Check this out. It's Auto-Armageddon! From BusinessWeek:

"It was like somebody turned the lights off in October," said GM sales and marketing chief Mark LaNeve. According to GM, October, after adjusting according to sales per capita, was the worst month for sales in the post-World War II era. It was worse even than sales in September and October after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against New York and Washington in 2001. "In my 27 years in the business, I've never seen a month like this," said an exasperated LaNeve.

The declines aren't limited to U.S. brands. "The carnage was completely widespread," said GM's LaNeve. Toyota (TM), despite huge ad spending and zero-percent financing, reported a sales drop of 23%. Nissan (NSANY) was off 33%. Hyundai was down 31%. Suzuki was down 44%. Luxury makes weren't spared. Mercedes-Benz (DAI) was down 26% and BMW was off 10%.

We find it just shocking that that annoying-as-hell "Saved By Zero" commercial that Toyota is mercilessly force-feeding hapless football fans isn't working. Don't you?

Auto Sales Worst Since 1983 [BusinessWeek]
Stop Playing Toyota's "Saved By Zero" Commercial [Facebook]
Toyota Won't Stop Saved By Zero Ads Despite Pleas From Thousands Of Facebookers [Jalopnik]

I wanted to follow up with you about my situation with Advantage Rent-A-Car and the "diminution of value" charge. I called Lauren Wilson [the director of sales and Marketing]. Lauren listened to my story, took down my info, and said she would look into it and get back to me.

Within minutes, she emailed me saying that she had spoken with the Chairman and Owner of the company, Denny Hecker, and that he was interested in speaking with me. We scheduled a call for the following day.

When I spoke with Denny he was polite and understanding. He understood my frustration, but was concerned about my perception that "diminution of value" was a scam. He explained that when cars are damaged, they are unable to sell them back to the dealer under their contracts, and that they can lose money. I listened, explained that I understood the principle, but that I felt that the charges were unreasonably high. Denny said that he wanted to look into the situation on his end, which was understandable since the issue had just been brought to his attention the day before.

Long story short, Denny and I spoke again and Denny decided that he was going to wave the entire thing - not just the ~$2500 in diminution of value, but the ~$4500 in repair charges as well. He said that customers are very important to him, and that he wanted to ensure that I left a happy customer. I thanked him, but insisted that I (through Visa) cover the damages to the vehicle. After all, the vehicle was damaged and I had no problem being responsible for the physical damage. Denny and I had a laugh, he explained that he wouldn't turn my money down, but that he wanted to be clear that he was willing to walk away from the the entire thing. That it was that important to him. I said I understood, but would pay the damages, just not the diminution of value. Done.

While obviously I would have preferred to have never gone through this, I was impressed with the way Lauren and Denny handled it. At the end of the day everyone makes mistakes, people and businesses, and in many cases what's important is how the mistakes are handled. Advantage's mistake here was contracting with Subrogation Management Team, which profits off Advantage's customers, and not keeping close tabs in the impact this has on their reputation. In this case, in my opinion, Advantage made a mistake but when confronted with it, Denny went above and beyond by offering to wave the entire charge, including the physical damage. He also indicated that he would be reviewing their relationship with SMT.

All-in-all I will probably give Advantage Rent-a-Car another shot and rent from them again, though this time I will probably buy the insurance :)

It's always interesting to see how the people at the top behave when confronted with unfair business practices. Now if only they could find a way to pass that one-to-one sense of customer service downstream to every customer.

We're glad Paul was able to get the outrageous $2500 charge waived, because it was calculated by assuming that 49 hours in the shop somehow equaled 22 days of labor. We just hope that whether the fault lies with Subrogation Management or Advantage, they fix it so others aren't hit with the same high fees.

(Thanks to Paul and Debbie!)
(Photo: Getty)

"Why GM cant sell cars: What employee pricing cant fix" [www.schiffner.com]
(Photo: spcummings)

Maybe you should tap into your home's equity and buy a couple while they're so affordable! Ha ha, we kid.

"Incentives: GM Employee Pricing Sale" [KickingTires]
(Photo: Getty)

In March of 2007 our civil suit attorney contacted Dan Wolf. Dan Wolf owns Toyota of Naperville and other dealerships in the chicagoland area. Dan Wolf immediately fired Mr. James V Gentile in March 2007.... Toyota of Naperville has been served in November of 2007. Mr. James V Gentile aka Jim was hard to serve. Finally April of 2008 he got his papers...

