Archive for the ‘Shoppers’ Category

Although cars remain at near record levels of affordability, new-car buyers turned to more expensive vehicles this past quarter.

That's according to Comerica Bank's latest Auto Affordability Index, which looks at the number of weeks of family income needed to buy a new car. Overall in the second quarter of 2009, the average-priced new car took 22.1 weeks of median family income—versus 21.8 weeks in the first quarter—largely because the bank's tally of the average new light-vehicle price rose to $26,300, up from $26,000.

That might be taken as a sign of recovery, but it's most likely the result of more easily available financing, relative to...

In case you haven't noticed, diesel and gasoline prices have now reversed their trends of the past several years. Now diesel is considerably cheaper than regular unleaded in most spots. Here on the West Coast, gasoline is averaging about $2.95 while diesel is at $2.70, according to the federal government, and even nationally (including some eastern and Gulf Coast states where diesel is still more expensive) the difference is up to about two pennies a gallon.

And over the past several years, the U.S. market has started to overcome many of its former reservations about diesel vehicles. The vast majority of them are smooth running and easy to...

What causes a particular vehicle to depreciate more than another of the same make, model, and year?

According to ordinary car shoppers, vehicle mileage is seen as the top reason for depreciation, ranking above accident damage, maintenance records, and other issues such as flood damage or title issues.

The surprising results come from a quick survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted in June by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of the mega-dealer CarMax.

The most interesting tidbit: Women were more likely to recognize the impact that failure to properly maintain a vehicle can have on its value.

In a release, the company suggests that consumers...