How do you organize your car searches?

In the past I used to print out the first page/summary page/etc. of car ads and stack them up on my desk.  I would then do more research on each one and as I excluded them for various reasons, write handwritten notes on the pages.

Right now I have a bookmarks folder where I bookmark each good find to have a working list.  Its hard to add notes to this list.

I thought about doing a spreadsheet (because I will make a spreadsheet for anything), but it seems like a lot of effort for little gain.

Anyway, not a real problem, just curious how you guys organize your searches.

I usually just keep brower tabs open with the cars I'm interested in, at least until I'm not getting answers when I try to contact the seller.

BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) said:

I usually just keep brower tabs open with the cars I'm interested in, at least until I'm not getting answers when I try to contact the seller.

You must do quick searches.  Mine span several weeks and there is no way I will keep the tabs open that long :P

Also they span multiple computers, but since work block chrome sync, my bookmarks are all stuck on one machine now anyway :(

In reply to ProDarwin :

I do pretty much like you do when looking for a car for myself or others. It suits my practical side. If what you have been doing suits you and satisfies your needs stick with it.

I start with a spreadsheet once I physically have the project.

ProDarwin said:

BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) said:

I usually just keep brower tabs open with the cars I'm interested in, at least until I'm not getting answers when I try to contact the seller.

You must do quick searches.  Mine span several weeks and there is no way I will keep the tabs open that long :P

I have lots of tabs open for a long time

Also they span multiple computers, but since work block chrome sync, my bookmarks are all stuck on one machine now anyway :(

Well, there is that. I usually have the tabs open on my tablet and one computer. And then I go and confuse myself.

First thing I do is click > Manual Trans >

then bookmark the ones I like 

Search by transmission type then body style. I don't like to limit myself...

I have a saved CL search for cars from 1920-1981 priced $123-4500, from that I usually impulse buy one every couple years.  That's about as organized as i get

Organize?

First I spend WAAAAY to long reading about how the gearing is and how the transmission feels. Check out the gear ratios available, maybe play with an RPM graph. Spend hours and hours reading build threads about that model. Then I start looking on all the usual places. Shortly after my friend Ted messages me the perfect car and I buy it. That's how the last 3 cars I've bought(and the three I currently own) came to me.

I'm usually looking for a specific make or model, or a few of them, so I use spreadsheets. I currently have one with tabs that say "Boxster", "Z3", and "S197", if that gives you any insight... 

Typically, it's something like this:

1. Come up with a budget and list of requirements

2. Type that budget into a couple different car classifieds

3. See what shows up consistently that more or less fits those requirements

4. Either find the best example of one of the cars selected in #3, or toss all these out the window and buy something completely random that looked too cool to pass up.

Oh, one more thing. If you car shopping for a Camaro type in Camero. For some reason the owners do not know how to spell the car they own. Porsche can be spelled in many way as well. Porch, Porche, Porshe, ect 

Bookmarks too. One easy way to add small notes is to rename the bookmark.

If you have that many bookmarked you need a spreadsheet, maybe you need to narrow it down a bit more?  I can see how the list can grow fast though.

On a related note, SearchTempest and AutoTempest are excellent search tools.

I use a grid search......

OK not the same as a computer , but I try to take different streets to get somewhere so I can see the cars sitting in driveways being ignored !

so  take 190th st one day , 191st the next time.......

much harder to find stuff that way anymore but its an old habit !

I miss the old days of Auto Trader, Recycler, Quick Quarter, Hemmings, getting the black ink on your fingers and using a highlighter pen and dog ear on the page.

Way before reality tv showed everyone how much their rusty POS in the yard was worth after Chip Foose two-toned it.