Just under two weeks after battle lines were drawn and weapons were raised in our revolutionary Price War, news from both fronts indicates CarPrices.com is responsible for starting a war that has even the most dedicated pacifists belting out battle cries.

War, what is it good for? For starters, how about the beginning of the end of a process that traditionally has car buyers overwhelmed, dealers frustrated by a lack of access to solid leads, and both ultimately drained due to apparently unnecessary legwork.

The concept at CarPrices.com is simple: Narrow the gap between car buyers and sellers by replacing phone calls, haggling and middlemen with a few simple clicks of a button.

But rather than selling the concept myself, I thought it would be more appropriate to hear straight from the system's pioneer users.

"SDCarPrices.com has an amazingly easy-to-use process on their Web site," said Heather Milne, a San Diegan who recently purchased a 2000 GMC Jimmy, two-door, V-6, through SDCarPrices.com. "I had no headaches; there was no haggling with sales people. I arrived at the dealership and had a new car on-the-spot. The dealer was fantastic.

"I've already recommended SDCarPrices.com to numerous friends, including publications," Milne added.

Dealers, too, seem to recognize the value of a system which points them to quality leads, simply by getting on the Web and placing a bid.

South County Volvo dealer Valente Villalobos, who recently sold a car to San Diego resident Bruce Burgener, said selling the car through SDCarPrices.com saved him a substantial amount of time, while presenting "no new obstacles" to finalizing the deal. "It makes my job a lot easier," he said in reference to the Price War, noting also that he fully intends to continue utilizing the service.

Burgener, just a few days away from picking up his new 2000 Volvo S80 T-6, said his recent experience with SDCarPrices.com represents the culmination of a six-month search for a favorable price on a new car. He called the Price War an "excellent" service, noting that the lower of the two bids, which he received through SDCarPrices.com, was the best he found in all of his searching.

"I've done quite a lot of looking, and that was the best price I've received," Burgener said, adding that through SDCarPrices.com he received "good service and a good price."

If a few words from the system's first users isn't enough, a brief explanation of how the auction works will allow you to judge for yourself that the Price War is a viable and appealing alternative to the norm.

Once the prospective buyer has logged on to SDCarPrices.com, the critical phase has been completed in getting the ball rolling toward the linking of San Diego's esteemed car dealers to ever-elusive quality leads.

Logging on, free for San Diego residents and coming soon to users nationwide, initiates a three-step process that, within minutes, opens the door for multiple dealers countywide to battle for business.

The first step involves the buyer selecting the year, make and model, including everything from colors and options down to wheel covers. Once the user is satisfied with the selection, he or she has the power to "start the bidding" with the click of a button.

By entering their password and code on SDCarPrice.com's Web page, member dealers can access the request and place a bid on the particular make and model.

Within 24 hours, the prospective buyer merely sits back down in front of the computer and logs back on to SDCarPrices.com to access multiple bids on his or her new wheels. SDCarPrices.com allows the user to compare the bids to the invoice price, providing a gauge as to where the bids stand in comparison to fair market value.

Don't like what you see? No harm, no foul. The process costs you nothing, the investment of time and energy was minimal, and our Price War offers you two more cracks at the service in the next 90 days.