Archive for the ‘Save Money’ Category
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
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 »
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 sounds like a good idea to get rid of the vehicles that pollute the most, but the mechanics of it might not be so straightforward.
Posted in Financing, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money | 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 »
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 »
Friday, February 6th, 2009
If you're in the market for a pickup truck this year, you need to know that Ford has upgraded the smaller of its two models -- the Ranger -- with some interesting safety features. There are side airbags and, most importantly, an electronic system that reduces the chance the truck ...
Posted in Accidents, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Product News, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
It's not for everyone, but some people looking for a new car will certainly be helped by a bill that earned Senate approval on Wednesday night.
Posted in Financing, Incentives, Pricing, Program For Change, Save Money | 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 »
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
It's still in the discussion phase, but there are people in DC who think it might make sense to support those people who want to get out of a gas-guzzler for something smaller and more fuel-efficient.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Incentives, Program For Change, Save Money | 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 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
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 »
Monday, January 19th, 2009
Not only is it possible that a really old car can get better fuel economy than a new one (usually because it doesn't have airbags and other safety technology that adds weight), but not buying a new one can have other environmental benefits as well. At least that's what this ...
Posted in Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Safety, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Ford has decided to make 100 units of its popular Fiesta subcompact model (with gas, insurance, concierge service, etc) to US citizens who create the worthiest videos. See details on this web page.
Posted in Advertising, Cute stories, Driving Matters, Incentives, Marketing, Save Money | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
Time was that a BMW or Mercedes had safety, quality or ergonomic levels that less expensive cars couldn't come close to offering, so there was some rational reason for buying them. But those days are long gone. Now about the only thing you get for the extra money is the ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Parts, Pricing, Safety, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
It's beginning to look like the possibility of Americans buying inexpensive little cars from China (including an EV model that runs on batteries and comes with an engine to recharge those batteries to extend the range) is going to turn into one of those things that's always two or three ...
Posted in Dealerships, Driving Matters, Green, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Details about the least expensive hybrid model on the market are now available, following the car's public release at the Detroit auto show. The car is very small and could fit the needs of someone looking for an urban runabout rather than an all-purpose family car.
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Product News, Save Money | No Comments »
Saturday, January 10th, 2009
This story gives you a pretty good idea of the kinds of new car deals that are being offered today.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Incentives, Marketing, Product News, Save Money | No Comments »
Saturday, January 10th, 2009
While every new vehicle does come with a guarantee that the costs of repairs will be paid by the car company, there's considerable difference between what the car companies will pay for. That is to say, a certain item may be covered by one company, and not another. So one ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Marketing, Parts, Pricing, Product News, Save Money, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
You may not qualify for one of these low-rate auto loans, but then again you might. At least the financial restraints are starting to loosen so more people who need them can buy cars.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Financing, Pricing, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009
There's an excellent economic case to be made for the consumer not buying extended warranties of any kind from anyone, but particularly if the dealer is the only one backing it. This applies to warranties on "certified" used cars as well. Many of those dealer closures across the country are ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Is There A Lesson Here?, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009
Those ubiquitous stickers you see on all new cars actually have a name -- the Monroney, for the US senator from Oklahoma who created them, and they have done a considerable amount of good for consumers over the last 50 years. They still do.
Posted in Cute stories, Dealerships, Program For Change, Sales, Save Money | No Comments »
Friday, January 2nd, 2009
Hopefully this reality will penetrate the skulls of all those people who claim the Detroit car companies would be okay today if they'd abandoned trucks and SUVs years ago and built hybrids and small cars instead, but we don't hold out much hope for that. They've proven to be immune ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Save Money, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 1st, 2009
Supply with little demand has a pretty obvious result, and that's what's happening on lots all over the continent as dealers get creative to get people to buy a new vehicle. According to one observer, this is maybe the best sales climate in a decade for consumers.
Posted in Advertising, Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Financing, Incentives, Pricing, Product News, Save Money | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
With fresh money available for loans, General Motors has launched a short-term program of interest rates from 0 to 4.9 percent for most of the vehicles it sells through various brands (some big trucks go at 5.9 percent). As is the way of these things, you have to be a ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Financing, Marketing, Save Money | No Comments »
Monday, December 29th, 2008
A man who lives not far from Niagara Falls in Canada has given up his car to help the environment and has pledged to walk almost everywhere, and what that's like. It's great for the planet, but you can't ever rush to anything.
Posted in Children, Dealerships, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Save Money | No Comments »
Monday, December 29th, 2008
There may have been a time when "flushing" an engine was a worthwhile service practice, but those days are long gone. The only likely beneficiary is the service station that's going to charge you for this process and, in many cases, won't actually do anything for the money. So say ...
Posted in Advice, Is There A Lesson Here?, Repairs, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
Sure these cars aren't any immediate danger to anyone in North America, but this giant recall in China can serve a useful purpose here by pointing out that the giant Japanese car company is not the infallible producer of perfect cars that many clueless people believe. According to two different ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
Starting with its biggest event of the year (the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in early January), the car industry will make every effort possible to promote the concept of cars with high fuel economy. So that will mean hybrids, the occasional electric vehicle, and more pedestrian technologies ...
Posted in Gas Issues, Green, Marketing, Product News, Sales, Save Money | No Comments »
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
GM will reveal three new vehicles at January's Detroit auto show, but the most important for most consumers is the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, an eight-seat vehicle that should earn 30 mpg status on the highway.
Posted in Gas Issues, Product News, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Sunday, December 21st, 2008
As part of a separate financial agreement with the Detroit-based car companies, Canada wants to set up a program that will make it easier for consumers to find less expensive loans to buy cars.
Posted in Financing, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Sunday, December 21st, 2008
The basic rule about preventing theft from cars (rather than preventing theft of the whole car) is not to leave anything on view that would attract a thief. That rule is especially true at this time of year, when shoppers are jumping in and out of stores and cars and ...
Posted in Advice, Children, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Sunday, December 21st, 2008
People who buy a hybrid and keep driving the way they did in a regular car are usually disappointed that the fuel economy gains aren't that great. To get the best out of a hybrid's ability to stretch a gallon of gas, the driver must seriously adjust her techniques.
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
