While you want any car you're interested in potentially owning to run great and have all the features you desire, it's also important to consider fuel economy when comparing vehicles. A car's MPG or miles per gallon can give you an accurate idea of how much you'll spend keeping your car in working order each month. And this can weigh heavily on what car you actually decide to purchase.
Continue Reading »For a young car the Chevrolet Volt has suffered a lifetime of public relations grief. Hyped from its start as concept car in 2007 Volt was hailed as the next great automotive idea. As a niche car it could not have hoped to live up to 3 years of mounting anticipation. Leading up to Volt’s production launch it was hit with semantic arguments over whether it was a plug-in hybrid or a true electric and over defining mileage claims. After it hit the street in late 2010 it became embroiled in partisan political shoving match over the federal energy policy. If that isn’t enough scrutiny from a safety glitch revealed in crash test required a design revision. Through all the clutter it is nearly impossible to get an unbiased evaluation of the Volt. Looking at the recent rise in fuel prices it may be time to take a second look at what Chevy Volt really brings to the table.
Continue Reading »When searching for a good used car in Boston you need to be cautious. While lemon laws protect new car buyers, they don’t always protect used car buyers. So you’ve saved your hard earned cash and you see this cute little car for sale with the perfect glimmer and shine. You need to be aware that many used cars may be sold fraudulently and therefore may have never been checked for safety. Shifty used car dealers in Boston will go to any limits to sell you that shiny car. That Boston dealer with a smile on his face the size of the jokers may try and sell you a vehicle and fail to disclose the cars history, tamper with odometer, or worse yet-he may not have a legal car title. One you drive off that car lot, there may be no turning back. If your car decides to break down one week after you’ve purchased it, you are still obligated to make those car payments even if your broken car is parked in the garage.
Continue Reading »With the sale of hybrid vehicles on the rise and seemingly one on every block it may be a good time to remember that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Several fuel saving strategies are worth pondering. Let’s face it hybrid technology is not a one size fits all solution. The additional upfront cost for hybrids is typically $3500 to $6000 more than comparable gas only models. It may take longer to pay off the car than it would to realize the benefit of those fuel economy gains. For some knowing that they reduced fuel usage may be just the carrot they need to make the hybrid commitment. For others there are several viable alternatives that better balance their green conscience with their own wallets. With more stringent fuel economy and emissions regulation on the horizon manufacturers are employing a multipronged approach to bumping up fuel economy. That means more fuel efficient options than ever. So don’t limit your choice to just hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
Continue Reading »When looking for a vehicle there never seems to be much deliberation about four-wheel or all-wheel drive systems. Either buyer’s expect them or they don’t. Often times a singular experience drives their decision to four-wheel-drive (4WD) or not to four-wheel drive. People who feel they need 4WD may have in the front of their minds a positive or negative experience that dictates their choice. Maybe they had a personal struggle in a snowstorm that left them physiologically scarred. Perhaps they were riding shotgun in a friend’s 4x4 pickup that confidently blew through a foot of white powder past a bunch of front wheel drive sedans that could barely drive ten feet without spinning out. With so much emotion from an experience like this it may be helpful to have some logic to balance it out.
Continue Reading »No matter where you live you can always find buy here pay here car lots, even if you live in Philadelphia. The recession has affected many people who once had good credit scores. Today many people have taken a bite with financial loss, and that also affected their credit scores. Folks lost their entire life savings trying to hold onto their dreams. During the process of trying to live in a crumbling economy many people unfortunately lost cars to the repo man. Left with no transportation, that meant taking the bus or purchasing a new used car if you had any money to do so. If you lived in a rural area that meant there was no public transportation and a car was a necessity. For folks living in Philadelphia it meant trying to find the best bang for their buck when looking for a used car. The question was: where to begin?
Continue Reading »The problem with Minivans is that they are long on practicality and short on personality. For many their automobile is more than just a point-A-to-point-B solution. They see their vehicle as an extension of themselves. While they may be perfect little people hauling, car seat accommodating, gear-toting vehicles people just cannot get over the suburban soccer mom persona. But once the ultrasound technician informs you, “there are twins in that belly,” the jellybean shaped die is cast and the alternatives seem to come down to Caravan, Sienna or Odyssey. Before you pull the trigger on your commitment to sliding doors you may want to consider some alternatives just to be sure.
Continue Reading »When you're in the market for a used car, it can be tempting to rush out right away and purchase the first vehicle you come across. Of course, this would be a mistake. If you want to get a car that'll actually last you a bit, it's vital that you heed some key warning signs that may indicate your potential new ride is a dud.
Continue Reading »We all know about the rumors going around-this is the year the worlds going to cease to exist. According to scholarly experts across the globe, the earth as we know it will no longer exist and the world’s population will instantly disappear. If you choose to believe this, that’s your right. You could choose to believe your life will end in less than one year or you could celebrate the insanity of it all with a new car. Even if you are buying into this popular belief, why not treat yourself to a new car? What have you got to lose? Even if you can’t afford the car payment, that’s okay because according to experts you won’t be here to make the rest of those payments anyway. Okay, all kidding aside-you don’t need to fall into the “Doomsday” trap, so why not treat yourself to a car this year?
Continue Reading »When you’re buying a used car, what you see is not always what you get. The vehicle may look beautiful and clean, and it might purr nicely during a short test drive. How do you know the power steering pump isn’t about to break? What assurance do you have that the transmission has only a few hundred miles left in it?
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