I know all the time I’m bragging about the quality of foreign cars versus domestic ones, but so is everyone else. In an article from MSNBC, you can find the best cars for under $15,000 which are cheap to maintain and they get great gas mileage so you won’t be blowing your gas budget when you fill up.

At the top of the list was the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, and Scion xD (I love that the name of that looks like a really happy emoticon). The cars all cost around $15,000 and because they are small and inexpensive, they are fairly cheap to insure as well as maintain. Oh, by the way, they also get at least 30 mpg in combined fuel efficiency. These cars will obviously use less gas and you won’t have to be putting in the expensive grades either. These cars call for regular 87 unleaded.

If you’re really looking for a domestic car, then look no further than the Chevrolet Cobalt or the Pontiac G3. They are basically the same car and only cost around $16,000 and get a combined 31 mpg.

Right now they aren’t selling as well as they were a year ago, but you also have to remember that gas prices are far cheaper right now than a year ago too. People will go back to buying these cars once gas starts creeping up again.

The cars on the MSNBC list are all gas powered vehicles. There were no hybrids on the list due to the fact that they are more expensive to maintain, insure, and they actually cost more too.

From the article:
“The best way to a cheap ride? Choose something small, light, and more often than not foreign.”
Source

The magazine Marie Clarie had an article on its website I bookmarked and wanted to share. It is all about saving money on your daily commute to and from work. I can’t say that I agree with all the tips (such as driving to work with a stranger) but overall the tips are pretty good if you’re willing to try them out.

1. Save money through carpooling. This is the tip where the author suggested a site called erideshare.com where you can find someone to ride to work with. It just seems dangerous to me to ride to work (or anywhere) with someone I don’t know. But carpooling can end up saving you big time on the cost of traveling.

2. Seasonal or monthly bus or train passes can help also. However, you need to make sure you know when you’ll be taking your vacation so you’re not paying for something you won’t use.

3. If you’re job can be done over the phone a.k.a. telecommuting, then it wouldn’t hurt to ask your boss if you could work from home once a week.

4. Keep your heater or air conditioner on long enough to make your car comfortable then turn them off. You can also roll your windows down in the car if it’s nice outside, but you will be wasting money if you’re going over 45 mph.

5. You can talk to Human Resources to see if your company offers any benefits that might help offset your commuting costs. Some companies offer a “car service” if you work past a stated time at night.

6. If you drive over 75 mph and rapidly accelerate or slam on your brakes, you’re reducing your car’s fuel efficiency.

7. Make sure you’re car is properly maintained. This means make sure that your tire pressure is good and that you keep your oil changes up to date.

8. Keep an eye out for gas prices to and from work. If you can, don’t get gas right off the highway because it is usually the most expensive in the area. Use GasBuddy.com to try go find out cheaper prices on your route.

There are many ways to cut your costs during the summer, especially if you plan on doing a lot (or any) driving. With gas prices going back up, traveling this summer may be looking more expensive than when you planned your trip. Well, there are ways to save a little bit of money on that road trip this year.

As always, what I will start calling the golden rule of frugality, SHOP AROUND!!! Comparison shopping means that you are going to get the best deal. At the same time, don’t drive 30 miles out of your way to save $.02 a gallon, that’s crazy and really not worth it. You can do price comparison on websites like GasBuddy.com and some GPS systems even have gas stations filtered by price. These websites do depend on users to enter in gas prices, so the prices you see may not be what they are for that day (or that week if you’re going to a small town).

Secondly, if you’re a cash carrying member of the population use it. Some gas stations have started trying to pass merchant fees off to gas buyers and have started charging more for gas if someone is paying with a debit or credit card. This is a legal way for the gas stations to help with how much they’re paying for credit card fees. The good news for you is that usually these gas stations that charge more for credit card transactions are usually cheaper than everyone else.

You should also perform regular maintenance on your car. Giving your car a tune up and getting the oil changed according to when the manufacturer says can lead to higher MPGs and more miles on your car. Keeping your tires inflated can also help improve your MPG’s by 3% over the course of a year, which could total to 20 gallons of gas! Air filters are another one of those little things that sometimes we forget about that can increase your fuel efficiency.

A little tip I picked up is that if you like stopping frequently for gas, don’t fill up your tank because the less full your tank is the less heavy your car is and the more miles per gallon you will average. I usually fill my car up to ½ a tank, and then refill at ¾ a tank. It is time consuming, but overall I’m getting better mileage out of it.

Lastly, if you really want to cut back on fuel consumption for your road trips, take it easy and try not drive too aggressively. The faster you accelerate the more gas you are burning.

President Obama is set to release new pollution standards today that will up the miles per gallon a fleet must have by 2016. At the time this article was written, information and details had not yet been released, however California, the District of Columbia, and thirteen other states have been urging the federal government to let them put forth more harsh standards than what the government’s current requirements are. The 15 entities are asking for regulations that would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new vehicles by 2016. Of course, in March 2008, there was a ruling that said states couldn’t determine their own limits on greenhouse emissions, so the legislation would have to come from the federal government.

Today’s announcement is set to follow the same path as the 30% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2016. It is rumored that the new emission rules would go into effect for cars and trucks made for the 2011 model year and beyond.

The new proposal will have two separate standards for fuel efficiency and greenhouse emissions. The idea is to get car manufactures to produce cars that have a high MPG as well as a smaller carbon footprint. Roland Hwang, the vehicles policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council said he expects the standard will be set somewhere around 35 miles per gallon for the vehicle fleet by 2016.

There is already a law on the books that requires at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020, which is a 40% increase from the current 25 miles per gallon standard. The energy law, implemented in 2007, however is seen as just not enough right now since we’ve seen what high gas prices can do to our wallets, as well as what high emissions can do to the environment. The current 25 miles per gallon standard hasn’t been changed since 1985.

