Archive for the 'Car Buying' Category

The sells serves to commence at $22,170 for base tendencies amidst the gradual cab, $26,225 for Quad Cab patterns and $32,530 for Dodge’s first-ever Crew 1500 models. Opting for a top-end Laramie Ram Crew 1500 4×4 is able to market value you $44,140, that is on par investing in a larger number of top-of-the-line competitors based on information from Ford and GM. Engine choices add a altered 390-horse 5.7-liter HEMI, that should assist the quickest Ram to bring in it to 60 mph in tinier as opposed to six seconds, additonally a 310-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 and an anemic 3.7-liter V6 amongst just recently 215 horses on tap brings up the rear.
[Source: Chrysler LLC]

Last month, Toyota announced the its Yaris five-door hatchback may at length be its U.S. debut in 2009. Perfect timing, as gaining gas price are building pitiful cars fancy the Yaris increasingly popular; particularly when properties can be had for a song… that brings us to the true shocker here. The ‘09 Yaris five-door serves to start on at clearly $13,305 for the base model, amongst the upper-level S example originating in at $15,125. Also new for ‘09 are median anti-lock brakes, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, driver and front passenger front part airbags, and front and rear part curtain airbags. Fuel mileage might be a enduring point, in 29 mpg city and 35 mpg highway when equipped amongst an automatic transmission and 29 city, 36 highway amid the manual transmission models. Now, if merely Toyota were able to take in a way to move the gauges in front of the driver at which properties when and if be, we would be all set.

Buying a luxury car or SUV is the dream of many readers, and while a BMW or Mercedes will buy you some instant street-cred, they’ll also cost you an arm and a leg if it ever needs fixing. A repair that may be no big deal for a Chevy Cobalt can cost much more in a luxury vehicle due to high-tech gadgets and more expensive materials. Forbes put together lists of the ten most expensive to repair luxury and non-luxury vehicles over a five year period.
The most costly vehicle to fix overall was the Dodge Viper, which came in at $1,641, and the most expensive luxury vehicle was the Audi A8 at $1,640. On the luxury list, every vehicle came from Europe, with zero entries from Detroit or Japan. The story was much different for the non-luxury vehicles, with heavy-duty trucks and SUVs making up the lion’s share of the list. The Subaru Impreza and Mini Cooper were the only imports to make Forbes’ dubious top ten. Hit the jump to view the most expensive luxury cars to repair, and click on the link below to view the priciest non-luxury list.
Forbes top-ten most expensive luxury cars to repair (over five years)
1. Audi A8: $1,640
1. Mercedes-Benz G Class: $1,640
3. Jaguar XK: $1,629
4. Land Rover Range Rover $1,600
5. Mercedes-Benz CL Class: $1,540
6. BMW 7 Series $1,529
7. Audi Q7: $1,400
8. Land Rover LR2/LR3 $1,360
9. BMW M6: $1,300
9. Porsche Cayman: $1,300
[Source: Forbes]
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Few models in the BMW lineup have as much tuning potential as the newly released 135i, and the Bavarian boys and girls are intent to capture as much of that market as possible. The BMW 1-series tii concept proved that BMW was serious about offering performance parts to boost (and possibly lighten) its new turbo’d coupe, and a member of 1addicts posted photos of what could be the first 135 to get the in-house tuner treatment.
Most of the parts shown are carryovers from the tii concept, including the revised front fascia, side skirts, carbon fiber diffuser and matching rear wing. The C.F. hood may have been swapped out for a stock aluminum piece, but we’re guessing the weave has been covered in matching white paint. The upgraded brakes are one of the most obvious additions, while inside, there’s plenty of Alcantara covered kit, from the shift boot to the seats, which are also dead ringers for the thrones shown on the concept. The steering wheel is new however, sporting more grippy suede and complete with three different sections packed with LEDs. Your guess is as good as ours about the two displays mounted at 11 and 1, but the center mounted LED arrangement is likely a shift-light/rev meter.
Thanks for the tip, JL!
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Toyota has finally announced pricing for the 2009 Matrix and Corolla that made their unceremonious debut back in November at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Both models get a bump in their sticker, with the Corolla costing $845 more than the outgoing 2008 model, while the Matrix increases by $680.
The base Corolla, whose nomenclature has been changed from CE to “Standard”, starts at $15,250 sporting a five-speed manual, while an automatic model will set you back another $800. The LE and XLE models start at $16,650 and $17,550, respectively, both equipped with an automatic tranny and the 132-hp, 1.8-liter four. Care to upgrade a bit? You can now get the new 2.4-liter four producing 158 hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque in the XRS version starting at $18,760 with a manual or $19,950 with an automatic that Toyota notes can be “shift sequentially.”
The Matrix, which Toyota claims redesigned the crossover segment, but in reality is just a five-door Corolla, comes in three flavors: Standard, S and XRS. You can equip the warmed-over hatch with either the same 1.8-liter or 2.4-liter four found in the Corolla, mated to either a five-speed manual or a four- or five-speed automatic. All-wheel-drive will be an option on S-trim models that will come standard with the 2.4-liter four-pot and “Super ECT” four-speed gearbox. Pricing for the standard matrix starts at $16,190 if you row the gears yourself, while the max’d out XRS models shoots up to $21,850 with an auto ‘box. None of the prices listed above include the $650 destination fee.
All the details and trim levels are available in Toyota’s press release after the jump.
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Nearly 700 Brits plunked down pre-order deposits of £3,500 (about $7,000) within the first 48 hours of Nissan’s hot GT-R going on sale, proving demand for the latest Japanese supercar doesn’t seem to be diminishing. Customers in the UK don’t seem to be deterred by the GT-R’s base sales price of £52,900 (about $105,000), or the fact they won’t see delivery until March 2009. After our “First Drive” in the GT-R, you won’t see us ridiculing frenzied buyers…Source: Nissan UK
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