Auto Trends

originally uploaded by signeventdotcom.

What better way to kick off the new year than with a brand spankin’ new car!

The economy versus the new vehicle market is still dealing out some stellar deals for new customers and if you have been putting off getting a new car till the first of the year… you just might be rewarded for your patience. Besides the economic price reductions, we have the introduction of the new 2009 models which always accelerates the need for dealers to unload the old 2008 (in some cases, even 2007) models. So if you thought dealers were willing to negotiate a few months ago, they are really going to be itching to make a deal on some of those older models this month.

How itchy are they you ask? Let’s take a look at a few of the deals going on to see:

Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, Hummer, and GMC-
$8,500 cash back on 2008 Cadillac XLR
$8,000 cash back on 2008 Cadillac Escalade
$5,500 cash back on 2008 Cadillac DTS
$5,000 cash back on 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche
$4,500 cash back on 2008 Cadillac SRX and XLR
$4,000 cash back on 2008 Cadillac STS
$3,500 cash back on 2008 Buick Lucerne
$3,000-$4,000 cash back on 2009 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and Trailblazer
$3,000 cash back on 2008 and 2009 Cadillac DTS, Escalade, STS, and XLR
$3,000 cash back on 2009 Chevrolet Silverado
$2,000-$2,500 cash back on 2008 and 2009 Buick Enclave
$2,500 cash back on 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
$2,000 cash back on Buick LaCrosse
$2,000 cash back on 2008 Chevrolet Corvette
$2,000 cash back on 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, Equinox, Malibu, and Travers
0% interest (36 months) on 2009 Cadillac CTS

Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury-
“Employee Pricing Sale”- Offer highlights include a $3,377 discount on new Ford Flex crossover, $2,735 on 2009 Focus. Lincoln and Mercury models are also included with this sale. Hurry while it lasts! (Expires 1/12/2009)

Hyundai-
“We’ve got your back” Program- While not your traditional car deal per say, it is a pretty creative incentive. This program basically states that a customer may return any Hyundai within a year if they find they can no longer make payments due to job loss, medical issue. or bankruptcy. You can’t go wrong here!

Jaguar-
0% interest (36,48, and 60 months) on 2009 Jaguar XF

Toyota, Scion, and Lexus-
$4,000 cash back on 2007 and 2008 Toyota Tundra
0% interest (72 months) on 2007 Toyota Tundra and 2008 Toyota Sequoia and Tundra
0% interest (60 months) on 2007 Toyota 4-Runner, FJ Cruiser, and Tundra
0% interest (48 and 60 months) on 2008 Toyota 4Runner, Camry Solara, FJ Cruiser, Highlander, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, and Tundra
0% interest (36 months) on 2007 and 2008 Toyota 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, and Tundra
0% interest (36 months) on 2008 Land Rover LR2, LR3, Range Rover; Camry, Camry Solara, Highlander, RAV4, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, and Yaris
0% interest (36 months) on 2009 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, and Tacoma

Volvo-
0% interest (36 and 48 months) 2008 Volvo XC70 and XC90

What are you waiting for, get out there and help boost our economy… if you can afford to that is!

Source:
NADAguides.com

There was a school of thought a few years ago that told us that a used car was a better buy than new. The reasonings were quite simple and hard to argue against:

1. Today’s Vehicles are Reliable- There was a time back in the eighties, when a smart consumer would be wise to unload their vehicle every time the warranty ran out. Why? Because the cars weren’t built so great and needed a lot of attention. Today, most cars are built to last well into the upper 100 to 200 thousand mile range (especially Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, and GM).

2. Used Cars Reduce your Drive the New Vehicle off the Showroom Floor Penalty- You’ve heard the saying that once you drive that new car off the showroom floor, its automatically worth several hundred to several thousand dollars less… well its true.

3. Used Vehicles Give you More Vehicle for the Money- When you are talking about a new car, you can get a brand new bottom end Chevrolet Cobalt for around $16,000. But if you are willing to go several years older, you could be looking at a clean BMW (with all the bells and whistles) for around the same price.

In Comes the 2008 Stock Market Flush

This advice has not necessarily changed… but the state of the economy has altered the fate of most new cars. You see, as the stock market continues to flush, so does the sales figures for most automakers. This means that dealerships are sharing the same dismal outlook as the manufacturers. The only way around such a situation is to offer consumers a deal that they cannot refuse. Such deals as of currently are special financing (0% APR), cash back, and major discounts off the current pricing of certain models.

The only catch, is if you don’t qualify, you won’t even be invited in on these deals. So if you’ve got good credit, now is not a bad time to get in on a new car deal. If you’ve got bad credit, then you should follow the above advice and get a good solid used car. The APR really is where it is at when it comes to the purchase of a new vehicle… and if you can get in on a 0% deal, it would be hard to find a used car deal that would be much better.

Here is a current list of a few of the new car deals currently going on through October 31, 2008 (via U.S. News & World Report). Get in on them while the getting is still good!

BMW-  0.9% APR financing on most 2008 models.

Buick, GMC-  0% APR on most 2008 models.

Jeep-  Up to $4,500 cash back on selected models.

Ford-  0% Financing on selected 2008 models. Up to $7,500 cash back on some trucks and SUVs.

Kia-  Up to $5,000 cash back, or 0% financing on many 2008 vehicles.

Mazda-  $2,750 cash back, or 0% APR financing on 2008 Mazda6. 0% financing on 2008 CX-7 and CX-9 SUVs.

Nissan-  0% financing on some 2008 trucks and SUVs. Up to $5,000 cash back on 2008 trucks and SUVs.

Subaru-  Cash back and 0% financing on many 2008 vehicles.

Toyota-  Up to $1,000 cash back on Corolla and Camry. Up to $5,000 cash back on pickups and SUVs. 0% financing on most 2008s and 2009s.

According to a 2004 study by the AAA (American Automobile Association), the average American spends somewhere around $8,410 per year to own and operate their vehicle. This breaks down to around $700 per month.

Over the course of the next couple months of summer, that could be a 3-day vacation on some aqua blue deserted island, a new wide-screen HDTV, or maybe even a new wardrobe in your closet. The point is, we spend a lot of money on our automobile that perhaps we don’t need to.

As the price of gas continues to skyrocket, many people are staying home and using their car only when they really need it. If this sounds like you, then maybe you really don’t need to own your own car. There is a record number of people who work at home these days and do not need to make that daily drive to the office.

You say that you don’t like to ride a bike, it’s too hot to walk, you’re already feeling trapped just thinking about it?

No problem, it’s called Car Sharing. Sounds a lot like hitchhiking or “borrowing” all the neighbors cars (until they won’t let you anymore), but what it really entails is joining a network that will allow you to “borrow” a car anytime you need for however many hours.

You do not need to change the oil (maintenance), buy insurance, or even fill the darn thing up with gas when your done. Zipcar, which is one such service, has reported that many of its members save as much as $435 a month.

How it works, is when you know that you are going to need a set of wheels, you get online and reserve a block of time. Then you walk a few blocks to where a vehicle is located, which incidentally, many of them have reserved parking around town to save you even more money and time.

To become a part of this system you will have to shell out some bucks initially. There is usually a application fee of $25, then a annual or monthly usage fee that will add up to $50 to $120 a year. After that it will cost you a base price of around $9 an hour, or $66 per day.

While this wouldn’t be for everybody, such as if you are out in the Midwest, or out in the middle of no where. But if you live in one of the larger cities along the West or East Coast where parking, maintenance, and gas prices alone require a second job just to afford it, this service may be worth at least looking into!