The government is already pushing General Motors as well as Chrysler to produce more fuel efficient/environmentally friendly vehicles. Since the two companies have accepted billions of dollars in federal money, it would probably be in their best interests to continue to do things that the government “suggested.”

New fuel efficiency standards for U.S. made cars would likely make American made cars a bit more appealing to everyone, not just Americans, but car buyers from all over the world. If you look at countries like Great Britain, when we were complaining about our gas being over $4 a gallon, they said that they would welcome a price like that. At the time, they were paying upwards of what equaled out to 10 U.S. dollars for a gallon of gasoline.

From CNBC.com:

“I was turning down Priuses in March and Japan was sending them to other countries. I was taking Cadillac Escalades in trade on Priuses by July and now, today I can’t give away a Prius,” Jackson said.

“Sales are down 50 percent all because the price of gasoline is on a roller coaster. I mean when are we going to have energy policy and a gas tax that puts a floor under the price of gasoline so that we can cease whipsawing the American consumer back and forth on this issue of fuel efficiency which for industries for lead times of two, three, four years, it’s an impossible situation.”

There is still a part of me that wants a Prius only because I know one day that gas prices will rise again, but also because I had a chance to actually see the inside of one and I really liked the features it had. A lot of the reason people aren’t buying cars right now is because 1) the cars they have are fine and 2) financing is hard to come by.

Source

Here’s how:

And I escaped that with a bruised knee.

I believe if Chevy or GM could market the safety of even the bottom of the line cars (see the wrecked Cavalier above) then perhaps people would be more willing to buy them.

They talk a lot about fuel efficiency or how some of the cars compare against Honda or Toyota…I just don’t think that’s the way to go. I couldn’t compare a Chevy to a Toyota (other than they are both cars). However, if they told stories (with pictures and testimonials) about how people escaped bad accidents (I was hit by an 18 wheeler) then maybe people would be more inclined to purchase the cars.

It wasn’t enough to entice me to purchase another Chevy, because I had too many problems pre-accident with the car to have to deal with it again.

Let’s take a moment to look at my reasons for “No” for right now. The domestic car companies, aka “The Big Three”, have been in trouble for several years, this economic slowdown has only been happening for less than a year. They have been losing key market share to better and cheaper built foreign cars. All have been plagued with commodity price increases, which puts a a squeeze on their profit margins. Unions which are constantly demanding better pay and more costly working conditions without helping to increase production in many ways. Most have refused in many ways to make a better fuel efficient vehicle, believing that even as oil went up, consumer’s would still pay $4 a gallon to fuel their Suv.

Their competitors have moved some of their US based factories into the lower southern states, where unions are not a problem, and they can produce a car for cheaper wage as well as save on import costs. These problems have hurt “The Big Three”, but not so much as the damage to their reputations, most people do not see value in the domestic vehicle made in the US, simply as a cheaper alternative to a well built foreign car. True “The Big Three” do sell a lot of cars to the lower working class in the US, but as many people know, foreign cars are now starting to work their way into these markets as well. It is not a hard question for many people to answer if they want a Honda Civic, over a Chevy Cavalier for about the same price.

For a time domestic trucks where the only safe haven for domestic companies, but Honda and Toyota have driven hard into these markets and are beginning to grab market share in these areas as well. The US car company needs a “Major” overhaul in not only how they make cars/trucks, and fuel efficiency, but where they make there cars as well. Again all these problems where happening before the current economic crisis occurred. The economic crisis has only hasten these companies demise, and now they want the taxpayer to foot the bill for them to come to there senses.

Yes if these companies fail, tens of thousands of people will lose there jobs, and this alone is a worthy cause in itself to try to bail out these companies. However, we can not just throw money at this problem. These companies must show a clear and sustainable business plan, one that actually “works”. They must show government and us, that they will not only change their ways if they receive the money, but they will use it in a way to change their businesses to create more jobs and expand to reclaim their market share not continue to lose it. Better made cars, greater fuel efficiency, lower cost are the key places to improve in, but also the hardest places for these companies to make major gains in without drastically changing their game plan. Only then should the American people’s money be “invested” in these companies, and hopefully not only there current employees but future employees will benefit from it.

What would they do with the money? I sure hope it would go into something like R&D to find some new ways to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions.  I still wouldn’t buy a GM.

This is good news for those workers, but I’m afraid that Ford will be disappointed by truck sales, as it has been with sales of other vehicles. The report had little information about how the F-150 differed from previous models, but I would assume that it has better fuel efficiency than past models. Otherwise, Ford would be in the same boat it is in now…low demand for trucks with the cost of oil going up. I know right now that oil is far below what it was this summer, but summer always brings higher gas prices, and next summer is not likely to be an exception.

To increase fuel efficiency, Nissan has created a gas pedal that senses when you are accelerating too quickly. When it recognizes this, it makes the pedal push upward to slow the car down. While this feature is said to be able to be turned off, I can see where it could be extremely dangerous when passing on a 2 lane road. It seems as though people already push it to see how many cars they can pass without having a head on collision, this could be dangerous.

Perhaps that’s why the other features were created. They are implementing sensors that keep you from tailgating the car in front of you and keep you on the road. The way I understand it, the car will be hitting the breaks when it senses you’re too close to another car or object.

Maybe because it’s a new kind of technology I’m weary of…maybe because a lot of new technologies have a LOT of bugs to work out…I can’t trust it yet. I have to see it and watch it work. I don’t like when I have cruise control on and my car accelerates too fast. I can’t imagine what I would do if the car began to stop for me also.