Cars.com at 20: Online Car Shopping's Changed, But Monday's Still Tops
What’s the best way to handle a case of the Mondays? According to 20 years of Cars.com data, it’s to shop for your next car.
Related: Our Favorite Cars of the Past 20 Years
Over 20 years, Monday has remained the most popular day for car shopping on Cars.com. And the most popular time to email, call or chat with dealers is over lunchtime: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chicago time. That’s remained consistent over Cars.com’s two decades in business.
So, what has changed? Plenty.
In 1998, 41 percent of adults went online, according to Pew Research Center. Today, 77 percent of Americans go online on a daily basis, Pew reports, with 26 percent of those people online nearly all the time. (Judging by how many of us have our noses in our smartphones 24/7, this number seems too low to me.)
On Cars.com, you can mark the passage of time with the cars that are listed on it. In its first five years, the most listed vehicle on our site was the 2001 Ford F-150, but the most popular vehicle based on shoppers contacting dealers was the 1999 Honda Civic.
From 2003 to 2007, the Ford F-150 remained the most listed car on Cars.com, but the 2004 model supplanted the 2001 F-150. The 2003 Honda Accord, meanwhile, became the most popular car on the site, replacing its smaller sibling, the Civic.
The 2010 Toyota Corolla took the crown as the most listed car on Cars.com from 2008 to 2012, and the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe was the most popular during that period. And from 2013 to today, pickup trucks have remained in the lead — no surprise given America’s love for them. The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is the most-listed vehicle, while the 2013 Ford F-150 is the most popular.
Whether you’re dreaming of your next car by reading up on all of Cars.com’s coverage or you’re reaching out to a car dealer — via chat, social media, email or phone — to purchase your next vehicle, Cars.com has been helping car shoppers and car dealers connect over the past 20 years — to the tune of more than half a billion connections, according to our data. And we’re looking forward to being here for the next 20 years.
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
