The Detroit 3 are fighting for the rights as #1, and detnews.com reports on the battle.  The new 2011 Ford Mustang and 2011 Chevrolet Camaro are so similar you would think they are related.  If you ask Mustang or Camaro diehards, they would say they are nothing alike I’m sure. But for the rest of us that may be ignorant, Consumer Reports is helping us to choose the best. Is is the Mustang or the Camaro??  Well according to Consumer Reports, the better choice is the Mustang V6 over the Camaro V6.  The Mustang earned a “Very Good” rating, whereas the Camaro earned a “Good” rating and is not recommended by the Consumer Reports magazine because there isn’t enough reliable information available about this new car.

According to the magazine, the Mustang was better at just about every level; such as quicker and more fuel efficient.  The Mustang got 24 mpg in combined city and highway. The Camaro averages about 21 mpg.  The Mustang has a new 305 horsepower 3.7-liter V6 engine and the Camaro has a direct-injection, 3.6-liter V6 engine with 312 horsepower.  The two cars were both rated high in just about everything but the Mustang is 300 lbs lighter than the Camaro, which seems to be a big deal.

Here’s the interesting part. Consumer Reports has long been considered the industry standard and leader in recommendation for vehicles.  So with that said you would think that Mustang would be the leader in sales. Well, it is not.  Through August, Chevrolet has sold more than 60,000 Camaros, sales up 93% for the year, according to Autodata Corp., and Ford has sold 53,000 Mustangs through August.  Hmmmm. I wonder if the sales will change now that Consumer Reports chose the Ford Mustang as #1.

If you have purchased a new vehicle lately, you have seen the fuel economy labels that are now required on all new vehicles.  Well the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation have made significant changes to these labels to better compare all vehicles such as electrics and hybrids.  Currently, they give a letter grade to each vehicle and they post a large letter grade on the labels that are definitely the first thing you see.  When I read about these labels, most people feel like the letter grades are not a good judge of the fuel economy and emissions.  The vehicles will all be getting more efficient in turn making it harder to give letter grades.  There will be lots of A’s, whereas most feel that miles per gallon numbers on the fuel economy labels are a much better judge of the vehicles.  You can see exactly what you are getting from your vehicle in both fuel economy and what emissions the car gives off.

Another little hiccup with these labels are that electric vehicles do not get penalized for carbon dioxide emitted during the creation of the electricity they use.  The labels say zero emissions, but that’s not 100% true. That’s nit picking if you ask me though.  Well, here’s the fun part (if you can call this that!)  There are 2 proposals for new fuel economy labels, and the EPA wants to hear what you have to say about them.  Go to www.epa.gov/fueleconomy in the next 60 days before they finalize the design and give your feedback. See people do care about our opinions….sometimes!

I found an article by SmartMoney that gives 5 things that car dealers don’t share with us when we are buying a vehicle.  After you read these things, you might wish that you didn’t ever deal with another car dealer again.

1. The cars on the lots cost a lot less than we think for the dealers.  We should be able to get better deals on cars. Do your research and find out what the dealers paid for the vehicles from the manufacturers.

2.  The lenders are not as hard to finance with as the dealers make it seem.  They try to make it seem like the lenders are always to blame, but really it’s just a tactic to not give you that price.

3.  You can probably get a car cheaper on eBay.  According to Edmunds.com, you can save about $1794 on a vehicle buying them on the internet.

4.  The old bait-and-switch is alive and well. You say you want a certain car and then the dealer convincing you that you can afford a more expensive model.

5.  When the dealer says that they will give you a great price, really they will just lowball your trade-in. You need to know what your car is worth before you go to the dealer. Go to Kelley Blue Book or another website and make sure you know the best and worst case scenerios for the price of your trade-in or you will probably lose out.

The moral of this story is that you absolutely have to do quite and bit of research to ensure that you know what to expect when you get to the dealer.

