I built a private car sales search engine

porsche959 · 07-22-2018, 12:56 PM

Hi all, so I wanted to share: https://hiddenrides.com/.

This is a side project/hobby for me - mainly because I enjoy browsing various car forums to see what cars I can afford at any given time.

Shared this on a few other forums and got positive feedback so thought i should spread the love.

The inspiration for this project was a clean green/caramel e46 6spd i missed out on years ago - but the V8 m3 has always been tempting as well.

Any thoughts/feedback would be appreciated!

PKL · 07-22-2018, 02:01 PM

I tried it out. It works! Pretty neat.

Montaver · 07-22-2018, 02:13 PM

This is very cool. I normally use auto tempest for aggregate searching, I was just thinking the other day is there an engine for enthusiast forums. Et voila!

pcohen15 · 07-22-2018, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porsche959

Hi all, so I wanted to share: https://hiddenrides.com/.

This is a side project/hobby for me - mainly because I enjoy browsing various car forums to see what cars I can afford at any given time.

Shared this on a few other forums and got positive feedback so thought i should spread the love.

The inspiration for this project was a clean green/caramel e46 6spd i missed out on years ago - but the V8 m3 has always been tempting as well.

Any thoughts/feedback would be appreciated!

Nicely done. It would be a good addition if there were a few more search parameters to get a little more detailed. Like searching for a specific model within a brand, for example.

porsche959 · 07-22-2018, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcohen15

Nicely done. It would be a good addition if there were a few more search parameters to get a little more detailed. Like searching for a specific model within a brand, for example.

Thanks - currently gathering feedback to see what features/capabilities users would want.

I think in this case, the quick workaround is the search bar. so you can just type in "m3" "993" or something like that to see results.

roastbeef · 07-23-2018, 12:02 AM

pretty cool. keep it up.

m3jala · 07-23-2018, 06:58 AM

This sure would have saved me a ton of time when I did my search! With fancy AI these days does it have any intel to get real manual 6 speed results? For whatever reason dealers seem to love marking DCT transmissions as manual transmissions like as if we won't get it translating into countless lost hours sifting through DCT results if you are looking specifically for the 6 speed. That was the biggest time suck for me.

New2Roundel · 07-23-2018, 08:35 AM

Is this just for M3s? I'm always looking for all sorts of different vehicle--not so much an M3 however. I'm half searching for a Jeep GC SRT8 and although there aren't a ton of them on autotrader, the search tool above returned no matches.

It's a good idea as there are definitely more of a given car on sale that what autotrader features, but the site is quite easy to use. I like the idea of this, so hopefully time will allow for future tweaks.

Boostin FD · 07-23-2018, 08:36 AM

What sites does it search through? Just curious.

LatifE90 · 07-23-2018, 03:32 PM

This is a great site, thanks man

PKL · 07-23-2018, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boostin FD

What sites does it search through? Just curious.

Looks to me like all the M3s are from m3post classifieds.

If you search for "X3" for example with NO other criteria, there are no results at all

spazzyfry123 · 07-23-2018, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

Is this just for M3s? I'm always looking for all sorts of different vehicle--not so much an M3 however. I'm half searching for a Jeep GC SRT8 and although there aren't a ton of them on autotrader, the search tool above returned no matches.

It's a good idea as there are definitely more of a given car on sale that what autotrader features, but the site is quite easy to use. I like the idea of this, so hopefully time will allow for future tweaks.

It looks as though it is forum-based (perhaps a specific list). I, too, am interested in a GC SRT8. Funny that I tried the same and only was supplied with a Charger.

kyippee · 07-24-2018, 01:45 AM

How will you monetize? Could do CPC advertising (link out) for auto loans, since these are typically private party sales. Win-win.

