2010 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV or Crossover take your pick!My overall impression of this car is it packs a lot of features onto a relatively small chassis for a VERY REASONABLE price. Considering most 6cyl. SUV-types start at $35k and quickly graduate to $40k, this is a nice blend of all the features we want; iPod, hard drive, above-average stereo, 18″ rims, tow capacity, heated seats, paddle-shifters, leather, moon-roof, long factory warranty and a peppy engine, at 230 hp, this v6 delivers nicely without being a gas hog; 18/22 and 22/24 respectively. Add the 5 yr. 60k Basic Limited and 10 yr. 100k power train warranty and great financing options; 0% for 36 mos. or a super lease payment, and the car buying public will either love or hate this ride, given the unique styling of the front grill (NOSE).
However, when I dig deeper there are some things about this crossover that leaves me wondering, WHY?
Why have Heated seats and no Homelink?
Why cheap-out on the steering wheel yet add extra bolstering in the sides of the bottom cushion and seat back?, (makes the seat feel too small on a typical American super-sized butt!).
Why make this third row seat more difficult to manuveur than a Rubics Cube and as comfortable to sit on?
Why use the 18” rims, McPherson struts and four-wheel independent suspension but skip the Breamo brakes?
The Fosgate stereo is surround-sound sex-appeal but muffles out when the third row seat is up, passenger in place or not.
The towing capacity suggests 3500lbs, however, I need to see it to believe this rig can still blow cold air during Vegas summers while maintaining speed on the grades with a 3500lb anchor on it’s tail.
All in all, there is enough to like about the 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander to make it a worthy contender in a class that has serious competition from the Nissan Rogue, Subaru Outback, Mazda CX-7/Ford Explorer, Jeep Liberty and Hyundai Santa Fe or 2011 KIA SORENTO
Checkout my 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander AWD 6cyl. test drive here:
Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com
Top learn more about getting your best car deal click here: CAR DEALS
The CARS program (CASH 4 Junkers) will officially launch July 24th, 2009, so says the government’s toll-free information line. Until then, steer clear of dealerships advertising the program as $4500 rebates good now. This will only add insult to your intelligence when you discover your trade-in value rebate is being added to the selling price of the new car.
NOTE: there are many things you will need to do BEFORE racing to the dealership.
1. GO ONLINE and find out what your trade-in’s current COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY is, based on the listing posted on the NTHSA website. Print out a copy for your files.
2. GO ONLINE and research the various NEW CARS you are considering for their COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY. Also listed at this website.
3. Go to WWW.CARS.GOVto determine exactly how much your rebate will be, based on the category of FUEL IMPROVMENT you will experience between your trade-in and the proposed vehicle you have decided to purchase.
4. Consider having your credit report reviewed and auto loan financing arranged BEFORE car shopping. This could save you hours of hassles and embarassment. If you need a credit pre-approval contact me for assistance.
FROM THE www.cars.gov website: “-As noted above, at the time of the transaction at the dealer, the consumer who is trading in the “trade-in vehicle” will need to provide evidence of ownership of the vehicle and proof that the vehicle has been continuously registered and insured to the same person throughout the last 12 months. To prevent repeated use of the program by the same person, we anticipate that the consumer will need to provide evidence of identity, such as a driver’s license, and permit that information to become part of the documentation of the transaction. The dealer will have every reason to avoid entering into a transaction for which the dealer cannot be reimbursed under this program. The dealer will be expected to verify that the vehicle being traded in and the vehicle being purchased or leased are both eligible under the program. This will entail, with regard to the trade-in, making sure that the registration and insurance information is accurate and that the vehicle is in drivable condition. For both vehicles, the dealer will need to verify their combined fuel economy.”… from cars.gov the OFFICIAL government website on the CARS program.
HERE is an example of the comparison chart for old vs. new. It saved me 1 gallon of fuel.
How are fuel cost estimates and miles on a tank determined?
Fuel cost estimates are based on45% highway driving, 55% city driving, 15000 annual miles and the following fuel prices:
Regular Gasoline: $2.44 per gallon
You may customize these values to reflect the price of fuel in your area and your own driving patterns.
Fill-up cost and the distance you can travel on a tank are calculated based on the combined MPG and the assumption that you will re-fuel when your tank is 10% full.
What’s the difference between air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions? The Air Pollution score and Carbon Footprint measure different types of vehicle emissions. Air pollutants harm human health and/or cause smog. Carbon Footprint measures greenhouse gas emissions (primarily CO2) that impact climate change.
