Author Archive: Chad Baus

You don’t have to travel far to take in the phenomenon of fall foliage. All across the U.S., from New England to the Pacific Northwest, deciduous trees put on their dazzling display of color. Leaf viewing is one of the easiest (and least expensive) ways to experience America’s awe-inspiring natural beauty. Check out our picks for the ten best destinations for fall foliage or get out there and discover your own.

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It won’t be long before the weather gets iffy, if that time hasn’t already arrived. Driving safely during the fall months requires more than just cautious driver behavior. Your car also needs some attention.

Here are 10 practical tips to help get your car ready for fall.

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Fall is a time for hay rides, leaf peeping and pumpkin picking. It’s also a time when road and weather conditions make getting there a little tougher.

Stay safe on the road this season with these smart driving tips.

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It’s perhaps surprising, but true: Driving on a rainy day is more dangerous than driving on a snowy one. When the rain starts to fall and pavement is wet, your likelihood of a crash is higher than during wintry conditions like snow, sleet and ice, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

After averaging 10 years of statistics, NHTSA researchers found that 46 percent of weather-related crashes happened during rainfall, but just 17 percent while it was snowing or sleeting. Those statistics are partially explained, of course, by the fact that many drivers have the good sense to stay home during a bad snowstorm, says Debbie Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, which offers defensive driving courses. But the statistics also reflect a sobering truth, she says: [...]

Regular preventive maintenance is probably the single thing you can do as a car owner to keep your ride happy and save money on repairs in the future. However, not everyone agrees on what preventive maintenance is, what you should do, and when you should do it. Let’s clear that up, and give you some tips that’ll apply to any vehicle.

Anyone who’s ever worked on cars or spent a ton of money getting their car repaired will tell you: Don’t ignore preventive maintenance. The basics, like changing your oil, checking your tire pressure, and getting scheduled inspections and work done are like getting regular checkups at the doctor. They keep you healthy and give you—and the experts—a chance to catch anything serious before it becomes a major problem. With your car, that can save [...]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Ruckersville, Virginia, has a history lesson in the lobby. That’s where it displays the 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air that it crashed into a 2009 Chevy Malibu to demonstrate the progress in safety over the past 50 years. The Malibu’s front end is annihilated, but its passenger compartment looks practically undisturbed. The Bel Air, however, looks like it cruised straight out of one of those gruesome old driver’s ed safety videos. Cue the voice-over: “Jimmy was on his way to the prom when he decided to try a little street racing …”

Cars are indisputably safer than ever, and that’s partly thanks to the work at the IIHS. The organization is funded by insurance companies, so its mandate is to identify problems and then essentially shame [...]

Getting recalls performed is important, and every single vehicle in CAR 1’s inventory has been checked for recalls and had them performed if possible. With that being said, we oppose legislation that would make it illegal to sell a used car that has an open recall, and a new report shows why consumers should be as well.

From HartfordBusiness.com:

The National Association of Automobile Dealers is out with a report that claims consumers would be significantly hurt if a law banning used cars with recalls from being sold is enacted. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s proposal, the trade group claimed, could cost consumers anywhere from $1,210 to $5,713 per car.

The article notes that while current federal law prohibits the sale of new cars under recall until they are repaired, it does not require the same [...]

Winter is hard on cars. The following tips can help your vehicle (or even you!) last longer through harsh cold weather conditions…

• Let your car warm up before you begin driving. Allow your vehicle to warm up two to three minutes before taking off.
• Have a trusted car repair facility check your anti-freeze to ensure it’s good.
• Check for proper air pressure in tires, and if you need tires, change them so you have good traction for the winter.
• Replace your windshield wipers & fill your washer fluid jar with a fluid that contains anti-freeze.
• Repair any large chips in the windshield. If you don’t, when you turn on your defroster, a stone chip can turn into a major crack necessitating an expensive new windshield.
• Have your brakes checked before the roads get slick.
• Check for a leaky exhaust. If an automobile has an exhaust [...]

Did you know that the average monthly payment for a new vehicle was $483, and that the gap between the average monthly payments for new and used vehicles during the second quarter of 2015 reached an all-time high?

That’s the word from Experian Automotive, and it has the experts saying more consumers will be driven to reconsider the cost of paying for a brand new vehicle:

“As the price of new vehicles continues to rise, and the gap between monthly payments for new and used vehicles widens, we see more and more consumers looking for ways to keep their vehicle payments affordable,” said Melinda Zabritski, Experian’s senior director of automotive finance. “This could be especially true for consumers who have the financial ability to pursue a new vehicle but may have sticker shock at the rising prices and don’t want the accompanying high monthly payments.”

At CAR 1, we have often said that our primary customer is [...]