The auto sales in the U.S. was awful for August. Actually as a whole the auto industry sold 997,000 vehicles in August, down about 5% from July. This is the worst August sales figures since 1983 when the U.S. was at the end of a double dip recession.  Auto sales in August are typically one of the top months of the year.  The next year models are coming out in September, and people try to get all the deals they can in August.  Clearly, these numbers show that we still have economic troubles in this country and the automakers are really hurting. Some more than others…..Honda’s sales were down 33% from last August and 3% from July.  GM fell 7% from July and 25% from last August.  If you remember, last August we had the Cash for Clunkers government program which helped to sell about 700,000 new vehicles.

Another reason why the sales of autos are down is because the incentives are down.  Automakers are not willing to take a hit on the sale in order to move the vehicles off the lot.  They are buying less vehicles for their dealerships and then therefore only offering on average $2681 which is down 3% from July.  According to Edmunds.com, in July dealers offered about $1000 less in incentives than last July.

Things are really not good these days if you are in the auto industry. You would think that we should be able to get vehicles dirt cheap since the sales are down, but clearly that is not the case.  So my advice, unless you are a high roller who isn’t affected by the economy, try to ride out your vehicles until things get better if you can.  I don’t think we can get the deals we have in the past. May be worth waiting until those deals come back, which I’m sure they will….eventually.

It’s becoming more and more common for automakers to offer maintenance plans when purchasing a new vehicle.  The automakers are trying to entice their customers into having some brand loyalty and getting customers used to using their service departments. 

The maintenance plans vary from automaker to automaker. Some saving customers lots of money, while others not so much. You pay a little more up front for your vehicle with these maintenance plans, but for some such as BMW, you can save about $2738, according to Edmunds.com.  Edmunds also says that for a Land Rover you will only save about $95.  You need to read the fine print for sure.  In April, Jaguar announced that they will provide complimentary scheduled maintenance for 5 years or 50,000 miles starting on 2011 models.  Cadillac announced the same thing in June offering 4 year or 50,000 miles starting on 2011 models.  Some automakers like Lincoln put stipulations on the plans. You can get a 3 year or 45,000 mile scheduled maintenance plan for all new Lincolns bought or leased through September 7. 

What’s even better is that some auto maintenance plans include oil changes but also brake pads and wiper blades. Most plans include at least 1 free oil change if not all of them for several years.  The better plans with brake pads and wiper blades could really save you some money.  BMW, Jaguar, Mini, and Volvo include the wear-and-tear items like pads and blades.   

I’m sure that in the future more and more automakers will be offering some sort of free maintenance plans.  You just need to read the fine print.

-www.dieselstation.com

The 2011 Mazda2 is the entry level of all Mazdas.  Mazda wanted to get into the action and competing against the Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, and Honda Fit.  These three had succeeding in the past few years as a small, fuel efficient vehicle.  Mazda is hoping to take some of its competition’s customers and run with the new Mazda2. 

It isn’t the cheapest starting at $13,980. The Yaris starts at $12,605. It doesn’t have the best gas mileage at 29 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.  The Fiesta gets 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.  The Mazda2 is a nice five-door, five-seater that is the most fuel efficient vehicle the Japanese have ever made. 

The Mazda2 has a 1.5-liter, 4 cylinder engine that according to the reviews has some pep in its step and gives you quite a ride for the small car.  It has front-wheel drive and a five-speed manual transmission.  It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles in technology, but it does have steering wheel controls for the stereo and cruise control.  You can fold down the backseats to allow for more storage.  

The Mazda2 seems to overall be a nice vehicle that will be able to compete with its’ competitors.  More and more people are interested in these small vehicles, so there is no reason to think that the Mazda2 won’t be able to have success like the others.  According to the reviews, it may be worth looking at when it becomes available.

I know. It sounds ridiculous, right?  I have to say I wish I was lying but I’m not. There is such things out there that are curly eyelashes for your headlamps.  The company that makes this wonderful invention is Carlashes.  You really need to just take 2 minutes and check out the videos on their websites. They are hilarious!

So, for just $24.95 you can get a nice pair of eyelashes to fancy up your car.  If that’s not enough for you, for an additional $19.95 you can get “Crystal Eyeliner” you spruce up your vehicle. Have you seen these eyelashes on the road yet?  I personally haven’t, but would love to.  I will probably try not to stare, but I can’t imagine I won’t stare.  The pictures look really dumb. I can’t imagine who wants these eyelashes for their car, but you know as well as I do that there are people that do, and who knows maybe it’s even you.  Sorry to offend those that are planning to buy the eyelashes and eyeliner for their car.