Why do some vehicles have more than one air pollution score? Some vehicles are available in multiple emission versions that look the same but have different air pollution scores. Unfortunately, it is difficult to distinguish between similar models.If you click on the link “Show Detailed Air Pollution Information” above, it will display the emission standard and the 12-digit underhood engine ID. You can identify the cleaner car by matching the engine ID listed above to the Underhood Label Identification Number on the vehicle.Note: In some cases, manufacturers choose to certify identical vehicles to different emission standards. In these cases, the vehicles will have the same engine ID.
The carbon footprint measures greenhouse gas emissions expressed in CO2 equivalents. The estimates presented here are “full fuel-cycle estimates” and include the three major greenhouse gases emitted by motor vehicles: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane. Full fuel-cycle estimates consider all steps in the use of a fuel, from production and refining to distribution and final use. Vehicle manufacture is excluded. (U.S. Department of Energy, GREET Model 1.7, Argonne National Laboratory)NA – Not AvailableColor vehicle photographs have been provided by the vehicle manufacturers or their representative and are used with their permission. Black and white photographs are as published in Ward’s Automotive Yearbook(R), 1985-1999 and are used by permission of Ward’s Communications, a world leader in automotive information.
DISCLAIMER: The user estimates shown above are based on data from Your MPG users rather than official sources. Since the source data cannot be verified, neither DOE nor EPA guarantees the accuracy of these estimates. this information was taken from the www.fuelgeconomy.gov. website as an example of my own vehicles.
The 2002 Jeep Liberty Trade-in value is $6800.00 so getting $3500 on the CARS program doesn’t help me. It won’t take this gas hog off the road. The dealership will resell it to cover my trade-in value. I’ll have to either drive it for another couple years or trade it for something with better fuel economy to really see a net savings.
NEED AUTO FINANCE HELP or CREDIT report repair go to tell them MY CARLADY: Sarah Lee sent you. It’s a free consult and they do the right thing by you, fast, easy, cheap.
Top learn more about getting your best car deal click here: CAR DEALS
Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com
Doing these things AHEAD of TIME will SAVE you COUNTLESS hours and DOLLARS! It would also help to have your credit reviewed and financing arranged, to spare yourself any embarrassment or hassles at the dealer.
I f you need more information on credit PRE-APPROVAL, contact me at: www.mycarlady.com.
CASH FOR CLUNKERS, also known as CARS; The Car Allowance Rebate System, is another effort to stimulate the American Auto Industry.
THE OFFICIAL WORD from the WWW.CARS.GOVwebsite: “CARS is a new program from the government that will help you pay for a new, more fuel efficient car or truck from a participating dealer when you trade in a less fuel efficient car or truck.”
IMHO: The Car Allowance Rebate System is a $1 BILLION dollar program to further stimulate the auto industry by paying Americans to trade in their old “junkers” for new cars. The alleged theory is the elimination of these cars will help reduce bad air and our dependency on oil while improving the US economy through car purchases.
HOWEVER, if the truth be told,
Most of these “old” cars don’t go more than 8,000 miles per year.
Many “CLUNKER” owners lack the financial resources or credit worthiness to buy a new ride.
Current availability of alternative fuel vehicles cannot meet the demand of interested car buyers.
Most new car buyers are shunning Chrysler, GM and Ford for Toyota, Nissan and HONDA, for late model pre0owned cars, so they will not benefit from the cash for junkers program.
BTW, Who’s getting the money from the scrap metal, salvaged parts and recycled rubber sent to the crushers?
PLEASE note the final rules will not be available until JULY 24th, 2009.The CARS program website clearly states the rollout isn’t expected to start until July 24th, 2009 as many of the components of the program have yet to be determined.
As a result of this frenzy-freeze, consumers will idle their buying for another 30 days, or longer, if you judge the ability of the government to administer this program based on the success of the recent ANALOG to HD converter box distribution.
In this scenario, the dealers will either lose a client or try to rework the REBATE to make the deal now, which will not eliminate the “CLUNKER” trade from the roadways. A “CLUNKER” trade-in that could be sold for more than the $4500.00 max. rebate, will be a loss to the dealer that sends it to the CRUSHER.This program could cost dealerships, countless thousands in USED CAR sales, as cars in the $4-8k range are needlessly SCRAPPED, when infact, they are in very high demand.
