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automobiles
automobiles
3 Ways To Save Money On Your Car
By Phil Villarreal on February 13, 2012 11:30 AM
75 Comments
It can be depressing to calculate the amount of time you spend working to pay for your car. Your ride siphons money from you in an overwhelming amount of ways, including your monthly payment, gas, insurance, registration fees, maintenance and repair. If you want to start living more frugally, you can cast a stink eye at your car to look for ways to start cutting back. More »
Nissan Developing Car That Guesses When You're About To Make A Turn
By Ben Popken on October 11, 2011 2:00 PM
58 Comments
Nissan is collaborating with the same batch of Swiss scientists that developed a wheelchair users can move with their brain to make a car that "reads your mind." More »
Study: Fancy Cars Make Us Happy, Briefly
By Ben Popken on July 27, 2011 1:00 PM
69 Comments
In an amazing breakthrough for both Science and the study of consumer behavior, researchers have determined that the pleasures of having an expensive car is fleeting and quickly replaced by thinking about the anxieties of day-to-day existence. More »
Porsche 911s Recalled For Wheel Hubs Wearing Down
By Ben Popken on June 20, 2011 3:00 PM
21 Comments
For want of a nail, a kingdom was lost. And for want of durable wheel hubs, high-powered Porsche 911s were recalled because the could lead to a compromised wheel-retention system and a crash. More »
Electric Cars Will Have To Tell You They're Coming
By Ben Popken on December 22, 2010 12:00 PM
118 Comments
"Meep! Meep!" Quiet electric and hybrid cars will be forced to do something like that to alert pedestrians they're coming under a new act passed by Congress. More »
Wait -- So GM Didn't Pay Back All The Bailout Money?
By Chris Morran on September 16, 2010 1:30 PM
82 Comments
Last spring, now-former General Motors CEO Ed Whitacre ruffled a lot of feathers in Washington by airing a TV commercial where he claimed that the bailed-out car company had repaid "government loan in full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule," without mentioning that taxpayers still owned 61% of GM. Today, new GM CEO Dan Akerson opted for a more honest approach, not only admitting that his company still owes billions to the government, but that it's going to take "several years" to pay it back. More »
(jiazi)
How Often Is Your Car Model Stolen?
By Chris Walters on August 3, 2010 8:00 AM
63 Comments
The Highway Loss Data Institute keeps track of insurance claims for stolen cars, and it's just released a list of the highest and lowest insurance claims for auto theft for 2007-09 models. The winner is the Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV, followed by the Ford F-250 pickup—both of these vehicles have a relatively high claim frequency and high average loss payment per claim of $9,600-$11,000. On the other end, the Mini Cooper and Toyota Sienna 4WD are infrequently stolen and have average loss payments of around $2,000. More »
Why Are Fewer Teens Driving These Days?
By Chris Morran on July 28, 2010 3:59 PM
114 Comments
Here's some news that will please many of you who cringe when you see a cocky teenager behind the wheel of an automobile. A new report claims that not only are fewer teens driving their own cars, but that fewer teens are on the road in general. More »
Hey Ladies, What Is It About The VW Beetle That You Love So Much?
By Chris Morran on June 16, 2010 5:00 PM
120 Comments
I have a very distinct memory of being 11 and riding in the car with my recently licensed big brother, who of course knew everything there is to know about cars and girls. We pulled up next to an old VW bug being driven by an attractive woman, and after he slugged me in the arm he sagely stated, "Man, there's nothing as cool as a girl who drives a Volkswagen." And maybe he was right, because 23 years later the VW Beetle is the car with the highest rate of female ownership. More »
When You Boycott BP Gas Stations, BP Can Profit
By Ben Popken on June 14, 2010 1:51 PM
115 Comments
You need gas. On the right is a BP. On the left is a supermarket gas station. Which do you choose, and why? If you skip the BP to go to the other, you might actually be putting more cash in BP's stained pockets.Like this story? Check out, "BP Gulf-Sized Spilling Occurs In Nigeria Annually, But Nobody Cares." More »
(Hugo90)
Tips For Buying A Used Car This Year
By Chris Walters on May 4, 2010 8:35 AM
30 Comments
The sorry state of the economy the past couple of years has actually led to higher prices for used cars, writes Kiplinger. That's because more people started buying used cars, which tightened the supply while also reducing the number of fresh trade-ins. It may be a couple of years before prices drop again, but Kiplinger has some suggestions for saving money if you plan on buying a used car this year. More »
What Was Your First Car?
