Section: Car Buying/Consumer Info.
Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 16th, 2008 2:00 PM
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Manufacturer certified used vehicles have gained a lot of traction in the marketplace over the last few years, with many dealers finding that customers are increasingly comfortable with the quality of vehicle and the attendant warranties. The system has worked out so well in fact that many dealers are choosing to offer independent extended warranties on vehicles that may be uncertifiable by the automakers.
CNW Research has collected data for its May issue that suggests such deals are panning out for dealerships. They found that in 2007, dealer certified vehicles were commanding a premium of $681 over their non-cert counterparts, and sitting on dealer lots an average of 11 days less.
In our current economic climate, car buyers seem to be more and more inclined to take a risk on a pre-owned vehicle, and the small measure of security that certification offers makes the “used” pill even easier to swallow. Would a dealer certified used car be in the running with new products for your next vehicle purchase? Give us a shout, in comments.
+ CNW Research
Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 6th, 2008 9:30 AM
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In a move to make its SUV and other low mpg vehicles instantly more attractive, Chrysler has announced a novel new program to help customers with the rising costs of fuel.
Starting tomorrow Chrysler is offering buyers a gas card that will allow them to purchase fuel at a capped $2.99 per gallon for three years, with a bunch of caveats. The automaker didn’t specify, for instance, which vehicles would be eligible for the promotional rate, or how much gas would be allowed during the three years.
Chrysler did say that the program, which will have the automaker paying the balance of the gas cost over $2.99 a gallon, will cover 87 octane, E-85, and diesel. The fuel cards will only be able to be used at sanctioned stations that are as yet unspecified.
Would the chance at three-years of cheap gas turn your head toward a Chrysler product? Give us your thoughts, in comments.
+ Automotive News: Chrysler offers buyers $2.99 per gallon gasoline (subscription required)
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 2nd, 2008 12:00 PM
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Industry leaders in the Automotive realm, including Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli and AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson (pictured), are speaking out against the increasingly controversial “holiday” for the federal excise tax on gasoline.
The plan, which is supported by presidential hopefuls Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton, would see the 18.4-cents-a-gallon tax halted for the summer driving season in an effort to reduce the increasingly large fuel bills for average Americans.
(Click through the jump to read more.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 22nd, 2008 2:00 PM
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BMW gave show goers a glimpse of its future diesel range for the U.S. when it unveiled the X5 xDrive35d and 335d at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, but didn’t pin down a date for American launch.
That error is being rectified by a new rumor floating around the internets recently, which makes the claim that the Bimmer diesels will be headed our way sometime around mid-October of this year. BMW officials will only cop to a fall launch of the derv-burners, though they wouldn’t go so far as to deny the rumors either.
Whether it’s earlier or later than the October rumor, we think that the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six diesel, good for a solid 425 pound-feet of torque, will be well worth the wait.
+ Autoblog: Rumormill: BMW diesels on sale in the U.S. mid-October
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 18th, 2008 12:00 PM
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As many WINDING ROAD readers are no doubt aware, our publication is lucky enough to have a constantly rotating set of fleet vehicles to help fuel our automotive adventures. And while we already utilize our press cars to bring you items like WR Fleet blogs and Quick Drives, we’ve always wanted to give our readers more of an active role in the process of exploring these daily drivers.
To accomplish this, we’ll be presenting you with one vehicle each week, and then asking for questions about the model. Want to know how many golf bags fit in the trunk of a Honda Accord Coupe, or how the Nav system works on a Hyundai Veracruz? Ask away. We’ll post short videos answering some of the more fascinating queries, and hopefully get to the bottom of what makes these cars good, great, or god awful.
Our first subject; the lovely and talented 2008 BMW M3 Sedan. 414 horsepower, four-doors, and six sweet speeds done the old fashioned way. We thought that the mighty M car would be a perfect way to kick this thing off. So let us know what you want to know, in comments.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 10th, 2008 11:00 AM
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Toyota and General Motors are issuing a joint recall for more than 660,000 vehicles built for the 2003-04 model years. The recall is due to defective side window hardware on roughly 540,000 Toyota Matrixes and Corollas, and some 123,000 Pontiac Vibes.
Dealers will be asked to replace bolts that hold door glass in place for models featuring power windows. Federal officials have been investigating complaints about the windows, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said that some became inoperable, made popping noises, and occasionally shattered.
The NHTSA and the automakers together collected over 500 complaints from owners, including 36 who had reportedly been injured, and one who had reported a crash.
