Auto Warranty News

When a teenager turns 16 years old, they are excited to get their drivers license.  Unfortunately, teens have more driving accidents than any other age group.  For the majority of teen drivers, the question isn’t whether they are going to have an accident, but when they are going to have an accident.

Inexperience is the main reason that teenagers are vulnerable to traffic accidents.  Although 16 to 19 year olds only make up 5.3 percent of the driving population in our nation, they’re involved in 13.3 percent of all of the traffic accidents and 11 percent of crashes that are fatal.

A new program aimed to protect teenagers is “graduated licensing”.  Although the age of licensing is the same, full privileges come gradually.

The program begins with a learner’s permit.  Next, is the intermediate stage, in which teens can drive during the daytime alone, and in the evening they can drive between 9 p.m-6 a.m. with a licensed driver.  Then, the advanced stage comes. This is when teens can drive with no restrictions.

The graduated licensing program is a good step to ensure that our teens remain safe.  However, teens need to protect themselves by practicing safe driving habits and purchasing used car warranties.

A new rating system for roof-strength has been launched by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and has conducted its first tests on small SUVs.  Unfortunately, only four out of the twelve vehicles tested managed to get a Good rating, which is the top rating.

The SUVs that scored the Good rating were the Honda Element, Subaru Forester, Volkswagen Tiguan and the Jeep Patriot.  SUVs that scored Acceptable were the Chevrolet Equinox, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4, and Mitsubishi Outlander.  Ranking Marginal, were the Ford Escape, and Honda CR-V, while the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage were the only vehicles to rate Poor.

This new standard for roof-strength is intended to combat rollover deaths, which account for about a quarter of all deaths having to do with traffic.  For vehicles to be an IIHS Top Safety Pick, they have to now withstand four times their own weight before the car’s roof will collapse 5 inches.  The IIHS’s strength to weight ratio is a much higher standard than the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s, which says that roofs should bear 2.5 times the car’s weight.

Consumers are becoming more and more concerned with vehicle safety, which is why more people are purchasing an auto warranty.  With used car warranties, people can rest-assured that they won’t be paying unnecessary repair costs.

If you ask a woman if she would like to buy a Dodge Viper, chances are she will say “no”.  This car is a V-10 two seater that starts at approximately $80,000.  Although this may not be a woman’s cup of tea, studies show that many men would like to have this car.  Like many other aspects of life, men and women seem to have very different tastes, and cars are no exception.

Men and women buy the Viper, but 91% of customers are men.  The Porsche 911 and BMW M5 are also cars being bought primarily by males.  These models cost above $60,000.  Studies show that men often equate their car with their image.  In other words, they choose cars that will portray a certain status.

What cars do women like?  The #1 choice is the Toyota RAV4.  Women like to purchase small, affordable cars that are easy to buy.  For example, the Saturn SC, SL, and ION are popular choices for women.  These cars start at around $10,000 and have a reputation of being “no hassle” when it comes to buying.

It is obvious that women and men think very differently in lots of areas, cars included.  Men like to buy the fast, impressive cars, whereas women purchase the inexpensive, small cars.  The only common ground that these cars have is that they are backed by an auto warranty.

Nowadays, it is a necessity to have a vehicle.  Yet, everyone is not capable of purchasing a new car.  Buying a used car is a great option in this instance, but sometimes it can be complex to arrange for funds.  Used vehicle auto loans are a good answer to this problem.

The purpose of these loans is to provide you with financial aid for the purpose of buying a used car.  Anyone can use these loans, regardless of credit score.  In order to get a lone for a larger amount you need a secured loan in which you must offer collateral.  An unsecured auto loan is sufficient if you just need a small amount of funding.

You can find used vehicle auto loans online.  Thousands of lenders are available, and you can compare conditions and terms for the best rate.  Doing it online accelerates the approval and you only need a few days to drag the necessary funds into your personal bank account.

There are many benefits to used vehicle auto loans.  You aren’t discriminated against because of credit, it is a fast easy procedure, and you can choose any model and make.  After finding your loan online, don’t forget to go ahead and compare rates for an auto warranty.  You don’t want to face unnecessary repair costs down the road.

Cell phones are capable of doing just about anything these days, so they might as well be used to unlock your car doors and start your engine.

That was Sharp’s logic when it teamed up with Japanese mobile company NTT DOCOMO and Nissan to manufacture a cell phone that you can program to electronically control engines and door locks.  Essentially, Sharp installed an existing piece of technology, or Nissan’s Intelligent Key, into a phone.

