When you're shopping for a new car, it's easy to fixate on sticker prices. But as we all know, buying a car involves more than just paying for it: if you're financing, there's interest to consider, and of course everyone has to shell out for registration and insurance. Most car-related costs can be...Read More»
How do you feel about your local garage -- the mom and pop place on the corner with the faded, hand-painted sign and the lot full of cars waiting to be fixed? Your answer to that question will color the way you feel about a new survey from Hiscox, an insurance provider for small businesses. The...Read More»
As everyone knows, 2014 was the Year of the Recall. Between fatal ignition switch flaws at General Motors and exploding airbags from Takata, recalls were at the forefront of everyone's mind. It wasn't just the volume of recalls that made 2014 remarkable, though. It was also the fact that some of...Read More»
When it comes to cars, there are plenty of reasons to buy instead of lease. For starters, when we buy, we're making a capital investment. Though that investment will depreciate over time, we'll still get a chunk of our money back. Also, even in the increasingly rent-friendly, ridesharing economy...Read More»
There's good news and bad news in the 2015 CarMD Vehicle Health Index. The good news is, taking your car to the mechanic last year didn't cost you any more than it did the year before. The bad news? It didn't cost you any less, either -- unless you owned a hybrid. ALSO SEE: In 2013, Google Almost...Read More»
Wise people often say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", and if ever there was a vehicle that wasn't broke, it's the Ford F-150. That pickup has been America's best-selling ride for nearly 40 years. And yet, for 2015, Ford upended conventional wisdom by "fixing" its hugely popular truck, ditching...Read More»
Once upon a time, aftermarket add-ons were marketed almost exclusively to motorheads. Apart from stereo upgrades and the occasional set of ill-advised Car Lashes, mainstream drivers didn't spend much time looking at specialty rims or undercarriage lights or insane suspension tweaks. But cars have...Read More»
Having your car repaired after an accident is never fun, but some of the pain can be alleviated by an efficient garage offering speedy service. Believe it or not, such places do exist, and new data from Enterprise shows where to find them. Enterprise's data comes from its Automated Rental...Read More»
Having a car repaired can be pretty unpleasant. (A recent study suggests that half of Americans would rather visit the dentist than take a car to the shop.) But in some places, the situation is easier, or at least cheaper, than others. To identify those places, CarMD pulled data from its nationwide...Read More»
Few people enjoy taking their car to a garage. Fewer still enjoy it when they know they're car needs extensive, expensive repairs. A new survey from AutoMD suggests that women hate it so much, they'd rather go to the dentist. ALSO SEE: What Car Should You Really Drive? The survey was conducted in...Read More»
There's been a lot of talk about recalls lately, thanks in part to General Motors' "Switchgate" fiasco. But Switchgate is an anomaly: most recalls are so modest in size and scope, they can pass by nearly unnoticed. And that's a big problem. A recall is the result of a three-step process. It begins...Read More»
No one likes taking in a car for repairs. We have to carve out time to drive it in or have it towed, we have to arrange for transportation back home or to a car rental shop, and of course, we have to shell out our hard-earned cash -- cash that could be better spent on vacations or groceries or bolo...Read More»
At some point in your adult life, you begin to see red flags -- flags that shout, "Achtung, baby! This thing ain't all it's cracked up to be." Common red flags include, "I would like to share my Nigerian fortune with you!", or "Apple will give you a free iPad for evaluation!", or "It generates more...Read More»
Trips to the mechanic are rarely cheap, but does it seem like those visits have become even pricier than usual? You're not imagining things. According to a new survey, repair costs returned to pre-recession levels last year -- though the news isn't all bad. The survey in question is CarMD's 2013...Read More»
Do you have trouble assembling IKEA furniture? Or do you sometimes take things apart and then realize you have no idea how to get them back together? If these questions ring true, they’re signs that you should probably leave your car repair to a qualified pro, advises Brett Bodas, an ASE...Read More»
If your family is typical, it's quite likely that you have at least one vehicle in the garage or driveway that's well over a decade old. In recent years—due probably as much to better durability and reliability as to the economy—the average U.S. vehicle age has risen rapidly, from 8.9...Read More»
The internet has been a boon for folks who like doing things for themselves. Need to install some tile? Transplant a tree? Fix a leaky gutter? Run a quick search on Google -- or better yet, skim the offerings on YouTube -- and you'll find that most of those projects are well within your reach. But...Read More»
If you’ve ever spun a wrench on your own car or motorcycle, chances are good that you did so with the assistance of a Haynes repair manual. Available at libraries, auto parts stores and mass retailers alike, it seemed that there was a Haynes manual printed for any vehicle older than five...Read More»
If you read the news yesterday, you probably saw a recap of the day on Capitol Hill, with lots of attention given to the freshman Representatives. But journalists aren't the only ones keeping an eye on the 112th Congress; lobbyists and advocacy groups are watching, too, hoping that this will be...Read More»
