Updated 7/7/05

Archived News & Tips

By Gary Matesic of personalvehicleshopper.com 6/25/05

A frequently asked question is: What's the best time of year to buy a car? Well, if you buy through us, you can do it anytime. But there are several windows of opportunity with used car buying. One of those is coming up on us shortly.

According to Jerry Reynolds, owner of Prestige Ford and co-host of the Saturday morning Car Guy Show on WBAP radio here in Dallas, auction and wholesale prices drop for the first time during the year in August, when the new model year new cars roll into dealerships. Instantly, every used car becomes another model year older every August. The next opportunity for prices to soften is just before Thanksgiving, and until about the 2nd week of January, due to the financial distractions of the holidays.

How about mileage? There are 3 major mileage points in a car's life that become psychological issues for buyers. The first is 36,000 miles, where most cars run out of factory warranty. The second is 50,000 miles, where the general public seems to think that a "young" car becomes older, or at least middle-aged, and perhaps subject to greater repair costs. Plus, most luxury cars run out of factory warranty at 50,000 miles. The third is 100,000 miles, perhaps the biggest psychological barrier of them all. Moral: If you are planning to sell a car that is still under warranty, do it before the warranty expires. And, if your car has mileage in the mid to high-90s, consider selling NOW.

By Gary Matesic of personalvehicleshopper.com 5/12/05

Were you aware that in a polluted urban environment (like Dallas on a smog day, or LA any day), the current generation of LEVs (low-emission vehicles) and Super LEVs actually cleanse the air? It's true. The emissions from these vehicles are typically cleaner than the regular outside air in the average major metropolis.

In general, emissions in passenger motor vehicles has been reduced approximately 99% from 1970 levels. Not to be morbid, but when is the last time you heard of someone committing suicide by running an exhaust hose into their car? They'd better pack food for a week, and plan on having a gasoline truck come by to refuel them! Or go buy an old polluter. Technology can be pretty amazing.

By Gary Matesic of personalvehicleshopper.com 10/14/04

 If you enjoy the experience of driving as I do, the good news is that there is no better time in the history of the automobile than now to have fun with cars. But this too shall pass. 

In about the next two decades, we will experience the advent of  “smart” highways and even “smarter” cars. Your job will be relegated to piloting your futuristic “blob” on local and residential streets. If you wish to use major thoroughfares, freeways and interstates, your 2025 Blobmobile will have to be equipped with a sophisticated electronic “pod”. Without this “pod”, you will be denied access to these roads. Through the “pod”, your car will communicate, through Wi-Fi and GPS, with traffic control computers, the National Weather Service, and other vehicles in your quadrant, to govern your speed, distance to other vehicles, and route. You pick your destination, and a government computer will take over the driving to get you there, without the risk of accident as we have today. Cars will travel in groups, at very close distances and at high speeds, without fear of human error causing traffic jams and accidents.

 This will be sold to the citizenry as being far safer, more efficient, and a faster way to travel. And it will, to a large extent, accomplish many seemingly positive things, unless you live in a rural area. But in any area, city or country, the government will have the ability to control the use of your car. Think about the ramifications of that for a moment.

 And to celebrate the advent of this wonderful technology that will cut traffic jams and accidents to a negligible rate, I will return now to my garage to squeeze another 100 horsepower out of the 5.8 liter V8 in my 1967 Plymouth Valiant. Or maybe work on its Viper brakes. After all, I only have 20 years . . . . . . Gary Matesic