Archive for the ‘Buying Tips’ Category
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
The fact that this study came as news to a lot of people in the general media speaks volumes about the quality of their automotive reporting and their concern for public safety, but at least they're finally getting around to reporting this story. Take particular care to note that none ...
Posted in Accidents, Buying Tips, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Program For Change, Safety, Warnings | No Comments »
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
Cheryl and Chris Jensen in the NY Times deliver a comprehensive overview of the various ideas being considered to convince consumers to get into the new vehicle market. Whatever happens, it's the best time ever to buy a new car, minivan or truck.
Posted in Advertising, Advice, Buying Tips, Financing, Incentives, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Program For Change, Sales, Save Money | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
It's complicated and probably won't make everyone happy, but the U.S. government has a plan to back new car warranties in the event of a financial crisis at the company that made the car. This NY Times story sheds some light on what it might mean.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Product News, Program For Change | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
In an effort to get its sales moving again, Ford has brought forward a plan to make the ownership experience better for its customers. The best way to see what the Detroit firm has in mind is to consider the press release on the matter:
Posted in Advertising, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Financing, Incentives, Marketing, Pricing, Product News, Save Money | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
In an effort to get ahead of the pack on the customer service front (and get its sales moving again), GM has announced an impressive set of non-price incentives for new car buyers. The best way to see what the US firm is offering is to consider the original statement ...
Posted in Advertising, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Incentives, Marketing, Product News, Sales, Save Money | No Comments »
Friday, March 20th, 2009
GM's struggles to survive have put its most female-friendly division at risk, but the operators of the Saturn brand and dealerships are doing their best to keep customers interested. The lineup of products and no-haggle, no-hassle sales atmosphere should still be attractive to a lot of women.
Posted in Advertising, Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Financing, Green, Incentives, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
All you folks who've closed your minds to the possibility that Detroit can do anything good with four wheels and an engine should read this story. It will show you how wrong you've been for some years, but does not point out that you're probably spending more money on Japanese ...
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Thursday, March 19th, 2009
One of Germany's biggest supermarket chains is going into the business of selling small, low-cost cars directly to consumers the same way it sells canned goods or anything else, with a fixed price so there's no haggling and a warranty from the manufacturer. Lots of people in North America might ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Dealerships, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
Deals keep getting better on new cars, as auto companies struggle to find the right level of incentives to get buyers back onto their lots. The customers who decide to buy should get a better deal than ever.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Financing, Incentives, Marketing, Product News | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
The cars that so many experts were telling the car companies to make more of are now sitting around on new car lots everywhere, mostly because they make less fiscal sense than ever with gasoline prices so low. Even with various discounts currently on offer, it's very hard to recover ...
Posted in Advertising, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Gas Issues, Green, Incentives, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
The large crossover from General Motors' truck division has been judged the most pet-friendly new vehicle on the road today, thanks in no small part to its OnStar emergency notification system and other features.
Posted in Accidents, Buying Tips, Pets, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
The key tip to this story is to avoid buying auto warranty extensions if someone calls you and tells you that you need to extend your coverage.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Sad stories, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
It's not really a bad idea to buy a Sky from Saturn or a Solstice from Pontiac if you're looking for a sporty two-seat roadster, since GM will supply parts and honor the warranty no matter what.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News | No Comments »
Friday, February 20th, 2009
Either because fewer people can afford them, or because more people no longer want to appear too ostentatious, or maybe even because more people realize they're really not worth the extra money, "premium" cars are not selling the way they used to. The boss of Audi of America says: "This ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Dealerships, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Product News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
When the time comes to actually buy a car, it's often difficult to understand which features you should make sure are part of the package. This story helps you sort out which things are worth the extra money and which aren't.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Marketing, Safety, Sales, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
Every person's situation is different, of course, but there are some generalizations that can be made for what the financial troubles in Detroit mean to consumers and this writer at the Washington Post does a pretty could job of explaining them.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Financing, Incentives, Pricing, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Friday, February 13th, 2009
Not being able to buy a new car online costs most consumers money, consumer groups believe, so there's a push to change the way auto purchasing works as part of the overall restructuring of the industry.
