The CarGurus Blog

Daily coverage of the world of cars.

tgriffith

What Are the Two Best SUVs to Take Camping?


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Happy Memorial Day! Today is the day we celebrate the unofficial arrival of summer, and for many of us that means camping! But what are the very best cars to take on your camping trip? After considering everything from your full-size 4×4 truck to your run-of-the-mill Subaru, I’ve narrowed it down to two of the very best vehicles to take on your next trip.

Honda Element

2003-Honda-Element

If your camping trips keep you within state park systems or only slightly off the beaten path, the Element could be the perfect all-in-one vehicle. With available AWD, a removable skylight with shade screen (to keep the bugs out) and ample space to lay a mattress in back, this little SUV could be all you need for a quick weekend away.

Land Rover LR3

2008-Land-Rover-LR3

This is is the SUV that will take you anywhere. Oh sure, you can drive into the state park and look as rugged as any of the thousands of other people there. But if you want to get somewhere where you can guarantee there won’t be another human for miles, the LR3 is the way to go. Plus, you can get a really cool tent that attaches right to the tailgate area. Awesome!

What car or truck will you take camping this summer? Any advice for other campers?

-tgriffith

Costco Auto Buying Program: Scam or Good Deal?


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costcoauto
I’m paranoid about getting scammed.

It’s almost to the point where I don’t even want to answer the phone out of fear I’ll accidentally blurt out my social security number to someone claiming to work at my bank.

When it comes to car buying, my guard goes up like I’m a schizophrenic at a CIA interrogation.

That’s why I was intrigued when I discovered an auto buying program at Costco. The company claims Costco saves members a lot of hassle and an average of $1,000 off a typical transaction price. It works like this:

Members choose the make and model they’re interested in, then Costco refers them to a local dealer who shows the customer the vehicle’s invoice price, the MSRP, and the Costco no-haggle price.

A no-haggle price with built-in savings sounds pretty good on the surface, but still my paranoia wasn’t eased by browsing Costco’s website. Digging a little deeper online, I found a lawsuit filed in January by a New Jersey woman who says the program is deceptive.

Her main accusation, according the paperwork, is:

The Costco auto program is misleading and deceptive because its “members only” price is exclusively defined in reference to the “invoice price” of authorized dealers. The Costco auto program does not control the underlying invoice price, and its participating dealers can and do manipulate that price in any number of ways.

A-ha! I knew there had to be something. Everyone knows dealers try to squeeze every ounce of cash they can out of people, so if there’s a price they’ll immediately accept, they must have a good amount of profit built in.

If you’d like to try getting a great deal another way, CarGurus can help. The article How To Negotiate a Great Deal on a Used Car can help anyone find and complete a solid deal themselves.

Would you use an online listing site to shop for a used car? Why or why not?

-tgriffith

Find great deals on Used Cars in your area at CarGurus.

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How to Fix the Car-Buying Experience


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woman-car-keys
Like many of you, I’m a completely car-obsessed nut job.

I love almost everything about cars: I love driving them. I love reading about them. I love writing about them. I love criticizing them and praising them. Heck, I even love smelling them (2004 models and newer only, please).

Buying cars is perhaps the only thing that I don’t like, even though I’ve done it now 13 times in 12 years.

Last weekend I again began the process of car shopping to replace my wife’s 2002 Honda CR-V. Last night we finished the process and happily brought home a 2004 Lexus RX 330 with only 28,000 miles on the odometer. The days in between were a mix of delight, excitement, frustration, and torture. But I have a way to fix the process.

First, though, this Lexus is the first car my wife picked out herself, test drove herself, and took delivery of herself. Being the car nut that I am, I ALWAYS decided what cars we had and when we bought them. This time I was the casual observer – the friend who came along for advice, support, and negotiation know-how.

My wife is quite delighted that I hadn’t even driven an RX 330 before she did, which is a miracle, considering how many cars I’ve tested.

Lexus was the first brand we looked at and the last, with Mazda, Nissan, car-in-cartChevy, Volkswagen, Ford, and Cadillac in between. Negotiations started and stalled, we walked onto dealership lots and off them. It was during one of those walk-offs that a stroke of brilliance hit so hard I was nearly ready to go start my own dealership and change the way America buys cars. And it’s so simple it’s almost silly!

I want dealerships to negotiate whatever price they want for the trade-in vehicles they acquire. But, when a shopper comes in to look at that vehicle, the dealer has to show them what they paid for it and include a set mark-up that’s not negotiable, say 15 percent. The shopper then knows exactly what the car costs, the salesman knows exactly what his commission will be, and the dealership knows exactly how much profit it will make. It’d be like buying from Saturn, only better.  

Would you rather buy a car at a no-negotiation price, or do you like the back-and-forth experience?

-tgriffith

Find Certified Pre-Owned Cars and Used Cars in your area at CarGurus.

Shopping for a new vehicle ?
Bring along CarGurus’ mobile app to help check prices, find good deals, and research cars on your smartphone.

“Fast and Furious”: A sneak peek behind the scenes!

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“The Fast and the Furious” recently made my list of Best Movies Ever About Cars.

The next movie in the series is “Fast and Furious” (essentially the same movie, but with the word “the” removed). Will it be good enough to make the next list of best movie cars? That’s still to be determined.

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Fast and Furious

What I do know is that the special effects behind the movie are just as stunning as the action in the movie is sure to be.

As your special inside connection to the movie world of Los Angeles, I want to share a couple of pictures from the production of “Fast and Furious.”

What do you think – will the new movie be good enough to make my next list about great movie cars?  

-tgriffith

The Best TV Cars Ever!


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Not long ago I chose my favorite movie cars of all time, and needless to say, not everyone agreed with my choices. Now I want to know about your favorite TV cars ever! First, though, here are my choices:

KITT: 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, “Knight Rider”

Forget the Mustang GT500 in the pitiful remake of the classic “Knight Rider” – the original KITT was cooler on so many levels!

The General Lee: 1969 Dodge Charger, “The Dukes of Hazzard”

General Lee

Remember how Luke and Bo would leap into the car right through its open windows? Or jump the car through barn walls? In this case, the car wasn’t just part of the show, it MADE the show!

1975 Pontiac Firebird, “The Rockford Files”

Jim Rockford lived in a trailer and drove a gold Firebird. Could he have solved his cases without the car? Maybe. But I don’t think as many people would have watched him do it!

Stair car, “Arrested Development”

Driving a portable staircase is plain funny, especially when it’s the family’s main mode of transportation. Here’s a nod to an under-appreciated classic!

Mach 5, “Speed Racer”

Hey, I never the said the cars on this list were all going to be real. The Mach 5 has been around since 1967, was the star of a recent movie, and was even put through a “road test” by Road & Track magazine. Zero to 60 in 0.6 seconds!

Which do you think are the best cars ever featured in a TV show?

-tgriffith