Welcome to FAQ Fridays, a new weekly blog feature that answers some of the most frequently asked questions Edmunds readers send in.
First up: Folks want to know why the prices, specs or options on Edmunds might be different from what they see on other automotive sites. Good question! There are several reasons why this might happen, and we'll outline them here. Destination Charges and Other Fees: On our site, we always make it clear when destination charges or other fees are included in a vehicle's price, but to determine this elsewhere you may need to examine the pricing details or window sticker closely.
Vehicle Styles: Most vehicles are available in many different styles, and sometimes this leads to confusion when making comparisons. Styles listed on our site include the vehicle's trim, number of doors, body type, drive type, engine and transmission. For example, here's a style currently available for the 2009 Honda Pilot: EX-L 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 5A).
Sometimes a style contains a Special Identifier (SI) when a manufacturer wants to specify a unique feature. For example, rear entertainment is the SI on the following style of the 2009 Honda Pilot: EX-L 4dr SUV w/Rear Entertainment AWD (3.5L 6cyl 5A).
Since I'm a 60-year-old man stuck in a 25-year-old body (or is that a 6-year-old boy stuck in a...), nevermind. Any way, I was watching 60 Minutes last night and watched this report about New York's Nassau County district attorney who successfully prosecuted a drunken driving case as a second-degree murder crime.
In the case, 24-year-old Martin Heidgen was driving his full-size GM pickup with three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system. His friends told him not to drive but he did it anyway. He ended up driving for three miles the wrong way on the parkway before slamming head-on into a Town Car limousine carrying a family from a wedding. The result was horrifying, as the video below shows.
Imagine that you have a rich car fanatic relative, someone like Jay Leno, who says he'll get you six cars of your choice for Christmas. The stipulations are that three must be new and that of the six, three are domestic and three are foreign.
Of course, my list will probably change right after I post this blog..."Shoot, I forgot about the ____". But nonetheless, these would be (for the moment) my six picks...
We all know that the price of crude has dropped big-time lately. From a high of nearly $150 a barrel earlier this summer it now stands at less than half that, around $66 a barrel.
Great, so prices at the pump have dropped too. Regular gas is down to around $2.96 a gallon here in everything-is-overpriced L.A. and diesel is priced, umm even lower...or drastically higher as I discovered at two Shell stations located relatively close to each other...
I spent the weekend in a 2009 Acura TL, a car that's been widely derided for its elephant-seal-like face and Saturn-Aura-from-the-future butt. I'm not wild about it, but I don't think it's enough for me not to buy it. The allure of similarly priced competitors might, but the TL doesn't nudge the Aztekometer enough to repel me. I'd say being dull is a bigger turn off -- at least Acura is trying to make some statement, however potentially misguided.
So how important is styling for you?
Is it everything? (The Thunderbird buyer). Does it have to have a particular aesthetic? (Jeep or Volvo boxy only!) Is it just a tie-breaker for evenly matched cars? (C-Class vs A4) Is it only important if it's really pretty or really ugly? (Aston Martin vs Sebring) Is it completely inconsequential? (Any Subaru)
Finally, do you care to read about styling interpretations in car reviews, or would you prefer to leave the analysis to yourself given that everyone has different opinions?
Kia's tagline for their new Borrego SUV is "A New Kind Of Luxury SUV." Their new commercial (see above) seems to mock traditional luxury vehicle advertising while at the same time suggesting that the Borrego is a luxury vehicle. That really got me thinking, what exactly is considered a "luxury vehicle?"
One our Edmunds staffers is in search of a new car. His 1988 BMW 535i is on its last legs and he's in need of something new/old.
Here's some of his requirements, needs and/or wants...
Maximum price is $5,000.
It has to be a car large enough to hold his keyboard and other musical equipment. A hatchback would be OK.
He would prefer six-cylinder power and a five-speed manual, but he's realistic about finding the latter in Southern California.
Finally, he wants it to be reliable. Maybe your Saab 900 hasn't caused you any problems, but let's face it, reliability often nixes quite a few cars off any used list.
We've been suggesting various entry-level luxury mid-sizers from the late 1990s, such as the Acura TL and Infiniti I30. We also liked the idea of an Integra hatch, but finding one that hasn't been destroyed by some crazed wannabe street racer is getting harder with each passing day.
But our hard-working, piano-playing staffer (let's call him Emmett) needs your help. What should he buy?
It's become a minor issue today that John McCain owns upwards of 13 cars. When I saw that, I was intrigued since I can only imagine the 13 awesome cars I'd own if I was 73 years old and sitting on a beer fortune. Alas, the list was pretty lame -- 2004 Cadillac CTS, Ford F-250, 1960 Willys Jeep, 2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2001 GMC SUV (very precise Newsweek), 2005 VW Beetle Convertible, 2001 Honda sedan (again, Pulitzer-prize reporting), a 2000 Lincoln and three GEM golf cart thingies. Most of it seems like functional stuff presumably to serve different functions around his main home in Sedona, Ariz. and six other properties. Daughter Meghan McCain owns a Prius and wife Cindy primarily drove some sort of Lexus (with the license plate MS BUD).
