So I've owned a few cars in the Internet Age. And I've received a lot of help from model-specific internet forums. But these forums are not all equal. I think it's best when you have one undisputed best forum for a model, rather than having several sites that spread out the expertise. And what is key is having a forum with regulars that are willing to get involved and try to answer questions. I think a car that appeals to more "mature" buyers will have a better forum, for my needs at least, than a car with younger owners. The worst forums have little good advice and most postings are just drive-bys that ask a question and you never find out if it's been resolved. Forums for more obscure models are often better than forums for popular cars. So here I will rate forums that I have known, from best to worst (some opinions are probably outdated):
Honda Odyssey (odyclub.com) very good forum, plenty of traffic, good S/N ratio
Volvo S40 (swedespeed.com) good forum, needs more traffic
old Jetta Diesel (vwdiesel.net) good forum
Mazda MPV (mpvclub.com) good forum, needs more traffic
Nissan Maxima (maxima.org) OK, lots of chaff
Honda Accord (driveaccord.net) OK, lots of chaff
Ford Ranger (several?) not good
Ford Fusion... still looking, but it looks like there is not a good forum
What has been your experience?
Honda Odyssey (odyclub.com) very good forum, plenty of traffic, good S/N ratio
Volvo S40 (swedespeed.com) good forum, needs more traffic
old Jetta Diesel (vwdiesel.net) good forum
Mazda MPV (mpvclub.com) good forum, needs more traffic
Nissan Maxima (maxima.org) OK, lots of chaff
Honda Accord (driveaccord.net) OK, lots of chaff
Ford Ranger (several?) not good
Ford Fusion... still looking, but it looks like there is not a good forum
What has been your experience?