These technologies seem so well suited that it’s surprising that the latest iPhone didn’t include a feature such as this.  Gizmodo claims that this integration was a long time coming.  Apparently, the filthy rich, hackers, and the Chinese have pretty much all had this idea.  U.S. drivers should have access to this technology early in 2009.  However, with any technology it is a good idea to have used car warranties.  You never know if this high-tech technology may leave you unable to get your car doors open.

Results from a recent study show that motorists who repeat buy the same car brand the most are owners of hybrids.  By segment, the buyers who were the most loyal were those of full-size pickup trucks, which is a long held title.

The news about hybrids is quite significant because not all car manufacturers offer hybrid cars.  Because of this, someone who purchases a Honda or Toyota hybrid will then choose that same brand for his or her next car purchase.

Owners of Toyota Prius’ purchased another Toyota vehicle 51% of the time, and approximately 25% of those people purchased another Prius.  In comparison, those Toyota owners who had a non-hybrid bought another Toyota just 44% of the time.

Truck owners purchasing a new vehicle decided on another truck about 33% of the time, whereas hybrid owners only purchased another hybrid 25% of the time.  The average rate of loyalty was 21%.

It is important to keep in mind that with any vehicle purchase, no matter what kind, it is necessary to purchase an auto warranty to protect your wallet.  After all, you don’t want to find yourself paying unnecessary repair expenses down the road.

Many people believe it is easiest to trade in your current car when buying a new one.  However, is trading the right choice for you?  There are some advantages and disadvantages to trading.

The big advantage to trading over selling is that you have very little hassle.  You don’t have to haggle with buyers and you get rid of your car quickly.  However, the fact is that you aren’t going to get as much for your car if you trade it in.

Any used vehicle has a specific retail value.  If a dealership is going to sell that vehicle, they will have certain expenses, such as fixing dents and scrapes, cleaning it, and just overhead costs of running their business.  Therefore, the dealership has to sell it for a little more than a private owner would.

Since dealers need to make a good profit on used vehicles, they purchase them for less than the retail value.  When the dealership takes a trade in vehicle, they are essentially purchasing it from the new car customer, and at a price below the retail value.  Essentially, this is called the trade in value.

Although trading in your car is easier than going through the hassle of trying to sell your car privately, you are going to get less money for your vehicle.  If you sell your vehicle on your own, you can put the extra money you get towards important things such as an auto warranty and maintenance costs.

Everyone has heard of certified used cars, however, Toyota is going to introduce a certified used car program exclusive to hybrids.  This will be the first program of its kind among carmakers.

Toyota is hoping that the added inspection and new car warranties will spike consumer confidence in pre-owned hybrid cars by guaranteeing that the cars receive a three-month/3,000 mile comprehensive auto warranty.  In addition, the cars will have a limited powertrain warranty for seven-years/100,000 miles, a roadside assistance program and a detailed battery system inspection.

This will be huge for consumer confidence because some motorists fear that the battery life could become a big issue for hybrid vehicles.  Toyota now provides an eight-year/100,000 mile warranty for its hybrid batteries.

Because of a full-size pickup truck market that is lagging and the challenge that diesel engines face in the U.S., Toyota has decided to put their plans for a diesel Tundra on hold.

There are several things that forced Toyota’s hand. First, there are technical challenges when it comes to making diesel engines that will meet the standards of federal emissions. Also, costs for diesel fuel are higher than many people are willing to pay right now. However, Toyota does believe it will come back to the idea when the economy improves and people become more interested in pickup trucks. For now, however, people are trying to protect their wallets by purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles with a good auto warranty.

Instead of the Tundra, Toyota has decided to start production of a vehicle that is based on its concept of the A-BAT (Advanced Breakthrough Aero Truck), which was seen at the 2008 auto show in Detroit. This was one of the favorite vehicles at the show and it has two fuel-efficient drivetrains.

According to the Associated Press, Toyota has “secretly” started to develop a solar-powered car, even though the Japanese company has experienced its first year down after having positive growth for 70 years.

However, don’t get too excited yet.  Perhaps the story that is the biggest here is the reason that the AP wrote about a potential solar car being created by Toyota.  This isn’t any different than any other carmaker that has developed a prototype in the Research & Development department.  Toyota is known for a reputation for its green technology that is cutting edge, and it will receive key expertise when Panasonic, its battery developer, takes in solar leader Sanyo later in the year.

The technology is there to build such a car, without a doubt.  However, you have to ask, what sort of range is it going to have?  Also, is there going to be anyone that will purchase a car costing $200,000 that will need to be recharged after 35 miles?  One thing’s for sure; an auto warranty would be a good idea for a car with solar technology, such as this.

In other words, can a vehicle that is solar-powered be mass-produced and actually work for people’s lifestyles?