Do you own a 1994 Honda Accord?  If you do, lock your doors!  If you own a 1995 Honda Civic or a 1989 Toyota Camry, lock your doors!      These were the top 3 most stolen vehicles for 2008. The top 5 was rounded out by 1997 Ford F-150 and 2004 Dodge Ram.  Even though you wouldn’t think anyone would want these cars, people do. First of all it’s easier to steal these older models, because there are no anti-theft features in the cars and the parts are still good. The stealers want to sell the parts. The good news is that auto-theft has dropped by 13.7% from 2007.  Also, vehicle-theft has dropped for the last five years in a row.

The NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) recommends that you protect your vehicle with a four-layer plan.  Lock your car, get a car alarm, get a immobilizing device (kill switch or steer wheel lock), and a tracking system for your car. Get all of these things, and your car should be safe……possibly I guess.  Anyone have all these things on their vehicle?????

www.themotorreport.com.au

The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata has been spied and many are surprised that there have been pictures of the entire vehicle already. The “flood gates” have been opened according to leftlanenews.com.  The Hyundai Sonata is supposed to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show in November or the Detroit Auto Show in January.  So, I guess since the gates have been opened, we can a few specifics that are being discussed as well.  There will be a hybrid model of the 2011 Sonata that will have a four-cylinder engine with a 40 horsepower electric motor and lithium-polymer batteries.  No official word but it is expected that a four-cylinder V6 will be the engine to compete with the Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Chevrolet Malibu, and Nissan Altima.  I guess we’ll have to wait for the auto shows to get the true specs, but it looks like a nice car from what you can see.

I just have a question for you guys that has been on my mind for several months now.  Will the gas prices increasing, the economy decreasing, and the constant talk of the need to be “green,” how many of you are/will buy a small, green car as your next one?  Maybe I should be embarrassed to say this, but I don’t think I’m one of them. I don’t need a gas-guzzling SUV, but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to buy a small hybrid.  Sure, I want to be green and help the environment, but I’m not overly impressed with the look of the smaller vehicles and quite frankly just not interested in a small car.  Does this make me a bad person in the automotive view?  Possibly, but I have a feeling that I am not alone. I can’t be alone in this. I think there are a lot of people out there who still aren’t sold on the small cars.  I just had to ask. Everytime I write a blog on a hybrid, electric, small vehicle, I think about how even with all the accessories and good stuff they have to offer, I’m not interested. Just my opinion that I’m sure isn’t shared by everyone, but I know I must not be alone!

The Associated Press wrote an article that shows the top-selling vehicles for August. Automakers just released their U.S. sales figures today.  It gave the top ten vehicles, how many they sold, and the percentage change from last August. So, here they are.

1.  Toyota Camry/Solara 54,396 28.2%

2.  Ford F-Series 45,590 17.1%

3.  Honda Civic 43,294 49.6% Nice!

4.  Toyota Corolla/Matrix 43,061 51.9% Even better!

5.  Honda Accord 39,726 -5.4% Not so good.

6.  Chevrolet Silverado 32,421 -39.6% Really not so good.

7.  Honda CV-R 30,294 58.3% Much better for Honda!

8.  Nissan Altima 26,833 10.1%

9.  Ford Focus 25,547 61.9% No bailout needed!

10.  Hyundai Elantra 21,673 124.4 Holy cow! 

How many of you are part of this list from buying a new vehicle this past month?  Unfortunately, not me. No new car in August. Maybe next August.