Have you ever seen the television commercials with Brooke Shields when she blames the couples for getting pregnant in order to buy a minivan?  I think the commercials are pretty stupid in my opinion, but the ads are for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan.  Then I was reading some car reviews, and I found a review of the Routan by Scott Burgess of detnews.com.  He talks about how he and his wife are DINKs (dual income no kids,) and that he really liked this minivan and would want it even without having children. 

The VW Routan looks a lot like the other minivans out there. It is boxy and looks like a “double wide” according to Burgess.  It has a lot of resemblance to the Chrysler Town & Country, and that’s because Chrysler LLC makes the Routan with an agreement with VW.  If people can get past the stereotype of minivans, they are worthwhile inside. They have a great deal of room and now with the stow-n-go seating, it’s easy to run to Home Depot and buy some stuff and just stow away the seats for the trip home!

Here are the specifics for the VW Routan.  The engine is either a 3.8-liter V6 with 197 horsepower or a 4-liter V6 with 253 horsepower.  The 3.8-liter gets 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway and the 4-liter gets 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.  You can also go from 0-60 mph in 8.9 seconds. It’s not crazy fast, but fast enough I think.  Of course, you can get a nice DVD player as an option.  You have floor storage and the third row of seats folds down.  The prices start at about $24,700 and go to $33,200. 

So, the next time you see the dumb VW Routan commercial with Brooke Shields, you can think of Scott Burgess and how you don’t have to have kids to own a minivan.  It’s cool for others as well!    

According to autoweek.com, the fuel-economy standards will rise 8 percent to an average of 27.3 miles per gallon for the 2011 model year due to the new U.S. rules.  The new regulations will have a new system that sets the standards for the different models depending upon its size.  Some vehicles will have higher standards than others.  For instance, cars will need to have an average of 30.2 mpg which is up from 27.5 mpg.  Light trucks standards will be 24.1 mpg up 1 mile per gallon.

“These standards are important steps in the nation’s quest to achieve energy independence and bring more fuel-efficient vehicles to American families,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  The new fuel standards are the first step by President Obama to increase the fuel-economy.  Federal law requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  give the automakers at least 18 months before making higher standards. 

On the bottom of the article on autoweek.com, many people were commenting on these standards. I read that many of the people feel like the government needs to tax gasoline as Europe does. I don’t think that that is necessary at this point. I understand the reasoning behind the taxing; people would then lean towards finding/buying cars with alternative fuel sources.  I think that if we continue to increase the fuel standards in the years to come, that’s a step in the right direction.  Then, maybe down the road if more people aren’t buying the fuel-efficient vehicles, then we look at the alternative; taxing gasoline.  Just my opinion…. 

I found an blog on autobloggreen.com about the things that should be considered when you are considering buying a green vehicle.  Many people say that if you want a green car, you need to buy a hybrid. Hybrids are environmentally friendly using less gas, but they are expensive to drive. There are rumors out there that the Chevy Volt will cost somewhere between $30,000 to $40,000.  That’s a hefty price to pay for a car.  If you can afford, a hybrid then this car is better for people that do a lot of city driving. The hybrids’ “fuel efficiency comes from capturing energy that is usually lost during braking,” according to the article.  By the way, there are used hybrids with prices down 23.5%. 

Another “green” option are diesel vehicles.  They are better for the driver that is on the highway most of the time.  Diesel gas costs more than regular gas, but you get more miles per gallon.  Diesel engines used to be very poor for the environment, but the new diesels, such as the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, are very clean and green.  Several automakers, Audi, VW, and Mercedes are making diesels. You need to check them out.

You could also buy a flex-fuel vehicle.  A flex-fuel vehicle can use ethanol that is blended with gasoline in concentrations up to 85% ethanol.  A flex-fuel vehicle doesn’t cost much more than regular gas. The problem is that you have to live by a E85 gas station in order to fill up your car.  That could definitely be tricky for most people until there are more E85 gas stations out there.

So, there’s some brief info for you on green cars and what to choose from.  More and more automakers are making better gas mileage vehicles, especially in 2010 and 2011. If you can, hold out until then, and have more choices.   

