Recent graduates shopping for a new car may be eligible for incentives offered by several automakers. The incentives are rarely advertised, unknown even to most dealers.
cars
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.”
Credit Card Companies Limit Gas Station Purchases
By 6.16.07
Thanks to gas prices reaching $4 per gallon and credit card limits on the dollar amount that can be spent at gas stations, some consumers now need more than one credit card just to fill up their tank.
“When I go to the gas station, I now have to use two credit cards just for one tank of gasoline,” said Paul Brisgone of Oxford, Pa. “Kind of defeats the convenience of pay-at-the-pump.” Brisgone, a field operations manager for a telecommunications company, said that he alternates among three credit cards when filling up the 32-gallon tank in his Ford F-150 pickup.
If you see a Hummer owner futzing with several credit cards at the pump, it’s because they are hitting the $75 limit set by MasterCard, or the lower $50 limit used by Visa and Discover. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
$4 Gas? So What? Sales of SUVs Up 25%
By 6.15.07
According to Bankrate sales of SUVs are up 25% from this time last year. Wait, weren’t we all buying Priuses because we can’t afford $4 gas? Nope.
Crash Test Your Car!
By 6.8.07
Ever wanted to see what your car would look like if a dummy drove it into a wall (a dummy other than the cousin who borrowed your car for a joyride)? Admit it, you think about it when you get a lousy trade-in price. Thankfully, there’s the Consumer Reports Crash Test videos, where you can see how your car will hold up against things like short concrete walls and other typical objects found along a highway.
Should Automakers Be Required To Install Stability Control Systems?
By 6.4.07
A California lawsuit is accusing GM of negligence for not including a stability control system as a standard feature on the Chevrolet Suburban. The lawsuit stems from a 2002 rollover involving a Suburban that killed a woman and her stepdaughter. GM paid the stepdaughter’s family almost half a million dollars to settle out of court.
“The safety benefits of stability control have been known to auto manufacturers since the mid 1990s,” Avila said. “But they delayed implementing because they felt that safety was not marketable, so instead of installing on the SUVs that needed it most because of their rollover problem, they put it on luxury SUVs and cars as a performance item.”
The federal government will require the inclusion of stability control systems by 2012, but GM will offer the systems on all models by 2010. Should automakers be required to install stability control systems? Tell us in the comments. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
AAA: The Number One Waste Of Gas Is…
By 6.3.07
Running the air conditioner on full blast, keeping the trunk full, and idling excessively are all great ways to waste gas; but, the number one waste of gas may surprise you:
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that the average driver can improve mileage by 3.3 percent simply by inflating their vehicle’s tires regularly. In fact, according to the AAA, under-inflated tires are the No. 1 way we waste gas. One out of every four cars and one out of every three pickups, vans, and SUVs have at least one extremely low tire.
Next time you pull into a gas station, whip out the old tire gauge and see if your tires need some air. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Like A Good Neighbor, State Farm Wants To Steal Your Money And Send You To Jail
By 6.2.07
Greg writes:
Why Is Gas So Freakin' Expensive?
By 5.29.07
Did you know that gas price gouging almost never occurs as prices rise? Rather, it’s most often when dealers keep prices artificially high even as their costs fall.
Hotels.com Succeeds Where Priceline Fails
By 5.27.07
Jim traveled to Miami to pick up a car he was importing from abroad. He booked stays at several hotels through Priceline and Hotels.com for the drive home, but when customs wouldn’t clear his car on schedule, Jim needed to change his plans. Priceline didn’t help, but Hotels.com did.
Ginger from customer care took my call. I explained my situation and let her know that I was aware that these cancellations were last minute, but asked if there was any way to cancel or get a voucher or possibly reschedule. Right away she told me that booking for the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel had a no cancellation policy, but offered to see what she could do. *Bonus* Before putting me on hold she let me know that it may take a long time, but reassured me that if I hung on she would be back. She was back about 5 minutes and told me that she was able to cancel the Sheraton and give me a full refund. She put me on hold again to look into the booking for today. A few minutes later she came back to let me know that she was able to cancel and refund that booking as well.
Jim’s full story, after the jump…
Insurers Cut Out The Middleman, Open Own Repair Shops
By 5.27.07
Insurance companies are opening their own in-house repair shops to avoid haggling with your local mechanic. Local mechanics consistently complain that insurance companies are cheapskates that would rather save a buck than authorize the repairs needed to safely return a car to the road. By opening their own shops, insurers have found the corporate equivalent of sticking your finger in your ear while mouthing “I can’t hear you!”
Rather than putting the onus on customers to find a body shop, get an estimate and arrange a rental car, Progressive, Geico and others are setting up one-stop service centers to handle every aspect of the claim.
Progressive and Geico guarantee their repairs for life, though it’s difficult to trust someone who has a direct interest in keeping the repair bill low. Two customers interviewed by the Times found obvious defects in the insurance companies’ workmanship. Still, the customers left happy, not because their cars worked, but because they were treated well by smiling insurance company representatives. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Cellphones Are Kryptonite To Nissan's I-Key
By 5.26.07
Our pocket holds two things: our keys and our cellphone, so it’s a good thing we don’t own a 2007 Nissan Altima or Infinity G35. The intelligent I-Key used to start those models can be turned into a paperweight if placed within an inch of an active cellphone.
Dollar/Thrifty's Unwritten Rule For Mechanics To "Find" Problems Covered By Warranty And Bill The Manufacturer
By 5.24.07
An unverified reader report has an interesting claim that should grab the attention of every auto-maker. Dudes, Dollar/Thrifty Group car rental is totally ripping you off.
Get A C.L.U.E. Report
By 5.23.07
Whoever thought a car crash could affect your house? Even if you weren’t even involved in the car crash?
10 Confessions Of A Progressive Insurance Rep
By 5.22.07
A former Progressive car insurance customer service rep has stepped forward into the light to give us the low-down on how his ex-employer works: [More]
Want To Drive In The HOV Lane Without Passengers? The EPA Has A Rule For You
By 5.20.07
The EPA has proposed a rule that would allow drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles to use the high occupancy vehicle lanes without bringing along those pesky carpoolers. Most states require at least two occupants for a vehicle to travel in the HOV lane.
