Motorists who want to buy a new vehicle have several concerns: reliability, safety and an auto warranty.  Recently, The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety listed the thirty-six 2008 cars that they rate highest for safety. Which vehicles are there favorites?

The Toyota Tundra was the only truck that made the list.  Its main safety features include side airbags, and also stability control.

Although no domestic cars made the list last year, there are seven domestics on the 2008 list.  These are the Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, Ford Edge, Ford Taurus X, Lincoln MKX, Cadillac CTS and the Saturn Vue.

Ford Motor Company had the most vehicles on the list.  In fact, they had eight models.  Honda and Acura sported seven winners.

Only one small car made the IIIHS list: the Subaru Impreza.

According to recent studies, drivers are more and more concerned with vehicle safety.  Also, drivers want cars that are reliable.  They are purchasing new car warranties, so that they can easily repair their cars without the worry of unnecessary expenses.

The Saturn Vue SUV green line will have better fuel economy than the Vues that are gas only.  They feature a simple hybrid system that Ford and Toyota use.  The green line is only around $1,500 more than the price of a comparable Vue that only operates on gas.  This allows consumers to be able to afford an auto warranty and maintenance costs. The retail price, $23,000 is approximately $4,000 under the Ford Escape Hybrid, which is the least expensive hybrid to date.

The Saturn Vue hybrid offers a 20% fuel savings over the gas operated Vue.  The Vue Green line supplements an engine that is four cylinders with electric power.  It gets 27 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.  In comparison, the gas only Vue gets 22 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

The Vue Green Line is the first SUV hybrid available with only front wheel drive.  They aren’t offered with all- or four-wheel drive, as with other hybrid SUVs on the market.

The “green” Vue doesn’t give extraordinary fuel savings, but it is a good opportunity for consumers to purchase an SUV hybrid for under $25,000.  It is important for motorists to do their homework and calculate the cost of owning the vehicle. For example, consider new car warranties, car maintenance costs, and insurance on the SUV.

An innovative original system will boost fuel efficiency approximately 1 m.p.g. in the all-wheel drive Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, 2009 models.  Drivers will be thrilled to have extra savings, due to this technology.  Also, new car warranties will ensure that drivers don’t pay extra expenses.

Chrysler has already made significant changes to its vehicle models.  In fact they have made 500 improvements since last year.  For example, they reduced excess engine noise in their Dodge Caliber and Jeep Patriot.  Also, thanks to new mounts for the engine, noise and vibrations are lessened in the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring.

The updated all-wheel drive system makes the vehicle more fuel-efficient by disconnecting the drivetrain from the front axle, until it is necessary to activate all-wheel drive for safety.  The economy ratings by the EPA for all-wheel drive versions of these models will be comparable to the rear-drive model ratings.

At the moment, the 300 and Charger, as well as other all-wheel drive vehicles lose at least 1 m.p.g. in ratings by the EPA because energy is being sent to the front axle, even if it isn’t needed.  This new technology will alleviate this problem.  However, motorists should always protect themselves with an auto warranty with any technology, just in case it unexpectedly fails.

SUVs that are small offer better efficiency than their bigger counterparts, but even the most efficient models can get expensive to top off, since gas is over $4 per gallon in many parts of the country.

But, if you are still determined to purchase an SUV, what are you to do? One of the most fuel-efficient SUVs on the market is the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid, with an estimated 34 mpg in the city, and 31mpg on the highway for front wheel drive, and 29/27 mpg for all-wheel drive. Other than a few hybrid-specific characteristics of the drivetrain, the Ford Escape Hybrid drives pretty much like a small conventional SUV. Also, this vehicle offers great new car warranties.

Determine your priorities when considering purchasing the Ford Escape Hybrid; they might easily swing your choice either one way or the other. To make this purchase worth your while, you need to be purchasing it for its hybrid benefits because when you factor in other attributes that may be less-desirable, like rear-seat folding that is archaic and interior quality that is spotty, the hybrid opens the door to Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota competitors.

Still, the crash-test scores of the Escape Hybrid are much better than they were previously, and you can get an improved appearance in the cabin with the Limited. And, with consumers’ concern about high gas prices and a good auto warranty, this hybrid system is reason enough for motorists to consider buying a Ford.

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.

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?

The EPA is the arm of the government that is responsible for testing fuel economy, and its results are now posted on the stickers on new vehicles. This is a different rating than the government’s CAFÉ numbers, which you might have heard about in Washington.

The real numbers by the EPA are predicted to go up an average of 0.2 mpg for 2009, compared to last year, the EPA claims, which will be about 20.8 mpg.

The final statistics won’t be in until the early part of 2009, but according to the EPA, these predictions demonstrate the fourth rise in a row in the average fuel efficiency of light trucks and cars. In fact, trucks have actually had the largest impact of all. Although their market share has gone down from 52% in 2004, to 48% in 2008, overall, their fuel-efficiency has gone up.

The figure of 20.8 mpg is the largest since the year 1993, and the EPA is predicting that the final number is going to be even higher because people have shifted to smaller cars because of high fuel prices. Consumers are trying to protect their wallets by purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles and new car warranties.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners recently performed a study researching the best and worst places in the U.S. for car insurance.  The study determined that Northeast drivers are paying the highest premiums.

The most expensive state was New Jersey.  The average premiums there were more than $1,300 a year.  Washington D.C., our nations capital, was in second place with average premiums of over $1,185.  New York took third place with premiums on the average being over $1,100.

The study stated that the reason for the elevated costs for insurance in those areas is because of urban driving matters, dense traffic, and high salaries.  In addition, costs for average liability insurance premiums are high in the Northeast.

Midwestern and Northern states were ranked as having the lowest insurance premium costs.  Iowa was the state with the lowest insurance overall, at $530 a year.  Maine took second place at $560 a year, and North Dakota came in third at $570 a year.

This study proves that location is key when it comes to your car insurance costs.  Motorists have to pay high vehicle costs these days with the costs of new car warranties, insurance, and maintenance.

Pontiac is planning to add a four-door version of the Chevrolet Aveo hatchback to the spring lineup, which will be called the G3.  In Canada, Pontiac currently markets a G3 Wave, but in the U.S. they will simply market it as the G3.

According to Jim Hopson, who is a Pontiac spokesman, “The G3 gives us a credible new high-mileage entry-level car at a time when small cars are the fastest-growing segment in the industry.”

But Pontiac is supposedly the exciting high-performance division of General Motors.

Susan Docherty, who is the VP of the Buick, Pontiac, GMC group, claims that fuel-efficiency is a huge factor in the style and performance of Pontiac’s formula.  With the addition of the G3, Pontiac will have four models that get more than 30 mpg of highway driving: the G5, G3 and G6.

Consumers are demanding small, fuel-efficient vehicles with good new car warranties, so it looks like Pontiac has made a smart move.  But what about their performance cars?

Hopson says, “We still have G8 and Solstice rear-drive performance sports cars, as well as the front-drive G5 and Vibe that are sporty and get good mileage, and now we’ll have the G3 that’s sporty and gets very good mileage and is very fuel-efficient at the entry-level car range.”