10: Don't Drive Drunk
Teton Motors is a full service GM and SUBARU dealer located in Jackson, Wyoming.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Have a Safe Spring Break With These 10 Driving Tips
10: Don't Drive Drunk
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
13 Unbeatable New-Car Lease Deals
The conventional wisdom for generations among those looking to get the most for their money has been to purchase a new car and hold onto it until it would cost more to repair than it was ultimately worth. However, a growing number of consumers are finding leasing a vehicle for a set term, rather than buying one outright, to be financially advantageous thanks to a perfect alignment of market forces. According to Forbes, record low interest rates and high resale values caused by an ongoing shortage of used cars are helping automakers offer some of the best lease deals in years. Leasing now accounts for 21 percent of all new-vehicle transactions, according to Kelley Blue Book, which is up from around 12 percent in 2009; analysts believe leasing could account for as much as 25-30 percent of the new-car business over the coming years. How good are the deals these days? Forbes’ slide show runs down a baker’s dozen of the best deals it could find among a wide range of makes and models. Check it out!
Kia Soul
Segment: Compact wagon
Deal: $169/36 months
Due at Signing: $1,999
Annual Mileage: 12,000
Honda Civic
Segment: Compact sedan
Deal: $179/36 months
Due at Signing: $1,999
Annual Mileage: 12,000
Hyundai Elantra
Segment: Compact sedan
Deal: $179/36 months
Due at Signing: $1,999
Annual Mileage: 12,000
Honda Accord
Segment: Midsize sedan
Deal: $219/36 months
Due at Signing: $1,999
Annual Mileage: 12,000
Toyota Camry
Segment: Midsize sedan
Deal: $219/36 months
Due at Signing: $2,199
Annual Mileage: 12,000
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Subaru, The Road-Gripping Brand, Gets Its Moment
Subaru has always been the well-regarded, but often overlooked runner-up to big Japanese names like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. However, this week, Consumer Reports named Subaru as the top-quality brand in its list of the best vehicles for 2012. That not only brings bragging rights, but can also lead to sales.
“Subaru’s score of 75 – two points higher than last year – reflects better test scores for such redesigned models as the Impreza, Legacy, and Outback over the last few years. The 2012 Impreza, which Consumer Reports just tested, now tops the small-sedan class and is the Consumer Reports Top Pick in that category. Subaru’s average road-test score of 82 is the highest in Consumer Reports analysis,” wrote the magazine.
Even before it won the title, Subaru had a good February. Its sales of 25,374 were up 17 percent over February 2011, figures showed Thursday, and its sales for the first two months of 2012 are up 19 percent over 2011. Its vehicles’ symmetrical all-wheel drive capability is especially important to buyers in New England and in Northwestern and Midwestern states where dramatic weather can make driving treacherous.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Car buyers can't always get what they want
How do you feel about the new approach to vehicle customization?
When it comes to ordering new cars, buyers are finding you can't always get what you want.
Automakers are drastically cutting the potential combinations of trim levels and options in a trend that recently has accelerated:
- Buick offers its new Verano compact in only 18 potential combinations of trims and options.
- Volkswagen slashed the ways you can order a Passat midsize sedan from 148 to 15.
- Toyota cut the ordering complexity of its current-generation Sienna minivan by 80%.
Automakers say fewer choices lead to higher quality because they perfect the few configurations. It avoids "creating complexity for the sake of complexity," says Chuck Russell, General Motors director of compact cars in North America.
It also cuts costs with fewer combinations to plan for and track on assembly lines. And it simplifies inventory planning for dealers.
One way automakers cut complexity is to herd options into "packages." Sienna's "preferred" package, for example, bundles power side doors with satellite radio. To get a Passat with a sunroof, you also must buy the premium sound system.
The potential downside: "You end up buying things you don't want or need in order to get things you do want or need," says John O'Dell, a senior editor for car research site Edmunds.com.
But automakers say the lower costs may be passed on to buyers and that they've gotten better at figuring out bundles buyers want.
"It's actually a relief. They are removing the work of trying to figure out what I want," says Kristen Andersson, senior analyst for shopping site TrueCar.com, who says buyers can even end up happier, with goodies they wouldn't have ordered but later love.
Not all makers are embracing the trend. High-end brands are more likely to still let buyers pick and choose. About 30% of Porsche buyers, for instance, custom order their cars. "It's expensive to do it the way we do it," spokesman Dave Engelman says. "It slows down the assembly line."
And even mainstream makers are going that way for key models:
Chrysler Group, for example, has cut combinations on many vehicles, reducing the number of ways you can order some of its biggest-selling vehicles for 2012, like Dodge Durango crossover or the Grand Caravan minivan. It reduced trim levels to five, down from 12. but for its $15,995-to-start, all-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact, it is allowing custom factory orders in up to 100,000 combinations.
Dodge Director Richard Cox says à la carte choices include "citrus peel" paint — a "vivid greeny yellow" — and push-button ignition. "They might want the 8.4-inch touch-screen but don't want navigation. We give them the ability to get that (without having to buy) a $3,000 package."
How does a plant handle that without driving up cost? "World-class manufacturing," says Cox.