Here's the Thing

My car won't start — now what? Advice for stranded motorists

(August 11, 2011) ORLANDO, Fla. (PRNewswire-USNewswire) — Many Americans rely on their cars for nearly every part of their life — to commute to work, to attend school, to run errands, to socialize with friends or to get away on vacation. AAA recognizes one of the most stressful things that can happen to a driver is to suddenly have their car not work.

Used car values to remain high for years, Kelley Blue Book predicts

(August 11, 2011) IRVINE, Calif. (PRNewswire) — Kelley Blue Book kbb.com predicts that the new-car sales and leasing slumps of recent years will impact used-car values for years to come

Current supply reductions, caused by the decline in new-car sales since 2008 and the drop in leasing throughout 2008, will play a very prominent role in the wholesale used-car market for years to come, as covered in the company's recently released Blue Book Market Report for August 2011.

Hyundai Sonata most researched vehicle on NADAguides in second quarter

(August 10, 2011) COSTA MESA, Calif. (PRNewswire) — NADAguides reported today that its Consumer Market Interest Report for the second quarter of 2011 showed a strong interest gain in Korean and Japanese models, led by the 2011 Hyundai Sonata.

The Sonata became the most researched vehicle on NADAguides.com in the second quarter with consumer interest growing by 49 percent.

CarWoo! says car prices decline in July

(August 11, 2011) BURLINGAME (PRNewswire) — According to CarWoo!, an  online marketplace for car buyers and sellers, prices for new car buyers improved 7% over June.  Nissan and Ford remained the discount leaders offering 10.38% and 8.38% discounts off MSRP respectively.

Shopper interest in trucks, SUVs remains high, AutoTrader reports

(August 9, 2011) ATLANTA (PRNewswire) — Two major trends were evident in AutoTrader.com's July Trend Engine report — shoppers continued to show interest in big trucks and SUVs despite relatively high gas prices, and the production shortages for new cars coupled with continued short supply of quality used cars have pushed asking prices higher across new, used and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles.

Edmunds advises car shoppers during market turmoil, credit rating downgrade

(August 9, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The downgrading of the U.S. credit rating and the decline of the stock market might have some consumers feeling nervous about the impact of those issues on their ability to buy a new car. Will interest rates be rising? Will car loans be available? Will the price of cars go up?

Fuel economy stays flat from June, up slightly compared to July 2010

(August 9, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. (PRNewswire) — TrueCar.com today provided actual fuel economy numbers from June light vehicle auto sales that indicate TrueMPG will increase to 21.6 mpg in July 2011 compared to 21.4 mpg in July 2010, but remain flat from June 2011 at 21.6 mpg.

2012 Hyundai Accent picked top back-to-school new car

(August 9, 2011) IRVINE, Calif. (PRNewswire) — The editors from Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com today named the 2011 Top 10 Back-to-School Cars.

In a new twist on an annual list published by Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, this year the editors chose five new cars and five used cars for the Top 10 list, and ranked their top choices from five to one in each category. The No. 1 new car for back-to-school 2011 is the 2012 Hyundai Accent, and the No. 1 used car for back-to-school 2011 is the 2007 Suzuki SX4.

Edmunds debunks automotive urban legends to save drivers money

(August 8, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — When motor oil turns black, is it no longer safe to use? Do you need to change your oil after 3,000 miles? Edmunds.com debunks automotive urban legends — and helps consumers save money — in a new article "Top 7 Urban Legends About Motor Oil."

"Oil in today's cars should be changed at the designated intervals in the owner's manual or when the car's oil life monitor light flashes," said Phil Reed, senior consumer advice editor at Edmunds.com.

Study finds high costs of driving weigh heavily on vehicle owners in Brazil

(August 7, 2011) SÃO PAULO — Among vehicle owners in Brazil, cost is a particularly dissatisfying element of vehicle ownership, especially among owners of the smallest vehicles — subcompact and compact cars — according to the J.D. Power do Brasil 2011 Brazil Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS).