1. My Carlady News from the Street!

    December 16, 2008 by mycarlady
    Miles of Smiles Club and News from the Street…

    My predictions for 2009 and the Automakers bailout.
     
    The Detroit Big 3 will consolidate in 2009. Watch for Mercury to go away and Lincoln to become the luxury division of Ford, to be relocated to Ford showrooms. Ford dumps Saab. Chrysler will become Dodge-Jeep and maybe the 300, if any car remains. GMC will dump Pontiac, Saturn, leaving Chevy and GMC trucks to battle for position. Some cars will become collectibles and others will be obsolete. Which ones? That’s why you have me… Carlady@cox.net  
    Leasing: It’s not dead, but it’s seriously curtailed to specific cars in each automaker’s portfolio. Nissan: Altima, Toyota: Camry, Lexus RX350 and ES350, Honda Accord and Civic, Infiniti GS37, Audi A4, VW Jetta. These are the hot ones right now.
     
    USED TRUCK DEALS:  If you need a good work truck or Caliber these are being made available through one of my Miles of Smiles faithful friends.  If you are interetsed in making an offer email me: sarahlee@mycarlady.com I’ll send you pictures.

    1999 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 extracab SR5 with auto 184,104 miles 3.4 liter v-6
    2001 Ford F-150 4X4 supercrew XLT 155,236 miles 5.4 liter v-8
    2003 Ford F-250 superduty extracab XL, 2wd, auto, 5.4 liter v-8 gas, 82,000 miles
    2004 Ford F-150 extracab longbed XL, 2wd, auto, 5.4 liter v-8 gas, 95,900 miles
    2007 Dodge Caliber, 2.4 liter with CVT, 33,644 miles awesome condition! 
    2005 F-150 extracab 4X4 FX4 flareside, 64,200 miles, 5.4 liter v-8

    I still have the 2004 BMW convertible too! It would look great under the mistletoe or HanukCAR lights.

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    AUTO CREDIT ADVISORY 
    The auto industry is not making getting a car loan easy. Chrysler, Ford and GMC are not making loans to small business or consumers unless the buyer has 30-40% cash down and over 700 AUTO FICO scores. Chase, BofA, CapitalOne and local credit unions are picking up the slack, but VERY selectively. If there is ANYTHING derogatory on the credit bureau, you can forget a great rate. A great rate today is 6.99% for 72 mos. available only to those with 720+ Auto FICO scores. The special incentive rates offered by the car factories are only available to the over 700 FICO owners and you must have 20% cash down to cover tax and fees. Any negative equity from a trade must be covered with additonal cash down. In other words, the bank is only buying the wholesale value of the car AFTER rebate or 80-90% of the wholesale value under the most conservative cases.  Those of you with two car loans in your name, co-signed or otherwise, can expect to see a one person, one driver policy going forward.

    Second chance lenders have all but disappeared, leaving one or two demanding 25% interest and 3000 cash down. If you are currently in a bankruptcy forget the car loan until you are discharged. Those with discharged Bankruptcies can expect a min. of a 22% interest rate, 2000.00 cash down and a cap of $10,000.00 on the vehicle value.

    If you have low secured but high revolving debt (credit cards) of 40% or more, be prepared for a higher interest rate. CONSIDER THIS: The next wave of car loans to those with bad auto loan history or high revolving debt will be GPS moniters and shut-off devices in the cars. If the loan is late, the car won’t start. If you’re a month down, the car is ”located” and repo’d.  Welcome to my world. If you want to know how you can clean up your credit report and raise your FICO score, call me, I’ve got a great tool with a 100% money-back guarantee.  carlady@cox.net Subject line: CREDIT REPORT FIX
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    2009 Toyota Venza has arrived.

     
    2009toyotavenza 

    This compact crossover fits between the Matrix and the Rav. Slightly larger than the Dodge Caliber, this is a five seater packed with features and upgrades usually available in fancier models. No thrid row seat or tow capacity, but it drives like a Toyota, smooth and reliable. You have to like the nose on it. Available as a 4 and 6cyl, the price STARTS in the $25K range but quickly runs to $30K with leather. I’m not sure I can justify that price for the size compared to other Toyota/import products. You be the judge. Watch for my Venza car review on YouTube or my blog: www.everythingcars.wordpress.com later this week.

