Better to buy or lease new car?

As the summer driving season nears, many people are no doubt thinking about getting a new vehicle, which raises the old question: Should you lease or buy? Many online tools can help you with that decision, but as Consumer Reports Money Adviser points out, those calculators often don't factor in such costs as insurance, acquisition and "drive-off" fees, and upfront sales taxes. So CRMA's Money Lab ran the numbers using a 2008 Honda Accord and discovered that buying a car actually beats closed-end leasing in total costs over five years.

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Getting a Great Deal on a New Car

Whether you're aiming for luxury -- or a base model -- the process of buying a new car can seem like more hassle than it's worth.

But whether you're a born negotiator or not -- we've got some tips that will hopefully turn negotiating from an art into a science -- courtesy of the Federal Citizen Information CenterWhat do you need to say to get the price you deserve?

Start by being confident -- something that may be easier over the phone -- and compare five or six different dealerships.

Talk directly with managers -- they have the most authority to give you a deal.

But how do you know what price is a good price?

Ask dealers to give you their offers in relation to the factory invoice price, and not the MSRP -- or manufacturer's suggested retail price.


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Sales decline for April at GM, Ford, Chrysler

Sales at Ford and General Motors fell in April as record U.S. gasoline prices drove consumers to Toyota's fuel-efficient cars and away from big trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

Ford's 12 percent decline was led by the F-Series pickup, while falling demand for the Chevrolet Silverado led to a 16 percent reduction at GM. Japan's Toyota reported gains on increased demand for small cars such as the Yaris and Prius. Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. also rose.

All sales figures are compared with April last year.

Chrysler's sales dropped 23 percent to 141,751 vehicles, primarily because of slowing trucks and SUV sales. Chrysler, now owned by Cerberus Capital Management, depends on truck sales for about 75 percent of its monthly total.

Gasoline costs and a slowing U.S.


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Car-buying services shop for you

Are you thinking about buying a new car, but dreading the dealer haggles that come with the purchase? There are a number of car-buying services that say they'll do the negotiating dirty work for you, and save you thousands of dollars in the process.

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Make Expensive Vehicle Repairs a Thing of the Past

(ARA) - When the dealer you bought your new car from offered a vehicle warranty, did you turn him down? If so why? Probably because you thought the coverage was too expensive and your new car shouldn't have any problems for quite some time.While the automakers should thank you for your trust in them, you've probably given them more credit than they deserve. Case in point -- how many recall notices have there already been on your vehicle in the short amount of time you've had it?While the manufacturer will pick up the cost of fixing problems covered by the recall, you're on your own for everything else. If your car's power steering system suddenly fails and needs to be repaired, it will cost you at least $875, replacing a worn out clutch would cost around $725 and replacing a water pump would set you back about $300 -- and those are examples of some inexpensive repairs.No matter what the problem, you'll surely spend more on repairs than you would have if you'd bought a vehicle warranty the day you drove your car off the lot.


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An homage to M-Series' beginnings

The BMW M1 sports car was originally built simply as a design study, and grew to become an influential model in the sports car world.

Thirty years later, BMW is paying homage to that model with aptly-named M1 Homage concept.

According to BMW, the M1 Homage continues the automaker's pattern of building vehicles that both harken back to past models, while still reinventing themselves for the future.

Any BMW fan of years past will notice the dual BMW emblems each situated on the right and left edge above the tail lights, signalling a mid-engine BMW car. This styling element was approved even before the first design sketches were complete.

Other styling elements taken from the original M1 are the air vents in the bonnet and the louvers on the rear windscreen, as well as the black cut line dividing the roofline from the rear section of the body.


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Gas prices cited as sale of small cars surges

Small cars were the big winners in April, as high gas prices accelerated U.S. consumers' rush away from trucks and sport utility vehicles, and as makers of fuel-efficient models scored gains despite the weak economy.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all saw double-digit U.S. sales declines compared with last April. But Nissan's sales were up 7 percent on the strength of its car sales, while Toyota's sales edged up 3 percent. Honda's sales figures were delayed because of a technical problem, but the automaker said April sales were likely to be up at least 6 percent.

Pickup sales have been falling for months because of the slowdown in housing construction, and the trend away from SUVs began several years ago as Baby Boomers aged and roomy but more fuel-efficient crossover vehicles gave consumers more choice.


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