Auto Warranty News

With gas prices on the rise and summer traveling in full gear, Americans are trying to find ways to save at the gas pump.  Ford has put together some easy tips for all motorists, which suggest ways to alter their driving behavior.

First of all, drivers should slow down and keep a steady speed.  Consider driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph.  Just by following this simple tip you can improve your fuel economy 10-15%.  Also, by maintaining a constant speed and not pumping the accelerator you can avoid sending more gas to the engine.

Next, avoid aggressive driving to avoid wasting fuel.  Also, this will help you avoid wearing out brakes and tires.  Try to have a smooth acceleration and soft brake.

Don’t waste money idling.  Even in frigid temperatures, engines today don’t need to warm up.  After starting the vehicle, drive away gently.  Instead of idling in traffic and fast food drive-thrus, just turn you engine off.

Finally, purchase an auto warranty so that you aren’t afraid to have maintenance and repairs performed.  Maintaining your vehicle will ensure that it is running efficiently and has the best fuel economy possible.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, in 2008, overall satisfaction for customers with dealer service improved drastically. Over two-thirds of the 37 brands that were ranked showed gains.

The study, which is now in its 28th year, looks at the satisfaction among car owners who get maintenance or repairs done at the service department of the dealership within the first three years, which is a large part of the auto warranty period.

After staying generally flat since 2005, satisfaction has increased to 882 on a scale of 1,000 in 2008. This is a significant improvement from 2007 of 6 points.

The reason for the improvement is primarily because of an increase in the amount of maintenance work done and improved satisfaction in repair work. Motorists who go to the dealer for routine maintenance are on average more satisfied (894) than customers who have repairs done (862).

Improvements in vehicle quality have caused a decline in the need for car repairs within the initial three years of car ownership. Dealers are more focused than ever on satisfying their repair customers because they are finding it hard to achieve profitability.

College students who live a long distance from their school find it hard to commute on a daily basis. It can be tough to wait for a bus, as well as time consuming. Having a vehicle can help a great deal in this situation. But students are usually tight for cash, so they need to get auto loans for students.

Students must plan their budget well. Purchasing a pre-owned vehicle is a great option for students because they are cheaper than new vehicles. Of course there are other expenses, such as insurance, maintenance, used car warranties, and fuel that come along with car ownership. So, it is necessary to consider these factors when calculating the cost of buying a car. Car loans for students are designed so that students can repay loans without problems. Loans such as these are offered through banks and financial companies.

Students with bad credit are even eligible to apply for car loans for students; however, their interest rate will be high. To make the interest rate lower, students can arrange to have a co-signer. Auto loans for students are considered secure because if the student can’t repay the loan, the lender will take the car, and sell it to recover the loan amount.

California residents can now look at The Source for lease quotes and prices on Infiniti vehicles.  Motorists who live in California that want to find out about financing programs and lease programs can visit The Source.  Select models of 2008 Infiniti cars have 0% financing and an excellent auto warranty, according to The Source.

Infiniti vehicles have a balance of comfort, luxury, and practicality.  Infiniti car shoppers in California know of the rave reviews that cars such as the Infiniti M35 have received from the automotive press.  For instance, Consumer Reports gave the Infiniti M35x the highest rating of any sedan.

People in California who are shopping for new cars on the Internet can now look at The Source for the best service and advice from California’s largest Infiniti dealer.

In addition to excellent financing rates, The Source has said that current owners of the Infiniti FX35 and FX45 who live in California can buy or lease a 2009 FX35 or FX45 and become qualified for incentives of thousands of dollars.  Also, new car warranties on these vehicles are superb.  For more information visit http://fx50.infiniticalifornia.com.

Used vehicles with good economy that at one time would have been hard for dealers to sell, such as the Chevrolet Aveo and Ford Focus, are now being sold at record speed, and their prices have gone up.  According to J.D. Power & Associates, the ten pre-owned cars with the prices rising the fastest include the Kia Spectra, which is up almost 8%, and the Hyundai Elantra, which is almost 9% higher.  Just a couple of years ago this list was dominated by large, luxurious cars, such as the Lexus LS Series.

Some prices of used cars are even getting close to that of new cars.  For example, the 2006 Honda Civic has an average cost of $16,118, which is 86% of the price of a new 2008 Civic.  A 2006 used BMW Mini Cooper is approximately 81% of the price of a 2008 model.  Usually, cars that are three-years old will cost around 50%-60% of the price of their new equivalent.

This trend creates an opportunity for carmakers to make premium compact cars instead of larger, luxury cars that aren’t as fuel-efficient.  Consumers are looking to save money on car prices, an auto warranty, and gas prices.  Large vehicles that guzzle gas are a thing of the past.

