Automobile Retailers

It’s tax refund time!

Refunds, coupled with Bush’s proposed economic stimulus package, have a lot of people excited about a drop of extra cash in their mailboxes. But will the economic stimulus package work to rectify the sinking stone of the American economy or will over-spending simply lead to more trouble?

Naturally many companies want people to believe the former and want people to spend and spend some more on a variety of products and services. Paying bills with the stimulus package, which totals around $600 for some people, is a big no-no according to major corporations. Buying fancy toys is a positive outcome that will help save us all from the downturn in the economy. Better yet, buy a car or put a down-payment on something you’ve been looking at. Spend and spend some more, America.

Of course, most expert economists doubt that the stimulus package will do much to rectify the plunging economy. Instead, it’ll likely continue to foster America’s philosophy of debt and will impact individuals with lower incomes even more. Credit card debt is already a huge problem in America and, with more money being pumped in by a treasury that can simply print money when it’s convenient, things are quickly losing value.

That doesn’t mean owning things can’t be fun. Consider putting a down-payment on a Mercedes-Benz or another model. Buying a car, any car, has probably never been more convenient for the consumer. Entering a lease agreement can be fun, too, especially with warranties and other safeguards covering your butt during all of the trouble spots of car ownership.

So it’s reasonable to assume that car dealerships are sparking up the big money discounts at this time of year. Tax refund time is a fun time for your local Mercedes-Benz dealer and it can be a great time for you, too, even if your visit simply culminates in a test drive and some drooling over an A-class model.

The differences between car companies is, like the differences between American presidential candidates, becoming harder and harder to discern. Companies come out with subcompact models that parallel other subcompact models from other companies, making the disparity between Ford, Toyota, Honda, and other companies all the harder to spot. It’s a lot like choosing between Clinton or McCain.

The average consumer is now basing his or her car purchase on different factors, eliminating the need for car companies to do most of their work in production. What matters most to consumers of cars now is what happens to the car when it leaves the lot and, yes, how the car makes the driver feel. Does the car instil confidence in the driver? Does it make the driver feel proud to drive it? Those are the factors that are proving to be most influential in the business of car shopping.

Now the questions about the car have more to do with whether or not the car offers general satisfaction to the driver and less to do with how good the tires are. Of course, all of the minute factors of the car come together to formulate consumer satisfaction in a roundabout way, but most consumers are more concerned with cars that have fewer problems and more special features.

A San Diego-based firm highlighted this shift with its Total Quality Index. The TQI is a ranking of 19 vehicle segments based around overall customer satisfaction. The firm surveyed around 20,655 owners on both problems and on how delighted (or not) they were with things like vehicle amenities, interior design, ergonomics, controls, entertainment systems, and standard features.

As far as the car companies that made the top of the list most often, Ford and Toyota were almost inherently locked together for the lead. Cars with the most customer satisfaction over longer periods of time included Toyota’s Scion xB and the Yaris, as well as Ford’s Edge crossover and Mustang convertible.

It seems that smaller, more economical cars like the Scion and the Yaris from Toyota are proving to be more satisfactory for consumers in the long run, which means good things for environmentally-friendly models built with a similar design. Small cars may soon replace the top echelon of the car business and may transform the field, as customer demand suggests that the tide is changing in what people want from their cars and, more importantly, from their car companies.

Since I posted a blog yesterday about more and more Americans doing their own car maintenance, I figured it would be a good service to give you some tips on how to do that. In addition to saving money by doing it yourself, you can also increase your gas mileage and feel a sense of accomplishment. So today’s installment includes some tips about changing your air filter.

• Changing your air filter is one of the simplest maintenance jobs you can do on your car. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, but you can save 20 or 30 bucks just by doing it yourself.

• If your car was made in the last couple decades, your air filter is located in a black plastic case with metal clips holding it on (under the hood, of course). You’ll even see a black plastic tube going into the case on some cars.

• If there is a nut on the top of the casing holding the unit on, unscrew it. Put it in a safe place so you don’t lose it.

• Undo the clips. Most of the time, you can simply do this with your fingers. Other times, you may need to pry them apart with a screwdriver. Afterwards, the top of the casing should pop off.

• Remove the filter from inside. Depending on the type of car, the filter will either be round or rectangular. Regardless of its shape, it has many pieces of folded paper surround by rubber.

• Put the new filter in its place the same exact way the old one was sitting. Replace the casing and don’t forget to put the nut back on the top if there was one. If the casing won’t fit when you replace it, you’ve likely put the filter in wrong. Keep trying until it fits.

With this and other DIY tips, you can get a vehicle from your local Pontiac dealer and do much of the maintenance yourself. You’d be surprised how much money you can save and how good you’ll feel about yourself, too!