To say that things have been tough in Japan since the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11 would be a gross understatement. With thousands of lives lost, homes destroyed, families separated, and up to 150,000 living in shelters, it seems almost crass to talk about the effect on business. But...Read More»
Late last summer, we sent a warning to anyone who might be behind on a car note, credit card, or mortgage: don't accept that mysterious Facebook friend request! At the time, we'd begun hearing stories about creditors tracking borrowers' activities on social networks, then using those same networks...Read More»
As more of our lives move to the web, it's only natural that we'll spend more time getting information there, too. And as we acquire that information -- as a growing number of consumers are doing-- more purchases will be made online, too. In fact, one research firm has estimated that within five...Read More»
Remember when auction sites were the hot new thing? When eBay was groundbreaking? When authors around the globe made a pretty penny selling books and pamphlets and CD-ROMs (remember those?) showing you and your grandmother how to make a fortune selling your posessions online? Yeah, it's a distant...Read More»
Each of us has a slightly different set of criteria when we go shopping for a new ride. Some are obsessed with horsepower, some want airbags, and some marketing folks believe that cupholders are still the key to many buyers' hearts. But for 41% of Americans, the most important criteria is simply...Read More»
If you read our sister sites, you already know that shoppers over 50 account for nearly two-thirds of all new car purchases. What you may not know is that the stats on shoppers under 35 -- better known as Generation Y or Millennials -- are in the tank, and they may not improve much. When news first...Read More»
If you've reached the Big 5-0 and you're in the market for a new sedan, you might want to renew your AARP card: for the month of November, GM is offering AARP members a $1,000 discount off the price of a new 2010 or 2011 Chevrolet Impala. At a time when much of the auto world is marketing to...Read More»
Buying a new car is many things, but rarely is it fun. Sure, it's nice to window shop, to zip through a few test drives, but there are also loads of important decisions to be made, questions to ask, and often, contentious arguments with a significant other. The new web service CarWoo!* can't help...Read More»
Ever since Baby Boomers came of age in the late 1950s and 60s, America has been obsessed with youth culture. Each week, it seems there's a new report talking about the spending power of Millennials or Tweens or some new, even younger demographic. But when it comes to cars, young people are just kid...Read More»
People discuss lots of stuff on social networks. Grandchildren. Farmville. Cat videos. But they also discuss the world of commerce -- what they like, what they're buying, and what they try to avoid. And of all those things, all those products, we talk about cars most of all. ROI Research recently...Read More»
2009 was a year that many would like to forget, and that goes double for the auto industry. In China, however, 2009 was a boom time for car makers -- a year of steep government subsidies, an auto market that saw 45% growth, and a frenzied population of buyers, many of whom still find owning a car a...Read More»
UPDATED: Pied Piper's Fran O'Hagan sent in some additional comments about this study. See below. If you've ever had the pleasure of working in retail or the service industry, you already know how much fun secret shoppers can be. (For the rest of you: not very.) Over the past four years, the folks...Read More»
When it comes to personal finance, there are three things we know for sure: 1. America's love affair with credit cards has not gone well. 2. By and large, Americans seem to have realized that and are now spending more wisely. 3. Thanks to the internet, there are a number of free tools to help them...Read More»
There's no question that Ford has scored a huge marketing coup with its hip, fully wired Fiesta Movement. The campaign's camera-ready army of influencers tweeted and Facebooked and YouTubed the hot new compact to an astounding 60% brand recognition before it even appeared in showrooms. The Movement...Read More»
This weekend's historic rain in Nashville seems like just the latest in a string of catastrophes and calamities--and even if you're not a Music City resident, you should know what happens in the aftermath of disasters like this one when it comes to your next car. First, the good news. Our...Read More»
Have you heard of "curbstoning"? We hadn't, and we like to think we're up on new automotive trends. But if the National Automobile Dealers Association has its way, you will. Curbstoning, you see, is a dangerous threat to used-car buyers, who put themselves and their families in dire peril by buying...Read More»
This year may go down in history as one of the best for frugal car shoppers. Thanks to incentive programs from automakers and the federal government and return policies from companies like Hyundai and GM, 2009 has been mostly a buyer's market (at least for buyers who've been able to score loans in...Read More»
Attention, shoppers: new cars are more affordable today than they've been in over five years. According to Comerica Bank's Auto Affordability Index, it now takes the average family 21.9 weeks of income to pay off an average-priced vehicle. Sadly, that's not because household income has risen, but...Read More»
General Motors' new "60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee" (pitched by new CEO Ed Whitacre in the TV spot above) has sparked a good bit of comment, both positive and negative. Those in support of the policy argue that GM has finally taken notice of customer-oriented programs offered by its competitors...Read More»