By Chris Morran on April 30, 2010 2:58 PM
392 Comments
Yesterday, we posted Consumer Reports' selections for the best cars for teen drivers. That list, on which the least expensive car was priced at $9,900, drew quite a bit of heat from readers who thought the listed cars too pricey for teens. That's why we want to hear about your first ride. More »
Toyota Stops Selling Lexus SUV After Consumer Reports Says "Don't Buy"
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 7:40 PM
44 Comments
It's a big deal when Consumer Reports awards a "Don't Buy" rating to a vehicle, and when it announced earlier today that the 2010 Lexus GX 460 should be avoided because of safety risks, the story started popping up all over the web. Now only 12 hours later, Lexus has announced that it is asking dealers to temporarily stop selling the vehicle while it looks into the situation, and that it's taking the Consumer Reports claim "very seriously."
(Photo: makdune)
Gas Prices On The Rise For No Good Reason
By Chris Walters on April 5, 2010 11:54 AM
68 Comments
Several states are reporting this morning that average gas prices have crept up slightly, despite the fact that oil consumption has dropped and refiners are operating below capacity. The Miami Herald blames the price creep on Wall Street speculators who are optimistic that the economy is getting better, which in turn will lead to increased gas consumption. More »
GM Didn't Tell Me About Recall Before My Engine Caught Fire, Won't Help Me Out
By Phil Villarreal on April 5, 2010 8:32 AM
42 Comments
Naader says his 2002 Buick Regal was totaled when his engine caught fire in February. He discovered afterward that GM had put out an engine fire safety recall for his vehicle back in 2008, but he had never gotten word of the move. Now Naader says GM is stonewalling him on the compensation front. More »
Asphalt Has Become So Expensive That Some States Are Going Back To Gravel
By Chris Walters on March 31, 2010 10:26 AM
93 Comments
Kiplinger says that in the near future, if you're driving down a rural or less-traveled road, you might find yourself driving on gravel. Road asphalt has doubled in price over the past three years and shows no signs of coming back down, so some states—Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Vermont, and Pennsylvania to begin with—are looking for ways to cut corners. Gravel costs $20 a ton compared to asphalt's current $400/ton price. More »
Mercedes-Benz Ordered To Pay $482k Over Lemon Car
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 7:10 PM
12 Comments
Wisconsin's lemon law for cars is pretty strict. If a customer demands a refund on a newly bought car that won't run and can't be repaired, the manufacturer has to comply within 30 days or pay double the purchase price plus legal fees. Marco Marquez has been fighting Mercedes-Benz for 4 years now over a $56,000 E 320 he bought in 2005 that immediately stopped working. He says the company deliberately stalled on giving him the refund in time, and last week a judge awarded him $482,000. More »
Mercedes Shows Off New Safety Feature For Cars
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 9:17 AM
24 Comments
Last week, Mercedes showed a bunch of journalists some new safety features it's working on to prevent deaths in the event of a car crash, and BNET describes them. I hope you like air bags going off all around you—the demo even has air bags for the car. Sadly, the people-scooper feature—something about when you hit a pedestrian, the car "scoops" the body onto the hood and keeps the person there, probably so that his screaming can alert you that you've been in an accident—will only be available in Europe. More »
Chevy Resurrects John Mellencamp "Our Country" Ads For Olympics
By Chris Morran on February 16, 2010 6:43 PM
35 Comments
If you've been having flashbacks to the fall of 2007 while watching the Olympics on NBC this week, you might want to blame Chevy, who decided to dust off their love-it-or-hate-it "Our Country" ad campaign for the winter games in Vancouver. More »
Here's The Repair Process For Toyota Accelerator Pedals
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 6:07 PM
49 Comments
The Providence Journal of Rhode Island filmed a service director at a Toyota dealership fixing an accelerator pedal. If you own one of the recalled models, Consumer Reports' Cars blog recommends that you learn the warning signs of pedal trouble and get to a dealership as soon as possible if you notice any of them. More »
