ATLANTA, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Getting on the road to car shopping success will lead one lucky person and a friend all the way to Los Angeles through the "Purse Powers the Pedal" Sweepstakes, which will run from Sept. 30 – Oct. 20, 2010.  According to research compiled by AutoTrader.com, women influence over 80% of all vehicles purchased and are the sole buyers of more than 50% of all cars sold in the United States.  However, a surprising number of women—75%—don't feel certain or sure of themselves when visiting car dealerships. AutoTrader.com wants to help change that.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100930/CL74219 )

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100930/CL74219 )

With the Roadmap to Car Shopping Success, developed with Courtney Hansen, host of Spike TV's "Powerblock" and author of The Garage Girl's Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Your Car, AutoTrader.com aims to empower women with the information they need to approach car shopping with ease and certainty.  To raise the visibility of these car shopping tips and reach more women, AutoTrader.com created the "Purse Powers the Pedal" sweepstakes.

To enter, participants can read the car shopping tips at www.autotrader.com/roadmap and then go to the AutoTrader.com fan page at www.facebook.com/AutoTrader.  Once there, participants can "Like" the page and click on the Sweepstakes tab to access the entry form, where they can answer one easy question about the roadmap and provide other information.  Participants who do not use Facebook will find an alternate entry method here.

The grand prize is a trip to Los Angeles for two on November 19-21, 2010, including roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations; $1000 spending money; a designer purse; and tickets to the L.A. Auto Show.  Throughout the contest, there will be two other drawings for a designer purse.

The sweepstakes kicks off at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Sept. 30 and concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time).  Drawings for the two designer purses will take place on or around Oct. 7 and Oct. 14.  The grand prize drawing will take place on or around Oct. 21.  Each winner will be selected at random by AutoTrader.com and will be notified soon after each drawing.  No purchase necessary; void where prohibited.  To read the official sweepstakes rules and odds disclosure, participants can click on the "Official Rules" link on the sweepstakes page.

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading automotive marketplace and consumer information website.  AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers.  AutoTrader.com attracts more than 15 million unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to view vehicles for sale, research and compare vehicles, review pricing and specials, and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips, auto maintenance tips and coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends.  Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improve the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.  The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the private equity firm Providence Equity Partners are also investors.  For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

SOURCE AutoTrader.com