An article by U.S. News and World Report gives 5 2010 models that you might want to wait before you buy, because the 2011 models of the vehicles are probably better.  These 2011 models are going to have major changes and for the better, so if you were to buy the 2010 model, you might be kicking yourself for doing it when the newer models come out. Check out why the article suggests these 5 2010 models should be passed by.

1.  2010 Ford Mustang - the 2011 Mustang will have an additional 95 horsepower and 40 pound-feet of torque in the V6 engine and 87 horsepower and 65 pound-feet of torque in the GT, and the GT will have a 5.0-liter V8 engine.   The gas mileage will be the best in its class as well.

2.  2010 Hyundai Sonata - the 2011 Hyundai Sonata will have a different look, more like a coupe and it will have the best fuel economy in its class.  Lots of technology in the interior as well.

3.  2010 Infiniti M - the 2011 Infiniti M will have lots of technological advances like a Blind Spot Intervention system and a larger navigation screen.  It will have more horsepower and a four-wheel steering system.

4.  2010 Honda Odyssey - the 2011 Odyssey is completely redesigned with a more modern-looking design.  It will have gas mileage of 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway, which tops the Toyota Sienna’s gas mileage of 18/24 mpg.  There will be more legroom and still availability for 8 passengers.

5.  2010 Ford Explorer - the 2011 Explorer will ride on a car-based platform instead of the truck-based platform of 2010.   The 2011 will have a completely different look.  You will have a choice of engine between more power and better fuel economy.

There may be other models out there with 2011 models coming out better, but for sure you might want to wait on the vehicles that I mentioned.  I hate buying a car only to have the next model be that much better.  Though on the flip side, you might be able to get really good deals on the 2010 models.  If you can live without, go after the 2010 ones!!!

How many of you have felt bad for Toyota in the past year with their recalls and pedal problems?  Maybe a few of us, but now Toyota’s problems have worsened…if that’s possible.  The latest recall are 1.33 million 2005-2008 Corolla sedans or Matrix hatchbacks.  Their engines may stall, just a minor detail.  Another quality issue for Toyota.  Up to date, Toyota has recalled more than 10 million vehicles for problems, whether it be floor mats, faulty pedals, problems with the Prius hybrid, or this latest problem with the engine.

Not good for Toyota.  It’s really a shame because they have always been known for their quality vehicles, and truthfully I know so many people that really like Toyotas.  Several people I know are completely unphased by these 10 million recalls and still love Toyota and are looking to buy them.  Overall though, I think that people are hesitant and it’s becoming more and more each time a new recall comes out….with good reason.  Get it together Toyota! People want to stick with you, but you aren’t making that very easy!!

So, I’ll go out on a limb and say that all of us have at some time or another been stuck in a traffic jam for probably an hour or maybe 2 at the most.  How about getting stuck in a traffic jam for 10 days????!!! Yes, I said 10 days!!!  That’s what just happened in China (if you missed the news on it.)  There was a major traffic jam heading into Beijing on the main route.

There was a slight economic boost for some though that sold food, water, etc. to those stuck in the traffic jam at inflated prices of course!  It sounds funny, but I’m sure I would not be laughing if I was in the traffic jam itself.  The reason for the problem was that there was construction in the area, the communication of traffic is not terrific, there are too many cars on the roads, and there are few alternate routes to take.  Add all of those factors together, and I guess you get a 10 day long traffic jam!  The worst part is that according to those people that study traffic, this can and probably will happen again….and it could be soon.  There are about 1900 vehicles added to Beijing’s streets each day and that sure doesn’t help matters. The Chinese roads were not built for all these vehicles and then add construction and also peak travel season….bad news.

The moral of my story is that if you travel to Beijing, be careful on the roads and if you see any slowdowns, you might as well turn around at that point, go back to your hotel, and rest awhile. It will be better than sitting in traffic for 10 days!!