New Car Warranties

Car dealers have haggled with their customers for years.  This practice has allowed salesmen to con buyers into buying cars and new car warranties, using all kinds of negotiating strategies.  But car dealers have paid for it by being known as untrustworthy.

Some dealers are changing their ways by dumping haggling.  The eighth largest chain of dealers in America, Lithia Automotive Group, announced that they are going to make all 108 of their stores haggle-free within three years.

Toyota’s Scion has implemented a policy for no negotiation from its onset four years ago.  This has prompted dealers who sell Toyota vehicles to apply the one-price approach.

And all over the country, independent dealers who carry various brands of domestic and foreign vehicles are teaching their employees to sell cars like the rest of the retail world.  In other words, cars come with a price tag and a smile from the salesperson.

This no-haggle method will make buying a more pleasant experience for consumers.  Now that people can look up a car’s base price online, they don’t have patience for haggling.  In addition, people are able to compare the prices of new car warranties online.

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

California’s Air Resources Board withdrew its stringent mandates for vehicles with zero-emissions, in favor of hybrids that are charged with mainly electricity.

California is the biggest and most important car market in the world.  In fact, over 2 million vehicles are purchased in the state every year. Consequently, the most new car warranties and auto loans are also sold there. Its pollution stance has had an influence on countries all over the world.  For the last 18 years, the board has required GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and VW to up production and sales of zero-emissions cars.

Auto manufacturers have tried to fight the rules, which are, and have been tough.  They were developed originally to put out 25,000 zero-emissions vehicles between 2012 and 2014, however the board realized that this is an impractical goal.  Now, carmakers have been offered a 70% cut in the original figure, with a new requirement to produce 7,500 zero-emissions cars.

In exchange, manufacturers must produce 58,000 hybrids that are plug-in in that same period of time.  If they do this, they must in addition produce 25,000 zero-emission cars between 2015 and 2017.

Sales of crossovers are one of the strongest segments in the auto industry.  What exactly is a crossover?  A crossover combines attributes from both SUVs and minivans with the positive characteristics we enjoy on passenger cars.

Crossovers typically have the cargo room and passenger space that you find in minivans, yet add the utility, usefulness, and even all-wheel-drive systems that you find on SUVs.  All of these attributes come with the smooth ride, easy operation and secure handling of passenger cars.  Basically, crossovers are built to be a combination of the best of all worlds.  In addition, most crossovers come with a good auto warranty that gives drivers peace of mind.

Consumers who purchase crossovers have a variety of different interests and activities that call for a flexible, practical car with varied features.  Crossover owners like to be ready for anything and everything, and they expect the same from their vehicle.

Other crossover owners are motorists who need to be able to carry more than four passengers, but they don’t want the image that goes along with the minivan, and they don’t want SUVs because of gas consumption and clumsy handling.

The crossover segment of the auto industry is becoming more and more crowded, with new vehicles coming out rapidly.  These vehicles offer consumers versatility, reliability, and new car warranties.  What’s not to like?

Many times, SUV drivers believe that they have the safest vehicles on the road.  People assume that because they are driving a large vehicle, they are indestructible.  However, this isn’t the case.

Actually, SUVs have a much greater tendency to roll over in a crash than any other vehicle type.  And, research shows that about 35% of fatalities in car crashes are from rolling.  Recently, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that there is a direct correlation between SUVs roof strength and the injury risk to passengers.  In other words, the stronger a car’s roof is, the less injuries incurred by occupants.

Currently, the U.S. government has a requirement that cars should withstand a force that is 1.5 times the weight of the car before reaching 5 inches of crush.  However, the government wants to change that to 2.5 times the vehicle’s weight, for safety reasons.

Drivers can never foresee when they will be involved in a car crash.  However, to protect themselves, drivers can purchase a vehicle rated high for safety with new car warranties and take safety precautions behind the wheel.

Jaguar just issued a recall alert for approximately 3,754 2009 XF sedans because of a speaker that malfunctions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.  These models are a problem because the wires to the speaker could fracture, which would make the speaker stop working.

