After they found a better deal at Brent Brown Toyota, they called the Karl Malone dealership and said they decided not to buy the car.
cars
Email Addresses For Alamo Executives
By 3.20.08
President (Alamo), Greg R. Stubblefield: stubblefieldg@vanguardcar.com
Consumer Reports Calls You A "Pushover" For Buying The Extended Warranty Sales Pitch
By 3.17.08
Not surprisingly, the car dealers who sell the extended warranties disagree. A spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association likened the warranties to insurance for which, of course, policy holders as a group pay more than they get back to protect against the rare problem that is ruinously expensive.
Honda Ignores Civic SI Owners' Complaints About Faulty Transmissions
By 3.14.08
A bunch of Honda owners are mad because they think Honda should issue a recall on their cars due to their transmission, things like randomly deciding to pop out of third gear into neutral and not fully engaging. When these owners confront Honda, the car company kept saying “we’ve never heard of the problem before,” despite numerous complaints being sent in, and dealers say they “can’t replicate” the problem. There’s a writeup of the whole problem at AutomotiveTech.org, a list of message board forum members with the problem, and now, Fox 6 San Diego picked up on it after angry owners organized a protest at a local dealership. Suddenly, Honda’s tune has changed, and they’re “aware of the problem” and “investigating.” Video after the jump.
All The Dashboard Lights Flash Whenever I Drive My Dodge Charger In The Rain
By 3.13.08
Whenever Brian drives his Dodge Charger in the rain, all of the dash lights flash and has trouble restarting his car. He’s taken the car to the dealership multiple times, but they say they’re never able to recreate the problem. Above are two screencaps of the video he took last time this occurred. He’s now taken to writing a letter to Chrysler CEO Big Bob Nardelli, which is most likely a futile effort. You might instead email Cerberus, the company that now owns Chrysler’s ass. Maybe the dealership will find it’s able to recreate the flashing signals if Brian rides along the next time they test the car. Maybe call the Car Talk radio show. Inside, a video of this bizzare phenom in action, and his letter to the CEO.
Uhaul Dealer's Tips For Happier Renting
By 3.10.08
What about all those tales about broken and poorly maintained trucks? His thoughts, inside…
If You Buy A Car (Okay, Truck) In Texas, Make Sure You Don't Pay The Inventory Tax
By 3.8.08
Texas levies an inventory tax of .02% on the retail value of all products in a company’s inventory each year, but lots of car dealerships try to sneak the fee over to the consumer. Even worse, they do it year-round.
Extended Car Warranties Are A Ripoff
By 3.4.08
Most consumers spend more on extended warranties than they get back in repair savings, according to a Consumer Reports reader survey. On average, buyers paid $1000 and got $700 back in the amount of money they saved in repair costs.”Extended warranties sell costly ‘peace of mind’ for repair nightmares that probably won’t occur,” said Rik Paul, automotive editor, Consumer Reports. “Sellers know what tends to break, and in most cases consumers are betting against the house.” The only one with a peace of mind is the dealer as he tallies up his profits. Consumer Reports instead recommends putting the money you would have spent on an extended warranty into a money market or mutual fund to insure against the unlikely event of big repair costs from parts failure.
Uhaul To Start Charging $1-$5 "Environmental Fee"
By 3.3.08
Uhaul is going to start charging customers a $1-$5 fee to defray the cost of throwing away the various nasty junks associated with its rental business, according to an anonymous store manager. It will be called an “Environmental Fee.” Ok, whatever, but we like the rebuttal supplied in the Q & A for Uhaul managers in case a customer complaints: “Do you want clean air and water thirty or fifty years from now? If so, pitch in.” Nice, avoid raising upfront prices and get customers to cover your operating expenses through the power of guilt. Full text of the announcement, inside…
Budget's Free Frequent Flyer Miles Promos Will Cost You
By 3.3.08
Michael writes, ” I was just reserving a budget rental car, and for some reason decided to actually read some of the fine print.” Buried in the text was something called an “FTP Surcharge,” which basically amounts to a participation fee for any frequent flyer promotion they offer their customers.
Nissan Dealership Won't Refund Deposit
By 3.3.08
Jay writes in with a question: how do you get back your deposit from a car dealership when a deal goes sour? The salesman jacked up the price after an initial negotiation, and now won’t refund the deposit: “He said we’d be surprised at what he can make up to keep the deposit.”
Man Blames Wife-Beating On High Gas Prices
By 3.3.08
Economically tight times can increase the pressure on an already tense personal relationship, as in this absolutely despicable case of domestic abuse: WJXT reports that a 77-year-old man beat up his 74-year-old wife, “because he was upset about the high cost of gas for driving her to and from dialysis treatments.” Signs of the times on the road to hell.
Consumer Reports Top Auto Picks 2008
By 2.29.08
Here are the cars Consumer Reports says are standouts in 2008 for “performance, versatility, reliability, and safety.”
Uhaul CEO's Cellphone Number
By 2.28.08
The CEO of Uhaul gave out his cellphone number last night on an episode of Inside Edition, inviting consumers to call with complaints or questions. Joe Shoen explained saying, “People can’t get this organization to behave, I can.” That number is 602-390-6525.
Top 10 Least Fuel Efficient Luxury Cars
By 2.27.08
Luxury, excess, extravagance, low mpg, they all fit together like your hand on a golden stick shift embossed with your family crest. ForbesAutos rounds up the top ten least fuel efficient luxury cars. There are more than 10 as some cars tied for the same lack of fuel efficiency.
America's Test Kitchen Picks The Best Commuter Mugs
By 2.25.08
While watching TV yesterday and moaning about how lazy we are, we saw a review of commuter mugs (free registration required) on “America’s Test Kitchen”: “We ordered 11 mugs of different materials, shapes, and sipping structures and organized a battery of tests designed to define the ideal mug, which left us feeling a little like test drivers as we careened around corners trying to spill the coffee or dislodge the mugs.” (Yes, they like the royal “we” too!) See their testing criteria, as well as their top two picks, bottom rung losers, and oddball favorite after the jump.
Two Georgia Gas Stations Closed For Shorting Customers
By 2.19.08
Georgia state inspectors closed two large Cisco gas stations just across the state line from Florida last week in what the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture described as “one of the worst cases of shorting gas customers he’s seen since he took office back in 1969.” (Why Ag? Why not?) An inspector found that a five gallon test pump turned up over a quart short at the Cisco Travel Plaza off Interstate 95’s Exit 6, and a similar test revealed a suspiciously similar shortage at another Cisco Travel Plaza off Exit 1.
By 2.18.08
../../../..//2008/02/18/if-youve-just-realized-that/
If you’ve just realized that someone has stolen your catalytic converter, here’s why they did it. [Wired]
