Not to be outdone by Hyundai, if you buy a Ford and lose your job, the car-maker announced they’ll make your payments for up to a year, up to $700 per month. President Mark Fields released a video about the “Ford Advantage Plan” on YouTube. Take a shot every time he says “confidence.” GM is supposed to announce their own version this morning, says Kicking Tires. UPDATE: And here it is.
cars
Tax Break: IRS Announces New Car Buyers Can Deduct Sales Tax
By 3.30.09
The IRS just announced that new car buyers can deduct the state and local sales and excise taxes on their 2009 tax returns next year, according to our furry little tax adviser.
Obama Fires GM's CEO
By 3.30.09
Feeling the need for a “clean-sheet,” the Obama administration gave GM’s CEO the pink slip today. [WP]
By 3.25.09
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$2 Billion For Volvo? Ford Motor Co. may get $1 billion to $2 billion for its Volvo Cars unit, less than a third of what it paid 10 years ago. Yeowch. [Bloomberg]
Unfortunately Named Truck To Help Save Environment
By 3.25.09
I love the idea of electric vehicles, but did Electric Vehicles International really have to call it the “eviLightTruck”? Probably not a good idea to have, you know, Satan, in your product name. You’re electric, people already think you’re going to blow up their baby carriages, don’t go out looking for ways to make your job tougher. [evi-usa]
Sylvania Lights The Path To Good Service With Bulb Replacements
By 3.21.09
SJ replaced his Volkswagen’s bulbs with Sylvania Silverstar lights that were twice as expensive, only to watch them fail after three months of use. Disappointed, since the standard bulbs lasted for three years, SJ wrote to Sylvania telling them that he expected, at a minimum, a voucher for new bulbs. Sylvania’s response managed to brighten his day…
MotorMouths – One Car Review Site To Rule Them All
By 3.18.09
MotorMouths is a new car review site, but they don’t review cars. They review car reviews. They look at each critics’ review and assign a score based on what the critic is saying about the car, and then also supply an average score for each car. Only critics with cred are used. Sorta like RottenTomatoes for movies, or Metascore for videogames. A handy way to help round out a new car search. For more on how they work, check here, and read here for info about how their scoring matrix works.
Where Did The Cars Go? Manufacturers Are Confiscating Cars From Dealerships
By 3.18.09
Here’s a weird symptom of the disease that’s killing the auto industry — empty car dealerships, some of which are still open for business.
GM To Taxpayers: Bail Us Out Or We'll Liquidate
By 3.18.09
With two weeks to go before the government deadline to approve GM’s restructuring plan, the AP says that GM’s CEO Rick “The Station” Wagoner told the press that if GM is allowed to go into bankruptcy, it will simply be liquidated.
No, You Should Not Use A Forklift To Move A Car Parked In "Your" Spot
By 3.14.09
Georgia resident and SECO Parts and Equipment employee David Johnson told his co-worker that there would be consequences for parking in his spot. “He better come move it,” Johnson warned, “or I’ll move it for him!” This wasn’t enough to convince the co-worker to move from what had to be an ideal spot, so Johnson did what any rational solution-minded employee would do. He got a forklift…
By 3.12.09
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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.
Local Mechanic Does For $52.27 What Belle Tire Said Cost $1000
By 3.12.09
Mechanics are like doctors – it often pays to get a second opinion. When Josh’s wife’s Jetta failed, Belle Tire said it would cost $1,000 to replace the transmission. When Josh checked it out himself, he saw that it probably just needed to have a cable reattached to the transmission. Belle refused to check it out and insisted that it would cost $1000. So Josh to it a local mechanic, Otto Khim, and they fixed everything for $52.27, a savings of $947.43. Then he drove back to Belle Tire and laughed in their face. His story, inside…
2010 Prius Uses Roman Numerals For Trim Levels. Eh?
By 3.11.09
Instead of stuff like SE, LE and XLE, the different options packages or “trim levels” on the 2010 Prius will be demarcated by roman numerals II, III, and IV. There is no Prius I. Odd. Probably to set it apart from your normal, not-getting-50-mpg cars. [Kicking Tires]
Daylight Savings Can Save You Money
By 3.7.09
Congress will sneak into your bedroom tonight and steal a precious hour of sleep, but you don’t need to take the theft lying down. Get up tomorrow and use a few tips from Consumer Reports to steal back some hard-earned cash.
