Editorial archive

November 2018

Gas price average drops to cheapest levels since April

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(November 6, 2018) At $2.76, the national gas price average is at its cheapest in six months, according to AAA. On the week, motorists in every state but Hawaii are paying as much as a nickel less to fill-up. Today’s national average is six cents less than a week ago,15-cents less than a month ago but  24-cents more than a year ago. As demand continues to drop, gas prices could get even cheaper.

New-car interest rates hit 6 percent mark for first time in 10 years

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(November 5, 2018) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Tightening credit conditions continued to squeeze consumer wallets in October, according to the car shopping experts at Edmunds. The annual percentage rate (APR) on new financed vehicles averaged 6.2 percent in October, a 1.3 percent increase from a year ago, a 2 percent increase from five years ago, and the highest level on record since January 2009.

2018 Buick Regal GS — Replanting Buick's flag in performance arena

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By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(November 4, 2018) “That's not a Buick,” were the first words about the 2018 Buick Regal GS out of the mouth of one of the valets at my favorite downtown hangout as he waved the key fob at me. “I had to look around for a minute to find it. I never believed those commercials,” he continued referring to Buick's current TV campaign with people unable to identify the brand's vehicles. “But they are dead on!”

No small decision — IIHS used car lists help families choose safest vehicles

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(November 2, 2018) When it's time for a new driver's first set of wheels, many young people and their parents opt for something cute and inexpensive — in other words, small. In terms of safety, that's a mistake. IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) recently conducted a pair of front-to-front crash tests demonstrating what happens to small cars and minicars — even new ones with stellar safety ratings — when they collide with larger used vehicles from the same manufacturer.

All-new 2019 VW Jetta — Perfectly sufficient for most drivers

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By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(November 1, 2018) Lately, Volkswagen, the people’s car brand, has been spending a lot of time and effort on their excellent SUV products like the recently introduced mid-sized Atlas and completely restyled and redesigned compact Tiguan. They’ve also been making a lot of noise relative to their goal of rolling out 80 new electric cars across its multi-brand group within the next six years. VW says they will invest more than $24 billion in that effort.

Average new-car prices up 3 percent year-over-year

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(November 1, 2018) IRVINE, Calif. — The analysts at Kelley Blue Book today reported the estimated average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States was $37,007 in October. New-vehicle prices increased by $1,118 (up 3.1 percent) from October 2017, while remaining flat (down 0.2 percent) from last month.  

"October was a strong month for transaction prices, as the new-car average rose 3 percent," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book.