+ Automotive News: Toyota and GM recall 660,000 cars for window defect (subscription required)
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 9th, 2008 11:00 AM
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Retail gasoline prices have pulled back just a bit from record highs yesterday, but an updated government forecast tells of per gallon prices reaching $4 during this year’s summer driving season.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its monthly report on petroleum supplies and demand, which forecasts that monthly average pump prices will peak at about $3.60 per gallon during June. However prices are predicted to spike to as high as $4 a gallon at times. The revised forecast brings the government predictions more in line with the best guesses of many analysts who think that peak monthly averages may themselves hit $4 per gallon.
The EIA is also guessing that the high fuel prices will have a negative effect on consumer demand this summer. The agency is betting that gas consumption will fall by about 0.4 percent during the peak summer months and overall consumption will drop by 90,000 barrels per day for the year. Previous EIA estimates had consumption rising by 40,000 barrels a day.
+ Yahoo Finance: Gas Prices Slip, but Could Hit $4
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 8th, 2008 4:00 PM
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Owners of midsize utility vehicles like the Honda Pilot, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, and Ford Explorer chose to move into smaller vehicles at a greater rate in the first quarter of 2008 than in the same period last year.
According to J.D. Power and Associates only 16.2 percent of midsize utility owners purchased another vehicle in that segment during Q1 of this year, that’s down 6.5 points from 2007. The largest percentage of consumers moved into a compact crossover vehicle like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, or Toyota RAV4, with the small CUVs getting 13.2 percent of trades in the first quarter. Conventional midsize sedans represented the third greatest target of former utility owners, with a substantial 12.8 percent of buyers defecting to the segment.
(Click through the jump to see the full breakdown of Midsize Utility Destinations or on the thumbnails to check out an upcoming small CUV, the 2009 Ford Kuga)
+ J.D. Power
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 27th, 2008 9:00 AM
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Though the conclusion is one that could perhaps have been guessed at using first-hand data collected at one’s local gas station, J.D. Power has released a compilation of statistics that tell us Americans are choosing more four-cylinder engines.
The smaller displacement and more fuel efficient engines are powering an ever larger percentage of cars on the road these days, and could be the number one customer choice in short order. Four-cylinder motors accounted for more than one-third of the cars sold in the first quarter of 2008, for a total of 37.9 percent of sales. That’s up 6.8 percent from 2003.
(Click through the jump to read on, including the full J.D. Power breakdown of engine choices.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 25th, 2008 4:00 PM
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Automotive industry indexer J.D. Power has published some sales figures for Scion that back up recent news that Toyota’s youth brand may be loosing a bit of traction.
Scion has added numbers to the Toyota sales behemoth for the last five years, but recently those sales have started to flag. The sub-brand saw sales grow from 10,898 units in 2003, to as high as 173,034 in 2006. But last year deliveries of Scion products fell to one-fourth to 130,181 units.
(Click through the jump to read more or check out Scion’s newest stab at renewal, the Hako concept.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 17th, 2008 2:00 PM
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Automaker Daimler is reportedly going to take a long and hard look at the case for shutting down ultra-premium marque Maybach. Daimler is said to be targeting a two-year plan to decide whether or not it’s worthwhile to invest more into the struggling Maybach, or if it’s time to call the game.
Daimler and Mercedes head Dr. Dieter Zetsche inherited the Maybach experiment from his predecessor Juergen Schrempp, which would seem to make it an easier for him to pull the plug. Though if the good doctor is looking for reasons, he need check no further than the brand’s poor sales figures; Maybach has only reached about ten percent of its original sales forecast.
Zetsche has said publicly that Maybach’s sales figures aren’t that important, and that the brand exists to show what the company is capable of at the highest level against rivals like BMW. But Zetsche has also confirmed that there are currently no plans in the works for more Maybach models. Let the two-year countdown begin.
(Click on the thumbnails below to take a look at Maybach’s Landaulete from the Detroit Auto Show.)
+ Autoblog: Daimler considers shutting down Maybach
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Phil Floraday
March 14th, 2008 9:00 AM
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The Lexus GS460 tells you exactly what sort of car it is the moment you slip it into gear and accelerate down the ramp to merge with the evening rush-hour traffic. It is a swift, luxurious car that genuinely seems to enjoy being driven hard. It attracts admiring glances wherever it’s driven, and will make you grin like a fool on a challenging country road.
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Early Scoop on Volkswagen Tiguan's U.S. Launch, Diesel Delayed? Not Coming? 
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