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Hey, everyone is getting debt free! “No debt” is the new “debt!” Thrill as Leo from Zen Habits pays off his car loans. Lots of good tips on how to get out of debt. [Zen Habits]
auto
By 11.28.07
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Pep Boys loses a whole bunch of money, cuts 500 jobs and closes 31 stores. [BusinessWeek]
Cars And Binding Mandatory Arbitration
By 11.27.07
Is it possible these days to buy a car, even a used car, from a dealer without a binding mandatory arbitration clause? Nope, we guess not.
Computer Glitch Causes Toyota Prius To Fail Georgia Emissions Test
By 11.27.07
If you bought a Toyota Prius and have been trying to pass an emissions test in Georgia, you’re probably pretty stressed out right about now.
Chrysler Totals The PT Cruiser, Pacifica, Crossfire, And Dodge Magnum
By 11.19.07
Chrysler’s new CEO Robert “Big Bob” Nardelli, formerly of Home Depot, has started cutting costs at Chrysler. The first to go will be the popular PT Cruiser, says the WSJ.
Cars Are Getting Safer, 34 Vehicles Are "Top Safety Picks"
By 11.16.07
The institute’s tests are tougher than those run by the federal government, and automakers often make changes in the vehicles and pay the institute to re-run its tests to garner better scores for advertising. General Motors Corp. altered the side air bags in its 2008 Saturn Vue to earn a top pick after they failed to deploy correctly in the first test.
America's 20 Most Discounted Cars
By 11.5.07
BusinessWeek has thoughtfully rounded up the 20 most discounted cars for your bargain-hunting enjoyment. From total failures to the recently redesigned, here are 20 cars you shouldn’t pay too much for—and probably won’t have to. What the hell is a Chrysler Aspen, anyway? A Mitsubishi Raider?
Volkswagen Recalls 340k Cars That Fail To Meet US Safety Standards
By 9.28.07
Volkwagen is recalling 340k cars because they “may be missing required caps in the sockets of the low beam horizontal and vertical aiming screws.” We’re not sure why that is important, but we’re sure that they wouldn’t bother recalling the cars if it wasn’t.
Chrysler Recalls 300,000 Vehicles Due To Potential Braking Problem
By 9.19.07
Chrysler has announced a recall of over 300,000 vehicles due to a potential problem with the car’s ability to brake while coasting uphill.
September Is Last Month To Qualify For Hybrid Vehicle Tax Credit
By 9.4.07
If you’re still thinking of purchasing a hybrid vehicle this year, time is running out to get in on the Alternative Motor Vehicle tax credit. We pointed out the official IRS schedule of expiring credits back in March, and now you’ve got less than 30 days to score a small credit (currently 25% of the original credit amount) on a Toyota or Lexus hybrid—after September 30th, the credit disappears for good. Honda tax credits may be cut by 50% after September 30th, but the verdict’s still out on this one.
Nation's Largest Car Seat Maker Recalls 19 Models
By 9.4.07
Dorel Juvenile Group, the nation’s largest maker of car seats, is recalling 19 models of car seats, including the Eddie Bauer and Costco Cosco brands.
Chinese Car Fails Frontal Crash Test In Spectacular Fashion
By 8.13.07
Last month Chrysler struck a deal with the manufacturer of the Chery Amulet, shown in the above crash test video. In accordance with the deal, Chery would manufacture small cars for import into the US.
How Far Will Different Cars Go On One Tank Of Gas?
By 8.13.07
Bankrate has an oddly fun interactive tool that easily calculates how far different types of cars will go on a single tank of gas. The tool also lets you imput the price of gas in your area, so you can easily see how much you’ll be paying when its time to fill up.
GM Says It Will Release Electric Car in 2010
By 8.12.07
This week, GM announced it plans to begin testing its plug-in, rechargeable car, the Chevrolet Volt, in the spring of next year. Says GM bigwig Bob Lutz, “We’ll have some on the road for testing next spring, and we should have the Volt in production by the end of 2010.” The secret ingredient to the Volt’s claim of 40-miles-per-charge is its “next-generation” lithium-ion battery, which is designed to last for 10 years, and which Lutz says will be ready by this October. Can we get one for our laptops?
"Disgraced" Former Home Depot CEO Robert "Big Bob" Nardelli Named CEO Of Chrysler
By 8.6.07
You can’t keep a good CEO down! Or something. Robert “Big Bob” Nardelli, the CEO who famously ran Home Depot into the ground by deemphasizing customer service in favor of the “business supply” division and then ran away with over $200 million in severance pay and other bonuses, has been named CEO of the Chrysler Group.
Plug-In Hybrids Could Help Cut Emissions
By 7.20.07
Plug-In Hybrids are not yet available, but new research says that when they are their use could slash emissions by, well… a lot. Theoretically, plug-in hybrids could be driven up to 40 miles a day on electricity alone. More good news: using electricity for fuel wouldn’t harm the power grid and the equivalent cost would be about $1 a gallon. But can car manufacturers make the cars cheap enough and the electric company make power clean enough to sell the idea to the American public?
The upbeat news for plug-ins, seen by many as the next big step in environmentally friendly automotive technology, came with two caveats. Achieving the maximum air quality improvements would require a significant cut in the pollution produced by electric utilities. It’s also dependent on large-scale adoption of plug-in hybrids, which may not be in new-car showrooms for several years.
How Far Can You Drive With The Tank On Empty?
By 6.22.07
Justin Davis is on a mission. He wants to know how far various cars will drive after the gas-tank warning light comes on. The auto manufacturers won’t tell him. His solution? Ask the internet.
Land Rover Sends Film Crews To Real Natural Disasters To Shoot Their Cars As "Hero Cars"
By 6.21.07
Reader Mars tips us off to this Brandweek article about Land Rover’s soon to be launched commercial campaign where Land Rover sends film crews to the sites of actual natural disasters while they are in progress to get footage of the Land Rovers “in action” as “hero cars.”
