What do a Dodge Hellcat, Tesla Model S, Jeep Gladiator, Ford Mustang and Toyota Prius have to do with one another? They’re among the 15 best cars of the last decade according to AutoTrader.
The editors at the automotive outlet say the auto industry has seen drastic shifts in product offerings over the last decade, ranging from the rise in alternative-fuel options to updated infotainment systems, advanced safety technology standards, and all-new, innovative vehicle segments. Read More
Resale value is something you hear me talk about a lot on the Car Pro Show. I tend to recommend vehicles with great resale value, and not recommend vehicles with poor resale. I am quick to point out, however, that if you plan to keep a vehicle for a long time, resale value is not nearly as important.
The fact is, some vehicles do better than others by far. The research firm iSeeCars looked at 7.7 million new and used vehicle sales to determine which vehicles lose the most and least money Read More
Research firm iSeeCars also took a look at the new vehicles that people got rid of within the first year of ownership, with more than 1000 miles. According to them, after looking at 46 million transactions, only 3.4% met the criteria.
So, here are the top 10 vehicles sold or traded within the first year and the percentage of owners who dumped them: Read More
It’s not often you come across a car auction like this one.
According to a press release, the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), AECOM and CWS Marketing Group will auction off four seized exotic sport and track cars on February 5, 2020 in Austin TX.
In the statement, CWS Marketing Group says these highly desirable performance cars are some of the assets seized by IRS-CI as part of the $2 billion case against payday loan mogul and amateur race car driver Read More
I had a listener to my radio show contact me and was very confused. I told a caller that I thought she should get an all-wheel drive vehicle. Shortly afterward, I told another caller I would not recommend it. So what gives? Simply put, it was the difference in location. The first caller was from Grand Rapids, Michigan and the second caller was from Austin, TX. Other than location, who is right for all-wheel drive and what is it all about?
The average price of a new vehicle topped $38,000 according to Kelley Blue Book. KBB reports that the estimated average light vehicle transaction price in the U.S. was $38,948 in December 2019. While December transaction prices were up from a year ago, they were down slighly from November. New Vehicle prices increased $656 (up 1.7%) from December 2018New Vehicle prices decreased $80 (down 0.2%) from November 2019. "New vehicle transaction prices finished the Read More
I should have had a lot more time to look over and analyze the 2019 sales numbers, but Ford could not report sales last Friday like every other automaker that sells cars in America, but I digress.
Listen in to the Car Pro Show podcast for Jerry’s comments.
Looking at full year 2019 sales, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Sales for the full year of 2019 fell just over 1% from all of 2018, but as I noted on the show last week, there was Read More
Here are the amounts automakers spent to sell their vehicles during the month of December 2019. The amounts were higher last month than in November of 2019, and versus December of 2018, incentive spending last month was up roughly 7%.
Mercedes-Benz spent the most per vehicle and, as usual, Subaru spent the least:
December 2019 Automaker Incentive Spending Per Vehicle .cust-table { width: 100%; } .cust-table table, .cust-table th, .cust-table td { Read More
[Editor’s Note: This post has been republished since its original posting date.]
We had a listener last Saturday who purchased an aftermarket extended warranty from a dealer. He was contemplating canceling the warranty because it was not a Ford Motor Company backed warranty. Here is the answer to his concern and my overall thoughts on extended warranties.
Are Extended Warranties a Good Investment? I think an extended warranty on a car is a good investment. If you have not priced Read More
December is the time to snag a bargain and it’s been that way for years. It is easy to get caught up in the hype and incentives and not end up getting a good deal. This year, people seem incredibly surprised at the deals dealers are offering up right now, mainly due to big customer incentives. As a reminder, you can take all or part of the rebates in CASH if you need readily available cash for Christmas bills etc.
Timing Is CriticalI often talk on the air about why timing is important when Read More
When you visit one or more of our dealers in December, especially that last week of the month, a little patience and some preliminary work will speed things up for you.