The other BIG UN-ANSWERED QUESTION is how does the dealership get paid? VOUCHERS, VOUCHERS, VOUCHERS…
Imagine car dealerships selling 100 CLUNKER CAR DEALS a month at $4500.00 each, carrying $450,000.00 owed to them by a government program. Dealerships can’t float that kind of cash.I see dealers opting-out. Will the taxpayers end up paying interest on top, or will the dealerships cut-off their participation when the banks turn-down their lines of credit?Will the auto manufacturers provide extra “flooring” or credit lines for the millions of new cars they are making to fulfill every American’s NEW RIDE?
IMHO: The government should DEMAND the car factories participate in the program by lending more openly to both dealers and consumers, especially when their brand is being traded for a new version of the same brand.The cars coming off the road and replaced with a different make should also have to pay up on a percentage basis.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING FOR YOUR CLUNKER?The value of the credit for the purchase or lease of a new passenger car depends upon the difference between the combined fuel economy of the vehicle that is traded in and that of the new vehicle that is purchased or leased. If the new vehicle has a combined fuel economy that is at least 4, but less than 10, miles per gallon higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $3,500. If the new vehicle has a combined fuel economy value that is at least 10 miles per gallon higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $4,500.
Program Rollout
June 24, 2009 Bill Signed into Law
Program Being Developed
Late July, 2009 Target for Program Implementation
November 1, 2009 Program Ends
How can I determine the fuel economy of my trade in vehicle?
The CARS Act requires that, by July 24, NHTSA set up a location on the program website, http://www.cars.gov, to assist consumers in determining whether their vehicle is an eligible trade-in vehicle. Until that part of the website is operational, consumers can visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm and search for their vehicle to find its combined fuel economy value. When searching that website, consumers will need to know their vehicle’s model year, make, model, engine size, and transmission type. MPG requirements for model year 1985 and newer vehicles are based on the Combined “Estimated New EPA MPG” as given in the Find a Car section at www.fueleconomy.gov.
These are just a few of the FAQ’S you are certain to want to know about. You can go to the www.CARS.gov website or subscribe here to get the latest on this new program. READ MORE on the program here: CLICK HERE
——————————————————————————————————————–
NEED AUTO FINANCE HELP or CREDIT report repair go to www.ecreditautoadvisor.com tell them MY CARLADY: Sarah Lee sent you. It’s a free consult and they do the right thing by you, fast, easy, cheap.
Top learn more about getting your best car deal click here: CAR DEALS
Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com
AS Americans we like to BUY stuff. SO in the midst of the greatest economic crisis of the past fifty years, we are tired of being tired.We are also tired of driving cars that continually breakdown, have to share or no longer fit our needs/lifestyle.
Welcome to summer selling season in the auto industry. If it was ever time in the last two years, it’s a great time to go car shopping. Pent-up demand is driving car customers to dealerships hoping for half-price Jeeps and deep-deep discounts. You may also want to RE-consider buying a soon to be discontinued make or model: SATURN, SAAB, HUMMER, PONTIAC and some Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models; Chrysler Aspen and PT Cruiser, Dodge Durango and Stratus, Jeep Commander.
However, BUYER BEWARE. The car market has changed and you need to be prepared for some surprises.
Salesmen/women. The salesmen still stand outside, but there are far fewer of them. That may work well for browsers, but those ready to make a deal are going to find less product knowledge and willingness to trot around on long test drives.
Less Inventory. The dealers have pared their inventories to all time lows, so be prepared to be flexible, to get a better deal now, or wait 10-12 weeks when ordering a car to meet your specs. SOme HOT models are selling for higher prices now, than they were in January. During model year change over, you can also expect to pay more for the new year model, as the first ones delivered are usually the most in demand=higher price.
Financing. Perhaps the hardest thing to understand about auto financing is the higher the score doesn’t guarantee you an immediate approval or the best rate.Cash down, over and above rebates, are considered in the loan application, along with trade-in values and how many other cars notes you have signed for.The auto banks are looking hard at car loans vs. debt and income. While mom and dad make great co-signers, if sister and brother have already tapped them, the next in line may need to ask another relative.
TRADE-IN.When trading a vehicle with a payoff, you may be better off to make the payoff yourself, to be assured the closing dealership will, in fact, pay off the existing lease or loan. As dealerships are burdened with closing, employees are let go, and title payoffs can slip through the cracks. Having your trade paid off before the next payment is due, is crucial to keeping your credit in good shape.
