Auto Trends

Photo by James B. Brauer

If you happen to own either a Cadillac DTS or Escalade, Buick Lucerne or Enclave, GMC Yukon, Sierra, or Acadia, Chevy Silverado, Avalanche, Tahoe, or Suburban, Hummer H2, or Saturn Outlook with a HotShot windshield washer system, then this post might to be of particular interest to you.

It seems that GM and Microheat (the manufacturer of the HotShot) have been having a mite problem with the nifty system. Short circuits have reportedly caused three engine compartment fires in consumer vehicles so far, plus another 31 other warranty complaints about the units function.

The problem appears to be a relatively easy fix of adding an in-line fuse to the works, which GM will be happy to do free of charge up until November 1^st, 2008 (so get down there is you have one of these). There is some 944,000 vehicles involved in the recall, which will cost GM about $20 million dollars of which they are trying to pass the buck onto Microheat, which is already practically waiting in line at the bankruptcy courts.

This fiasco could be the end of the HotShot system and Microheat all together. For those who have never had the pleasure to have used this system, it actually works like a dream (when it isn’t on fire that is). The unit heats up your washer mixture, which in turn makes it a breeze to remove bug guts, tree sap, and especially those thick layers of windshield ice that would normally take up to 10 to 15 minutes of idling just to clear off using a defroster and windshield wipers.

Yeah, we know that you should use an ice scrapper on those cold wintery days, but sometimes we are just to darn lazy to stand out in the freezing cold with a $2 ice scraper glued to one mitten and a piping hot coffee in the other. But if GM is able to pass the buck (er, rather $20 million bucks), this little convenience will be no more, as there is no other company at the moment with a similar gadget on the market…

Don’t go throwing out your $2 scrappers just yet, all you future customers to GM!

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.

Chevrolet has pulled off a beautiful job of creating a class leading Cobalt which is capable of creating mpg ratings in and above the range of the Ford Focus (35 mpg), Honda Civic (34-36 mpg), and Toyota Corolla (35 mpg).

New Ecotec 2.2 liter Engine

That’s right folks, the Cobalt XFE (a.k.a. X-tra Fuel Efficiency) gets 36 mpg with its new Ecotec 2.2 liter. That’s about a 9 percent increase over the standard Cobalt of the year prior. The best part of the new Ecotec, is with the combination of revised engine calibration and tuning, the XFE closes in around 150 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque.

Other Improvements of the XFE

The engine can’t take all the credit however, as part of its improvement comes from its new low resistance tires (Goodyear Integrity’s) and 3.74:1 final drive ratio. The XFE is part of Chevy’s plan to offer a sporty, fuel efficient model, that will appeal to the younger generations and their pocket books.

2009 Model Cobalt XFE

The launch of the XFE came rather quietly a few months ago… so quietly, you’d think Chevy was trying to keep all this a secret. Secret or no secret, the XFE looks like it is here to stay, as the 2009 models have already come out for review… and they have upped the ante another mpg to 37, and a few more horses to 155.

Manual Transmission Only

If you are in the market for a new cobalt XFE and you do not know how to drive a stick (manual transmission), you better learn. Manual transmissions are the only models being offered for the XFE. While many people complain that they would prefer an automatic, truth be told, manuals are cheaper and get better fuel economy, so there is no real surprise Chevy decided to go this route.

Manual transmissions aren’t that difficult to learn, those of you who are complaining. They have become a forgotten skill of the next generation, which is a real shame since they are fun to drive, provide better control over the vehicle, and if you like to eat or talk on your cell phone, you shouldn’t be doing that anyway while driving.

There is Beauty in its Simplicity

There isn’t too much else to tell about the XFE, other than it is basically the same car inside and out from the standard model. It has the standard manual seats, locks, windows, transmission and mirrors, along with basic air-conditioning, anti-lock brakes, XM radio (yes, XM is pretty basic these days), CD, MP3, center console (somewhere to rest your elbow), and a rear defogger.

It isn’t the snazziest looking vehicle, it doesn’t have the most bells and whistles you could find in its price range ($16,000-plus), it won’t beat a Subaru WRX or Ford Mustang off the line at a red light… but if you are looking for an all around sound car with decent fuel efficiency and get up and go, this Chevy won’t let you down.