Update on the criminal case... The states attorney has counted 19 blocked phone calls going to my cell phone from his home phone and his cell phone! Starting December 2005 and ending April 2006. Some how the jerk is having his attorney ( James Moore office of Rockford,IL) to pull off getting the case continued. The latest stunt they pulled was this... Court date in April was continued to June 12th because his attorney told the states attorney that he will take the plea. I was happy and I thought maybe there is some good in this man. But no, I get a call from the states attorney on June 12th to come down to the court house to testify! I could not believe it! So I went down to the court house and met with the States Attorney only to be told it will be continued due to the judge assigned to the case is on Vacation! The next court date is set for August 7th, but I am not going to count on it!

To the dealerships out in the Chicagoland area, if you have him as an employee, watch out, he maybe doing this to your customers! To the public, if he is your salesman, please beware of what kind of person he is!

The wheels of consumer justice grind slowly, and they grind exceedingly small.*

Read previous updates to this thread here.

(Photo: Beth and Christian)

* with hat tip to Friedrich von Logau(with hat tip to Friedrich von Logau

Gillis calculated that at $4 a gallon, over 10,000 miles, an improvement from 12 mpg to 13 mpg would save $256. For the owner of a 33 mpg car to save that much, mileage would have to go up to 40 mpg, he said.

Here's how it works.

A couple drives a 25 mpg sedan. They trade it for a 50 mpg hybrid, a 25 mpg improvement.

A family with mom, dad and three kids has a 10 mpg SUV to haul everyone around. They trade it for a 20 mpg station wagon, a 10 mpg improvement.

Sounds like the couple did better, at least in miles per gallon.

But lets look at gallons per miles.

At 25 mpg the couple burned 400 gallons over a year and their new 50 mpg hybrid cuts that to 200 gallons. They save 200 gallons.

At 10 mpg the family's SUV burns 1,000 gallons of gas a year. At 20 mpg the station wagon burns 500 gallons — they save 500 gallons, much better than the couple.

Obviously you stand to save the most with the most efficient car. In the above example, though, you're spending so much on gas for that big vehicle that cutting your consumption in half can save you $2,000 a year. It's worth keeping this in mind if you've been assuming it's cheaper to stick with your old 10 mpg vehicle, or if you're car shopping on a limited budget and tempted to disregard modest fuel efficiency ratings.

"Seeking better gas mileage? Think backwards" [CNN]
"The MPG Illusion" (subscribers only) [Science]
(Photo: Getty)

2000 Honda Insight MPG: 51
Estimated cost: $4,760 - $6,350

2004 - '06 Toyota Prius MPG: 44
Estimated cost: $15,000 - $20,775

2001 - '03 Toyota Prius MPG: 41
Estimated cost: $6,700 - $13,225

2000 - '05 Toyota Echo MPG: 38
Estimated cost: $3,260 - $10,325

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid MPG: 37
Estimated cost: N/A

2006 Honda Civic Hybrid/EX MPG: 37/31
Estimated cost: $12,270 - $20,350

2007 Honda Fit Sport (manual) MPG: 34
Estimated cost: N/A

2007 Toyota Yaris Liftback and sedan MPG: 34/33
Estimated cost: N/A

1998 - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm MPG: 32
Estimated cost: $2,475 - $2,475

1998 Mazda Protege LX MPG: 32
Estimated cost: $1,690 - $3,925

1998 - 2000 Toyota Corolla CE/LE MPG: 32/31
Estimated cost: $2,245 - $5,900


1991 - 2001 Acura Integra MPG: 32
Estimated cost: $3,255 - $14,700

2005 - '06 Scion xB (manual/auto) MPG: 32/30
Estimated cost: $8,250 - $14,175

2004 - '05 Scion xA (auto/manual) MPG: 31/30
Estimated cost: $7,725 - $11,200


2004 - '07 Mazda3 (manual) MPG: 30
Estimated cost: $10,085 - $20,025

2006 Mini Cooper (manual) MPG: 30
Estimated cost: $16,660 - $24,7500

16 sweet used fuel sippers [CNN Money]

It looks like Toyota is attempting to avoid both an official recall and any sort of class-action suit by being pro-active in dealing with the problem vehicles, which is not a bad thing. The opportunity to make a profit off the purchase of your vehicle hassle-free is likely PR and not standard operating procedure, but it's a smart way to lure Tacoma owners in for the free inspection. "This is not a recall," writes the Toyota exec on their blog. "What's important is that we take care of our owners. We just thought you should know that.