Ford has high expectations for the 2010 Fiesta subcompact.  With U.S. car shoppers turning to small, fuel-efficient cars as a solution to high fuel prices, the sales of Ford have been hurt by a lineup of primarily trucks.  Ford has currently suspended its idea of returning to profitability in 2009.  Instead, they are counting on the 2010 model year.  In the center of that effort will be the Fiesta, as well as a new Focus.

According to New Car Net, the car is seen “as a significant landmark in Ford’s history.”  In fact this is the first automobile by Ford that has been developed for customers all over the world, and is a trend for Ford’s future of global vehicles.

The Fiesta subcompact will be offered with several diesel options, or a four-cylinder that can reach 118 mph, and get mileage of 38.9 mpg combined.  This is much better than any car that is a non-hybrid on the market in the U.S.

The Ford Fiesta will be available for sale in Europe within three months, but will not reach showrooms in the U.S. until the model year of 2010.  However, at that time, consumers can purchase this car with an auto warranty and breathe a sigh of relief that they will have a reliable, fuel-efficient vehicle.

If fuel prices keep rising at this rate, people are going to have to drastically change their attitudes. Drivers must learn to cope by changing their commutes or even relocating.   Europeans are already paying triple what Americans are shelling out for fuel.  However, they have the advantage of a public easily accessible transportation system.

There is already a transformation taking place.  The California New Car Dealers Association recently reported that during the first three months this year subcompacts saw the highest gains in sales.  During this same period, large SUVs and pickup trucks reported the largest losses.

People may find that their love affair with living in suburbia will fade as gas prices reach a predicted $7 per gallon within the next two years.  Commuting long distances will put a strain on people’s budgets, and people will opt for urban living where they are closer to their places of employment.  People will find that purchasing a slightly smaller home closer to their workplace for a similar price will make their lives easier.

In the meantime, people are making easy, short-term changes to their lives.  For example, people are either buying small, fuel-efficient vehicles, or holding onto their current vehicles and purchasing used car warranties to keep them running forever.

Purchasing a used vehicle can be a wise financial decision that will allow you to save thousands of dollars, if you take the time to do your homework ahead of time. This is especially true in these hard times when you are pinching pennies and trying to save on fuel.

New vehicles lose approximately 40 percent of their value within the first few years of leaving the dealership. At that point, the process of depreciation slows down a great deal until the point it reaches the salvage value of the car.

Buying a good used vehicle allows you to pocket approximately 50% of its original sticker price while benefiting from a fairly new car. A pre-owned vehicle also has many other advantages. For example, it has reduced depreciation, and lower costs for an auto warranty, registration, and an insurance premium.

In addition, the cutthroat competition of today has resulted in manufacturers building cars that are more reliable and also carry longer auto warranty periods. Therefore, it isn’t uncommon to find cars that are three-years old that still have original new car warranties by the manufacturer.

It can prove to be challenging to find a vehicle that is handicap-accessible to suit your needs.  And, it can be virtually impossible to try to sort through newspaper ads.  A very useful website started by Rick Shutes is HandicapAutoTrader.com.  His goal was to help disable people find vehicles that they find suitable.

HandicapAutoTrader.com is helpful for both buyers and sellers.  People who are looking to buy can search many available cars, free of charge, and get in touch with the staff of the website through phone or e-mail.  Sellers can list their vehicles with three images, all for free.

The website lets motorists search for vehicles according to desired features.  Also, you can do searches by various categories, such as make, model, year, etc.  Also, there is a convenient feature, “Easy Compare Vehicles”.  This allows people to do comparisons of vehicles side-by-side.

Whenever you purchase a vehicle, you need to do your homework.  Make sure you do some research on cars, used car warranties, and car loans before you make a decision.  This will ensure that you get good deals.

According to the Vice Chairman of General Motors, Bob Lutz, business as usual is no longer acceptable; consumers are demanding green, fuel-efficient vehicles.  Lutz has been promoting the newest green technology by GM.  However, he says that although GM will meet the market demands, motorists are going to have to be prepared to pay for it.  Not only will drivers be paying for the car cost, maintenance, and an auto warranty, they are going to also pay for technology that is advanced.

Lutz claims that in America, drivers are going to pay an additional $10,000 per vehicle to maintain the cars, trucks and crossovers that are out there today.  The reason for this is the added costs to manufacture lightweight, advanced materials.

Although people are focusing on fuel-efficiency and environmental issues, Lutz wonders if motorists in the U.S. are really all that concerned about new technology to achieve higher mileage.    He feels that even though fuel prices are on the rise, they don’t have that big of an impact on the average driver.  An average commuter will pay an additional $30 to $40 a week in gas.