Audio entertainment is not the only thing affected by this problem.  Other things that may also malfunction are audio reminders that tell you when a passenger or driver doesn’t have a seat belt on, when the headlights weren’t turned off, and when the driver’s door is left open while the key is in the ignition.

Jaguar owners of 2009 XF sedans can go to their dealer to have the instrument cluster speaker function looked at and fixed if necessary.  For more information consumers can contact Jaguar at 1-800-452-4827.

Unfortunately, you never know when there will be a recall on your vehicle.  Drivers should take steps to protect themselves, such as purchasing new car warranties and have maintenance performed regularly.

The Acura TSX is a sedan that is very sporty, and it might surprise people who assume that entry-level means basic and stripped.  The TSX is loaded with numerous features, such as Bluetooth capabilities and leather seats.  Just make sure you get new car warranties with any car, especially one with many features, to avoid unnecessary repair costs.

The latest model of the Acura TSX would be familiar to aficionados, however it is larger in practically every way.  This includes width, track, length and wheelbase.  This provides for a ride that is more stable and comfortable.

Although the look of the Acura TSX is familiar, it has a new design element that is distinct.  Its grill that is almost shield-like is a love or hate feature.  It is displayed best with the body color being light.  The longer vehicle provides Acura lovers a ride that feels sporty and aggressive.

All in all, the 2009 Acura TSX is a success.  Consumers are excited about this vehicle.  Motorists can rest assured that this is a solid car that will provide the comfort and safety that they need.  As with any car, an auto warranty is recommended to ensure that your vehicle is protected in case of breakdowns.

The 2008 DuPont Global Color Popularity Report found that White and White Pearl are the favorite car color choices in America, with 16% and 4% of the market share.  This is the second year in a row that white has been the #1 choice.

Black and silver tied for second place at 17% each.

Trends for North America also highlight the trend for global convergence.  This means that the colors that Americans like the best are similar to the ones that motorists in Russia and Brazil like, and vice versa.

Leading in Europe, however, is black, and silver takes the lead in the Russian car market.  Asia likes silver cars the best and India likes white.

According to the report, blue is now the “new green” when thinking of cars that represent the “preservation of nature.”

At this point it doesn’t really matter what color cars people are buying, as long as they are purchasing new cars with new car warranties.  Unfortunately, this year many people chose to hold onto their current cars and buy used car warranties.

Many motorists wonder what it actually means for a car to be considered “clean”.  The new Jetta TDI is a prime example.  This car will use a new fuel that is an ultra-low sulfur diesel.  It used to be that diesel fuel contained large amounts of sulfur, which harmed devices like catalytic converters that are put in the exhaust stream to help clean harmful emissions.

Now, ultra-low sulfur diesel has reduced the content of sulfur by 97%, which allows carmakers to add devices that will reduce emissions, without risking damage to the components.  Of course, devices like these will vary from carmaker to carmaker, just like new car warranties.

There are four new emission-reducing devices in the new Jetta TDI.  According to VW, they are an oxidation catalyst for carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, storage catalyst for nitrogen emissions oxides, particulate emissions trap, and for hydrogen sulfide emissions, a slip catalyst.

Changes that have been made under the hood of the 2009 Jetta TDI include four valves per cylinder (not two), common rail fuel injection, and new calibration for the engine.

Recently Ford announced that it is going to double the number of cars that come equipped with a rearview camera system in 2009.  This means that approximately three-quarters of the vehicles Ford makes will have the bumper-level camera as well as the display.

Ford has a very distinct rearview camera system because instead of appearing on a screen in the middle console, the image shows up in the rearview mirror.  This new rearview camera can be bought independent of an expensive navigation system.

This system only costs $695 and has become so popular that Ford is noticing that many buyers are including it in their 2009 version of the top-selling F-150, when compared to the 2008 model.

New technology such as this is terrific, but buyers should protect themselves from failure of expensive gadgets with new car warranties.