Nissan has big plans. They plan to offer luxury gas-electric hybrids next year in the U.S. and Japan.  This information was reported in Tokyo earlier this week.  Currently, Honda and Toyota are ahead of Nissan in the hybrid department.  Right now, Nissan has a hybrid, the Altima, but it buys the hybrid system from Toyota.  The new luxury hybrids that are being developed will have Nissan’s own hybrid system in them. Supposedly, Nissan’s hybrid system is going to be better because it will have more power than the other hybrid batteries.  The Infiniti M will be available in hybrid next year.  Sports cars and more luxury vehicles will be available in hybrid soon, according to Nissan.  We’ll have to wait and see if Nissan can come up with a hybrid to directly compete with the Toyota Prius or the Honda Insight.  

www.driverside.com

I know you think I’m mistaken saying that there is a NEW car out there for $2000, but I am not.  In Mumbai, India, Tata Motors is introducing a car called the Nano.  According to an article by The Associated Press,  if you live in India by July you could be driving a Tata Nano for just $2000. The reason for the design of the Nano, was to make a car available to the poor.  Many other automakers are going to watch this vehicle closely to see if it takes off in sales, and then some others may consider designing a car like this one. Tata’s executives say that they plan on unveiling the Nano in India, and then soon introducing it to Europe and the United States. Actually, the company is currently working to make the Nano meet the United States safety and emission standards. 

The specs of the Tata Nano are incredible though. Nothing I would want, but according to the article it is the talk of the country I guess you would say.  The starting retail price of the Nano is exactly 112,735 rupees which is $2,233.  It is 10.2 feet long, has one windshield wiper, and a 623cc rear engine.  The Nano is a four-seater, that has a maximum speed of 65 miles per gallon. Wait until you hear this…..it gets 55.5 miles per gallon!  The crazy thing is that it does not have anti-lock brakes or airbags (neither are required in India,) and if you want air conditioning or power windows, you need to pay extra.  I read one article that said power steering and a radio are extra as well.  The price is guaranteed for the first 100,000 cars, and then I guess who knows what the price will be. I would assume it will be the same or close to it, but who knows depending on the demand I bet.  So, if you were looking for a really cheap car, you have to wait about 3 more years for the Tata Nano to come to the U.S., or else just go to India and get yourself one later on this year. 

It used to be that if you were short on cash and needed a new car, a used car was the way to go. That may not be true in many cases anymore. Kimberly Johnson of The Associated Press wrote an article that I found on detnews.com.  The reality is that dealers are so desperate to make a sale these days that they are offering rebates and incentives that may make the prices lower in many cases than used cars.  The interest rates are lower for new cars as well.  Here’s an example. According to Edmunds.com, the average cost of a used 2008 Honda Accord EX sedan certified by a dealership was $21,544 earlier this month, whereas a new 2009 Honda Accord  costs $80 less.  If you take an example of the difference in finance rates between new and used, you would see that many times it’s cheaper to buy new as well. For example, a $30,000 new car at 2.9 APR would cost $662.70 over four years. For a used car at $30,000 with a 7% APR, the cost would be $718.38, a total of $2673 more over four years. Why would you buy used then?  Obviously, this is not the case for every make and model, but if you do enough research when it’s time to buy a car, you can definitely find the new cars to buy instead of buying used. 

How the world is technologically changing.  I found an article on autoweek.com about WiFi becoming available in vehicles. The advances are somewhat overwhelming, because today its one thing but by tomorrow something much better is even available.  Starting next month, the new Cadillac CTS will have an option available for dealer-installed equipment that will allow people in or around the car to use laptops and get on the internet.  The equipment provider is Autonet Mobile Inc.  The target users are the back seat passengers. They do not need DVD players anymore. They can just boot up their laptops and use Facebook instead! 

