Depreciation Can Be Dilemma

Don’t let anybody kid you–buying a new car is not a “good investment.” A good investment is something that should appreciate in value or in some other way earn you money. Well, one thing is sure, the new car you buy today is not going to gain in value over the course of time, so you are much better off looking at a new vehicle as an expense. And good business sense suggests that you should do everything you can to minimize your auto expense. But, of course, most people don’t even come close to doing that. They have been brainwashed to believe that a brand-new car is an important symbol of their status and success and, further, that they need to acquire one of these totems every two or three years or so. That’s great for car manufacturers, not so great for your personal financial well-being. Read more . . .

The Quality Surprise

It wasn’t too long ago that Korean-built vehicles were thought of as shoddy imitations of the Japanese. After a series of big quality glitches in the early Nineties, Hyundai sales took a steeper plunge than a Magic Mountain roller coaster, and Kias were the butt of Jay Leno’s jokes on The Tonight Show. But this year’s Initial Quality Study from California-based research firm J.D. Power and Associates indicates the worm is turning. In this study, those once-derided Korean cars out-paced Domestic U.S. brands and, even more surprisingly, the aggregate of European brands. And while the term “paradigm-shift” is perhaps the most-over-used term in the car industry, this turning of the quality tables is a landmark moment. Read more . . .

Cloned Cars

According to the FBI, a motor vehicle is stolen every 25 seconds in the USA, and fewer than 50 percent of those stolen cars are ever recovered. Where do they all go? Is there a big closet filled with stolen cars somewhere? Or do they go to that secret part of the clothes dryer that also hides individual socks? No, many of them end up back on the street, but under an assumed Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Read more . . .

Demand For SUVs Falls

Mazda SUVs lined up

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Consumer demand for sport utility vehicles is weakening, according to recent transaction data from the Power Information Network (PIN). The data show that the number of days SUVs sit on dealer lots before selling has increased substantially over 2003. SUV prices have also declined while average new-vehicle prices have increased. To counter the downward trend manufacturers have increased incentives more on SUVs than they did on any other type of new vehicle from June to July. Read more . . .

Are Certified Used Cars For You?

If you have been considering buying a used car with auto manufacturer certification, you’re not alone.   The programs have grown in prominence, and they have been the subject of both a study and an awards program by IntelliChoice, an auto cost-analysis research firm.

Inside the car's hood

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So who offers the best program? For the fourth year in a row, Jaguar was selected as the best Luxury program and Volkswagen received its first recognition as best Non-Luxury program. The winners are featured in the fall issue of IntelliChoice Magazine can be found online at IntelliChoice.com. Read more . . .