Some of today’s news out of London is most likely relevant to teens and others obsessed with social rankings, but new or used car buyers who read along might find out something, too. Early this morning, a company called comparethemarket.com announced that it will offer a new Facebook application that will make “popularity comparisons” between celebrities and other individuals to measure social status and general name recognition. The program does this through analyzing keyword use and crunching data through algorithms to come up with the numbers on whether the next big star is famous enough.
The head of comparethemarket.com, Aleksander Orlov, seems to be putting a lot of energy into eccentric projects. The press release calls him a “meerkat entrepreneur,” and a cursory look at Orlov’s Facebook page confirms a distinct fondness for these furry mammals. But another thing that today’s report mentions revolves around the idea that a “comparison app” that analyzes personal traits can also be used to find bargains in just about any market. It turns out that comparethemarket.com has been offering comparison services for financial items like car insurance and utilities for a long time, and yet another feature of the company’s services covers comparing loans. That means smartphone users or others who take time to find and use comparison tools could be getting credible news on the best current interest rates and saving themselves money at the dealership.
You don’t have to spend time paging through pictures of meerkats, or click on a series of links to figure out if Arnold Schwartzenegger beats Hilary Swank. Just do a quick check on your iPhone or other device for the latest in comparison tools, and you could cut down your monthly payments when you next visit the new or used car lot. Always get the current interest rates and fee information to get a competitive deal when negotiating with your lender, whether you’re arranging a personal loan with your bank or credit union, or financing your next vehicle directly through your dealer. There’s no reason why the lienholder should own a bigger piece of the pie than what you can arrange for elsewhere on the market, and when it comes to securing an upgrade for the road, a little research can go a long way.