"Living Up to Our Commitment" [Toyota Blog] (Thanks to Mark!)

RELATED
"Rusty Toyota Tacoma? Toyota May Buy Back Your Truck For 150% The Value" [Jalopnik]

Dear Consumerist,
 
I just got off a red faced phone conversation with Budget Truck Rental's head of corporate customer service "Wayne" and I thought I would share the conversation. I rented a truck from Budget to pickup 3/9 so I could move some furniture. I live in Kentucky and rented the truck 150 miles away in Indianapolis.
 
When I showed up to pickup my truck, at 1:30, the store was closed even though the posted hours stated they were to be open for another half hour. So I was stranded without a truck 150 miles away from home. Still hoping to salvage the day I called the Budget 1800 number to try to find another truck.
 
Budget's customer service said they were terribly sorry for my inconvenience and said they would find me another truck right away and give me a discount. Two hours later they were unable to locate a single Budget truck in a 50 mile radius and said that they would still send me compensation for my trouble. They discussed giving me a $75 MasterCard gift card since I was already going to be out one of these anyway since I rented the truck during a MasterCard promotion.
 
Two weeks go by and still no "compensation" but I do get a $50 fee show up on my credit card statement from Budget. I called Budget to see what this was about and they said it was a no show fee since I never picked up my truck... lets rewind here I didn't pick up my truck? After a half hour of debating I get up to corporate and finally get my $50 refunded but they said they never promised any compensation and that my online truck rental in no way guarantees a truck but only a rate.
 
So not only did I not get any compensation but they also erroneously charged me $50 dollars and I got to be out 300 miles worth of driving. So moral of the story if you are rent from Budget you may get royally screwed.

"The cases where we've found substantial shortage on all nozzles leads us to believe it's a good possibility it might prove to be deliberate. If it's deliberate, we're going to bring criminal charges," the commissioner promised.

Those charges may mean prosecution, plus fines that Irvin says could hit $1,000 for every gas customer allegedly cheated by these stations.

Staff members at the Georgia Department of Agriculture have contacted their counterparts in Florida, Irvin said, so the Sunshine State can keep a close eye on stations south of the border.

I live in Florida, and frequently drive up to this Cisco gas station just over the line in Georgia for cheaper gas. Usually this place is booming, they have probably close to 100 pumps, a convenience store, and a few restaurants. Yesterday, it was a ghost town. The state has shut them down for ripping off customers and found the regulatory seals on the pumps had been broken. I had suspected something was up, as my car was consistently taking more to fill up from empty when using their pumps. Greed=0 Consumers=1

(Thanks to Jay!)

"Investigators Freeze Hot Spot for Gas Across the Georgia Border" [First Coast News]

• Myth 1: Buying is cheaper than leasing — as a rule, this is usually true only if you "keep a car well past the day the loan is paid off (or you paid cash to begin with)." If you trade in the car before the loan is paid off, leasing may be a cheaper route.
• Myth 2: It's nearly impossible to negotiate a good buy — in fact, you can negotiate a better deal if you learn some of the basic terminology (like capitalized cost, money factor and residual value) and ask the dealer to show you several deals from different banks.
• Myth 3: Only businesses get tax breaks — Solheim says individuals can get them, too: "In most states, you pay sales tax only on the monthly payments, not the sale price of the vehicle." The exceptions: Arkansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, and Virginia.
• Myth 4: You may have to pay hefty fees when turning in the car — Solheim just says that you can negotiate a higher monthly fee for a larger mileage limit if you need it "and still save money."
• Myth 5: If you want out early, you're stuck — there are now websites where people who want out of leases early meet up with people who want short term lease, so everybody wins!

"Five Myths on Leasing a Car" [Kiplinger]
(Photo: Getty)

"We probably have to take a lot of weight out of the vehicles. We will have to use some premium materials like more aluminum, more magnesium," Lutz said. "Which gets you the weight savings but drives the cost up."

Not that the Accord is a bad buy—other than fuel economy, the new Accord "easily outperformed all the other vehicles in this test group—and achieved an "Excellent" overall road test score." (We don't know if they're including last year's Altima test as part of the group.)

