Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Cars.com. If you don't find the answers you need online, please use our Customer Help Center form to send us a message.

Cars.com

1. What is Cars.com?
2. Is there a cost to the consumer to use Cars.com?
3. What browser do I need to view Cars.com pages?
4. I sometimes get a pop-up box that says either "JavaScript Error" or "An error has occurred in the script on this page." What does this mean?
5. I get the gray box for the search results applet but nothing more. Why?
6. What does the following message mean? "Warning: Page has Expired."
7. I get an error message that says, "Cannot find the required plug-in" or "Plug-in Error: The plug-in requested did not download successfully." What does this mean?
8. Why does the used-car search results page take a long time to load?

1. What is Cars.com?
Cars.com is the most comprehensive car information Web site. They provide users with complete local and national inventories of new and used vehicles; tools such as automotive reviews, model reports, advice and dealer location; and financing information to make the car researching and buying process easy.

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2. Is there a cost to the consumer to use Cars.com?
There is no charge to research or purchase a car on cars.com.

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3. What browser do I need to view Cars.com pages?
Cars.com is designed to accommodate up-to-date versions of the major browsers, including version 3 and above of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator

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4. I sometimes get a pop-up box that says either "JavaScript Error" or "An error has occurred in the script on this page." What does this mean?
This message indicates that an error occurred when Cars.com attempted to process the information you submitted onscreen (for example, a calculator entry or clicking a button).

This can happen either because the page didn't fully load before you submitted information (try reloading the page) or because you have an older browser that doesn't fully support JavaScript.

If you have a current browser, have reloaded the page and you're still getting errors, you might have uncovered a bug in one of our programs. If this might be the case, please send an e-mail to feedback@cars.com that explains your problem

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5. I get the gray box for the search results applet but nothing more. Why?
The gray box means that you have a Java-enabled browser and the results are in the process of downloading. Be patient - the search results you'll see will be worth the wait. Once the data is loaded, you'll be able to sort and filter the car listings and build a printable list of the models that interest you.

However, there are instances where the applet will not load and you'll receive an empty gray box or an error message such as Security Violation. This is a firewall-configuration or proxy server error that is prohibiting the applet from communicating with Cars.com.

This problem currently appears to be confined to Netscape browsers. If you get a message similar to this, take the following steps:
· Close all instances of Netscape browsers.
· Open the Notepad word processing program (Start button | Programs | Accessories | Notepad)
· Edit the following file: C:/program Files/Netscape/Users/(username)/prefs.js where (username) is your user or profile name. If your hard drive is not C:, substitute the correct name or letter. (Note: Unless you have set a name, this file will be found in the "default" folder.)
· Add the following to the end of the file: user_pref("security.lower_java_network_security_by_trusting_proxies", true);
· Save the file.
· Launch Netscape and try it again. You should be successful this time.

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6. What does the following message mean? "Warning: Page has Expired."
The page you requested was created using information you submitted in a form. This page is no longer available. As a security precaution, Internet Explorer does not automatically resubmit your information for you. To resubmit your information and view this Web page, click the Refresh button.

Sometimes, you will get this message when you go forward a page and then, sometime later, hit your Back button to return to the first page.

Data-driven pages are "cached" - that is, stored - for only a short time on your computer. So when you return to these pages using your Back button, the pages may have expired. To view such pages, simply click the Refresh button in Internet Explorer or the Reload button in Navigator or America Online to reload the page when you get this message. You may encounter a message that says, "Repost form data?" Click the Yes button to reload the page.

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7. I get an error message that says, "Cannot find the required plug-in" or "Plug-in Error: The plug-in requested did not download successfully." What does this mean?
This message indicates that the page being loaded requires what is known as a "plug-in." A plug-in is a program that extends the functionality of the browser. To view a page that requires a particular plug-in, you first must download and install it. For a more detailed look at plug-ins, go to the Plug-Ins guide in our Help Index.

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8. Why does the used car search-results page take a long time to load?

Two reasons. First, any search result takes longer to display than a "normal" page of text or graphics. This is because the server has to do a search based on the information you supplied, and then it puts together a custom results page.

The second reason for the apparent slowdown is that you are using the Java-based version of the search results - if your browser supports Java, this is the version you will see. Called an "applet," the Java result is like a small program that runs inside your browser. While it takes a little longer to download than a text-based results page, it is much more useful. For example, you can quickly sort results, filter by price or location, and create a printable list that contains only the models that interest you.

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