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2010 End of Year CAR DEALS EASY to FIND

August 30, 2010 by mycarlady

The annual 2010 year end car deals, dealer clearance sales have begun but you must know where to look to score a great deal, because the specific makes and models in each auto manufacturer’s line-up are not always plentiful and easy to find. Dealer invoice or less, wholesale fleet pricing, huge dealer factory rebates and incentives can add up to over five thousand dollars off dealer factory invoice if you act fast because LABOR DAY holiday weekend CAR SALES EVENTS are usually the last big summer sales opportunity for the model year. Many 2011 models are already on dealer lots, but the car companies are still being cautious about production as the economy slugs along. Banks have fortunately started to loosen the credit reins enough to help the dealers find car loans for qualified buyers, but bad credit score consumers will find higher down payment and interest rate requirements.

MAKES AND MODELS TO LOOK FOR THIS YEAR-END CLOSE-OUT SALE SEASON:

2011 KIA SPORTAGE

SUVS: Check out the MAZDA CX-7 and CX-9. These highly rated consumer reports crossover suv’s are plentiful and have dealer incentives of over $2500.00 to make them go away. The 2011 CX’s won’t arrive until mid-late November. There may also be a few Nissan Rogue’s around at great prices. Don’t forsake the 2011 KIA Sportage and Sorento offering killer lease deals to compete with left-over 2010’s by other makes. Nissan ARMADA is another large suv with low interest rates and seven passenger capacity, although there are not as many around, but if you are flexible on color you could score this weekend.

TRUCKS: CHEVY and DODGE don’t have many 2010 leftovers at this point in the year, However, if you find one you can save over 5k, however don’t worry about switching to a new 2011, rebates and 0% financing may be a better deal on the truck you want with only the features you want, color and it’s a 2011! CHEVY has 5yr/100k warranty too!

CARS: Other than HYBRIDS, Toyota has plenty of Camry’s, Corolla’s and Avalon’s to deal on. Honda and Mazda are matching Toyota in lease payment offers on theMazda6, Mazda3, Accord and Civic sedans, not coupe. Nissan has a similar , Mazda and Toyota for selection.

SPORTS CARS: Kia Forte, Chevy Camaro, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Hyundai Tiburon are all at or below dealer invoice this holiday model year end blow-out. However, the 4cyl. Eclipse convertible may be harder to find.

MISC. There are plenty of 2010 Scion,Kia SOUL , Nissan CUBE and Honda Fit to be had.

Want to know if your car is a “steal” this holiday Y-E-M blow-out special? Email me and I’ll fill you in on what kind of deal you can expect from dealers in your area; Sarahlee@mycarlady.comIf you need any other car buying, selling, trading or financing assistance on any new or used vehicle, please do not hesitate to email me at sarahlee@mycarlady.com or give me a call; 702-521-7546

I’m here to help you with any of your automotive needs and advice is free.
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 CAR DEALS

2011 KIA SPORTAGE TEST DRIVE REVIEW LAS VEGAS

July 29, 2010 by mycarlady

The new 2011 Kia Sportage Test drive review by MYCARLADY’s Sarah Lee in Las Vegas, Nevada tells you the truth about the good, bad and ugly in new cars. The Sportage is definitely a winner all the way, with only a few quirky items not worth worrying about.

First of all this new version is a welcome change from previous models, starring the new Euro-Asian look that has carried KIA into the 2010-2011 center stage with the Soul, Sorento, Forte and Forte Coupe. I don’t think there is a better looking, more well-balanced design platform scaling all the different models, sizes and price points of a single auto manufacturer out there right now.

The new “Stage lights” in the headlamps are awesome, who cares if they are taken right off the Audi. As a matter of fact, the back-end resembles the Q5/Q7 and why not imitate a fashion leader. The fit and finish is solid and eye-appealing with just enough chrome, polished aluminum and leather to accent without over-dosing. Thanks for skipping the fake wood and laminate, as old as Oldsmobile. BTW, for those dissing the smaller rear passenger windows, I’ll take the extra metal rising up the belt line and protecting my shoulder over the need to stick my head out the window.

The handling, and ride are solid without being sluggish, especially when you consider the 176hp 4cyl engine puts out more hp than the old v6. The wider body stance keeps us firmly on the road when taking corners and in the wind. The acceleration was good, even as I had the air on full blast (67 with my dual temp controls) in Las Vegas 108 degree summer heat and accelerating into traffic at 50+mph.

The gas mileage says 22 and 31, which is awesome for a 5 passenger suv, but let’s be real, the middle passenger #5 better be small. Tall is okay in the 2011 Sportage because head room, there is plenty. A 6′2″ guy ducked a bit to get int he rear seats but had plenty of room (no moon-roof in my demo). The rear seats don’t recline but there is plenty of head and legroom to be comfortable on a long drive. My rear passengers got air from one of the 4 vents in the front blowing gusts, so no one complained about not having rear air vents.

The back hatch has very respectable storage for this class, with a 60/40 rear seat split for long items. I could get 3-4 golf bags in the back without any trouble.

I’m sorry to tell you, the only way to get push button start is by ordering the top of the line EX and adding Leather, Navigation, and you must get Leather seats if you want the panoramic moon-roof. Also the new UVO inteactive voice recognition package won”t be available til January 2011. It’s a Microsoft system, first debuted at CES last year in the Sorento, and we haven’t seen it there yet either. At $19k-28k, I think the Sorento is a better play but hands-free dialing, sending emails and texting are the wave of the future, by law, so get ready.

There are some intersting interior color options: orange and blue, and a heated and cooled front seat package, yet you still have to order “Homelink” as an option and the passenger front airbag light is annoying, by being “on” when you have no front passenger, the opposite of every other car manufacturer out there.

The A/C cooler glove-box is a copy of the Dodge Caliber, not sure it was ever used as a cooler, but hey, it’s another “boasting” point. Better to crow about the awesome warranty: 5yr/60k basic and 10/100k powertrain, still an amazing selling point only sister Hyundai has maintained over the years, and the quality has improved on top of that deal.

All in all, Kia has done a great job with the entire Sportage makeover for 2011 and should be proud. Already named Best in Class for residual value, let’s see KIA support the all-new 2011 Sportage with a strong lease program to buy some market position as they did when launching the FORTE, and don’t forget to ship them!

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If you need any other car buying, selling, trading or financing assistance on any new or used vehicle, please do not hesitate to email me at sarahlee@mycarlady.com or give me a call; 702-521-7546 I’m here to help you with any of your automotive needs and advice is free.

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 CAR DEALS