• What's The True Cost Of A Trade-In? Use Edmonds' calculator to price-out the cost of a trade-in. The results may be surprising: trading a 2005 Ford Expedition for a 2008 Toyota Highlander hybrid won't produce savings for almost 15 years.
• Is A Small Car Practical? You bought a SUV for a reason, right? RIGHT?! Yeah, think about that for a moment before looking at a new Smart.
• Are You Thinking With Your Brain Or Your Gut? Gas prices are rising, but the overall cost of ownership is stable. Your insurance bill is probably the same, and your mechanic isn't raising prices. Now might seem like the right time to get a new car, but “if you’re selling an S.U.V. or trading it in, you’re selling an asset at the low ebb in its value and trying to buy an asset that’s been bid up in value,” says Mr. Nerad of Kelley Blue Book. “In stock market terms, this wouldn’t be a propitious time to make that kind of trade.”

Is it worth trading in your gas guzzler? [Edmunds]
Ditch the Gas Guzzler? Well, Maybe Not Yet [The New York Times]
(Photo: Getty)

1. "Be your own salesperson"
Robyn Eckerd from Kelley Blue Book says that owners usually get a better price for their vehicle when they sell it on their own instead of trading it in to a dealership. In fact, the market is so bad for SUVs that some dealerships won't even accept them as trade-ins.

2. "Price it right"
When you set your price, check out its current value on Kelley Blue Book's web site. Also, take a look at a site like AutoTrader.com to get a feel of a common asking price. Keep in mind that the prices in AutoTrader might be high since there are many who are content to set a high price and wait, since they don't need to sell quickly.

3. "Advertise online"
AutoTrader.com says 61% of used-car buyers start searching online. Some other sites you could use are Carsdirect.com, Cars.com or eBay Motors.

4. "Provide plenty of details"
Autotrader.com recommends at least 25 pictures which should include shots of your SUV's cargo space, fold-down seats as well as your odometer and any scratches or dings.

5. "Build credibility"
Spend $25 and get a Carfax Vehicle History Report which says if a vehicle has been in an accident or flood. You could also pay about $150 for an independent mechanic to inspect the car. A clean bill of health makes a great selling point.

Finally, don't get so focused on high gas prices that you are willing to unload the SUV at any price. Try to get enough for your SUV to cover any outstanding loans and to cover the price of your new car. If that's not possible, it may be more sensible to keep the SUV and try to use it more efficiently.

5 Ways to Unload a Gas-Guzzling SUV [SmartMoney]
(Photo: Getty)

1. I love, love, love this car
Even if you fall in love with a car, maintain your composure and don't let the salesman realize it. It is easy for salesmen to manipulate you when they know that you will do almost anything to own the car.

2. I need to get a car by tomorrow
Even if you need the car quickly, act like there's no desperate need for the car. If he senses your desperation he will realize that you won't be thinking carefully about your choice and will accept most anything.

3. I need a monthly payment of...
The monthly payment is only one part of the equation. A salesman can give you that monthly payment and still rip you off in another area such as in the number of payments or trade-in value. Ideally, you should calculate what you can afford based on your monthly budget and expected trade-in value and negotiate that big number. Now, agree on a monthly payment and then negotiate any trade-in value.

4. My trade-in is outside
If you let him know it is outside he will want the keys. If the deal starts to go south, your keys may be somehow misplaced in which case you will be forced to listen to his sales pitch longer than you want to.

5. I don't know anything about leasing
Even if you don't plan on leasing a car, you should learn about leasing to help make you impervious to the salesman who may try to sell you the idea. Usually, leasing only makes sense if you know that you won't be keeping the car for several years. If you do plan to lease, you should be familiar with the costs of leasing beyond monthly payments. You should also be aware of how many miles are included in the lease and any money that needs to be paid up front or at the end of the lease.

6. My credit is a little spotty
Often, consumers underestimate their own credit score. Ideally, you should try to secure a loan you can use for "plan B" in case you don't like what the dealership has to offer. This gives you bargaining power and lets you know more clearly where you stand with your credit rating.

6 things never to tell a car salesman [CNN]

"There are buyers for whom, that's the vehicle they still want, for what their needs are, and gas prices won't deter everyone," says Stephanie Brinley, senior manager for product analysis at Tustin (Calif.)-based AutoPacific.

"The safety benefits of stability control have been known to auto manufacturers since the mid 1990s," Avila said. "But they delayed implementing because they felt that safety was not marketable, so instead of installing on the SUVs that needed it most because of their rollover problem, they put it on luxury SUVs and cars as a performance item."

Is safety a luxury option? [LA Times]
(Photo: Paul Keleher)

And you know what? They were right. — BEN POPKEN

[via Wisebread] (Thanks to Fab Geek!)

Toyota to recall 533,000 SUVs, trucks [CNN Money]

Your gas guzzler bottoms out. It's bottom grinds and gets stuck on the hill. Proof that San Fran actually has structural defenses to debilitate encroachment by machines which don't run on the most efficient fuel of all: Love.

Whether the people in front are trying to help the limo get ungrounded, or prevent its further advance, is subject to interpretation.

Taken in front of Goat Hill Pizza at 18th and Connecticut, in Potrero Hill.

Somehow, we think the beast gets less sympathy than if they found a whale similarly stranded near the Golden Gate Bridge. Which, when you think about it, is really racist.

"Beached SUV Limo" [Traveling Tiger via Stay Free!]

comment on this post

This entrant satirizes the SUV industry. With their own tools.

Irony, you are mistress most fetching.

View it here quick, before Chevy gets wise and takes it down.

UPDATE: Link is down. Posting screenshots shortly...

UPDATE: Screenshots posted after the jump.

UPDATE: A preserved version of the parody in question made it to YouTube:

(Thanks to KevinQ for the YouTube catch!)

Less than two hours after getting posted here and on CBCNews, a user-generated Chevy Tahoe ad, an entrant in the "Make a Chevy Tahoe Ad and Win a Free Trip" contest, is down. The ad mocked SUVs, gas guzzling, planet raping, and inane car ads. For some reason, Chevy didn't want that on their site.

Whoddathinkit.

Good thing we had the foresight to take screen shots.

Guess Chevy's definition of the American Revolution doesn't include the freedom of speech.

Consumer-Made Ads Backfires for Chevy [CBCnews]