Incentives. You can have rebates or low interest rates but not both. Don’t expect to buy a car for half-off sticker. The biggest discounts I’ve seen are $6,000 off a $40,000.00 car. Multiple rebates for everything from loyal clients to military and first-time buyers often cannot be layered, so pick the highest reward for your car, in real time. By REAL TIME, I mean NOW.If you take a lower interest rate and payoff the car early, trade-it or it gets stolen/totaled, you have lost the full value of the interest saved. Sometimes cash in your deal as down payment, is the better deal because you have lowered the amount borrowed, and should a better rate be offered by another bank, you can move the loan. Note, low interest rate incentives do not allow for negative equity from a trade-in.
If you are really interested in buying a new car this summer, look to a broker or car buyer’s agent to get the bottom line before you start kicking tires. They can help you figure out the REAL price on the BEST DEAL and find you the car you want, saving you hours of hassle, and aggravation driving from dealer to dealer. The fee you pay a broker or buyers agent more than pays for itself in time and savings you would not realize on your best day of negotiating.
GMAC to FUND CHRYSLER AUTO LOANS
CHRYSLER, JEEP and DODGE dealers may finally get some much needed life support in the area of auto loans for their credit needy car buyers. Credit scores and auto loan availability have been the most significant factor challenging the car business in general and especially Chrysler Financial, the lead credit resource for most Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships around the country. Traditional banks, credit unions and auto finance arms of commercial lenders have distanced themselves from Chrysler products over the past six months as bankruptcy proceedings loomed large.
GMAC to the rescue. GMAC and Chrysler Financial are both owned by Cerberus, the private-equity firm which owns Chrysler. As cash-strapped Chrysler Financial has been unable to offer much in the form of financing options, GMAC has been offering dealers lending agreements to pick-up the void left by the bankruptcy. While they have only begun the process of vetting dealers, they have yet to fund a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge new car loan, however, you can bet when the light turns green, the dealerships will be full throttle to get their customers financed before the money runs out.
In the meantime, Chase is financing the promotional interest rate incentives offered by Chrysler. Their eligability requirements have been tied to stringent guidelines requiring buyers to have over 700+ FICO AUTO SCORES, 50% debt to income and some cash down to insure the lender of a positive equity position on any Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge product.
The ability to get auto financing has hampered many car buyers, especially those with minimal cash down, average FICO AUTO scores and negative equity in their trade-ins.
The trade-in negative equity has come from market conditions devaluing gas-guzzler and luxury models flooding the market as job layoffs force consumers to repossess the vehicles they can no longer afford.
The reluctance of the lenders to finance above wholesale book or invoice on a NEW DODGE, CHRYSLER of JEEP, has turned the negative equity of an “upside-down trade” into a cash down must. The average FICO AUTO score of 620 has added insult to injury for many potential car buyers, offered high interest rate loans which push their debt-to-income ratio close to the edge.
GMAC has intimated an open-mindedness toward the 620 Auto score credit consumer. While a willingness to finance a 620 consumer at a reasonable interest rate is a welcome relief to Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships, the trade-in and cash down may still frustrate some potential buyers.
Consumers need to be aware of their trade-in payoff, value position, credit score and cash availability before rushing to the car lot. There is a perception that dealerships are “giving cars away”, and while there are great deals out there, the relationship between credit, equity and cash are paramount to driving home in a new car in today’s market.
—————————————————————————————–
Top learn more about getting your best car deal click here: CAR DEALS
Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com
2010 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV or Crossover take your pick!My overall impression of this car is it packs a lot of features onto a relatively small chassis for a VERY REASONABLE price. Considering most 6cyl. SUV-types start at $35k and quickly graduate to $40k, this is a nice blend of all the features we want; iPod, hard drive, above-average stereo, 18″ rims, tow capacity, heated seats, paddle-shifters, leather, moon-roof, long factory warranty and a peppy engine, at 230 hp, this v6 delivers nicely without being a gas hog; 18/22 and 22/24 respectively. Add the 5 yr. 60k Basic Limited and 10 yr. 100k power train warranty and great financing options; 0% for 36 mos. or a super lease payment, and the car buying public will either love or hate this ride, given the unique styling of the front grill (NOSE). 
GMAC to FUND CHRYSLER AUTO LOANS
More From MyCarlady®
Available Cars
Download Free MyCarlady Podcasts: