Stadium Automotive

For most people, the vehicle they drive is one of the most expensive things they own when the cost of purchase, the cost of maintenance and repair, and depreciation are considered. Of course, depreciation and the initial price can be lowered by choosing to buy a used vehicle. The down side to this is not knowing exactly what you are getting. I have seen great used vehicles and I have seen others that should not even be driven, much less sold. Within the past month, my service teams have inspected two cars that were not good vehicles to buy. One person already had bought an Audi TT without getting it checked, but another driver had us check out a Volkswagen before deciding whether to buy it. What made both of these vehicles "rejects" was their condition. The Audi had been in a major accident on the right side and was improperly repaired. My best guess is that it was done by an amateur in his home garage. The car had a slightly bent frame that was not repaired, a wrong axle put in it ... read more

The automotive world continues to go through big changes. For one, tsunami-ravaged Japan’s carmakers can’t supply the vehicles that are needed by their dealers and it looks like this will remain true for the rest of this year. One automotive analyst says that 15,000 more Toyota Prius hybrids could have been sold in April if supplies were adequate. The good news for America is the three automotive makers are regaining profit and market share. The bad news is that new and used vehicle prices are steadily climbing. I have no doubt that automobiles are going to continue to become more expensive to buy, new and used. Quiet negotiations are going on in Washington between automotive manufacturers and the government about CAFE (corporate average fuel efficiency) standards, which one way or another will result in higher car prices. New federal fuel economy and emissions rules that went into effect Jan. 1 require automakers to hit an average of 35.5 miles per gallon for the 2016 model year. It ... read more