Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/08/city-of-detroit-paying-608-per-month-to-lease-2004-dodge-intrep/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/08/city-of-detroit-paying-608-per-month-to-lease-2004-dodge-intrep/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/08/city-of-detroit-paying-608-per-month-to-lease-2004-dodge-intrep/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Dodge Intrepid Police Car

What can you even say to defend a financial decision like this one? According to a report by Detroit's WXYZ television news team, the City of Detroit has been leasing a 2004 Dodge Intrepid since September 2003, over six years after the original two-year-lease expired. Since the City did not return the car, it has continued to make the $608 per month lease payments, even as it racked up miles well beyond the 40,000 in the original agreement, for which it now must pay 15 cents per mile. According to the report, the City has spent over $65,000 for the car, which it doesn't even own.

But that's not all. WXYZ says that Detroit has 110 of these expired lease agreements on 2004 through 2007 models, and all of the cars are still on the road, wasting money with every tick of the odometer. And remember, the City still has to turn in all 110 cars, and pay for excess wear and tear. An estimate of the city's losses incurred by this leasing scheme is well over $4 million, according to the report. The cars are all being used by the Detroit Police Department, and though they're not quite full-zoot police cruisers like the 2002 Intrepid pictured above, they see action for undercover work. That means it's not just the taxpayers who are getting a bad deal here, but the cops themselves, as we're pretty sure none of them are particularly happy to be out risking their lives in an eight-year-old Dodge.

If we can attempt to find the faintest silver lining to this epic thunderstorm of mismanagement, it would be that perhaps in the publicity sure to follow, a few of Detroit's residents might better understand why and how leasing can cost more than financing a new car purchase. And at least the City of Detroit has been using these cars, rather than leaving them in a parking structure to sit and rot. Scroll down for a video report from WXYZ.

Continue reading City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video]

City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 May 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car leasingcity of detroitdetroitdodgeexpired leaseintrepidTue, 08 May 2012 10:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20233101/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/08/city-of-detroit-paying-608-per-month-to-lease-2004-dodge-intrep/20233101/article-detail.xml 20233101 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/2002-dodge-intrepid-police-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/2002-dodge-intrepid-police-opt.jpg <![CDATA[GM's biggest hurdle to recruiting new talent? Finding people to live in Detroit]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/27/gms-biggest-hurdle-to-recruiting-new-talent-finding-people-to/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/27/gms-biggest-hurdle-to-recruiting-new-talent-finding-people-to/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/27/gms-biggest-hurdle-to-recruiting-new-talent-finding-people-to/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ruins of Detroit

Believe it or not, there was once a time when Detroit was a hustling and bustling urban metropolis - a desirable city in which to live. Today? Sure, there are some hardcore Detroit supporters, and there are certainly nice areas in and around Detroit to call home, but the truth is that the United States population at large doesn't have Detroit high on its list of places to relocate.

Part of the reason Detroit doesn't make an attractive home is that the city's finances are hardly in order. In fact, as pointed out by The Detroit News, the city is negotiating with the State of Michigan to avoid a takeover of the city. Even though a consent agreement is possible, none of this helps Detroit-based corporations like General Motors lure workers into the city's borders.

Current GM CEO Dan Akerson said in an interview that he hopes his company can contribute to Detroit's revival, but "wouldn't pretend to know what the best solution is." Neither would we. Like Akerson, though, we hope the home of the Big Three gets back on its feet with as much solidity as the automakers seem to have managed.

GM's biggest hurdle to recruiting new talent? Finding people to live in Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>akersoncity of detroitdan akersondetroitdetroit hiringdetroit jobsgeneral motorsgmTue, 27 Mar 2012 13:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20201354/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/03/27/gms-biggest-hurdle-to-recruiting-new-talent-finding-people-to/20201354/article-detail.xml 20201354 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/detroit-ruins_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/detroit-ruins.jpg <![CDATA[Lit Up: GM RenCen wants more LED signs]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/27/lit-up-gm-rencen-wants-more-led-signs/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/27/lit-up-gm-rencen-wants-more-led-signs/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/27/lit-up-gm-rencen-wants-more-led-signs/#commentsFiled under: ,

GM Renaissance Center

General Motors is looking to deck the Renaissance Center in more LED lighting, according to a report from The Detroit Free Press. The manufacturer has already installed one ring of the colored lights at the top of its tower and has petitioned the City of Detroit to allow the building to be fitted with vertical LED strips along the exterior elevator of the main tower. GM also wants the city to relax its signage regulations to allow it to scroll messages across the sign at the top of the center tower.

GM says that the changes will remain very professional and won't make the RenCen look like a casino, as some locals have fretted. Part of that fear is based in the fact that the LED decorations are far brighter than traditional signage illumination, which makes the additions stand out against the Detroit skyline. But that may change soon. The owners of neighboring structures are currently looking into LEDs for their own use. So far, Detroit hasn't implied whether or not the city will agree to the GM requests.

Lit Up: GM RenCen wants more LED signs originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city of detroitdetroitgeneral motorsgmledled lightingled lightsrenaissance centerrencenTue, 27 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20066484/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/09/27/lit-up-gm-rencen-wants-more-led-signs/20066484/article-detail.xml 20066484 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/09/rencen-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/09/rencen-628.jpg -1 2