How to Seal the Deal When Buying Your Next New or Sightly Used Car by James Hamel Buying a new is the second largest purchase anyone will ever make after buying a home. Since so much of your hard earned cash will be going towards this new ride full of all the latest toys and options don’t be afraid to demand the utmost in customer service. The same is true when you are buying a Certified Pre-Owned...[Read More]
Used Luxury Car Buying Guide: Acura TL (2004-2008) by James Hamel As the first TL to feature a design intended solely for the United States market, the third generation model sure did look a lot like an Italian Alfa Romeo 159 sedan from that era. But as sales figures for this model TL showed, that was no bad thing. For the years that it was on sale in the United States this was the best selling lu...[Read More]
2014 Toyota 4Runner vs. Sienna SE By James Hamel Yes, this may seem like the oddest idea for a comparison test but bear with us. Both the 4Runner and Sienna SE have three rows of seats (holding 7 in the SUV, 8 in the minivan), offer plenty of family friendly options and are the types of vehicles most Americans choose for transporting their loved ones. So which one suits you best? Well, we had the ...[Read More]
by James Hamel When Certified Pre-Owned automobile programs were first brought to the market years ago we, as automobile consumers, were still given no choice but to deal with the whims of the stereotypical “sleazy, polyester tie wearing used car salesmen” with little or no protections from their tricks. Back then, even if the “cherry used car” this individual forced you to test drive couldn’t go ...[Read More]
Used Sport Sedan Buying Guide: BMW 3-Series (2005-2011) By James Hamel Although the Ford Model-T might be the car that brought “motoring to the masses” in this country, it was not until BMW unveiled its iconic 3-series that we as a nation finally understood the concept of “automotive nirvana.” The 3-series redefined what drivers expected from their vehicles—it taught people that a practical sedan ...[Read More]
How to Lease the Car of Your Dreams with No Money Down by James Hamel Do you have an eye on a sporty BMW 335i but just can’t seem to scrape together the cash for the initial down payment? Many luxury car companies are offering very attractive monthly lease rates on their new models nowadays but that still means you usually have to come up with a huge wad of cash at the start of the deal. For examp...[Read More]
Used Hybrid Buying Guide: Toyota Prius (2004-2009) By James Hamel Toyota has sold millions of copies of its hybrid Prius and in doing so has revolutionized the auto industry. While even Toyota admits that hybrid drive technology (a gas engine and electric battery working together to optimize fuel economy) isn’t the final answer to the “green” question, most every automaker is now working on some s...[Read More]
Driven then Compared! The 2014 Honda Odyssey vs. 2014 Toyota Sienna SE by James Hamel Introduction Where many car companies are abandoning the minivan genre in favor of more politically and socially acceptable SUV crossovers, both Toyota and Honda pulled out all of the stops when redesigning their all new for 2014 models. Do realize this review speaks only of the SE variant of the 2014 Toyota Sien...[Read More]
Car Maintenance Tips: What to do if Your Car Breaks Down? By James Hamel We’ve all had it happen to us at least once. You go out to your car, usually at a time when you’re late to pick up the kids or need to be at an important meeting, and the engine won’t start. The standard reaction to this problem is to panic. At the very least you get a guttural churning sensation in your stomach that is far f...[Read More]
The Five Dumbest Car Names of All Time by James Hamel It is a tricky business finding a good name when the time comes to market your new product and it is no different in the auto industry. So many disastrous naming events have befallen automakers that it seems nowadays that they have given up coming up with names altogether. How many A4s and C300s and 328s and 525s and Q50s do there have to be on...[Read More]
Top Five Reasons Why Not to Buy a Hardtop Convertible by James Hamel Each year as summer arrives many people find themselves being overcome by the notion of owning a convertible. The purchase of a convertible car is the least practical automotive proposition bar perhaps a Lamborghini which in its defense also sells even less practical convertible versions of its cars. While you buy an SUV for you...[Read More]
Extended Car Warranty – Should I or Shouldn’t I? by James Hamel Automakers have been offering warranties for decades now, but it wasn’t until South Korean giant Hyundai started offering a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty that things got really competitive among automakers. Now even Mitsubishi and Chevrolet to name a few offer their own 100,000 mile programs. But even if you don̵...[Read More]