Now that the short list for the North American Car of the Year (NACOTY) is out, there’s a lot to marvel at among the 14 selections. There’s also a list of 14 for the North American Truck of the Year, but this story concerns the cars up for consideration. What’s noteworthy about...Read More»
I was being trained in the Wild West of car sales. Although I would later become Internet Manager for a major car dealer, early in my career I found myself working with a retired school teacher who was desperately trying to trade her expensive, high-end SUV with hardly any miles for a modestly...Read More»
Car dealers tend to be in the driver’s seat when the call has to be made on what is covered by your new car warranty. How can that be, you say, it’s all there in black and white with the bundle of small print they give you when they install your temp tags? Well, maybe and maybe not...Read More»
Consumers with a yen for sharp-handling muscle cars that are easy on the wallet have two great choices in the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro and its counterpart, the 2011 Ford Mustang. We’re not talking about the brute force of the V-8s here. This is all about the V-6 powered models. They’re...Read More»
We’re looking at issues around selling your car privately or trading it in with a car dealer. It’s generally assumed you will get less if you trade. Yesterday we looked at the example of a more expensive SUV: a 2008 GMC Yukon 4-wheel drive with 40,000 miles. According to Kelly Blue Book...Read More»
Car dealers serve a useful function, even though some can be a pain to deal with. One area of useful service that many car buyers are thankful for is the fact that dealers take trade-ins. This saves many car buyers the time, effort, and aggravation of trying to sell their old car on their own...Read More»
Many of my friends and acquaintances know of my ambivalence toward VW cars of all stripes. Their cars run the gamut from practical (Golf, Sharan, Touran, Polo) to very sporty (GTI, Scirocco) to luxurious (Passat, CC, Phaeton) to frivolous (Eos). They cover all their bases, make nice looking...Read More»
Let's face it, this is hardly home invasion or drive-by shootings. But some of London's most expensive residential neighborhoods are feeling beset by a particularly specialized new threat: public misbehavior by supercar-driving rich folks, at least some of them from wealthy Arab nations. Yesterday...Read More»
Need to buy an SUV? Want to cut your monthly expenses? One way of doing so is to reduce your insurance costs. On average it costs 10 to 20 percent more to insure a sports utility vehicle compared to a regular car. This is over and above the higher purchase and maintenance costs of sports utility...Read More»
The 2010 Cadillac STS keeps in tune with the same classic look as previous models. It's a large luxurious car that makes a permanent impression when it is seen on the road. The large chrome grille with the Cadillac crest at the front gives the vehicle a look that says the car means business. A...Read More»
As I was was busy savoring every bite of my life-shortening, artery-clogging, saturated-fat-laced lunch, knowing that the thick layer of mayonnaise was probably responsible for the seizing sensation going down my left arm, I thought to myself, wouldn’t life be great if we got do-overs? You know...Read More»
Few automobile-producing nations understand the combination of substance and style better than the Germans. Let’s face it--they have VW, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and if you close one eye and have consumed 10 beers, Opel too. Germans know how to make not only a nice car, but a fast...Read More»
When you go to a car dealership, it’s easy to get swept off your feet by a smooth car salesman with a polished sales routine. Before you know it, you can be up-sold to an expensive model with extra bells and whistles instead of what you originally intended to buy. But as a savvy shopper, your...Read More»
As the economic downturn continues to play havoc on a national scale, individuals are being forced to reduce expenses to simply stay afloat financially. A major monthly expense for many Americans is the cost to operate their primary vehicle. This can include car payments, maintenance costs...Read More»
Car dealers have a bad reputation for good reason. This series of articles is dedicated to a long list of tricks that car dealers use to get more money out of customers than they want to pay. As an ex-Internet Manager for a major car dealer, I saw first-hand how subtle some of these tactics can be...Read More»
As an ex-Internet Manager for a major dealer who sold tons of used cars over the years, I make no secret that I’m a big fan of manufacturer certified pre-owned (CPO) programs. Consumers benefit by getting a vehicle that meets a higher standard AND gain long term protection through an extended...Read More»
The Automobile Club of Southern California has applied to offer Pay As You Drive (PAYD) insurance in the state. Approval of its application would enable the company to participate in what the state’s insurance commissioner, Steve Poizner, calls a “cutting edge” program. If the pending...Read More»
A new study in the Netherlands suggests that choosing an unpopular color for your car can be as effective at stopping car thieves as using an expensive alarm system. The study discovered that thieves are more concerned about the resale value of the cars they steal than the fear of being caught. So...Read More»
When the Suzuki SX4 appeared on the marketplace a couple of years ago, I was smitten. Here was a petite hatch with all-wheel drive that behaved like it was bigger and more expensive than it was. I drove one (with manual transmission and no cruise control) from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas...Read More»
