Rust cuts deep—literally, according to a new study conducted in Sweden. Cars that show merely superficial rust may be considerably more dangerous in the event of a crash. The insurance company Folksam and the homeowner organization Villaägarnas Riksförbund of Sweden performed crash...Read More»
Nearly three-quarters of new car buyers go online to get an idea of what their trade-in vehicle is worth prior to going to the dealership, and almost two-thirds of those estimates are accurate, according to a recent survey conducted for Automotive News. In other words, about half of all car buyers...Read More»
Germans have had a long, lusty love affair with diesels. While motorists in some parts of the world have largely ignored diesel vehicles (looking at you, America), in Germany, consumers have snapped them up as quickly as homegrown companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz could turn them out. But not...Read More»
Owning a car can be a pain in the wallet. To prove it, AAA has conducted a study that reveals just how much the average American pays for the privilege of having a car (or truck, or SUV, or minivan) in her driveway. There's good news and bad news to be found in the study. Let's get the bad out of...Read More»
Since 2010, U.S. auto sales have been on a roll. That's been great for the industry as a whole and an encouraging reflection of the economy. Unfortunately, the boom hasn't been so great for vehicle owners, because it's led to a glut of used cars. And that, in turn, has dragged down residual values...Read More»
Recalls have been making headlines for the past several years, but on used car lots, recalled vehicles aren't always easy to spot. That could change thanks to a new lawsuit filed against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Recalls in the news The recent crop of high-profile recalls began with...Read More»
In the aftermath of the Great Recession, U.S. auto sales took a nose dive, but over the past several years, numbers have increased dramatically--as have prices. The one-two punch of high demand and high prices has forced many new-car fans to shop for used cars instead. Generally speaking, the...Read More»
Buying a car can give anyone heartburn. Between all the add-ons and upgrades, the fees and taxes, the fine-print of financing, and the iffy opinion that many consumers have of auto salespeople, it's a far more complicated experience than, say, buying a book or a smartphone. That goes double when...Read More»
A couple of weeks ago, we told you about a massive, multi-year transportation bill that could dramatically improve auto safety in the U.S. Sadly, that bill is now being carved up in Congress, and as we've seen many times before, elected officials are making a hatchet job of it. While some of the...Read More»
The world is full of very strange people, and CEOs are no exception. Many top executives seem to focus so much of their energy inward, they're unwilling or unable to read the writing on the outer walls of their lush, gilded bubbles. Mike Jackson, Chairman, CEO, and President of AutoNation is...Read More»
If you think that electric-car ownership is beyond your financial reach, think again. Due to a matter of supply and demand, and a flood of used models entering the market, electric vehicles (EVs) like the Nissan Leaf are remarkably affordable. This summer, and likely into the fall, there’s a...Read More»
If you're planning to do some used-car shopping this weekend, take extra care to ensure that your next pride and joy doesn't have any outstanding recalls. Two consumer watchdogs -- the California Public Interest Research Group Education Fund (CALPIRG) and the Consumers for Auto Reliability and...Read More»
Selling a car online is easy, right? Type in the make/model/year, offer a little description, name a price, post a few pics, and -- boom! -- you're done. Except it's not that simple. If you're selling your car, you should spend just as much time planning your pitch as Madison Avenue types prepare...Read More»
It's been a very strong year—a very strong several years, really—for new-car sales. New-vehicle sales continue to be the bull-market bright spot of the economy, with analysts still predicting annual sales headed past 16 million vehicles this year. July sales factored in as the best for...Read More»
If you're in the market for a used car -- whether you need to replace your current ride or want to give a recent grad a set of wheels for college -- you know that demand for many models is high. Understanding which are the most popular could help you haggle and boost (or diminish) the resale value...Read More»
There are more than 250 million used cars on the road in the United States and every year, close to 40 million of those used cars change hands. Used-car sales volumes typically dwarf new-car sales. But how does the fleet of used cars for sale look in different parts of the country? We analyzed our...Read More»
During the Great Recession, car sales tanked, bottoming out in 2009. That year, Americans bought just 10.4 million vehicles -- a number that U.S. auto dealers had been surpassing for decades. But the economy wasn't the only thing that kept consumers from buying cars. True, many people lost jobs...Read More»
Let's be honest: no one enjoyed last month's federal government shutdown. Every politician worth her salt knew that the outcome was a foregone conclusion, and yet, they went through with it anyway, causing needless mayhem and panic. And that's not just what progressives are saying. Even the...Read More»
Compact crossover vehicles such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, and Subaru Forester have, increasingly, been drafted into primary family-vehicle duty, replacing mid-size sedans in many households. And if you’re in the market for one of these in late-model used form, the next...Read More»
