Auto Warranty News

When purchasing a new car, it is up to consumers to do their homework before shopping.   This will ensure the best deal possible.  Three important tips will save you from unnecessary costs.

First, look around to find the best dealership.  One way to do this is to check the Internet about dealerships. Web searches can be a wealth of information. Many times you will find complaints or positive revues that could help you.  Also, it is a good idea to contact several car dealerships in your area to see which ones are going to respond quickly and be helpful.

Next, don’t buy alarm systems or dealer financing. These are two ways that consumers lose in the end. For example, when cars are manufactured they already have wiring installed.  However, automakers sell alarms separately for up to $1200.  This is added on to the price of the new vehicle.  Also, finance offices don’t usually give you the best deals.  A better option would be to put your money towards a much needed auto warranty.

Finally, sell your car before arriving at the dealership.  If you sell it yourself, you will get a much better deal than you would on a trade-in.

The bottom line is that any mechanical breakdown leaving a motorist stranded could wipe out all of the gains from a perfectly negotiated deal.  New car warranties should be an essential part of your purchase in order to protect you from unnecessary repairs.

In August and September the economy took quite a hit.  Also, these months proved to be unpredictable for auto incentives.  Instead of offering the typical program, GM promoted an Employee Pricing Sale, and Chrysler told people to Shop ‘Til You Drive.

Those great deals will be ending on September 30th, which means if you would like to take advantage of the great prices and terrific new car warranties you better act now.  The deals by GM continue: you might like the $9,000 you would get off the H3 or the $10,000 you would get off of the Corvette Z06, but consider that getting $2,000 off of the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu isn’t shabby either.  Chrysler experienced some problems with promoting percent-off deals; they probably would have done better by promoting cash-back numbers.  However, the fact remains that you can still get $9,000 off of pickup trucks like the 2008 Dodge Ram.

There are various other incentives out there, too.  In certain regions you can get $2,000 off of the 2009 Ford Taurus, while you can get great deals on Ford trucks, like the 2008 F-150 has a $7,000 cash back deal.  In addition, now is the time to inquire about great deals on an auto warranty, as well.

GM announced this morning that it plans to double production of its four-cylinder engine, and the majority of the increase will come to North America.  This shift in product planning was to be expected, and so was the plant that will be built in Flint, Michigan for $370 million, which will manufacture the new 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine.  This engine will be used in the upcoming Cruze compact sedan by GM and is also the gas range extender for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.

To maximize efficiency the Cruze’s engine will be turbocharged.  The Cruze is expected to have 140 hp and 148 pounds/ft of torque, which is about the same as the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.  And according to GM, the Cruze will probably be a fuel leader when compared to its class.

One problem, however, is that the factory is yet to be built.  That’s the reason that the Cruze will be available in Europe in 2009-it’ll have a diesel engine there, and then in 2010 it will come to the U.S.  So, for now Americans will have to hold onto their current cars and invest in a good auto warranty, because they will have to wait a couple of years for the Chevy Cruze to hit the U.S.

Toyota is following in Honda’s footsteps to manufacture natural gas powered products. The carmaker of the successful Prius hybrid is planning to debut a Camry concept car that uses natural gas in November at the L.A. auto show. These cars are called CNGs, or compressed natural gas. There are only 1,000 refueling stations for these vehicles to fuel up at, and only half of these are retail pumps that are standard of refueling stations that are based at home.

So far, CNGs have not become popular, which is why the Honda Civic CNG is just sold in two states, California and New York. The CNG Honda Civic performs pretty much the same as the gasoline version. However, it is unclear why natural gas is a good alternative source of fuel for vehicles when there isn’t near the infrastructure for it than there is for E85. Also, by creating more of a demand for natural gas, prices will go up for those people who use natural gas to heat their homes.

However, Toyota claims that creating a natural gas infrastructure would be a good way to pave the way for a hydrogen infrastructure in the future.

Are consumers ready for natural gas powered vehicles? The problem is it is inconvenient at the moment. Motorists would rather hang onto their current vehicles and purchase used car warranties, rather than paying money on a new vehicle that will end up being inconvenient.

Analysts have expected the prices of crude oil to go down for months now, yet they keep going up. Will motorists ever be able to afford important things such as an auto warranty and maintenance again? Crude oil prices had a considerable decline early in the year, however the hope is not just that the price will make demand go down, but that the amount of non OPEC production delayed will hopefully catch up late in the year and into next year. The market will soon continue with production, which will cause prices to drop.

The investment of the oil companies are based on around $55-$75 per barrel of oil. If you look at history, that is still very valuable oil. That’s what we are going to see, and gas prices will drop. However, the question on everyone’s mind is when.