    Category: AUTOMOTIVE, DODGE, GMC
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  2. FREE GAS from Chrysler!

    May 7, 2008 by mycarlady

    free gas credit cardWell if you can’t give the consumer a Hybrid or a car that gets better than 25MPG give them FREE gas, the thinking goes.

    so, until June 2nd, 2008, you get a guarentee that you won’t pay more than $2.99 a gallon for your fuel, thank you Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. Well, not the SRT models, Cab and Chasis, Sprinter, Viper or the new Challenger.  While I applaud this creative work around, it is unfortunate that Chrysler is the last one to the party with truly fuel efficient vehicles. Even Ford and GM have some hybrids in their line, which in fact, are sold out ’til August. Imagine if they could meet demand for the Escape, Mariner, Yukon etc, they would be able to swing their balance sheets around. But there are some who say GM is LOSING money on every Yukon they make???  Funny, the Toyota stores are selling all the hybrids they can make and prices on Prius are again, $2-5k over sticker, on a car that is already OVERPRICED! But they do get 40MPG which is like getting FREE GAS everytime you DONT have to fill up, right? Yikes! but alas, I digress…

    So, here we have FREE GAS! Here’s how the Chrysler plan works… Program Description
    The Let’s Refuel America gas card program works when a customer purchases a new and unused Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicle and selects the program in lieu of other available incentives. The customer is provided with the registration process documentation and registers providing their required personal information via the dedicated web site or toll-free 800 number. Once registered, the customer receives their gas card and separately, their Personal Identification Number (PIN) within 4 to 6 weeks of application. The customer then swipes their Let’s Refuel America Gas Card at an eligible gas station, selecting up to 87 octane regular, E85 fuel or diesel fuel, and enters their PIN to begin the fueling process. After the fuel transaction occurs, the customer’s personal credit card (identified in the registration process) is charged $2.99 per gallon.

    There are some caveats, including a limit to the total number of gallons you can buy in a year;  and if you use the card to buy a type of gas NOT ALLOCATED to your card you get charged a $2.00 SERVICE FEE. OUCH!  I’m thinking that Chrysler was trying to reformat another rebate, without calling it a rebate, which it is. HOWEVER, BECAUSE, gas prices aren’t going down, they could end up paying alot more in years two or three, or so it would seem, unless you lose, get disqualified or dump the whole swipe, pin, check your miles online process…

    SO HERE IS THE KINK: Consumers who select this offer WILL NOT be eligible for the traditional consumer/lease cash, special APR interest rates, Compass/Patriot retail cash and you have to call the customer assistance line or ask the dealer, to find out EXACTLY how many gallons you are alloted for the car you want to buy or just bought, and you have to be registered by JULY 31st, 2008 or you lose, period.

    EXAMPLES:  Dodge Caliber: 1500 GALLONS for 3 yrs. or 500 per year.  Journey 1800 GALLONS for 3 yrs. or 600 per year. Town & Contry Mini-van 1895 GALLONS for 3 years or 632 gallons per year and Chrysler 300C HEMI gets 2118 GALLONS for 3 years or 790 GALLONS per year.

    SO if you give up an average of $3000 in rebates, or more in potential interest rate savings, what are you getting in return?  If gas goes to $5.00 a gallon over the next year or two, the most you are going to save on this deal is approximately the same money you would have captured upfront on the rebate side. APPROXIMATELY, because we all drive differently etc. you know the disclaimer rule…

    All in all I call this one hellofa GIMICK, and maybe those who live the sound of FREE GAS and PRICE LOCK GUARANTEE will drive right over and hopefully consider a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge product, if they qualify for the gas credit card… but what if they don’t?

    Want to know what’s the best deal the incentives, low interest rate or the GAS? go to www.mycarlady.com

    SLM

    For more information you can go to: http://refuelamerica.pricelock.com or call 1-00-866-4656.

    Category: AUTOMOTIVE, CARS I OWN, CHRYSLER, DODGE, GMC
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