The name sounds very suspicious: police car auctions. People tend to think these auctions are selling only used police cars (cars that have POLICE written all over). They immediately imagine an area filled with police cars for sale.

Those who believe that police cars are also sold in these auctions are perfectly right, because the good ones are. These cars won’t be given away with police colors, stickers and inscription. These cars will get a new paint job and will be stripped of all stickers and other police inscriptions.
Read more...

The decision-making process on whether to lease or buy a car has been altered by automakers’ scaling back their leasing operations under pressure from high gas prices, making leases less available and much more expensive in many cases. Here are some points to consider about leasing:

PROS

New Car Frequently: You won’t have to drive the car for more than two to four years, depending on the length of the lease (36 months is typical).

No Money Down: Leases require little or no down payment, although you can make one in order to lower your monthly bill.
Read more...

For the 28th running of Car And Driver’s annual 10 Best competition, the winners were cars that were not available for the 2009 competition, and those with significant updates. All winners fell under  base-price cap of $80,000 and be on sale in January 2010.

2010 Car and Driver 10 Best Cars:

2010 Audi S4
2010 BMW 3 Series / M3
2010 Cadillac CTS / CTS-V
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
2010 Honda Accord
2010 Honda Fit
2010 Mazda Miata MX-5
2010 Mazda3 / MazdaSpeed3
2010 Porsche Boxster / Cayman
2010 Volkswagen GTI
Read more...

Ford Motor Co. officially unveiled their 2011 Ford Fiesta at the Los Angeles Auto Show today.

The subcompact sedan and four-door hatchback is Ford’s smallest offering in the United States as the Blue Oval continues its plans to bring some of its best European models to America. Ford will debut an all-new Focus, based on the popular European model, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January.
Read more...

Chinese car maker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp (BAIC) said it was reassessing the situation after a consortium it belonged to dropped a bid to buy General Motors’ Saab unit.

China’s relatively cash-rich automakers have shown an increasing interest in overseas purchases, looking to pick up global brands and technology at bargain prices as the world’s auto industry undergoes a major retrenchment.

Check out the TIMELINE that traces some of their proposed, failed or ongoing deals reported this year as the Chinese chased Volvo, Opel, Saab and Hummer.

Couples buying a car together can argue over every detail, from the colour to the shape of the car lights, but the biggest cause of contention is the price, according to recent research. Online used car retailer carsite.co.uk, found that in over a quarter of cases, money was the main factor couples argued over when choosing a new car.

Second most frequent cause for ‘carguments’ was style, with just over 23% of drivers admitting they had clashed with their partners over what their potential new car should look like. Along a similar theme, colour was also a significant catalyst for debate for the motorists interviewed, sparking 19% of altercations.

Those who have followed the Nissan GT-R since it was named the Skyline GT-R (R32) know that there was a variant called the M-Spec. While the R34 V-Spec was made for the track, the M-Spec was more of a grand tourer, providing the best of both the performance and comfort worlds.

�
“We’ve always planned that after we released the SpecV, we were going to build the SpecM,” says Kazutoshi Mizuno, the man behind the current GT-R (R35),. SpecM will be sold for around 18,000,000 yen (the equivalent of over $200k). That sexy thing is worth every penny!

The Chevrolet Suburban and Dodge Challenger are some of the biggest gas-gulpers available, but they don’t cause quite the environmental harm other cars do.

That title is reserved for vehicles that combine their poor gas mileage with high tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions. Think along the lines of some of the bulkiest cars on the road, like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Dodge Dakota.

1. Jeep Grand Cherokee
2. BMW M5
3. BMW M6 Sedan/Convertible
4. Chevrolet Trailblazer
5. Mercedes-Benz CL600
6. Mercedes-Benz S600
7. Chrysler Aspen
8. Dodge Dakota
9. Dodge Ram 1500
10. Dodge Durango

Ford Motor Co.  plans to sell a new police cruiser vehicle to replace its Crown Victoria “Police Interceptor” once the sedan is phased out of production in 2011.

The automaker said the new vehicle will be more fuel efficient and offer lower ownership costs to municipalities than the existing Crown Victoria law enforcement vehicle.

The Crown Victoria police cruiser, badged the “Police Interceptor,” has long been a staple at police departments around the country, favored for its durability. Ford sells about 45,000 police vehicles a year, or about 75% of all police vehicles sold in the U.S..

Asian automakers are still building the most reliable cars and trucks, with 8 of the top 10 brands from Japanese and Korean companies, according to an annual survey by Consumer Reports.

But several models from Ford Motor Co. are now consistently scoring above Honda and Toyota, the perennial leaders.

While Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion brand finished first for the second year in a row, several Ford models, including the midsize Ford Fusion and its cousin, the Mercury Milan, consistently have been at or near the top of their classes, a trend that led Consumer Reports editors to declare that Ford is now making some vehicles with world-class reliability.

NY State rolled out a new license plate redesign that will be required for pretty much all vehicles, new and old, starting next year. The “Empire Gold” license plate, in gold with dark blue lettering, will replace the current white plate with the Niagara falls and city skyline elements and the cost will be another $25 for registration renewals and new registrations. Plus, if you want to your current letter and number license combination, that’ll be another $20!

The State Department of Motor Vehicles says, “Periodically re-issuing plates is important for overall safety, law enforcement and the general integrity of the plate.” More like “We need more $$$!” 
Read more...

Sales for the Ford Fusion are on a roll in 2009, the automaker reported recently. Sales in the first ten months of the year are 15% above those from the same time in 2008.

50% of Fusion sales come from the model’s Sport, SEL, and Hybrid trims — the latter consisting of 20% of the total. Ford says 60% of Fusion Hybrid customers have been garners from the import buying sect.

Toyota Motor Corp. has unveiled a more expensive and bigger hybrid-only model than its hit Prius, underlining the Japanese automaker’s ambitions to make green technology more widespread.

The “Sai” sedan is Toyota’s second hybrid-only model after the Prius. Toyota offers hybrid versions of other car models.

Sai, which means “talent” and “color,” will be sold only in Japan, starting Dec.7, targeting monthly sales of 3,000 vehicles. No global sales plans have been decided, the world’s biggest automaker said. Nice! Bring some of those over here.

Most car buyers do not know what the differences are in leasing a car or a traditional car loan. Car dealers know this and will try to get you into leasing. However, you should know that this is just another car buying scam commonly used by new car sales dealers. If you intend to lease a car, there are several factors you should consider first.

It’s a good idea to compare buying and leasing. Compare the total dollar amount of a car lease over the life of the lease to the total dollar amount spent over the life of a standard car loan. Also look at the terms of the lease. Pay attention to any additional contract fees or mileage fees to pay at the end of the lease contract.
Read more...

Recently, many teens have had to find a way to purchase their own cars through jobs or other means, unless there are certain circumstances. It seems the only kids that can get cars are if their parents both work full time and they have younger siblings at home. Even if a teen can afford to pay for a new car on their own, and is ready to purchase, there still are a few stipulations.
Read more...

Customers are as increasingly reliant on communications and information technology as much as cubicle-bound desk jockeys, so Ford has developed a suite of technologies and applications aimed at mobile commercial customers it’s calling “Work Solutions.”

These technologies include a theft-proof built-in computer — no more stolen or dropped laptops — and tools for tracking, well, tools, as well as for tracking a truck itself and securing equipment in the beds of pickups to reduce the chance it will be stolen. Work Solutions is a $2,815-add-on cost for pickups, but can be less if buyers pick and choose among the features.
Read more...

Silver in hues ranging from chrome to charcoal gray extended its reign as the most popular choice for car and truck paint across the globe this year. In the U.S., silver rose from 20% of the market a year ago. White finished second at 18% and black was third with 16%. Red was a distant fourth at 12%.

Americans’ tastes have changed dramatically in the past 15 years. In 1994, green was the most popular color and only 8% of buyers chose silver. Silver rocks!

Toyota, the world’s largest car maker, is recalling almost four million vehicles in the US due to the risk of the gas pedals in some Toyotas could become caught under the edge of floor mats causing the accelerator to stick. The move came after a family in San Diego died in a terrifying 120mph crash when the accelerator on their Lexus became stuck. The family made a frantic emergency call telling police they could not slow the vehicle down.
Read more...

Saturn, maker of quirky, innovative cars once billed by owner General Motors as “a different kind of car company,” died on Wednesday. When a deal to sell the ailing brand to Penske Automotive abruptly fell apart, GM announced it would wind down the brand, shuttering 350 showrooms and eliminating as many as 13,000 jobs. Saturn was 24 years young.

GM said it will cease making Saturns at plants in Kansas, Mexico and Michigan almost immediately, but will continue to honor warranties after Saturn dealers stop selling cars. Saturn owners can still get their vehicles serviced at GM’s remaining dealerships once their Saturn dealer shuts down.
Read more...

Ford Motor is increasing its focus on the fast-growing car markets of the Asia-Pacific region. The “Figo,” a four-door hatchback with expansive side windows and cat’s-eye headlights, was designed with the help of Indian engineers and will be built in India and shipped to nearby countries.

What’s Figo mean? Figo is Italian for “cool” but does not mean anything in Hindi, the most widely spoken official language of India. Figures!
Read more...