Tag Archives: automobiles

Stuff you should know

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It seems everytime I watch Clark Howard’s cable consumer show, I learn something helpful that I want to share with readers. This week’s edition was jam-packed with helpful goodies.

Here’s a sampling:

**A new rule goes into effect this week that allows mortgage lenders to do a last-minute credit report on home buyers or those refinancing their mortgages. So before closing, resist the urge to apply for instant credit to buy applicances, furniture and other big stuff for that new house. It will lower your credit score and could cost you the loan. Hold off on those purchases til after closing.

**When you buy a car, dealers make a profit on the financing not on the actual car sale. So don’t leave the financing entirely up to the dealer who could mark up loans, leaving you with high rates. Instead , before you buy, pre-qualify for a car loan at a credit union (which typically offers the lowest rates, anyway), a bank or online lender. With that information in hand, you’ll know whether the car dealer is offering you a good deal.

**It’ll cost more to fly this summer. The big, established airlines are tacking on $20 to $60 in extra fees on round-trip tickets this summer. That’s because they’re considering the whole summer as peak travel time, same as Christmas and Thanksgiving. It’ll come out to $10 to $30 more each way . Travelers may get a break flying on Tuesdays and Wednesdays – the least traveled days – with just an extra $10 fee.

Now, if you’re feeling smug, because you knew all this already, give yourself an "A" for consumer smarts… or maybe you just watched the same show I did.

 

 

Get those $30,000-mile checks, expert says

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In "Are car warranties really free?"  an earlier blog post here, we wondered whether those 30,000-mile and 60,000-mile vehicle maintenance checks are, well, a ripoff.

At $500, they don’t come cheap.

One car owner sees them as paying for her car’s "free" 100,000-mile warranty.

The checkups, which take several hours, are required to keep the warranty up. Moreover, it’s good for the car, dealers say.

Posted comments on that Feb. 2 blog were mostly critical.

But what does an impartial consumer expert say?

Money whiz Clark Howard says those 15,000-, 30,000- and 60,000-mile checks are a smart thing to do.

"It may seem like a lot of money," he said on his latest show on the Headline News network. "But it makes your car run a lot longer. Compare that with what a monthly car payment is."

While oil changes can be done at any lube shop or service station, have your dealer do the maintenance checks at an independent shop that specializes in your brand of vehicle, he says.