The Altima also came out on top in the budget-priced category:

The four-cylinder Altima also claimed the top spot in CR's ranking of 15 Affordable Family sedans, with a much wider, six-point margin over the Accord [four-cylinder LX-P]. The Kia Optima EX and Toyota Camry LE are ranked third and fourth in that category.

"There are buyers for whom, that's the vehicle they still want, for what their needs are, and gas prices won't deter everyone," says Stephanie Brinley, senior manager for product analysis at Tustin (Calif.)-based AutoPacific.

Want more quotes? President Bush said today, in defense of the EPA's decision, "Is it more effective to let each state make a decision as to how to proceed in curbing greenhouse gases? Or is it more effective to have a national strategy?" Okay, that doesn't add much to the discussion, so we'll go back to Schwarzenegger:

"It is disappointing that the federal government is standing in our way and ignoring the will of tens of millions of people across the nation," Mr. Schwarzenegger said. "We will continue to fight this battle."

He added, "California sued to compel the agency to act on our waiver, and now we will sue to overturn today's decision and allow Californians to protect our environment."

"Schwarzenegger: California will sue federal government" [CNN]
"E.P.A. Says 17 States Can't Set Emission Rules" [New York Times]

Automakers are currently required to achieve fuel efficiency of 27.5 mpg for cars, and 22.2 mpg for light trucks, minivans, and SUVs. The Senate voted to raise fuel efficiency standards in June, but opposition from Detroit's favorite spokesman, Michigan Congressman John Dingell, delayed House assent until now.

The package nearly fell apart this week when Mr. Dingell insisted on leaving sole authority to regulate automobile mileage standards with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an arm of the Transportation Department. That would have weakened the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and the states, led by California, to regulate auto emissions of carbon dioxide, which are in large measure a function of the amount of fuel burned.

Federal court rulings this year have decided this so-called pre-emption issue in favor of the E.P.A. and the states, decisions that Mr. Dingell hoped to undo by Congressional action. The traffic safety administration has had authority over fuel-efficiency standards since 1975 but has not imposed any significant increase since 1985. The E.P.A. is currently writing rules to comply with a Supreme Court ruling this year that gave it the authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions and is weighing an application by California and 14 other states to set their own emissions standard.

The authority of the E.P.A. to regulate tailpipe emissions and the right of California and other states to set their own, higher standards were considered deal-breakers by Ms. Pelosi and her fellow California Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican governor of California, weighed in late in the week to tell negotiators that he would oppose the bill if the Mr. Dingell's preemption language stayed in.

Mrs. Pelosi and Democratic leaders in the Senate rejected Mr. Dingell's preemption effort, but softened the blow by agreeing to allow the car companies to retain a credit for vehicles capable of running on a blend of gasoline and ethanol. That credit was set to expire in 2008 but now will begin to decline in 2014 and be eliminated entirely by 2020.

Lawmakers Set Deal on Raising Fuel Efficiency [NYT]
(Photo: *USB*)

1. Corvette (50%)
2. Honda Civic Sedan (52%)
3. Infiniti G37 (52%)
4. Mini Cooper (52%)
5. Scion tC (52%)
6. Scion xB (52%)
7. Toyota Corolla (52%)
8. Volkswagen Eos (52%)
9. Volkswagen Jetta (51%)
10. Volkswagen Rabbit (51%)

It might seem a little odd that Volkswagen has three cars on the list, considering their "spotty reputation for reliability - the brand fairs poorly in J.D. Powers' annual rankings of long-term dependability." On the other hand, "Volkswagen's certified pre-owned program, recently rated the best by Intellichoice.com, may help boost resale values in the long term."

"Top 10 best resale value cars" [CNNMoney]
(Photo: Getty)

The woman "was arrested on suspicion of filing a false vehicle theft report with intent to deceive and falsely reporting a crime to a peace officer." No word yet on whether she'll be charged for insurance fraud, although we would imagine that would be part of the whole "we found your unstolen car" package.

"LoJack undoes scheme to fake SUV theft" [Sign On San Diego] (thanks to Stacy!)
(Image: LoJack)

"10 Things the DMV Won't Tell You" [SmartMoney]
(Photo: Getty)

Here's part of Chuck's email:

After dealing with Progressive executive customer service for most of this week I have finally gotten a resolution. Rachel at Progressive is issuing a formal apology from Cross Country (the outsourced roadside assistance people) and an AMEX gift card.

