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Edmunds Launches Debt-Free Car Program

contentman — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:55:03 +0000

This is really cool. Edmunds.com is the premiere online auto destination for information about vehicles, from buying and selling to fixing them to maintaining them to searching the internet for one. They’ve recently started their new Debt-Free Car program, which will (supposedly) be a series of articles about low-cost, high-mileage cars and how reliable they are. The program’s only just started and the company is looking at a Lexus ES300 model they picked up used for $3,800. Most auto transport companies ship used and new cars together, but the used numbers are always higher than the new numbers, which isn’t surprising. If you’re looking for a good used car – even if you’re looking locally and don’t need an auto transport company – checking out Edmunds.com is a good idea. It makes researching so easy.

People Stealing Catalytic Converters, No Reasons Why

contentman — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:02:13 +0000

Fleet drivers and operators alike are scratching their heads at the rash of catalytic converter thefts going across across the country. Though the final numbers aren’t in, it is suspicious that it’s happened more than once in separate areas. There’s no specific reason as to why they’re stealing them, but auto transporters should probably watch out if they’re parked in an unsafe area for the night or something like that. Same with other fleet drivers – make sure to keep your vehicles in an area where non-authorized personnel cannot easily access the vehicles, as tighter security is definitely needed at this point in time. Catalytic converters? Really?

Gas Prices Hike Up, Used Car Values Drop Slightly

contentman — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:53:57 +0000

It isn’t surprising that used car values drop slightly whenever the price of gas goes up, especially used cars that are real gas guzzlers, but we want to focus more on the whole “gas prices hike up” part of the title. Gas prices rose by a dime or more in some places, especially in the Pacific Northwest. This really sucks. Now, I don’t currently own a car, but I do know what it’s like to own a car and I know how much of a pain gasoline is to buy all the damn time. But be that as it may, auto transporters are hurting even more because of the price hikes, and with diesel sitting around $4.20 a gallon it’s only going to get worse for the industry as we roll into the summer.

Auction Volume Making Slow Comeback

contentman — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:50:58 +0000

After dropping more than 7% last year, the National Auto Auction Association has reported that auction volume is slowly rising again and might be up a bit from 2011 by the end of the year. The NAAA is bringing glad tidings to the auto transport industry especially, as many customers and dealerships will buy from auctions and then hire an auto transport carrier to transport the vehicle from the auction house or area to their home or dealership. But in 2011 numbers were down – not enough to hurt the industry as a whole, but it certainly didn’t help a lot of transport companies – and with 2012 looking better already it’s only a matter of time until numbers are back up to where they used to be.

Fleet Industry Takes Survey

contentman — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:22:56 +0000

22% of fleet owners, which includes members of the auto transport industry, state that the need for saving money is the biggest factor going into implementing new technologies into their fleets, but a whopping 53% agree that the need to maximize their efficiency is the most important factor. This survey comes from ARI Technology and was done to find out the largest factor for incorporating new technologies into fleets. Fleets are owned by businesses, and auto transport companies that operate large fleets are always looking at maximizing their efficiency and save money, so its no surprise that the second number in this post was so high. The auto transport industry has been watching the new rash of alternative-energy engines with optimism, hoping for a new technology that will help them maximize their efficiency, but so far nothing has really stuck.

SUV’s Popular Right Now

contentman — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:24:04 +0000

The low up-front cost of used SUV’s like Ford’s Explorer is a huge selling point for many customers who are looking for something large, despite the fact that more fuel-efficient SUV’s have been released. Case-in-point: the Ford Explorer. The 2013 Ford Explorer sports 28 miles per gallon highway and retails for more than $30k. The 2003 Explorer only gets 18 miles per gallon but costs just $8,100, which is a huge difference on the price but not a major difference in terms of the fuel efficiency. For some people there is – 10 miles per gallon isn’t exactly a tiny gap – but for most drivers in this economy (and I include myself in this, having no car of my own at the moment) a low up-front cost trumps future fuel costs. It’s simply the fact they have a car, which is probably why auto transport numbers have gone down as a whole over the past few years – because less and less people have a car, let alone the money to ship one.

Good Dealership Experience Crucial For Customer Loyalty

contentman — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:28:12 +0000

A new study has been released by Foresight Research detailing just what about a dealership makes customers so loyal. The study shows that a good dealership experience is the X-factor, and companies like Lexus, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz continually top the charts for sales based off this specific reason, and Buick, Audi and Mazda are showing huge improvements. This is in reference to customer loyalty, not total sales, but auto transport companies ship for any customer who needs their vehicle moved regardless of what type of car it is of where they bought it. With the rise of the internet, more and more auto transport companies are shipping from dealerships, and this study could go a long way to increasing how many people buy from online dealerships and then have it shipped to them.

Kia Looks To Keep Growing

contentman — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:20:22 +0000

Kia’s release of the Rio SX 5-Door, the Forte SX and the Soul+ have been met with rave reviews, and now NADAguides, the leading provider of vehicle pricing and information, have recognized all three by placing them on their list of Most Versatile 2012 New Cars Under $20K. With fuel costs rising to meet summer demands and economic troubles still a factor for many consumers, a lot of customers are looking for high value and versatility for a low price. Kia has been able to meet this demand well, and has seen 20 consecutive months of year-over-year sales growth, which is huge. Auto transport companies have also noticed the rise of Kia, shipping more and more each month over the past several years. Though numbers have stabilized recently, chances are even more will be on the backs of auto transport trucks soon enough.

Prius Plug-In Takes Stop Spot in US Category Sales

contentman — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:56:17 +0000

Though it’s only been on the market for a scant three months, Toyota’s new Prius Plug-In Hybrid variant took the top spot in its category in the United States, surpassing both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Though sales in April weren’t as high as in March, Nissan and Chevy have been seeing much steeper declines in sales numbers for their electric vehicles. Toyota is just one victim in the recent decline of interest in electric and hybrid vehicles. Auto transporters have noticed a marked decline in the number of alternative-energy vehicles being shipped as compared to last year, in stark contrast to what analysts were predicting just two years ago. They said that electrics would be all over the place, but it’s been quite the opposite – a fad, more or less. If auto makers want to save the fledgling technology, they’d best start making them more appealing – and cheaper – for their consumers.

Seriously, those things are darn expensive. Why would I want to buy a hybrid that gets 48 mpg for $25,000+ when I can buy a gas-powered car that gets 40 mpg for $12,000? Come on guys, it’s not hard to do the math, especially with the economy the way it is – we’re still recovering, you know, and it’s slow growth.

Actual MPG Average Going Up

contentman — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:51:39 +0000

TrueCar.com has released their statistics on the actual fuel efficiency numbers from April’s light vehicle auto sales. Their research has concluded that the fuel efficiency average has increased to 23.3 mpg, compared to 22.2 in April 2011 and 20.6 in April 2008, showing huge gains on the fuel economy front. March 2012 showed that fuel efficiency averages were at 23.4 mpg. This is good news in an oil-crazed country where oil is up past $4/gallon in many places, and auto transport companies are hoping that some new technologies get thrown their way that will help cut down their costs as well. But only time will tell.