Tips and Advice
Dealer Taking Deposits on Chevy Volt...But Chevy Hasn't Built it Yet
Posted: Nov. 16, 2009 11:11:18 a.m.
General Motors hasn’t yet started production of its highly-anticipated Chevy Volt electric car. It hasn’t put a price on the vehicle. It hasn’t announced when the Volt will be available, or what dealers will get the first models. It hasn’t told dealers what colors will be available, or whether the car will come with a sunroof or a navigation system or an options package including fog lamps and heated mirrors for cold-weather states. It hasn’t ...
Running Out of Pontiacs
Posted: Nov. 12, 2009 10:11:26 a.m.
If you’ve been considering a Pontiac, get moving. They’re almost gone.
Last spring, General Motors announced plans to close the Pontiac brand by the end of 2009. With just two months to go, the brand appears to be making a smooth exit from the marketplace. On the brand’s official Twitter feed, it has provided an update of what’s left – and the total works out to barely 3,600 cars nationwide.
Many consider the Pontiac G8 to ...
Experts See Auto Sales Recovering Next Year; Prices Could Rise
Posted: Oct. 26, 2009 10:10:52 a.m.
Americans bought more than 16 million cars in 2007. We bought just over 13 million in 2008. Despite the sales frenzy triggered by the government's Cash for Clunkers rebate program, many analysts believe we won't quite have bought 10 million by the end of 2009. Some say, however, that the downward trend will reverse itself soon.
Reuters reports, "U.S. auto sales are projected to rise nearly one-fifth to 11.8 million units in 2010, influential industry tracking ...
World's Largest Cash-Back Rebate: $42K Off Tesla Roadster
Posted: Oct. 23, 2009 11:10:02 a.m.
If you're in the market for a new car and would like a little help with the purchase, there's a nice $3,500 cash-back rebate this month on the Pontiac G8. There's a similar $3,500 rebate on leftover 2009 Ford Mustangs. Or, for Colorado residents, there's a $42,083 rebate on the all-electric Tesla Roadster.
Yeah, read it again.
Didn't change, did it?
Autoblog reports, "Colorado is offering a $42,083 rebate on the ...
Study: Car Buyers No Longer Feel Brand Loyalty
Posted: Oct. 22, 2009 10:10:32 a.m.
America used to be full of GM people or Ford people - people who traded in one GM product for another, over and over again, throughout their lifetime. They might move up from a Chevrolet to a Cadillac if their career took off, but wouldn't dream of leaving General Motors. Even after Japanese automakers reached mainstream success in America, the pattern remained. Some people were just Honda buyers, or Toyota fans.
Not anymore.
The New York Times reports, "So far ...
Used Car Prices Hit Record High
Posted: Oct. 09, 2009 10:10:22 a.m.
Used car prices have hit an all-time high.
The New York Times reports, "Used vehicle prices shot to an all-time high last month, spurred by falling inventories, according to a closely watched barometer of the second-hand car business." The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index tracks the wholesale value of used cars - what car dealerships pay for the cars at auction - which, analysts say, closely mirrors the retail value of used cars. The index, the Times reports, "Rose 6.9 percent ...
What To Expect As Saturn Shuts Down
Posted: Oct. 01, 2009 10:10:55 a.m.
The Saturn car company will be gone by year's end. Parent company General Motors announced its intention to shut down the brand yesterday, after negotiations with a potential buyer broke down.
So what's next for Saturn owners? And is it worth buying one of the last Saturns sitting at the local dealership lot, or is it too risky?
First of all, don't hope for a stay of execution. In a press release announcing its intentions for the ...
Safety Agency Lists Best, Worst Cars To Insure
Posted: Sep. 24, 2009 11:09:25 a.m.
Next time you see a Subaru Impreza WRX in your review mirror, get out of its way. Speed up. Slow down. Pull over to the side of the road and let it pass. Whatever it takes - just get away from it. If you don't, you may regret it.
Edmunds Straightline Blog explains, "Every couple years, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the non-profit testing and research agency supported by auto insurance companies, releases its model-by-model insurance loss rate ...
Report: Some Dealers Opting Out Of GM's 60-Day Guarantee
Posted: Sep. 22, 2009 10:09:31 a.m.
General Motors is advertising its new 60-day money-back guarantee heavily this month, but reports out today say some dealers may be pulling out of the program.
Autoblog reports, "A group of General Motors dealers aren't fond of the company's new 60-day satisfaction guarantee. In fact, they dislike it so much that about 3.5 percent of the General dealers are opting out of the program."
There are conflicting claims about the number of dealers who have opted not ...
Report: Few Buyers Taking GM Up On 60-Day Guarantee
Posted: Sep. 21, 2009 11:09:37 a.m.
General Motors is marketing its new 60-day money-back guarantee program heavily, but an unadvertised wrinkle in the fine print may show that consumers aren't interested.
Automotive News reports, "The offer gives consumers $500 cash if they elect not to participate in the trial period." So far, dealers say, most consumers are taking the rebate offer - indicating they'd rather have the cash than the right to return the car within 60 days. Tom Durant, who operates six GM dealerships ...
