If you’re from Chicago and have ever parked an automobile, this has probably already happened to you 6 times and you’ll be wondering why this story is even newsworthy. Feel free to go get a sandwich. For the rest of the country… The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that hundreds of people who drove to the 79th annual Bud Billiken Parade got a nasty surprise when they found that a towing company had posted a notice after the parade started and towed all of their cars.
cars
Sign Of The Times: $100 "Pay At The Pump" Limit
By 8.11.08
Reader Paul sends in this photo of a sign he saw at a gas station in Texas. First people were upset that gas stations were putting “outrageously high” holds of $100 on their cards when they paid at the pump. Now $100 is just the most you can buy at the pump without going inside and having them swipe your card. Sad.
Oil Prices Drop, Sadly
By 8.8.08
The price of oil dropped $2.19 today, to $117.91, spurring a stock market and dollar rally. Sounds like good news. Except that it’s dropping because the market thinks more people won’t be able to afford to drive their cars as much. Who’s up for a “staycation?”
Demystify Car Repair Prices With RepairPal.com
By 8.4.08
Now you never have to wonder if the mechanic is scamming you on repairs. RepairPal.com lets you punch in your make, model, year zip, and repair and then they’ll tell you the normal range of prices for it are. A graph shows the range of costs, broken down to whether you are going to an independent shop or a dealer. The source data, which the site has never been publicly available before now, goes back to 1990. A good resource for getting general numbers for what you can expect to pay for basic auto repairs.
Ditching Your Gas-Guzzling SUV Could Be More Expensive Than You Think
By 8.3.08
SUVs are worth so little that it could take 15 years for a more fuel efficient vehicle to pay for itself in gas savings. Before rushing to trade-in your gas-guzzler, do the math and make sure it isn’t economical to hold onto your unfashionable behemoth. Here are three questions to consider…
GMAC Insurance: Drive Less, Pay Less
By 7.30.08
People who drive fewer than 15,000 miles per year can save 13-54% on their GMAC insurance premiums under a GMAC Insurance’s new Low-Mileage Discount. All you have to do is opt-in to let OnStar monitor your mileage. The average annual vehicle mileage is about 12,000 miles, according to the Department of Energy’s Annual Energy Review ’06, so it looks like most people with GMAC insurance and OnStar could save under OnStar’s Low-Mileage Discount Program. With the need to save every dollar on your car, this could be a good program for eligible drivers to check out by calling 1-800-GMAC-123 or going to gmacinsurance.com.
The Mini Cooper In A Nutshell
By 7.29.08
I just drove a Minicooper. Here’s my quick n’ dirty review of the experience:
Uhaul CEO Gave Out Cellphone Number On National TV, But Never Picks Up Or Returns Calls
By 7.28.08
In what looked like a daring move, the CEO of Uhaul, Joe Shoen, gave out his “cellphone number” on national TV and invited customers to call him with their complaints. The problem is, when you call, he doesn’t pick up. If you leave a message, it’s not returned. You get to hear Joe’s gruffly charming voicemail message, but can’t leave one of your own. His mailbox is full.
For Chrysler, A "Full Tank Of Fuel" Is An "Additional Feature"
By 7.25.08
Reader inkjammer would like to let you know that Chrysler thinks of a full tank of gas as an “additional feature” — albeit a free one.
How Do You Get Out Of An EBay Auction? Say Killer Bees Attacked The Vehicle
By 7.25.08
Pat won an auction for an RV on eBay last week. He bid a little over $15,000 for a vehicle that was listed for sale by the RV company for $29,999 on other sites. Pat was worried that Nelson’s RV might try to find a loophole to cancel the auction since he’d scored such a great deal, so he immediately sent his required $250 deposit to them and asked for someone at Nelson’s RV to contact him. Eventually, after some run around, he got the following email—with one of the ballsiest excuses we’ve ever seen.
Personal Finance Roundup
By 7.24.08
The smartest advice I ever got [CNN Money] “40 great minds share the best money lessons they ever learned.”
Marcellino Ristorante Won't Let Car Crashes, Storms Interfere With Your Dinner Reservation
By 7.20.08
Marcellino Ristorante owner Sima Verzino wasn’t about to let a three-car pileup or “monsoon storms” stop Gerard Montemurro from keeping his dinner reservation. Sima offered to drive Gerard back to the restaurant, but Gerard demurred. After waiting an hour for AAA, he called back and asked if the offer was still on the table…
Best Buy Tries To Install Remote Starter, Wrecks New Nissan Altima
By 7.19.08
While cramming a remote starter into Andrew’s new Nissan Altima, Best Buy managed to break the car’s locking system, window controls, and a brake light. Andrew hauled the crippled car back to the dealership, which immediately blamed Best Buy for burning out the car’s wiring, and told Andrew that the parasitic system had to go. Best Buy defended their quality workmanship, and refused to issue a refund unless Andrew signed a waiver absolving them of any responsibility for damaging the car.
State Farm: This 1963 Chrysler Newport Is Not An Antique, Unless You Give It A Fresh Coat Of Paint. What?
By 7.13.08
Humphrmi’s 1963 Chrysler Newport has antique license plates, meaning he can’t drive to or from anywhere other than car shows, shops and parades; but State Farm won’t insure the car as an antique unless it gets a new coat of paint. “You have to paint the car,” they said, to avoid a 33% higher premium. Does this strike anyone else as insane?
By 7.11.08
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In Mass. a new law has gone into effect requiring all children under 8 years old or shorter than 4′ 9″ use a booster seat when riding in a car. Picturing our parents trying to make us do this when we were 7 is hilarious. [Boston Herald]
Can Prayer Lower Gas Prices? These People Think So
By 7.8.08
Some people think we don’t have a prayer of gas prices dipping below $3.00 for a good long haul. These parishioners holding hands around a Shell station beg to differ. They’re part of a group called “Pray At The Pump,” organizing prayer-circles at various DC area gas stations, hoping to goad divine intervention into lowering gas prices. I wonder if they carpooled to the rendezvous point.
6 Things You Should Never Say To A Car Salesman
By 7.8.08
There are few things in life that will test your mettle more than a savvy car salesman. He is a master manipulator and has a PhD in messing with your head. Even if you have checked out some confessions of a car salesman and carefully studied the evil “four-square” technique, there are still some things you could say that tell a salesman you are a soft target. CNN Money and Edmunds.com have put together a list of 6 things you should never say to a car salesman. The list, inside…
