February 11th, 2009 by Hal Moses
BMW is following in the footsteps of other carmakers with diesel cars, like Volkswagen and Mercedes, by qualifying its two diesel models for income tax credits by the federal government.
You will receive a $900 credit on your next tax return for the 2009 BMW 335d sedan, and $1,800 on the 2009 X5 xDrive35d SUV. Both of these cars use BMW’s 3.0-liter, twin turbo inline six cylinder diesel engines and both are eligible for these credits under the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle tax credit program. The X5 is rated 19/25 mpg and the diesel sedan gets 23/33 mpg.
This sounds wonderful, however you have to remember that the 335d costs $43,900 including new car warranties and the X5 xDrive35d has a base price of $51,200 with an auto warranty. It’s doubtful that a savings of $900 will really do much to help stimulate the economy.
February 10th, 2009 by Hal Moses
Recently, the President of Honda Motor Co. posed with the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell car. This is a brand new sedan designed from scratch to use a hydrogen fuel cell engine as its only source of power. This is the first vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells that has ever been commercially available; next month it will be leased to motorists in Japan and America.
The fact that the new Honda is seen in showrooms in the largest auto market in the world demonstrates that Honda anticipates more and more interest in fuel cell technology. This technology combines oxygen and hydrogen to make electricity and its only emission is water.
New York City drivers might be in for quite a wait to receive this car. The biggest part of the new fleet is going to be leased in California because that is the only part of the country that has enough refueling stations for hydrogen.
Honda is set to offer lease arrangements of three-years on 200 Clarity models starting in July. The lease will cost $600 per month and include maintenance and collision insurance. However, with the interest in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, it won’t be long until you can purchase one of these cars for yourself, complete with new car warranties.
February 7th, 2009 by Hal Moses
GM is offering red tag sales on some 2008 and 2009 Cadillac, Saab, and Hummer models. Since these vehicles are pricey in nature, the percentages off might not seem as impressive as what you might see for a Chevrolet, however with the Red Tag prices, cash back, and impressive new car warranties, you will find some deals that are interesting.
For instance, the 2008 Escalade SUV in 2WD has an MSRP of $56,890, but you can get $10,183 off of that price. Also, the 2009 STS V-6 1SC was originally $55,325, but you can now get $5,719 off of that.
Hummer and Saab also have numerous deals. You can get a 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Sport sedan for $30,145 instead of $35,960 after the cash back and Red Tag Sale. Hummer deals are what would be expected- cash back and large rebates on models that are slow selling. However, one interesting outlier is the new 2009 H3T model, which you can get for $28,188 instead of $31,495.
You can visit GM’s website and type in your zip code to make sure these deals apply in the area where you live.
February 6th, 2009 by Hal Moses
The Ford Ranger will be discontinued after 2011, however Ford has still decided to add new safety features to the 2010 version of the Ranger, such as electronic stability control, as well as side airbags.
This stability control system is identical to the one that’s featured in the new F-150, and it will put the Ranger in the same company of other small trucks that have stability control, like the GMC Canyon, Chevy Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, and Hummer H3T. The main difference is that the Ranger also has a system for roll-prevention.
If a rollover were to occur, the Ranger is able to brake wheels individually and cut the engine throttle in order to keep the vehicle grounded. The added side airbags will help prevent chest and head injuries to passengers in the front, which will probably improve the rating for side-impact crashes.
The current Ranger gets a four-star crash-test rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a marginal rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The 2010 Ford Ranger will be available for sale this summer. Unfortunately, information on pricing and new car warranties is not yet available.
February 5th, 2009 by Hal Moses
Ford, who apparently loves mini-sites, has started a webpage for the new 2011 Ford Fiesta. It may be premature, but since Ford is trying desperately to prove itself, this makes perfect sense at the moment.
Ford displays a few pictures of the vehicle, however, Ford says that they are pictures of the 2009 European model, and also reveals some information about available content of the car.
Since the features appear to be luxury-like, it seems Ford is going to market this car as a premium subcompact that will compete with the Honda Fit. However, car shoppers seem to care more about standard features, which Ford hasn’t released yet. But make a note that the 2011 Fiesta will have standard stability control when it is available for sale in 2010. That’s two years before it is going to be mandated by federal law.
Car shoppers will have to wait for additional information about the 2011 Ford Fiesta, such as prices, standard features, and information about new car warranties.
February 5th, 2009 by Hal Moses
In future car accidents a circuit could be as crucial to survival as a seat belt. Congress made seat belts mandatory in the 1960’s, which was revolutionary in car safety. Since then, seat belts have greatly reduced deaths. Now, there is an additional safety revolution in the midst. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has employed a new standard. This makes electronic stability control equipment a mandatory component in all cars. The adoption of ESC will save approximately 10,000 lives every year.
