Edmunds.com Forum Members Help Police Identify Getaway Car

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — August 27, 2010 — Edmunds' CarSpace.com Forums played a key role in helping police solve a crime when Forum members were able to correctly identify an unknown vehicle in a crime-scene photo.

"The usual chatter in Edmunds' CarSpace.com Forums revolves around what to buy, what not to buy and how much to pay. And, of course, a lot of enthusiasts gather there to regale each other with stories of their favorite makes and models. But one post that recently went up in the Automotive News & Views forum was a little more pressing," reported Edmunds.com Features Editor Carroll Lachnit in the EdmundsDaily blog.

Within the "Mystery Car Pix" discussion board at http://bit.ly/cNnFzJ, a police officer posted a slightly distorted image taken from store surveillance video footage, and asked for assistance in determining the make and model of the car.

About 45 minutes later the first identification surfaced. Forum member "Tmart" asked: "Could it be a mid 50's Buick?" An interesting online discussion ensued, and the police took action accordingly.

Later that same day, the officer posted, "Thank you to everyone who tried identifying the car in the store video footage. We were able to track down the suspects and arrest them this afternoon for burglary and theft. We were able to locate the car and as many of you guessed, it was a Buick."

Longtime Forum member andys120 had the last word: "Only a real idiot would employ something as distinctive as a 1955 automobile in the commission of a crime."

Edmunds.com's Forums were launched in 1996. The free service contains millions of posts organized within thousands of carefully monitored discussion boards.

"Over the years the Forums have proven a valuable tool for consumers, automakers and dealers, but this story stands out as a unique application of the collective automotive knowledge found within the Forums," noted CarSpace.com Community Manager Karen Spiegler. "Edmunds.com is happy for our Forums to be used for any productive discussion of cars, and it is especially gratifying if we can help law enforcement solve other crimes."

About Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/about/)
Edmunds.com publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com, makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com, features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. CarSpace is the most established automotive social networking Web site. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds.

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