and chief operating officer. "Job hunters have already found searchchicago.com/jobs helpful in finding careers in Chicago's hottest industries. Now, auto buyers can shop with ease and get advice from names they know and trust. And our advertisers benefit because they can target customers in their specific communities."