../../../..//2009/03/12/best-and-worst-used/
Best And Worst Used Cars Buying a used car is often the best choice for consumers. If well-maintained, it can be a good value and later models have many of the newer safety features as well. Consumer Reports has listed the cars with the best and worst reliability history in the 10 years (1999-2008) covered by their Annual Auto Survey.
Consumer Reports’ annual car issue is here, and with the death-spiraling economy in mind, they’ve identified the most reliable used cars for all of you value-conscious consumers. Hey, there’s even an American car on the list!
../../../..//2009/02/27/save-hundreds-on-auto-maintenance/
Save Hundreds On Auto Maintenance By Shopping Around When budgets get tight, many people are tempted to cut back on their regular car maintenance. Don’t do it! [CR]
Wondering which car brands are the all-around best? According to the Automaker Report Cards published in Consumer Reports’, Annual Auto Issue, 4 of the top 5 brands are Japanese, with no US car makers making the list — even though there was a 4-way tie for 5th place. Ouch.
Reader James forwarded us a sad email he got from Saturn, in which they admit that GM is probably going to give them the ax. In it, they emphasize that their warranties feature the “industry’s best overall coverage” and that no matter what “GM will support the continued availability of Saturn parts and service as needed.”
../../../..//2009/02/17/say-goodbye-to-saturn-pontiac/
Say Goodbye To Saturn, Pontiac GM will file its restructuring plan on Tuesday, and is expected to cut its brands down to four — Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick. [NYT]
../../../..//2009/02/09/nissan-will-cut-20000-jobs/
Nissan will cut 20,000 jobs as US sales plunged 31%. “Our worst assumptions on the state of the global economy have been met or exceeded,” said Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn. [Bloomberg]
Here’s some depressing news — not even rental car companies — the largest purchasers of automobiles, are buying cars this year, says CNNMoney.
Meet Scott. When builders in financial trouble stopped paying him the money he was owed as a brick and stone contractor, he became desperate. He needed a loan to buy him time while he tried to collect the money he was owed. Thinking he understood the risks, he used his wife’s 2004 Ford Expedition to get an auto title loan of $2,000 at an interest rate of 25% per month — or 300% APR.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Italy’s Fiat will take a stake in Chrysler that may lead to a takeover — as soon as today.
This year’s Detroit Auto show was apparently much more subdued than in previous years. Automakers have scaled back, allowing room for Chinese car companies to peddle their wares. Consumer Reports says that the quality of the vehicles, and of the marketing material, has improved — sort of.
../../../..//2009/01/14/nissan-has-decided-to-only/
Nissan has decided to only make cars 4 days a week at its US plants as demand continues to drop. [Bloomberg ]
Ford has been busy marketing itself as America’s Healthiest Automaker — but Bloomberg says that the company may need a bailout after all.
Consumer Reports just did a study about car brand perceptions, so we thought we’d compare the top 10 most highly perceived brands to their list of the most reliable car brands.
There have been a lot of theories about why consumers abruptly stopped buying cars — and not just American cars but all kinds of cars. Fingers have been pointed at poor fuel economy, lack of available financing, and if Hyundai is to be believed — concern about losing your job. But a new survey found that the most popular reason for not buying a new car — is that there’s nothing wrong with the old one.
../../../..//2009/01/07/seemingly-invulnerable-toyota-will-shut/
Seemingly invulnerable Toyota will shut down its Japanese factories for 11 days as it too deals with the global economic slowdown. Previously, the company had been unable to keep up with demand for its fuel efficient cars. [NYT]
According to an Email received by reader Jessica, Progressive Auto Insurance is increasing rates for New York Customers by nearly 20%. And the best time to announce this? Christmas day, of course!
Last fiscal year, Toyota made $28 billion dollars in profit. This year? Yeah. Not so much.
Part of 