Remember, live customers on the showroom floor take precedence over phone calls and emails. It will take longer than usual for someone to get back to you. This will work in your favor when you get to the dealership.
Be aware many of our dealers are closing on Christmas Eve.
We had a nice lady caller this past Saturday with buyer’s remorse. She bought an SUV only to find out, it was not comfortable and it was too hard to get in and out of. Odds are, she took a short test drive and did not spend enough time in the car before buying it.
Avoid Buyer’s Remorse with a Proper Test Drive It happens way too often. People go out and buy themselves a new vehicle, and within 72 hours they realize they don’t like it or it doesn’t fit their family or some other issue. It Read More
If you are going to be car shopping in December, you need to understand how factory rebates and incentives work. I’ve been in the auto business or an auto journalist for the vast majority of my life. I study vehicle incentives every single month when they change, and even after all these years, I get confused.
Given that, it is no wonder people get cross-eyed when it comes to incentives. The dealers themselves have trouble keeping up. Dealers have no idea from month-to-month what the incentives will be, and it is common for them to change numerous times during any given month.
There are certain things you need to know. All factory incentives are designed to help the dealers sell cars. It is not that the automakers are just being nice, they want the dealers to re-order inventory, which is how auto manufacturers make their money. Read More
The results of Cars.com's 2020 3-Row SUV Challenge are in, and the 2020 Hyundai Palisade raced to the head of the pack, winning top honors. The Challenge put seven of the most popular mid-size three-row SUVs through a series of tests to determine which model was best in class.
"Today's large family vehicle of choice is the three-row SUV. Most families who seek a minivan alternative are increasingly moving toward purchasing them because they offer generous seating, spacious Read More
Ho hum, how many times has this been tried? People like to do some research online, but still want to visit a dealership to experience a vehicle they are interested in. Still, Cadillac is trying once again to do it differently.
Part personal shopper and part interactive digital showroom, Cadillac Live launched Monday in the United States, in an effort to expand the reach of Cadillac’s luxury-shopping experience to mobile devices and desktops across the country.
December is the time to snag a bargain and it’s been that way for years. It is easy to get caught up in the hype and incentives and not end up getting a good deal. This year, people seem incredibly surprised at the deals dealers are offering up right now, mainly due to big customer incentives.
As a reminder, you can take all or part of the rebates in CASH if you need readily available cash for Christmas bills etc.
Timing Is CriticalI often talk on the air about why timing is important Read More
This week marks the official launch of Awesome Joe Auctions, the new online auction house for the modern enthusiast that offers a collection of modified, motorsport, classic, exotic, and other commodity autos for collectors, racers, and hobbyists.
Developed by Andy Lally ALIVE and Carlisle Auctions, the consignment arm of Carlisle Events (one of the largest event organizations in the United States), Awesome Joe Auctions launched on Cyber Monday. It was Read More
The 2020 Honda Passport is now arriving at CarProUSA Certified dealerships just in time for the holiday season. Dubbed by Honda as a sophisticated and capable off-roader with class-leading cargo and passenger space, the Passport slots above the compact CR-V and seats five adults. The base two-wheel drive model starts from $33,085 including destination charges.
The midsized SUV is available in four trims: Sport, EX-L, Touring and Elite. All come with equipped with Read More
While shopping on Black Friday can be a stressful, tiring, and downright frightening thing to do, consumers will find some great deals on one of the biggest purchases they'll ever make: a new vehicle.
The good news is you don’t have to wait for the exact day to shop, the big Black Friday incentives are in full play right now.
I recall from my days in the retail auto industry, we geared up for Black Friday and the weekend after, also. In the car business, when a lot of people are off Read More
Four organizations – AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and the National Safety Council – are joining forces want to make driver assist technology terms less confusing for drivers. They’ve adopt standardized naming for advanced driver assistance technology in an effort to reduce confusion. To help educate consumers on the benefits, limitations and proper use of these technologies, the four organizations are calling on all safety organizations, automakers and journalists covering the Read More