They of course say that this is an unusual circumstance and call volumes were extremely high at 11:30am on a Sunday...

...I asked for a credit in the amount of my October premium and was turned down by Brian Passell, Divisional President.

But the issue has been resolved to Chuck's satisfaction, so we're happy for him and hope his step-daughter has a better weekend coming up.

(Photo: Getty)

The woman's stepfather, who pays for the insurance, called Progressive Monday morning to find out which part of "roadside assistance" Progressive doesn't understand:

I told my story to a customer service representative who then without me asking transferred me to a manager, Brandy. Brandy was helpful to the extent that she tried to diagnose the problem with the outsourced call center to verify my story. She pulled wait times and various other reports none of which seemed very helpful to either of us. At around 12:45 she said that she had to pull a report and would call me back in 30 to 60 minutes. I am now about to leave the office at 5:30 with no call and no way to reach her.

(Thanks to Chuck!)

RELATED
Progressive's Roadside Assistance page
(Photo: Getty)

Affected vehicles include: 156,796 model-year 2006-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs; 90,383 model year 2007 Jeep Wrangler SUVs; and 49,371 model year 2007 Dodge Nitro SUVs.

Chrysler says the defect may have caused one accident, but no injuries were reported. They're also recalling "72,333 model year 2008 Dodge Avenger sedans and Chrysler Sebring convertibles to ensure proper function of driver and passenger front door latches and locks," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Nobody managed to hurt themselves with the door latches either, just in case you were wondering.

Chrysler to Recall 300,000 Vehicles Over Potential Braking Problem [WSJ]

Select Recovery of Aurora, IL repossessed a Ford Excursion on Thursday, but they didn't notice 4-year-old Fashawn Parker sitting in the back seat.

"Apparently they had given the vehicle a cursory check," Dan Ferrelli, an Aurora Police spokesperson, told WBBM. "They looked through the front windows. They didn't find anything in there and were unaware that the boy was in the back."

The driver of the car was inside the house picking up another child when the vehicle was repossessed. "He had said that a vehicle he was driving that belonged to one of his relatives was being towed away and that there was a four-year-old boy inside of it," said Ferrelli.

Luckily, the kid is some sort of crazy action star. When the car slowed down to pass through a construction zone, little Fashawn unlocked the door and jumped out of the moving car.

WBBM says no charges against the Select Recovery are expected. The 4-year-old was treated at the hospital for a few cuts and bruises and released.

According to the FTC's consumer information about vehicle repossession, some states would consider stealing someone's 4-year-old, even inadvertantly, a "breach of the peace," and, if so, the vehicle's owner may be entitled to compensation.

Boy Jumps From SUV Being Towed [WBBM via Jalopnik]
(Photo:WBBM)

We like it.

Forbes' Frugal Cars:

10) Pontiac Vibe $16,760
Five-year cost of ownership: $35,348

9) Hyundai Accent $12,865
Five-year cost of ownership: $34,808

8) Kia Rio $13,571
Five-year cost of ownership: $34,802

7) Toyota Matrix $16,558
Five-year cost of ownership: $34,778

6) Ford Focus $15,752
Five-year cost of ownership: $34,092

5) Chevy Aveo $11,844
Five-year cost of ownership: $34,048

4) Nissan Versa $13,950
Five-year cost of ownership: $33,275

3) Toyota Corolla $15,449
Five-year cost of ownership: $33,053

2) Honda Fit $15,440
Five-year cost of ownership: $32,547

1) Toyota Yaris $12,625
Five-year cost of ownership: $31,785

Frugal Rides: Top 10 Least Expensive Vehicles to Own [Forbes]
(Photo:blue_j)

The Washington Post has a fantastic article about Ford's belly flop:

Fifty years ago today, Don Mazzella skipped out of school to see the hot new car that everybody was talking about, the hot new car that almost nobody had actually seen.

Ford Motor Co. had proclaimed it "E-Day," and Mazzella and two buddies sneaked out of East Side High School in Newark, N.J., and hiked 13 blocks to Foley Ford so they could cast their gaze upon the much-ballyhooed new car that had been kept secret from the American public until its release that day.

It was called the Edsel.

"The line was around the block," recalls Mazzella, now 66 and an executive in a New Jersey consulting firm. "People were coming from all over to see this car. You couldn't see it from the street. The only way you could see it was to walk into the showroom and look behind a curtain."

