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Finding the Right Car by Price

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There's a lot of talk about high new car prices, but there is a way around that. Often, that talk is based on new car averages. Consumers opting for higher trim levels and more luxury brands, plus the price of new electric cars, is driving the averages up. There are still affordable new cars. The Chevrolet Trax, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Kia K4, Subaru Crosstrek, and Toyota Corolla are all reasonably priced. The VW Tiguan SE is an especially decent little SUV for the price. At about $34,000, you get a vehicle that most would assume costs more than $40,000 based on interior and exterior appearance. Doing a little extra research on both new and used cars will save money.  I just learned about this page on CarGurus.  It basically tells you the price increases and decreases by make and model on one page – the vehicles with the biggest increases or decreases (new and used) are at the top in big boxes.  You can toggle between price decreases and increases.   Body Style an...
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"Tesla Full Self Driving (Supervised)" - Clunky Name or Clever Name?

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Here's why it's a genius move to rename Tesla Full Self Driving (FSD) to "Full Self Driving (Supervised)." Tesla's Model 3 is second best selling electric car, second to Tesla's own Model Y - Photo Courtesy of Tesla.
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Cheap Cars do Exist: 2026 Chevrolet Trax

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  Think you can’t get a new car for a low price?  You can - it’s the Chevy Trax.
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EV Ownership - Would I do it Again?

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I’ve had an electric car for about a year and a half, and here are some of the pluses and minuses:  The short version is, I don't think I'd get an electric car again. The ownership experience has not been bad. Even the sales experience (I have a Kia) was leaning toward "pleasant." Still... Kia's EV6 had a makeover in 2025. The new front-end treatment and Tesla-like NACS charging are two obvious updates. -photo by Brian Moody
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Teen Driver Tech

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There’s a cool tech and safety feature that’s often overlooked when it comes to buying a new or used car. On GM vehicles, including most Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMCs sold in North America, the feature is called Teen Driver Mode. On Ford vehicles, it’s called MyKey.  The 2026 Chevrolet Traverse has Teen Driver Mode as a standard feature - RS trim show. Photo by Brian Moody  They do essentially the same thing but slightly differently. They both use the key fob, which you can program so that one is like an admin key and the other is the programmed “copy key.” When you program your teen driver key fob in a GM vehicle like the Chevy Traverse, Chevy Trax, or Buick Envista, it does these things: Limits the vehicle's top speed to 85 mph.  Disables the radio, including connected devices, until the front seatbelts are buckled.  Automatically turns on the headlights when you shift out of park, no matter what time of day it is. Customizable speed warning: for example, if...
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2026 Super Bowl Car Ads

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  The coolest Super Bowl car ad this year is the Fanatics Sportsbook / Kendall Jenner ad with that Ferrari 250 GT. It was fun, funny, and had a really cool car. Of course, they imply that she backs into something, but we never see that part. 250 GT in that condition is worth about $600,000, maybe more. If it were a spider or a short-wheelbase Ferrari, it would be worth millions. Still, the commercial is fun, and that car is definitely the highlight - sweet G550 too. Fanatics Sportsbook  Ad This year Super Bowl is a little bit light on cool car ads. However, we still get to see interesting stuff like an old RAV4, Cadillac’s new Formula One paint scheme, old school boxy Ford explorers in the Jurassic Park ad, and that super cool Ferrari in the Fanatic Sportsbook ad. The Ford F-100 that was in the half-time show proves just how prominently automobiles figure into all types of American popular culture.   Toyota The Toyota commercial about the seatbelt is something Toyota has ...
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Used EVs are the Bargain of the Decade

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Looking for an amazing deal on a used car? Get an electric car.  See the full NBC 7 San Diego story  -  Reporter Sergio Flores does an excellent job of explaining it concisely. The prices are incredible. Here are just a few examples: CarGurus - in New Jersey, a 2023 Nissan Leaf with 21,000 miles for $10,000 Capital One Auto Navigator - in Atlanta, a 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 4Matic Sedan with 46,000 miles - $33,000. This was an $80,000 car when new!!  Cars.com - in Dallas, a 2024 Kia Niro EV with 11,000 miles - $20,000.  All of these cars, and ones like them, will still be under warranty. The Mercedes-Benz has a 10-year, 155,000-mile warranty. Most electric cars have an 8-year / 100,000-mile warranty on the battery and drive components.
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