Eddien123 · 07-24-2018, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m3jala

This sure would have saved me a ton of time when I did my search! With fancy AI these days does it have any intel to get real manual 6 speed results? For whatever reason dealers seem to love marking DCT transmissions as manual transmissions like as if we won't get it translating into countless lost hours sifting through DCT results if you are looking specifically for the 6 speed. That was the biggest time suck for me.

Dear god yes. Nothing worse than clicking an ad and it says 7 speed "manual". Waste of my time that should be illegal lol. Like we're going to go through the whole process of buying the car and not notice...

Edit: spelling

porsche959 · 07-25-2018, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m3jala

This sure would have saved me a ton of time when I did my search! With fancy AI these days does it have any intel to get real manual 6 speed results? For whatever reason dealers seem to love marking DCT transmissions as manual transmissions like as if we won't get it translating into countless lost hours sifting through DCT results if you are looking specifically for the 6 speed. That was the biggest time suck for me.

I hate that too. if it doesnt have 3 pedals, its an auto in my book.

ive programmed the scraping software to categorize SMG, DCT, etc as autos.

porsche959 · 07-25-2018, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

Is this just for M3s? I'm always looking for all sorts of different vehicle--not so much an M3 however. I'm half searching for a Jeep GC SRT8 and although there aren't a ton of them on autotrader, the search tool above returned no matches.

It's a good idea as there are definitely more of a given car on sale that what autotrader features, but the site is quite easy to use. I like the idea of this, so hopefully time will allow for future tweaks.

It should be pulling all cars from a forum list that I built (hundreds of sources).

Its a growing list, so if you want a specific brand/car/forum tracked. feel free to make suggestions - happy to add - only makes the tool more useful!

porsche959 · 07-25-2018, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpewpew

How will you monetize? Could do CPC advertising (link out) for auto loans, since these are typically private party sales. Win-win.

Thats a great idea, thanks for the suggestion. at this point I am just trying to gather feedback/improve the tool but might monetize at some point.

i actually enjoy looking at for sale cars everyday so i can partly justify it as a hobby/fun - depending on server costs

.

dparm · 07-25-2018, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m3jala

This sure would have saved me a ton of time when I did my search! With fancy AI these days does it have any intel to get real manual 6 speed results? For whatever reason dealers seem to love marking DCT transmissions as manual transmissions like as if we won't get it translating into countless lost hours sifting through DCT results if you are looking specifically for the 6 speed. That was the biggest time suck for me.

I think that's an issue of the dealer's data entry people not knowing much about the cars themselves. Many of those dealer websites only have two choices: automatic or manual. If you're not a car person, and someone says, "you can shift your own gears in this car", you think that means manual (even though there may not be a 3rd pedal).

They're also humans who make mistakes like clicking the wrong box or whatever.

xander_g · 07-25-2018, 10:39 AM

Great idea! You seem to be on the right path. Good luck with further development and implementation

e93 jonesy · 07-26-2018, 09:03 AM

Very cool idea!!! Thanks for sharing this and keep up the excellent work.

porsche959 · 08-22-2018, 02:44 PM

Happy Hump Day - just wanted to see if anyone had feedback on the new design and features (saved search alerts).

