Cash For Clunkers in Seattle

After the recent announcement that the Cash for Clunkers program was active again, we at Seattle Auto have been fielding lots of emails from visitors wondering if their car was eligible. To be honest, even we were unsure of how the program worked, so we did a little research and here’s what we found out.
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Seattle Car Drivers are Spending Less Time in Traffic?

Gas prices go up, more people out of work equals fewer folks on the road? It would seem to make sense. And according to a national study done by the Texas Transportation Institute, those factors have caused for less congestion around the country. Read more

Best Convertible Cars for Seattle

You don’t live in Southern California. You don’t live in Florida. You live in the state of Washington where it rains a good 200 plus days a year (give or take some crazy summer). So when it comes to looking at buying a convertible car in Seattle, you ARE taking a chance. Rag top or hard top? The answer is simple, considering the convertible will be closed most of time, better make it a hard top. Read more

11th Annual Seattle Art Car Blowout

Kelly, director of Seattle Art Cars, is inviting the Seattle car and art community to come out and experience the art cars! Held at the Fremont Fair from June 20th to 21st, the show is a unique and entertaining exhibit of decorated cars that are both wacky and amazing.
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Tips for Keeping a Car Clean in Seattle

If you’re a Northwesterner trying to explain the Northwest experience to someone who doesn’t live here, here’s a fact that always seems to et a raised eyebrow:

People here wash their cars in the rain.

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Car Rentals Tips From a Traveling Journalist Part III

Sometimes we forget the basic common sense and/or courtesy rules when we’re in the happy haze of being away from home. Remembering what your parents drilled into when you first got your license, can save you from car rental hell.

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In the Car with the Go2Dog

I drive around with my dog a lot. And when I say “a lot,” I mean most all of the time. So much that when I don’t take him, he looks at me with that “Where-in-the-heck-are-you-going-without-me look.” Read more

Car Rental Tips From a Traveling Journalist Part II

We’ve read about upgrades and downgrades, but you yourself can avoid car rentals disasters by using some common sense.

The more you’ve rented a car, the more you can learn. Here are two memorable debacles. Read more

Will the PUMA Purr for Seattle Car Buyers?

Are Seattle Car Dealers Getting Desperate?

“I got my Civic at $100 over invoice!” beams Leonard L., a Redmond resident who picked up a new 2009 Honda Civic earlier this year. Leonard is among the growing group of recent car buyers who have snagged up great deals as local Seattle car dealerships have begun feeling the economic recession.

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Updated! Great Deals for Seattle Car Buyers

If you’re looking to buy a car sometime soon, here are some deals to consider. Be warned many dealers will make up for these savings by trying to sell you other items you may not need. Luxury items and options in the finance office such as sealant or warranties are classic examples.

Don’t forget to take a look at some of the protection incentives from Ford and GM. These will essentially pay your monthly car payment if you lose your job. Be aware that each car maker has different rules for their plans, such as owning the vehicle for a few months before it actually kicks in.

If you don’t like the dealership experience, check out the SeattleAuto.net buying service, as we have teamed up with a customer focused auto buyer. Email cam@seattleauto.net with the make, model, year, and color you are looking for. The more specific you are the better help we can give you. We can find essentially any new/used car at a great price and you won’t have to step foot into a dealership.

Here are some great deals that will come to an end this month.

Buick, GMC,
Cadillac,Chevrolet,
HUMMER, Pontiac,
Saturn, Saab- 0%  APR financing for up to 60 months on many models.  New GM Total Confidence Plan includes payment protection, some protection against negative equity.  Expires: 4/30/09

Ford- 0 % APR  financing for up to 60 months, plus rebates up to $5000 on many 2009s, plus payment protection under new Ford Advantage Plan- Expires: 6/30/09

Toyota- Many models have 0% financing and cash back offers. However deals vary depending on region. Cash back rebates can reach up to $4000 on certain models- Expires: 4/30/09

Mazda- 0 – 0.9% APR financing for 36 months, can also be combined for cash back offers on certain models- Expires: 4/30/09

BMW- 0.9% APR financing (up to 60 months), plus no payments for 60 days on most 2009 models Expires:  5/31/09

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep- Employee Pricing Plus Plus sale – 0 % APR financing for 36 months, plus employee pricing discounts, plus cash back offers varying by model

Volkswagen-0% APR financing (60 months) on 2009 Passat Wagon, Routan, and Toureg 3.9% APR financing on most models- Expires: 4/30/09

 

Cars that Are Selling…or Are They?

Seattle drivers, for the most part, are smart. They follow the beat of their own drum and rarely do we follow any type of national trend. But seeing between the lines of national statistics can tell you a lot.Take into consideration the Top 15 Cars Americans Are Still Buying by Forbes.com.

Numbers can be deceiving. They can be manipulated to serve a purpose by just about anyone. In terms of the Forbes story they used recent sales numbers provided by Autodata based on sales each month. They compared the number of sales from February 2008 and February 2009. But take it with a grain of salt. While individual models made gains, it wasn’t enough to save the overall losses by the company.

According to the Forbes.com story written by Hannah Elliot:

Despite the gains, individual models don’t reflect the industry at large; most of the cars with the strongest gains come from brands that lost ground last month. Audi’s A5 and S5 coupes, for instance, gained 28.6% in sales from February 2008, but the brand declined 24.4% in overall sales. Models like the Audi A3 (down 51.6% in February), Audi A6 (down 47.5% in February) and Audi A8 (down 67.5% in February) did more than their part to drag Audi down.

Similarly, the Nissan 350Z’s 33% gain couldn’t fully mitigate the brand’s 37.1% loss compared to February 2008. All told, only Kia (0.4%), Smart (28.5%) and >Subaru (1.4%) posted overall gains last month over February 2008.

Manipulation of individual numbers is a good way to avoid the doom and gloom of the overall auto industry. Take the BMW M3 convertible, according to last years sales there was only one sold in February 2008! All they had to do was sell two and it would’ve doubled their sales for 2009.

Therefore, the best thing to do is eliminate the sales that are less than 1,000 and take a look at the rest. When you do that, what’s left is a better overall picture of cars that sold better to the masses.

If you go by that method, Hyundai is making a lot of waves this year with the Genesis, Elantra, and Accent. This isn’t the first “top” list they’ve made this year. Check out these individual sales for Hyundai models in the United States from last year to this year.

Hyundai Accent
MSRP: $9,970

February 2009 sales: 4,334
February 2008 sales: 3,335
Increase: 30.0%

Hyundai Elantra
MSRP: $14,120

February 2009 sales: 8,978
February 2008 sales: 6,750
Increase: 33.0%

See the entire article and list at Forbes.com.

The Best 2009 Cars for the Money

Everyone is looking for value. Gone are the days when you spend too much on features and buy something loaded with items you don’t need. The Seattle area driver for the most part is smart. In today’s Seattle car market, most people looking to purchase a vehicle are educated, and aren’t willing to spend frivolously. Read more

Ten Easy Tips for Defensive Driving

You’ve heard the term defensive driving tossed around a lot, but what does it really mean? Many people conjure up images of a slow, hesitant driver that only drives in the right lane and signals a block before turning. In reality, defensive driving is a set of good habits on top of your existing driver skills.
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Top 5 Speeding Ticket Cars

Nothing ruins a day faster than a seeing the blue and red lights of a police or highway patrol car in your rearview mirror. Little did you know the car that you’re driving has something to do with it.
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