Ahoy! On a giant dry erase board by my desk, we often pose "questions of the week," and encourage the editorial staff to come up with answers to silly/fun/trivial questions. Today, one of our illustrious hot shoes, Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton, posted a little nugget of fun in honor of "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (which is today): What car would a pirate drive? Thought some of you might like to play along, me 'earties, yo ho!
Follow the jump for the full list of our editors' answers, ye scurvy rascals.
It's that time of year again, when dealers start selling off this year's cars and next year's start rolling in. But when next year's is an all-new model, the sell-off at bargain basement prices can often be much greater.
So here's the question, do you buy last year's model for cheap or wait for the all-new, better model? Take the Audi A4. A 2008 A4 2.0T Quattro with automatic and no options has roughly $2,000 off its MSRP according the Edmunds TMV. The 2009 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro's MSRP is only about $500 more than the old car at $32,700 and its TMV is only $150 off sticker. So, is the all-new car worth two grand?
Of course, that's assuming both are worthwhile choices like the A4. There are obviously exceptions. Sometimes the old car isn't worth buying at all (2007 versus 2008 Malibu, for instance), and sometimes the new car no longer tickles your fancy (2008 versus 2009 Acura TL, for another instance). What are some other examples of these?
I'm up in Canada this week, and while driving through Toronto I happened to notice a new Mercedes-Benz C230. In the States, we only get the C300, C350 and C63, but Canada gets those plus the C230, featuring a 201-horsepower 2.5-liter V6 that gets a tiny bit better gas mileage than the 228-hp C300 (20.45 mpg versus 20.10 in Canadian testing). Of course, given that cars cost more in Canada, it's highly likely that Canadians are just more inclined to pay less for a less powerful Mercedes-Benz. But given the economy, wouldn't an increasing number of Americans be willing to do so now?
In addition to the C230, there's the 228-hp E300 4Matic (all non-AMG E-Class are all-wheel drive in Canada), the 335-hp S450 4Matic, and the B200 and B200 Turbo. I'd say the last two are the most intriguing, as the B-Class is a funky-looking hatch that gets 25 mpg city in its 134-hp four-cylinder form. For those looking for a premium, fuel efficient car, the B-Class could find some takers -- although it's certainly expensive. I've seen a couple around Toronto, but not enough to lead me to believe it would be a hit in the United States.
What do you think? Are smaller, slightly more fuel efficient engines installed in subsequently cheaper cars a smart move for premium car makers like Mercedes-Benz? And does the B-Class have a shot?
I recently received a question from a reader asking if they should repair body damage on their vehicle before bringing it in to a dealer for trade-in or appraisal. After consulting with several used car managers and appraisers, the answer was a bit surprising. It turns out that what is best for the consumer is not really the best thing for the dealer.
We try to cover topics that we think you might find beneficial. However, there may be questions you have that we have not yet answered. So, post questions you would like to have answers to, and we will try to address them in future entries.
Question: I am a safety freak when it comes to my young daughters. I see what you have rated the best all-around family vehicle. But I have always wondered and wanted to ask, "What is the all-around safest vehicle?" Monster truck, Civic, Hummer, Accord, what? Thank you for your time!..
Most buyers are not aware that many of the manufacturer captive finance companies offer what is known as the "one pay lease" or "pre-pay lease." Basically, you pay the entire cost of the lease upfront. In return, the leasing company offers you a discount on the lease rate (which is basically the interest rate). For example, Audi Financial Services will reduce the lease rate by as much as .001 (or 2.4%) if you pre-pay your lease. That rate reduction is about the only benefit you get for paying for the entire lease at the start.
However, there is a major downside with this type of lease. As with putting money down on the lease, if the vehicle is stolen or totalled in an accident, in all likelihood, most (if not all that money) that was paid upfront will best lost. And here's why...
My father called me this morning asking if I thought he should "sipe" his tires. I didn't know a lot about tire siping except that many of the tire stores offer to sipe tires for an extra fee, from about $10 to $15 per tire. The idea is to cut fine grooves in the tires to add traction.
I asked Dan Edmunds, our director of vehicle test and got this response:
"I have mixed feeling about a lot of aftermarket mods, and siping is no different, really...
I received this question while answering emails for Edmunds and felt so strongly about this subject I wanted to share it with a broader audience.
Question: I have never done this before, but after watching my news last night I feel compelled to do something. It showed a mom in a police interview room emotionally devastated because she had forgotten her two year old was asleep in the back seat of her car and left her there while she was at work. The two year old child died. This is a mom not unlike most of us, working, involved in her community, a good mom who loves her children. I can't even imagine how you go on with your life knowing that you made a mistake and it caused the death of your child. Here is what i would like to know, can't car makers come up with some kind of warning device (similar to the buckle your seat belt reminder) that would buzz or chime to remind people to check their back seat. Maybe a buzz to indicate a seat belt is still engaged, or weight sensitive back seats it can't be too difficult to manufacture, it could even be offered as an option if this device saves the life of even one child, isn't it worth looking into?? Just imagine how your life would be if it ever happened to you isn't there anything that can be done?
Question: If I want to do some basic car care myself, what tools should I own?
Answer: If a motorist wants to only do the basics -- checking oil and tire pressure -- then all they need is a tire pressure gauge, a flashlight, and a rag to wipe the dipsticks with. This is maintenance in its basic but useful form. If they want to proceed beyond this point, then they’ll need a few more tools...
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