Mazzella and his truant friends waited their turn, thrilled to be there. "Back then for teenagers, cars were the be-all and end-all," he explains. They'd read countless articles about the Edsel and seen countless ads that touted it as the car of the future. But they hadn't seen the car. Ford kept it secret, building excitement by coyly withholding it from sight, like a strip-tease dancer.

Finally, Mazzella and his friends reached the showroom. Finally, they were permitted to peek behind the curtain. They saw a cream-colored car with a strange oval grille that looked like a big chrome O.

"We looked at it and said, ' What?' " Mazzella recalls. "It was just a blah car. I remember my friend Joe Grandi, who later became a Newark cop — he had a gruff voice, and he said, ' This is what we waited all this time for?' We all felt betrayed."

The Flop Heard Round the World [Washington Post via boingboing]
(Photo:Edsel.com)

The average price for a new car is $28,200 in 2007, meaning that the average family has to work about 25 weeks to afford the car. It sounds bad but it's nowhere near as awful as it used to be in the 1990s when families were working 31 weeks a year to afford a new car.

So how much should you really spend on a car? According to advice from Edmunds.com, it's probably less than you think.

"People waste all kinds of money when purchasing and owning cars. It's a depreciating asset. There's no way to get around that," Reed says. "So right from the get-go you will lose money, but the question is: How much? You want to control the bleeding."

Reed is fairly strict about how much money people should spend on a car. He says a good rule of thumb is 20 percent of income. This means someone who buys a $20,000 car should be making $100,000.

Cars cost half of family's annual income [Bankrate]
(Photo:Scott Ingram Photography)

According to Ford, they're addressing "customer concerns about the potential for fires in their vehicles." Well, fires in vehicles are bad, we'll give them that. Apparently a few Crown Victorias went up in smoke. There were no injuries.

Here's a list of the recalled autos:

1998-2002 Ford Ranger, 1992-1997 Lincoln Town Car, 1992-1997 Ford Crown Victoria, 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis, 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 1993-1995 Taurus SHO, 1999-2001 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer.

Also covered are the 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport, 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, 1992-1993 E150-350 vans, 1997-2002 E150-350 vans, 1993 Ford F-Series pickups, 1993 Ford Bronco, 1994 Mercury Capri, 2003-2004 Ford F-150 Lightning, and 1995-2002 Ford F53 motor homes.

An additional 177,000 vehicles in Canada, Mexico and Europe are covered by the recall.

Ford Recalling 3.6 Million Vehicles [Forbes]
Ford Recall Info

Why should you care? Because you're more likely to need the protection of a headrest than you are an airbag. Rear collisions are common. The above painfully boring, yet awesome, video from the folks at the IIHS shows a failed test of a 2007 Dodge Nitro seat. (Hey, we like crash test dummies, ok?) You can see that the head is not supported from behind, which would cause the dummy to sustain neck injuries and have to wear one of those embarrassing neck brace things to school the next day.

Also worth noting is that even "good" headrests won't work if they're not adjusted correctly. According to the IIHS, the headrest should be positioned up around the passengers ears. Tall passengers are especially vulnerable to these sorts of whiplash injuries, because their heads are often above the support if it is not designed well (Ahem, Dodge Ram) or adjusted incorrectly.

Rear Crash Protection in SUVs, Trucks, Minivans (PDF) [IIHS]

•Toyota offers a $400 rebate to recent graduates, and requires proof of graduation;
•Nissan offers a $500 rebate to recent graduates;
•Ford offers a $500 rebate to recent graduates, or students in the last half-year of school.

Incentives from other automakers take several forms, including lower rates and deferred payments. Each offer varies, so be sure not only to ask the dealer, but to get details directly from the automaker. Though incentives help, greater savings can be earned by doing your homework before setting foot in a dealership. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Some Automakers Offer Incentives to New College Grads [KABC]
(Photo: Justin Russell)

Update: Our resident car expert clarifies: "They do actually advertise these incentive deals — but they don't advertise them in the mainstream. What they do is either buy lists from alumni organizations and do mailings to them, or they advertise in school newspapers, etc. Dealers in big college towns, for instance in East Lansing and Ann Arbor, MI, are well aware of the incentive programs and actively push them to young-looking folks who come in to buy."