The system works by using a router to get internet signals through cell data networks.  The system costs about $499 and then there is a monthly fee of around $30 for the internet service.  Not too bad, especially if you travel a lot.  The front seat driver can use the system too in order to streamline music if they wanted to. One little problem could happen with this WiFi system….distraction. Technically, the driver could surf the internet while driving, but Autonet Mobile and Cadillac hope that people are smarter than that, and save the surfing for the front passenger or the back seat passengers. What a nice piece of technology that will be available on these cars. I bet they will be popular when they become available for sale.     

During these times, if you are going to buy a new car or a used one for that matter, I’m sure you want to get one that is dependable and going to last for a long time, right?  Well, Forbes Autos has written an article that tells you the best to buy for dependability and longivity.  You will be surprised to know that “Buick and Jaguar topped this year’s list of brands sold in the U.S. that demonstrate the greatest general dependability.”  Lexus, Toyota, and Mercury rounded out the top five.  Suzuki, Volkswagen, and Land Rover were the bottom three brands.  

In order for J.D. Power & Associates to come up with this list of best/worst vehicles for dependability, they asked 46,000 car owners to report, in eight categories, the types of problems the vehicles had over the course of the last year.  Overall, the survey covered 202 categories across all areas of the vehicle. 

I was kindof surprised that Volkswagen was in the bottom three.  I know several people with VWs that love them, and haven’t had any real problems. They have over 100,000 miles on them and the cars are still holding strong.  What doesn’t surprise me is that Toyota and Honda (top car for an individual category) are winners for dependability.  They are top notch cars in many different areas.  Read the article further if you want a dependable vehicle.     

www.allworldcars.com

Cadillac is introducing a new vehicle, a station wagon, called the Cadillac CTS Sports Wagon.  It is due out in May, and its essentially a CTS sedan with alittle more cargo space, according to Hannah Elliott of Forbes.com.  When you think of station wagons and who used to own them, you think big families stuffing 14 people in them!  Well, that’s not the case anymore. There are a lot of high end station wagons out there that people not families are buying.  As surprising as this might sound, there are 17 new 2009 models on the market that are true station wagons, the high end wagons such as the $88,500 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and the $55,800 BMW 535i xDrive Sports Wagon.  Then you have the station wagons that are available for the rest of the folks out there such as the $22,295 Subaru Outback and the $29,800 Volvo V50.  A popular wagon is the Audi A6 Avant.  I find it funny that these vehicles are called Sports Wagons instead of station wagons. I’m sure it’s so that people don’t think of the stereotypes that go with station wagons.    

The thing is that even though Cadillac and the other automakers are re-introducing these station wagons, don’t expect them to skyrocket in sales.  The SUVs and the crossover vehicles are the cars to have and have pretty much taken over for the station wagon. The good news is that those of us that loved their station wagon, still have many choices to buy a new one these days!

Do you know what a TIN (tire identification number) is?  If you didn’t then you are like me before today.  The saying you learn something new everyday is legit.  TINs are the identification that is supposed to be found on each tire sold in case of a recall.  The TIN tells the week and year that the tire was made.  All registering of new tires began in 1970, according to Judy L. Thomas of the McClatchy Newspapers where I got this information.

The problem is that the tire identification numbers have not been correctly done by certain companies, specifically Firestone.  Many batches of tires have been found to contain the same TIN number, such as 4444. If this TIN was correct then that would mean that these tires were made in the 44th week of 1944, which is impossible because these tires weren’t even invented at that point.  So, there is a problem.  The problem came to light in 2000 when there were a lot of tire recalls from the Ford Explorer rollovers. Remember?   

When this problem with the tire identification numbers was investigated, the arbitrator found that about 66% of TINs were accurately reported, and then later Firestone improved their TINs to 90%.  Which is good I guess, but I feel like it shouldn’t be that hard to assign TINs and include them on each tire. A customer is Kansas City last December bought four tires, and the invoice showed 1 TIN for all four tires.  That’s a problem. The real problem lies in the fact that without correct TINs, how can these customers be tracked if there is a serious problem with the tires and there was back in 2000?  I hope that Firestone comes up with a better plan soon. Safety is a major issue and TINs seem like an easy way to start the safety process.