Consumers shouldn’t expect price drops to be dramatic until late in the year. Gas prices will likely rise and peak throughout the nation at about $3.50 per gallon. However, motorists could see significant relief late in 2008 as new production is evident online.

There are a few things working in favor of lower gas prices. Ethanol will displace a large part of the demand for gas since it will be taking 10% of gas out of the picture. Also, prices won’t be up an enormous amount from years past, just about a percentage point. However, this isn’t the beginning of the $4-$5 per gallon apocalypse for gas. Never fear, motorists will be able to afford such things as used car warranties and maintenance again.

The most notable upgrade seen in the 2009 RAV4 is its new four-cylinder 2.5-liter engine, which boosts the power to 179 hp, compared to 166 hp in 2008.  The mileage stays the same at 22 mpg/city and 28 mpg/highway for the two-wheel-drive version and 21/27 mpg for the four wheel-drive version.  Also unchanged is the 3.5-liter V-6.

Toyota also made some changes to the RAV4s exterior.  There is a more angular appearance to the front of the vehicle that resembles the Tundra and Matrix, which were recently redesigned.  Also, there is a small bumper change, and the addition of new taillights.

Other upgrades include new colors, new fabrics in the interior, and standard active front head restraints.

The changes to the RAV4 aren’t drastic for 2009, but they will be able to maintain the vehicle’s successful reputation.  You can purchase the 2009 version now, which has the same base price and auto warranty from 2008.

J.D. Power recently came out with the results from its 2008 Escaped Shopper Study, which gauges why consumers made the decision to walk away from certain new vehicles in their car shopping experience. It’s quite surprising that approximately 80% of car shoppers decided against purchasing a model after they went to a car dealer.

The top three reasons for not buying a car, that are dealer related, included inferior dealer service, a limited availability of various trim levels and colors, and unprofessional employees.

This is a very common anecdotal reason for consumers. If a dealer or salesman doesn’t treat a prospective customer well, that’s it. And, typically the customer not only stays away from that dealership, they also get a tainted view of the vehicle brand.

The study examined 30,000 new car shoppers and discovered that 40% of shoppers decided not to buy a vehicle because of the price, and 40% of those buyers said it isn’t that the car costs too much money, it’s that the car doesn’t seem like it is worth the high price.

Motorists would rather hang onto their current vehicles and buy used car warranties, than purchase a car that they feel isn’t worth the money. And with an auto warranty, drivers can rest assured that they won’t have to pay unnecessary repair expenses down the road.

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 if gas prices go down 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.

Pre-owned cars are a great option for car shoppers because cars today have such great quality that they last longer.  This lets drivers enjoy a car that someone else has already owned.  Some advocates of used cars like to say that a used car is just a model that’s already been broken in.

In many cases, a used car will serve your needs just fine.  Maybe you need to buy a car for your teenager who will no doubt bend a few fenders along the way.  Or perhaps you need a truck that will take you on weekend getaways.  In these cases, you can enjoy the low price of a used vehicle that you are only going to drive occasionally.

A large amount of the value of a used vehicle comes from the fact that previous owners have already paid for the depreciation costs.  Depreciation is the largest ownership cost.  However, it is important to remember that certain vehicles depreciate at a slower rate.  For example, Acura and Lexus cars depreciate at a slower rate than average.  In addition, BMWs depreciate slowly because the demand on the market exceeds their supply.  Cars, such as the Ford Taurus depreciate at a quick rate since they are often used in the fleets of rental cars.

Purchasing a used car is a great option if you do your homework.  Make sure to research the most reliable used vehicles that will retain their value.  In addition, purchase an auto warranty for peace of mind.

Ford is debuting its new lineup for 2009, and the majority of the models are not only equipped with new car warranties, and numerous safety features, they come with a gas-cap-less fuel tank.  Ford is referring to this as “EasyFuel,” which shouldn’t be confused with “FlexFuel”, which is when a car can use E85.  However, if you get the two mixed up, cars with the EasyFuel system have a warning that E85 won’t flow easily into the gas tank.

When hearing this you may wonder, “Are people too lazy to even screw a gas cap off and on?” but chances are you have actually forgotten a gas cap at a gas station once or twice.  And sometimes it can be annoying to remember if your gas cap clicked properly when you turned it.

If you purchase one of the new 2009 Fords, you may feel a bit strange just taking the pump in and out without doing anything else.  But chances are that you will get used to the convenience after a short time.  Oh, and did I mention that the new 2009 Fords come with a hefty auto warranty?