In German crash test, China's Brilliance BS6 sedan fails miserably [AutoBlog]

A combination of factory incentives from GM, Ford and Dodge and the fact that American families enjoy the convenience of a car that can haul 5 people and a load of crap from Costco has kept sales of SUVs strong. From Bankrate:

Recent sales figures, however, suggest the American love affair with sport utility vehicles has not abated. What's more, sales of highly efficient sedans — such as the Toyota Prius hybrid — have slacked off to the point that Toyota is offering incentives on the Prius.

Sales of large SUVs actually rose nearly 6 percent in the first quarter of 2007, and in April were up 25 percent from last year.

GMC's Yukon XL saw sales rise 72 percent in April compared with a year earlier while its cousin, the Chevrolet Suburban, saw sales rise 38 percent for the same period. Apparently, having to spend more than $100 to fill the tanks on these icons of SUV excess isn't that much of a worry for many folks.

Driving for Dollars [Bankrate]
(Photo: Aaron Gustafson)

The Consumer Reports blog announced crash results today on several new convertibles. It's always nice to see cars you can't afford damaged so badly that no one else can have them either.

The sturdiest of the newbies turned out to be the Volvo C70 and the Saab 9-3. You can check out the Institute for Highway Safety's results and watch the always-enjoyable horrific crash videos for 150-plus cars on the Consumer Reports website.

Since I don't own a car, I randomly selected the Honda Civic, model year 2001-2005, just as an example. The video ends with a young guy superimposed over the image of the wreckage. "Hi," he says with a barely concealed smile, "I'm Jeff from Consumer Reports. Now, let's look at that again in slow motion." Thank you, Jeff, thank you.

By the way, if you own a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder, you might want to skip this. Ouch. —BRIAN FAIRBANKS

Read more on the Consumer Reports blog.

(Photo: Getty)

WEIGOLDS: Mr. Gentile changed from jury trial to bench trial. This automatically delays another 2 months! The new date is March 15th. Our states attorney did not do his home work anyway. We are pushing him to obtain Jim's phone records before next trial date. Another wasted day off! Don't know what happened we were told jury trials are expensive.

CONSUMERIST: How do you think this will affect your case?

WEIGOLDS: The statute of limitations runs out 2 years from the date of the last offense. We still have time but..... hurry up and wait! We have contacted our civil lawyer waiting for a return call, we are going to tell him to proceed to file instead of waiting for the verdict from the criminal matter.

— BEN POPKEN

Previously:
UPDATE: Consumer Takes Sleazy Prius Salesman To Court
Consumer Takes Sleazy Prius Salesman To Court
UPDATE: Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Salesman's Arrest Warrant
UPDATE: Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Warrant For Saleman's Arrest
Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Warrant For Saleman's Arrest

— BEN POPKEN

Previously:
Consumer Takes Sleazy Prius Salesman To Court
UPDATE: Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Salesman's Arrest Warrant
UPDATE: Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Warrant For Saleman's Arrest
Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Warrant For Saleman's Arrest

Just pray the car companies had good beta testers to weed out the bugs... — BEN POPKEN

Large car
Audi A6 manufactured in Dec. 2006 and later

Midsize cars
Audi A4
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy equipped with optional electronic stability control

Minivans
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona

Luxury SUVs
Mercedes M class
Volvo XC90

Midsize SUVs
Acura RDX
Honda Pilot
Subaru B9 Tribeca

Small SUVs
Honda CR-V
Subaru Forester equipped with optional electronic stability control

In a video press release, IIHS says manufacturers are improving car safety, noting that, "Increasingly, people don't have to die in vehicle crashes."— BEN POPKEN

Also Rans, inside.

ALSO-RANS
Rear protection isn't good

IIHS says, "These vehicles earned good ratings in front and side crash tests. They have electronic stability control, standard or optional. They would have won 2007 TOP SAFETY PICK awards if their seat/head restraints also had earned good ratings. Instead rear crash protection is rated acceptable, marginal, or poor (Honda reports that the seat/head restraints in the only Civic model with electronic stability control wouldn't be rated good)."

Acceptable rear protection
Audi A3
BMW 3-series 4dr
Lexus IS 250/350

Marginal rear protection
Acura TL
Honda Odyssey
Lexus ES 350
Lexus GS 350
Toyota Camry
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4

Poor rear protection
Honda Accord 4dr
Infiniti M35
Nissan Quest
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Sienna