Most luxury vehicles already come with ESC. Other models offer it as an option. This is just one of the new safety advancements designed with the purpose of preventing auto accidents, not just protecting passengers. The majority of these new features have a microchip base. Many are still being perfected. So beware, you never know when new technology will fail. However, new car warranties will save you from unnecessary expenses.
Many motorists are finding it easiest to buy a package of safety options, rather than individual gadgets. Lexus, for example, places an emphasis on how its safety features work as a system. It has a package with lane-departure warning, smart cruise control, and ESC.
Integrating such systems, and the yielding of throttle, brake, and steering raise the question: Do drivers need or want this much help? Who is actually in charge of the wheel? No matter the answer, an auto warranty is essential in protecting your vehicle with all of those fancy gadgets.
January 30th, 2009 by Hal Moses
As part of its “new day†celebration last February, Chrysler introduced a very unique promotion for its minivans: Purchase a minivan, and receive a free DVD player for the rear seat. Since the promotion, it’s difficult to argue that Chrysler has experienced something that resembles the optimism that a new day brings, yet that hasn’t stopped the carmaker from bringing back the same DVD offer this month.
When consumers buy a Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Jeep Grand Cherokee, or Jeep Commander they will get a free DVD entertainment package for the rear seat. In minivans, screens are included for the second row, as well as the third row. This deal applies nationwide and are in addition to other great deals, such as financing incentives, great new car warranties, and cash-back incentives.
Chrysler is hoping to spark consumer interest by putting forth red-hot deals. Unfortunately, many motorists are currently opting to hang onto their current cars and purchase used car warranties to protect their wallets.
January 28th, 2009 by Hal Moses
Luckily, at the moment, not all of the economic news is tragic.
According to economists from Comerica Bank, vehicles have currently become more affordable than has been seen in 28 years. So, the last time vehicle shoppers’ purchases made up this small of a piece of his or her income, fuel prices were higher than ever and comedians were telling jokes about how old presidential candidates were.
Comerica claims that the average cost of a light vehicle currently is $27,704, including new car warranties, and the average amount of money that people spent on a vehicle fell $700 this quarter, to approximately $23,900. Motorists have been keeping their payments down by stretching out how much time they will take to pay it off, which is currently more than 62 months.
Incentives have spurred the trend, which continue to get better as dealers try to get rid of inventory (they especially look appealing if you want to purchase an SUV or truck), but for the most part, motorists have just begun to want less-expensive models.
January 23rd, 2009 by Hal Moses
The average price around the nation for a gallon of fuel has risen for the third week in a row, and is now at $1.85 per gallon. This price is higher than it has been since late November and it’s a 6.3-cent-per gallon leap since last week.
However, if you compare gas prices to a year ago, it’s about $1.17 less per gallon. And, prices are still way down from the summer, in which gas was over $4. On the West Coast, prices are the highest at $2.02 a gallon, and in the Rocky Mountain states, prices are the lowest at $1.61 a gallon.
While this increase is slight, it’s definitely something to watch out for, especially in the months to come. After all, as weather gets warmer Americans tend to drive more miles.
Motorists are starting to gain more confidence since gas prices have been down for a while. People are even buying new cars with new car warranties. However, gas prices could go back up and squash everyone’s confidence.
January 22nd, 2009 by Hal Moses
There is a new website that Tribal has launched that allows car shoppers to experience a true life like shopping experience from the comfort of their own homes. Now, at Volkswagen.co.uk people can virtually walk around a new vehicle and sit in it. Tribal created this website because shopping for cars can be confusing.
Research shows that car shoppers do the majority of their car research on the Internet, which cuts showroom visits in half. In response to this, VW decided to give car shoppers a virtual experience that they could experience without leaving the house.
In the site you will find a sophisticated car configurator in which there are 3D models of the VW range. Visitors can change different options in order to alter the vehicle’s appearance. Basically, people can create the car that they choose to have.
In the near future people can go to the site and book test-drives through different retailers. They will also have the ability to see what models are available at different retailers.
VW has listened to customers needs and designed a website that allows people to shop from their own homes. It is also convenient that people can shop for new car warranties and insurance by searching various websites. By doing comparisons, people can rest assured that they got the best deal on a car, an auto warranty and insurance.
BMW is following in the footsteps of other carmakers with diesel cars, like Volkswagen and Mercedes, by qualifying its two diesel models for income tax credits by the federal government.
