In early March, Bob Lutz -- the auto industry’s colorful, outspoken, “ultimate car guy” -- announced he would step down from his position as General Motors vice-chairman on May 1. The Swiss-born Lutz, now 78, leaves behind a long legacy. He’s served in various executive positions at General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and BMW, and has always been a proponent of bold designs that
Most of us have been stopped by a police officer at some point, usually for a minor infraction like speeding or an expired registration. And of course, all of us have seen movie and TV depictions of the cop who is stoic but unfailingly polite as he hands out a $200 ticket. It's nerve-wracking, but many of us have long held onto the belief that the 5- to 10-mph cushion of speed over the limit, long
There are few things more nerve-wracking, or more anxiety-producing for even the most law-abiding driver, than seeing the flashing red and blue lights of a police car in your rear-view mirror. It doesn't always have to be a harrowing experience, even if you know that you were driving well over the speed limit, or that your registration is expired, or heaven forbid, you've had a few too many cockta
It should come as no surprise that carmakers are working to reduce their carbon footprint. What will surprise you is the manner in which they're doing it: Plastic detergent bottles, old milk carton and faded blue jeans are just some of ingredients that are already going into the production of your car today. The recycling of older materials will only increase. Whereas the use of 'green' materials
All things must pass, a wise man once wrote. And, so it must pass with the venerable Ford Crown Victoria – both for everyday car buyers and for police officers. After 15 years of dominating the police-cruiser market, the Crown Vic will retire in late 2011. That means police agencies all over the country will have some decisions to make, since about 85 percent of the 75,000 police cars curren
Top 20 Selling Vehicles Model OverviewGet a QuoteFord F-SeriesPrice QuoteToyota CamryPrice QuoteHonda CivicPrice QuoteHonda AccordPrice QuoteToyota CorollaPrice QuoteChevrolet SilveradoPrice QuoteFord FocusPrice QuoteFord EscapePrice QuoteNissan AltimaPrice QuoteToyota PriusPrice QuoteHonda CR-VPrice QuoteDodge RamPrice QuoteFord FusionPrice QuoteToyota RAV4Price QuoteChevrolet MalibuPrice QuoteCh
It’s true. You can get paid to drive your own car – whether to work, to church, to your kids’ soccer games or any of your other normal destinations. You won’t get rich doing this, mind you, but in these recessionary times, taking in an extra $300 to $900 a month can definitely come in handy for a lot of folks. These "brand driver" promotions are run by a special segment of
Okay, you've decided what model of car you want to buy. And you know, more or less, how much you want to spend -- or how much you can afford. You've kicked tires, talked to salesmen, taken a few shiny new numbers for a test-drive and you're ready to make the deal. Except, you're not quite done. You still need to decide whether to buy any of those "extras" that your salesperson will always suggest.
As America moves closer to what many hope is an energy-consumption future that will rely less on carbon-based fuels and more on alternative and / or bio-fuels, some disagreements are naturally going to arise along the way. And, there have already been plenty – most of which pit proponents of one proposed alt-fuel technology (say, hybrids or plug-ins) against another (like, for example, clean
Well, it was bound to happen. The high-tech arms race has escalated once again. No, we're not talking about military weaponry. We're talking about the tech-driven cat-and-mouse game between law-enforcement agencies and motorists when it comes to setting and avoiding speed traps. It all started, of course, with the radar guns used by police officers to detect speeders. Then came radar detectors use
I recently attended my first Tail Fin show. I don't know if this is one of the rites of passage that, in Detroit, anyway, signify when a boy truly becomes a man. In fact, I'm pretty sure it isn't, since I am middle-aged. But I did feel just a bit more masculine after coming in such close contact to all of those flying, aggressive-looking tail fins (some of which look like they could have been used
In Pictures: Rock Stars And Their Cars A lot of music fans like their road machines the way like they like their rock n’ roll: loud, fast, and sometimes flashy. Indeed, a connection been car culture and rock culture was forged early on, in the time when R&B was first evolving into rock n’ roll. When rock music first came along in the early-to-mid-1950s, it was also a time when car
Every so often, some magazine or website publishes a list of "The Top 10 Songs About Cars & Driving," or something along those lines. These lists can be entertaining, and often stir up memories of our youth, and of the car songs that we all remember. Except that's part of the problem -- it seems like it's always the same 10 songs or so. And the list is almost always confined to those songs that we
In these recessionary times -- and they don't appear to be going away any time soon -- everyone's ears perk up when they hear about new ways to save money on the cost of owning and operating an automobile. So consumers will be happy to know that, in many states, drivers are able to take online "driving courses" that can lead to significant cuts in auto-insurance premiums and other costs. These onl
As the economy continues to slump, and as more consumers are foregoing the purchase of new cars and hanging on to their old ones, the cost of auto repairs is becoming a hotter topic than ever. Even before the current economic crisis, the conventional wisdom (for whatever that's worth) was that repairs were less costly at independent repair shops than at dealerships. Countering that truism was the
President Obama signed into law The Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save and Act (CARS) H.R. 2751, a.k.a the "Cash for Clunkers" bill, which should go some way toward stimulating new car sales in the U.S. Gallery: See List of Eligible New Cars for Cash for Clunkers The measure offers vouchers of up to $4,500 to vehicle owners to trade in their old, gas-guzzling cars and trucks for new models th
If you get an "alarming" phone call, post card or letter that tells you your car warranty is about to expire, and that you need to lay out a sizeable amount of cash to keep that from happening -- well, the chances are very good that you're not going to get what you paid for. Indeed, an investigation is currently underway in more than 40 states that is looking into alleged unethical business practi
Most consumers are aware that new-vehicle sales continue to limp along, as the overall economy keeps struggling to climb out of its months-long doldrums. But, in the wake of plummeting new-vehicle sales, there is one segment of the auto-biz that is actually seeing an increase in business -- auto maintenance and repair. Which figures, actually. With so many consumers worried about their jobs, or al
Safety is always a topic of interest to car buyers -- especially when it involves the safety of children inside the cars. That part of the car-safety equation drew even more attention in late March, when the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will create a new consumer program to help parents and caregivers find a child car seat that best fits their vehicle. The announcement came after
In our previous story on the "Buy American" debate, several consumers and a UAW official said that buying American cars during this time of crisis for the Big Three was an act of "economic patriotism." But there is another angle to the "Buy American" debate. That is the broader context of the ever-climbing unemployment rates across all American industries. During this time of massive unemployment,
Have you ever heard of someone having their car "totaled"? While the word might conjure images of a massive car accident, replete with broken glass and the Jaws of Life, the reality is sometimes far removed. In fact, there are many accidents that produce structural damage such that the vehicle's frame is bent, even though the exterior of the car might even look drivable. Typically these cars are "
