There's a new resource available to help you make the right lift truck purchase decision. Crist Information & Research, LLC is a San Jose, Calif., based company providing online comparative and competitive information services to lift truck users and suppliers.

The Lift Truck Guru (www.cirguru.com) allows users to view lift truck data in a side-by-side comparative format, says Kyle Crist, president of the company. Detailed lift truck specifications, manufacturers' list pricing, and resale values spanning 10 years are available.

"End users are attracted to the Lift Truck Guru as a primary means of obtaining objective lift truck information concerning purchase and disposition decisions," says Crist. Furthermore, "any changes, modifications, or upgrades to the data are made in real-time and made available on our Web site," says Crist. Prior to forming this venture, Crist worked as a senior industry analyst for Equipment Data Associates Research, subsidiary of Randall Publishing, where he developed The Lift Truck Guru.

The Guru covers lift truck classes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for more than 1,000 models from major suppliers of the equipment. Specifications for as many as 10 lift truck models can be displayed along with an image of each. In addition, a residual calculation screen allows users to project future residual value for various lift truck models.