Archive for March, 2009

NADA (National Automobile Dealer’s Association) is obviously an association for those in the automotive retail business, the website (www.nada.com) also has a consumer division, to assist those buying a new or used vehicle. Every month, NADA processes over half a million pieces of data to insure that the prices it publishes are the most accurate. [...]

Prior to the easy availability of the internet, used car buyers had to rely on Consumer Reports Magazine in order to find out the best and the worst of what was available. While a lot of information is now quickly accessible online, those seriously considering a used car purchase should buy this month’s (April 2009) [...]

Some interesting stats from this weekend’s New York Times article about the fact that American car owners are holding on to their cars more during this economic recession. The median age of cars on the road hit a record 9.4 years in 2008, up from 9.2 in 2006 and 2007 The percentage of cars taken [...]

What were you doing last summer when gas prices skyrocketed over four bucks a gallon? Did you walk more? Take the bus? Carpool? Did you ditch that big Hummer or Suburban in favor of a smaller, more fuel efficient car? Did you take it one step further and buy a hybrid like the Toyota Prius [...]

It’s no longer a status factor to have newer and shinier, but to make do with what one has. Parts and service departments across the country are reporting good numbers as people chose to fix their current vehicles rather than trade out and into something new. Taking this into consideration, there’s no better time to [...]

The internet has completely changed the way we buy cars. Twenty years ago, if a person wanted to research new and used cars, he had to schlepp down to the library and pore over back issues of Consumer Digest magazine. There was no leisurely cup of coffee while perched behind a computer for guy that [...]

NEW CAR TECHNOLOGY: Some drivers want a new car every three years, so that they have all the latest technology, while other drivers buy a new car and then keep it until it falls apart. With a lease, the vehicle is always under three years old. With a purchase, the vehicle is eventually owned, but [...]

By Ali Koomen, who spent over a dozen years in the car dealership busines, provides her expert insights “I know what you paid for that vehicle. . . ” or “Why don’t you dip into your holdbacks?” There’s no other business where a buyer feels it is his right to know what the seller paid [...]

By Ali Koomen, who spent over a dozen years in the car dealership busines, provides her expert insights So what is good credit? Most lenders consider a Fair Isaac Score of 700 or better as good, but some of the too-good-to-be-true finance offers (no payments for 6 months, 2.9% financing, etc) require scores of even [...]