First, let’s talk about the facts. Most new cars come with a manufacturer’s warranty and a powertrain warranty. Here’s some basics: General warranty (a.k.a. bumper-to-bumper): This is a basic warranty that covers repairs and parts and labor, to correct any problems in material or workmanship. Basically, if it is a manufacturer defect (mis-designed, mis-built, mis-installed) this read more >>

With the endless information on the internet how can you determine who’s telling the truth? I’ve always been a believer in ‘following your instincts’ because they’re usually right. But when selling, trading in and buying a car, who do you trust? Based on what I’ve learned from hanging around the store, read in reports and read more >>

Who leases a car and why? Leasing allows you freedom to have a new vehicle every 2 or 3 years, while protecting you against negative equity. In the event your vehicle loses value, the lease guarantees a residual amount of worth at the end of term. (FYI – If the vehicle is worth more than read more >>

Wowzer! I gotta tell ya, the 2010 Nissan Maxima is quite a vehicle. Not only is the ‘look’ of it cool, but there are more bells and whistles on this car than I know what to do with! Whoever designed the new Maxima, took a lot of time in creating a design of convenience and read more >>

I can’t tell you how many times a new purchase cannot go through because of negative equity. In the car biz, we call this being “upside down.” It is a major and sometimes deal-breaking concern these days. Negative equity is “when the value of an asset falls below the outstanding balance on the loan used to read more >>

All right, back to the basics today. I’ve got a couple of simple questions that may give me some insight into making the car buying experience great for every person that walks in our door. So tell me: 1. Where did you buy your last car? 2. Why did you decide to buy there? and read more >>

How long do you have to do something, to be considered an expert? Or at least more knowledgeable than the average woman (or man)! I’ve mentioned him before, and I will mention him again: Greg Kurz is an expert in the McCarthy financing department. So I asked him about financing rates — how are they read more >>

For better or for worse … in sickness and in health … until death do we part. How loyal are you ladies and gentlemen? To a certain brand or dealership, that is. I’m sure there’s some of you out there who only drive American-made automobiles. Then you have your import-only drivers. Then there’s many who read more >>

People always say that it’s better to “wait until the end of the year, that’s when dealerships are pratically giving cars away.” This might have been true in the past, however vehicles are being produced and delivered to dealers all throughout the year. “It varies from month-to-month, depending on model and production dates,” according to read more >>

So, after I graduated college with my Public Relations and Advertising degree, I decided to apply what I had learned and dive right into Finance. HA! I thought the only way to learn the business was to excel in different aspects of the automobile industry. Wow! I knew NOTHING about finance, insurance or loans … read more >>