Posted in Buying Tips, Financing, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Pricing, Product News, Program For Change | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
This is pretty interesting, since it speaks to a growing concern across the country. It has limitations, to be sure, but it could work for lots of people feeling the economic pinch.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Financing, Insurance, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
This is one of those situations that makes people hate and distrust used cars dealers in general, and who can blame them? Consider this: Often when a dealer buys a used car to sell to another owner, he promises to pay the original owner with the proceeds from the sale ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Financing, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Sad stories, Warnings | No Comments »
Saturday, February 7th, 2009
The third version of the popular RL crossover model will go on sale soon, with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $36,800 for the front-drive model and $38,200 for the all-wheel-drive. There's also a handling fee of $825, which you do not have to pay, though the company and the ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Dealerships, Design, Marketing, Pricing, Product News | No Comments »
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
By using the Microsoft-designed Sync system, Ford says, drivers can do more of the multi-tasking with voice controls, leaving their hands free to steer. Check out Ford's press release below for the full details.
Posted in Accidents, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gadgets, Parts, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
It's yet another variation on the classic supply and demand principal, but that doesn't mean it's still not great news for someone looking to buy a new vehicle.
Posted in Buying Tips, Financing, Incentives, Pricing, Sales, Save Money | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
An electric vehicle with a range of only 30 miles may not seem like much, but it's probably enough to get most people going for a day. That means these upcoming Fords can be recharged at night or while you're at work and keep you off gasoline most of the ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Product News | No Comments »
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
As this column from a venerated international auto journalist shows, sometimes the best thing to do isn't the one that people want. When it comes to saving the environment, that could mean skipping mass transit. You'll have to forgive him the Heath Ledger crack.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, January 30th, 2009
As this story mentions in passing, none of the firms that sell you used car reports (Carfax et al) have all of the information that you need to make an informed choice. But a government-mandated data base is finally getting off the ground, and in due course it will deliver ...
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Buying Tips, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Program For Change, Repairs, Sad stories, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
This should be an important consideration if you're trying to save money on fuel by going to a smaller vehicle. It means you're putting yourself at greater risk and not saving any money.
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
Several methods of getting consumers back into the new car market are being considered in Washington, which should be good news for people who decide to take the plunge.
Posted in Buying Tips, Dealerships, Driving Matters, Pricing, Product News | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
The craziest auto writer in the English-speaking world is back recommending a Volvo smart shoppers should avoid and suggesting that attractive cars should get preferential treatment. We think it's supposed to be a joke, but who knows?
Posted in Buying Tips, Children, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Product News, Warnings | No Comments »
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
To sell more cars, it seems that various dealers are quite willing to encourage customers to lie about their personal financial situation to qualify for credit. As this story makes plain, it might sound like a good idea for the woman looking for transportation, but it can turn bad quite ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Financing, Is There A Lesson Here?, Sad stories, Sales, Warnings | No Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
In what may be a first for the auto industry, the handful of customers who already bought the high-profile, low-volume Tesla Roadster will have to pay more than they originally expected. Just more evidence that the economics of such vehicles don't make a lot of sense.
Posted in Buying Tips, Financing, Green, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
It's too small to be deemed definitive, but a small survey in south Florida makes it clear that a lot of women don't like the experience of buying cars and would much prefer that a professional do it for them. This stems mostly from the fact that most women think ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Program For Change, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Attention all you folks who think the sun rises and sets on imported cars, do yourself a favor and look carefully at this press release below from a respected research firm. It may help break up some of the calcification that's built up around your brain on the subject of automobile ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Lists, Program For Change | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
You may not appreciate this writer's views on Bikini Girl on American Idol, but his perspective on how well his high-mileage Ford is holding up should be of interest to anyone currently out shopping for a new car.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
In an effort to extend its incredible success with marketing a fuel-saving car that doesn't save its owners any money, Toyota has announced a program to push slow-moving second-hand Prius hybrids off of dealer lots. The candy is an examination of some battery-related equipment that is supposed to make you ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Is There A Lesson Here?, Our View, Pricing, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Despite the tone of harrumphy disapproval that usually accompanies auto writers' examinations of the subject of in-car entertainment, this NY Times article is a fairly balanced view of the continued expansion of TV service to cars.
Posted in Buying Tips, Children, Driving Matters, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
