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You, dear consumer, have abruptly stopped purchasing automobiles. GM's sales are down 45%. Ford has sunk by 30% and Toyota, yes,
that Toyota is down 23%.
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car shopping
Consumer Reports has compiled a list of common car shopping mistakes from their
Smart Buyer's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car, which, of course, you can find in bookstores.
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Mothers Cookies
If you're a fan of those pink and white frosted Circus Animal cookies from Mother's, either stock up or start priming your nostalgia, because this week the company
closed its doors abruptly. They've cited the expected reasons—the rising cost of raw materials, and an inability to borrow in the frozen credit market.
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toyota
Toyota, long resistant to the sort of interest-free financing deals that their domestic counterparts survive on, is offering 0% interest financing on 11 of their vehicles, including Corolla and Camry, the Tundra full-size pickup truck, Matrix; RAV4, Highlander, FJ Cruiser, 4Runner and Sequoia SUVs; Sienna minivan; and Tacoma pickup truck.
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cars
Having trouble getting a car loan? You're not alone. "Gas at $4 a gallon changed the type of vehicles people buy. The credit crunch, however, has changed their ability to buy," says a car dealer. Higher interest rates, higher down payments, fewer loans, and high aversion to dings on your credit report,
this Kicking Tires post has more from the front lines about banks' new level of pickiness when it comes to putting you in your next jalopy.
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ponderables
Reader Dan thought we'd be interested in this sign he spotted in his local Home Depot. It reads: "Why pay cash even if you could?"
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fannie mae
Fannie Mae is the nation's largest mortgage finance company and it's just not doing too well, says the
AP. Increasing losses from foreclosures are wiping out Fannie's revenue.
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prius
23 months after we first posted her story, Angela Weigold writes in with the
latest update about a Prius salesmen who left multiple harassing phone messages daily, calling Anela a "whore" and put her phone number on online escort websites.
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