slowm3sedan · 08-22-2018, 03:11 PM

Very cool! I will be using this! Great job

07-22-2018, 12:56 PM	#1
porsche959 Banned 473 Rep 996 Posts Drives: porsche Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: chicago iTrader: (0)	Hi all, so I wanted to share: https://hiddenrides.com/. This is a side project/hobby for me - mainly because I enjoy browsing various car forums to see what cars I can afford at any given time. Shared this on a few other forums and got positive feedback so thought i should spread the love. The inspiration for this project was a clean green/caramel e46 6spd i missed out on years ago - but the V8 m3 has always been tempting as well. Any thoughts/feedback would be appreciated!
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07-22-2018, 02:01 PM	#2
PKL Brigadier General 867 Rep 3,275 Posts Drives: 2020 M4, 2022 X6 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Fernando Valley iTrader: (1)	I tried it out. It works! Pretty neat. __________________
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07-22-2018, 02:13 PM	#3
Montaver Lieutenant Colonel 2728 Rep 1,871 Posts Drives: M340i LCI Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	This is very cool. I normally use auto tempest for aggregate searching, I was just thinking the other day is there an engine for enthusiast forums. Et voila!
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07-23-2018, 12:02 AM	#6
roastbeef Lieutenant General 11712 Rep 12,804 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Orange County, CA iTrader: (4)	pretty cool. keep it up. __________________ Instagram; @roastbeefmike
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07-23-2018, 06:58 AM	#7
m3jala Captain 546 Rep 765 Posts Drives: Jet Black 2013 BMW M3 Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Tysons Corner, VA iTrader: (0)	This sure would have saved me a ton of time when I did my search! With fancy AI these days does it have any intel to get real manual 6 speed results? For whatever reason dealers seem to love marking DCT transmissions as manual transmissions like as if we won't get it translating into countless lost hours sifting through DCT results if you are looking specifically for the 6 speed. That was the biggest time suck for me.
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07-23-2018, 08:35 AM	#8
New2Roundel Captain 469 Rep 804 Posts Drives: Some fun stuff Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Philly, PA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 Jeep GC SRT [0.00] 1994 VW Corrado SLC [0.00] 2011 BMW M3 [0.00]	Is this just for M3s? I'm always looking for all sorts of different vehicle--not so much an M3 however. I'm half searching for a Jeep GC SRT8 and although there aren't a ton of them on autotrader, the search tool above returned no matches. It's a good idea as there are definitely more of a given car on sale that what autotrader features, but the site is quite easy to use. I like the idea of this, so hopefully time will allow for future tweaks.
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07-23-2018, 08:36 AM	#9
Boostin FD Bored all the time 398 Rep 2,177 Posts Drives: Batmobile Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kirkwood iTrader: (2)	What sites does it search through? Just curious. __________________ Current: 2014 991 Turbo RS Past: 15 GT3, 17 R8 SC, Two 16 M4 GTS’s, Two 18 GT350R's, Two 13 RS5’s, 13 M3, 10 R8, 15 M4, 09 M3, 04 M3, 09 S5, 02 M3... It all started with an RX-7 (FD).
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07-23-2018, 03:32 PM	#10
LatifE90 Latif 282 Rep 399 Posts Drives: E90 Slicktop Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Sf iTrader: (2)	This is a great site, thanks man __________________ Instagram: latif_eshaq
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07-24-2018, 01:45 AM	#13
kyippee Lieutenant Colonel 1076 Rep 1,617 Posts Drives: E92 M3, Supra MK5, F44 235GC Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: SF Bay Area iTrader: (0)	How will you monetize? Could do CPC advertising (link out) for auto loans, since these are typically private party sales. Win-win.
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07-25-2018, 10:39 AM	#19
xander_g Major 1074 Rep 1,160 Posts Drives: G30 M550i Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Toronto iTrader: (2) Garage List 2018 BMW M550i Xdrive [0.00]	Great idea! You seem to be on the right path. Good luck with further development and implementation
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07-26-2018, 09:03 AM	#20
e93 jonesy Private First Class 59 Rep 161 Posts Drives: E93 M3, E86 Z4M, W219 CLS63s Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: New York City iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 BMW Z4M Coupe [0.00] 2015 Mercedes Benz ... [0.00] 2011 BMW M3 [0.00]	Very cool idea!!! Thanks for sharing this and keep up the excellent work. __________________ jonesy...
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08-22-2018, 02:44 PM	#21
porsche959 Banned 473 Rep 996 Posts Drives: porsche Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: chicago iTrader: (0)	Happy Hump Day - just wanted to see if anyone had feedback on the new design and features (saved search alerts).
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08-22-2018, 03:11 PM	#22
slowm3sedan Private First Class 162 Rep 178 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW E90 M3 Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (1)	Very cool! I will be using this! Great job
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