Search/Filter for automotive search
I'm creating a search form for an automotive website, and we want to use auto-suggest to recommend filter sets to refine the data. I've never designed search results that also incorporate search filters though, so I'm looking for advice where to start.
Data set: 900,000+ vehicle inventory
Filter sets: Make, model, trim, year, miles, price, dealership, distance from user
The filter sets will be pre-populated from referrer data, so if they're on a Chevy Tahoe page and hit search, Chevy and Tahoe will be preselected, along with geolocation data.
What I don't know is the best way to display the current filters and/or available filters (Do I show them at all? Or only through search?) How would I show a search set with zero filters set?