For auto buyers, no method of research beats the internet, according to a new Keynote study. Internet Retailer reports that the new study indicates that more people (76 percent) said they would visit a manufacturers site than even those that said they would visit a physical showroom (75 percent). More than half said they preferred looking online to other methods of research. About two thirds said they would visit a third party website - the same proportion that said they would ask a friend. 53 percent said they would consult newspapers, the traditional source of auto information.