Knowing that most working families need a safe and reliable car, the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) has an ongoing initiative entitled “Working Cars for Working Families”, which is fighting for policy reform in the areas of used car sales and car finance. This is one of the many ways that NCLC helps in the…
New York Times Op-Ed today has some interesting facts for those who don’t want to get pushed into unfair arbitration act in consumer contracts. Here is a section I liked “YOU buy a cellphone, computer or car. You sign up for a credit card or open a retirement account. You apply for a job. In…
Here is a list of 10 questions to ask about the car you are about to buy: 10. Is this the original paint? — New paint could indicate car was rusting or involved in a previous accident. 9. Can I check the oil? — An “earmark for trouble with a used car,” Jalopnik says, look…
Californians, as well as Americans generally, are hanging on to their cars and trucks longer these days. According to the Polk Automotive Research Firm, the average family vehicle is 10.8 years old now. In 1995, it was 8.4 years old. This has caused California Car Dealers to buy even more questionable cars on the wholesale…
In California, welfare recipients can’t own a car worth more than $4,650, a dollar value set in the mid-’90s. The economy has been awful for several years, as we all know. This has left many Californians needing cars to buy clunkers and unsafe cars at high interest rates. How? Buy-here/pay-here dealerships are flourishing in California, selling to military…
Consumer Question: Leased 2 brand new cars from 2 different dealerships within 1 month. 1st dealership suddenly wants me to sign a new contract w/ a higher interest rate bec. of the 2nd leased car. Nothing in my contract stipulated that I cannot lease another car. I would like to keep my old contract &…
Consumer Question: me and my spouse bought a used suv from a used car dealership and are paying 2 times the amount of the price of the vehicle and the vehicle has given us too many problems and have repaired too mutch things on it is there any thing we can do about this situation…
The Federal Car-History Database: NMVTIS nmvtis.gov Almost everyone has heard of Carfax and similar car-history databases, but most would be shocked to learn how little protection they provide against the fraudulent sale of previously wrecked and flooded vehicles. Few, however, have heard about the important developing federal car-history database—the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System…
Toyota sales are down 40 percent, leading it to seek help for its finance arm. GM is doing worse and is thinking about an “assurance” program like Hyundai’s for buyers concerned about future job loss. Edmunds states that 27% of people who intended to buy new in February, switched to used. ncentives apparently way up,…
This October we received a report that an area Toyota dealership refused to sell a customer a car unless he paid for what was listed as the “Optional DMV Electronic Filing Fee” on the purchase contract. The customer had to refuse to sign the contract, leave the dealership after hours of negotiations, and consult with…
