Consumerist
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safety
Toyota Says It's Not Hiding Anything In Runaway Cars Investigation
One of Toyota's execs said today that the company isn't covering up information about its suddenly accelerating cars, but the Department of Transportation doesn't seem to agree. More » -
consumer reports
Some Ford Cars Are Reliable, Actually Worth Buying
Several Ford cars are among the world's most reliable vehicles, according to the latest annual car reliability survey from Consumer Reports. More » -
video
How To Choose The Best Tires
The Consumer Reports Cars blog has posted a video on how to choose the best tires for your car. Here's one interesting trick we learned from the clip: how to measure tire tread depth using coins. More » -
cars
Need A New Car? Consider A Saturn
The Washington Post notes that although Saturn dealerships have until this time next year to close, many will be saying goodbye sooner due to low inventory, and that's partly why now is a good time to buy a Saturn. That is, if you don't plan on reselling it in a couple of years. More » -
automobiles
GM And Penske End Saturn Sale Talks
Saturn will not have a new life as part of Penske, the company that, among other things, distributes Smart cars in the U.S. Talks between Penske and GM fell apart today, and so did any chance for a deal. More » -
cars
Tires Prices Increasing Soon, At Least For Cooper
Are you planning on buying tires soon? According to this report from TireBusiness.com, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is planning on raising its prices for passenger and light truck tires by "up to 12 percent," in response to an increase on tarrifs from China. They wouldn't provide a hard date for the price increase, but said "soon."
The increases vary by line, the company said, with most but not all product lines affected.
"Cooper raising prices on most consumer tire lines" [TireBusiness.com]
(Photo: www.ericcastro.biz) -
dirty tricks
New Jersey Dealership Goes Under, Leaves Customers Without Titles To Their Cars
When Patrick Dunn's auto dealership in New Jersey went out of business a few months ago, something weird happened to "40 or 50" customers who had bought cars from him, writes Bob Braun at NJ.com. The company Dunn had taken out business loans with, Automotive Finance Corporation (AFC), went to Arkansas and asked for reposession of the cars in New Jersey. The Arkansas department of motor vehicles assumed AFC meant for unsold cars on the lot, so they granted the request—and now AFC says it owns titles to cars that people are already driving and paying for. More » -
cars
Was Your Cash For Clunkers Deal Rejected After Being Approved?
Edmunds.com, the car info website, is asking people who participated in the short-lived Cash for Clunkers program to contact them if something went wrong. Although they can't fix any problems, they're trying to collect data on consumers who are being asked to pay back the government rebate after already being approved, which was forbidden under the rules of the program, so they can present the data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More » -
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zipcar
Queens Zipcar Runs Out Of Zip For Second Consumerist Reader
Well, isn't this a coincidence? Yesterday, we posted a story about the experience that Jen and her friend had with their Zipcar rental car with a faulty electrical system, which broke down three times and nearly left them stranded on the mean streets of Hartford, Conn. (Really. They're pretty mean.) A few hours later, we heard from Matt, who apparently had a similar experience four days later. With the same exact car. More » -
cars
Enterprise Removed Air Bags From Cars, Sold Cars, Forgot To Tell Customers
New safety innovations for automobiles can be impressive. Side-curtain airbags are a great development for protecting people in a side-impact crash, and are standard on many models, including the Chevrolet Impala. Unless you're driving an Impala in the Enterprise Rent-A-Car fleet, in which case the airbags were never installed in order to save Enterprise $175 per car. This wasn't really a problem until Enterprise went to sell their used Impalas, and sort of forgot to tell people that the airbags had been removed. More » -
advice
The NYT Offers Budgeting Advice For Would-Be Car Owners... In 1907
We were poking around the NYT archives when we stumbled across this gem, car maintenance budgeting advice for people interested in owning a car ... in 1907. Some of the advice remains the same. Other parts, like how much to pay your driver and how much to budget for repainting the car once a year — not so much. More » -
cell phones
Reminder: Distracted Driving Is Bad And Dangerous
We had a robust debate on Monday on the use of cell phones and wireless devices while driving. Since then, Consumer Reports Cars has taken a look at the actual statistics for accidents caused by driver distraction, and also the cell-while-driving laws actually on the books in the United States in different localities. Spoiler alert: Texting while driving isn't a good idea. More » -
cars
Trade In Your Clunker, Get $4,500. Maybe.
The government is offering a $4,500 credit to anyone willing to trade in their old clunker for a new fuel efficient car, but there's a catch. Well, several catches... More » -
advertising
Ten Suggestive Automotive Ads from the Past
The fine petrolheads at Jalopnik have compiled this list of ten very suggestive automotive print ads, from the 1960s onward. It reminds me of a study where men were shown two ads of the same car, one ad with a sexy woman, the other without. The men rated the car with the living hood ornament as more appealing, expensive, and faster than the car without. At the same time, the men vigorously denied that the model's presence had any affect on their opinion whatsoever. More » -
fuel
Watered-Down Gasoline Damages Cars Near Baltimore
Rain water, not fraud or sabotage, is behind the bad gasoline sold at stations near Baltimore early this week. Hess, the supplier, is covering any damage to customers' cars caused by the diluted fuel. So, how does this happen? More » -
protests
Car Dealership Picketing: American West Coast Edition
Remember the disgruntled Range Rover owner in England who lettered his complaints on the vehicle and parked it in front of the dealership? Reader M.H. discovered his American counterpart standing in front of a Hyundai dealership in Vancouver, Washington. More » -
autopocalypse
Car Dealerships Feebly Fight Back Against Bankrupt Automakers
As GM's bankruptcy looms, let's take a look at what might be in store for its network of dealerships. Chrysler dealers are understandably angry at the company's shutting down of dealerships, refusal to take back unsold inventory, and general inability to, in the words of Jon Stewart, "be a f@#king person." Or ethically behaving corporate entity, whatevs.
Those dealers, though? They're fighting back. With lawyers. More »
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THE BIG THREE KILLED MY BABY
Jon Stewart to Automakers: "BE A F@#KING PERSON!"
In case you don't watch "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" as obsessively as I do, here's a segment from earlier this week that is relevant to Consumerist readers' interests. In it, they provide an overview of news coverage of the closing of GM and Chrysler dealerships, and implore the companies to "be a f@#king person!" More »
automobiles
New York, 6:18 AM
Mon Nov 9
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