cars

Hertz Holds Your Rental Hostage For Cash Deposit, To Be Returned In 2 Weeks

Hertz Holds Your Rental Hostage For Cash Deposit, To Be Returned In 2 Weeks

Ryan’s wife is currently traveling alone with their 3-month-old son on the way to an unexpected funeral near Salt Lake, Utah. Despite the fact that she paid for the rental up front as part of an Orbitz package, the local Hertz jerks are refusing to give her the car unless she goes to an ATM and brings back $200 cash, which they say they will mail back in check form a few weeks after she returns the car. Even Hertz says this isn’t their policy, but they can’t seem to stay on the phone long enough to help Ryan and his wife.

Top 5 Best Value New Small Cars

Top 5 Best Value New Small Cars

If you’re one of the like, 6 people who are buying new cars this year, you’re probably looking to get the most for your money. Our sister-publication Consumer Reports took a look at this year’s cars in a new way — judging them based not only on their test results but on their total cost of ownership. Let’s take a look.

Vincent To Get Car He Wants

Vincent To Get Car He Wants

Yesterday we brought you the story of Vincent who got “gold misted” at a Chevy dealership. After his story went up he learned that his brother-in-law’s cousin works at a Chevy dealership and will get him the car he wanted. “Life is good :-)” announced Vincent.

Chevy Takes Time Away From Failing To Try To Rip Off Customer

Chevy Takes Time Away From Failing To Try To Rip Off Customer

UPDATE: Vincent To Get Car He Wants

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4 resources for researching if your car has a defect. [Examiner] (Photo: nixter)

Top 9 Most Reliable Small USED Cars

Top 9 Most Reliable Small USED Cars

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!

The State Of The Global Economy As Measured In Unsold Cars

The State Of The Global Economy As Measured In Unsold Cars

WeSeed directed us to this sad photo album of cars backed up at ports and manufacturer lots around the world. Maybe they can be handed out in clusters as executive bonuses at the end of the year.

Jeep Incapable Of Selling To Man With $24,000 In Cash

Jeep Incapable Of Selling To Man With $24,000 In Cash

It’s amazing the hassle Bruce went through trying to buy a Jeep with $24,000 cash. Even though he’s ready to buy the car outright, the car salesman almost convinces him to finance because that way you get $1,500 back. Total cost of the loan: $31,732…they wanted him to spend an extra $7,132 to “save” $1500. Luckily his mom steps in and saves him from getting taken for a ride. His journey doesn’t stop there, nor does it end with a successful Jeep purchase. They can’t even sell a car to a guy who shows up with cash in hand ready to buy… no wonder they needed a bailout. Full story inside…

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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]

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Violence against repo men is on the rise. [AP]

Obama Auto Task Force Team's Cars Fail CAFE Standards

Obama Auto Task Force Team's Cars Fail CAFE Standards

After it was pointed out that most of the cars owned by members of President Obama’s Task Force on the Auto Industry were imports, our friend Mark made another interesting discovery: nearly all of the cars fail current CAFE standards.

Consumer Reports' Top 5 All-Around Car Brands

Consumer Reports' Top 5 All-Around Car Brands

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.

Sad Email From Saturn Reassuring You That GM Will Still Make Parts For Your Car

Sad Email From Saturn Reassuring You That GM Will Still Make Parts For Your Car

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.”

Jiffy Lube Pulls Dirty Filter Trick On Unsuspecting Customer

Jiffy Lube Pulls Dirty Filter Trick On Unsuspecting Customer

Josh has been paying $30 extra to change out the air filter each time he brings his car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. This time, to save money, he decided to do it himself—and that’s when he discovered that Jiffy Lube lied to him about the filter.

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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]

How I Got $100 Back From Enterprise

How I Got $100 Back From Enterprise

I feel very happy because I just $100 back from Enterprise, even though I am a lazy-puss and had it sitting on my list to dispute the charge since the end of August. Here’s how what I did.

AT&T Mobility Sues Over Auto Warranty Robocalls

AT&T Mobility Sues Over Auto Warranty Robocalls

You know those annoying robocalls on your mobile phone about renewing your car warranty? The companies behind the calls use spoofing to remain hidden, but AT&T Mobility just filed suit in federal court to track down the culprits, then hopefully make them stop. This is great news, because judging from the quotes given to RCR Wireless, the FTC and FCC both don’t seem too concerned about the matter.

Really Creepy Ads Killed The Electric Car

Really Creepy Ads Killed The Electric Car

I watched the Who Killed The Electric Car documentary last night and was thunderstruck by the “ad” that GM made when California made them make electric cars against their will. If you want to sell a car, you put a hot person in it and shoot them skidding at high speeds across desert plains. This was like trailer for a sequel to The Ring.