Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: Ferrari Archives

May 12, 2008

2008 Fuel Economy Guide Available for Download

The EPA has issued a comprehensive PDF guide to fuel economy of all 2008 vehicles, which you can download by right-clicking here.

In today's gas market, buyers are more sensitive than ever about buying cars that get good mileage, and more important, they want the government ratings to be as accurate as possible -- nobody wants to buy a vehicle that gets 10% worse mileage in the real world than the sticker rating.

To address this situation, the EPA has started using an updated test to assign more accurate MPG ratings to new vehicles, and you can learn about that by watching the video in this post.

May 1, 2008

Ferrari Challenge Season Continues at Infineon Raceway

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. -- The North American Ferrari Challenge Series 2008 continues on with its third race of the season on May 2-4 at the Infineon Raceway in Northern California.

Now in its 16th racing season in the U.S., the Ferrari Challenge Series (utilizing race-prepared F430 Challenge vehicles) offers Ferrari owners the opportunity to compete against other Ferrari owners in a highly competitive racing series at world-class venues throughout the U.S. and Canada, and is regarded as the longest-running series of its type in North America.

Continue reading"Ferrari Challenge Season Continues at Infineon Raceway"

April 16, 2008

Ferrari Challenge Season Continues at Road Atlanta

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. -- The North American Ferrari Challenge Series 2008 continues on with its second race of the season on April 18-20 at the Road Atlanta Speedway.

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February 14, 2008

First Ferrari Ever Built Shimmers in the Desert

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- The first Ferrari ever built, Chassis Number 01C, will make its first-ever western United States appearance during the Inaugural Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, at the historic O'Donnell Golf Club in Palm Springs, Calif.

"This is the first time in 20 years this pristine automobile has made a public appearance," said Paul Merrigan, event organizer. "Ferrari has a unique history in Palm Springs, by recording its first western U.S. win here in 1951, and we're bringing that excitement back with another historic Ferrari."

Continue reading"First Ferrari Ever Built Shimmers in the Desert"

Posted by Frank at 6:55 AM | Filed under 5th Wheel | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Ferrari

February 2, 2008

Current Auto Rebates Has All the Updated Rebates!

With auto sales down 4.3% in January 2008, many automakers are increasing the rebate and incentive offers they have on the hoods of their vehicles.

Yet keeping track of all the rebate programs can be difficult work, which is why we began publishing Current Auto Rebates, the Internet's first document that lists every rebate program for every vehicle for same in the United States.

This 13-page PDF makes it easy for you to look up rebates on any model you're interested in, and even allows you to contact your local dealer who will give you a free price quote on the ride of your choice.

Since rebate programs can change several times per month, you may want to sign up for free updates to the publication -- when we update the document you'll get an email from us letting you know a refreshed version is available for you to download.

And if someone you know is currently shopping for a new vehicle, you may want to download a copy and email it to them -- they'll thank you for doing so!

January 30, 2008

With Home Prices Dropping, Car Prices Are Sure to Follow

It's accepted wisdom now that overall auto sales will drop in 2008. This is seen as a function of the housing bust, during which as much as 20% of new car purchases were funded by residential real estate profit, home equity cashouts and the general euphoria in real estate related industries.

Now that home prices are dropping -- and will continue to do so until they fall in line with median income -- we believe the average new vehicle transaction price will drop as well. If houses can fall 10%-30% in value, why not cars?

In November we ran a story from Comerica Bank stating the average transaction price of a new vehicle was $29,024. Our projection is this number will fall below $25,000, perhaps in 2009 if not this year, for several reasons:

1. Less money to spend. The option of taking cash out of a home to finance a new purchase is gone. The psychology of spending "free money" to buy a luxe ride will give way to folks actually having to make the payment out of their own pocket. And with many people paying even more for housing due to adjustable rates, they will choose cheaper rides.

2. Gas prices. While $3 a gallon gas isn't as draconian as five bucks, it will have an effect over time. People are already choosing more efficient crossovers and smaller SUVs over the big buses, and V8s are going out of favor. Look for more people to choose V6s in cars and for four-cylinders to pick up in popularity.

3. Negative equity. A greater percentage of folks are upside down in their cars, and have been rolling their balances into new loan agreements. To catch up, their new purchases will have to be cheaper and it's going to take years to eat away at the balance.

4. New frugality. In a tough economy, the value of money becomes more dear. People will start thinking twice about how much money they spend. They will choose cheaper cars, perhaps with more options, but the luxe-marques are in for a rough ride.

5. New wage structures. The Detroit car companies have made big headlines with their new labor deals, that allow them to replace higher paid union workers with new hires at a lower wage scale. The higher wages translated into higher sticker prices; the lower wages will allow for slimmer price hikes and even reductions.

6. Battle for fewer consumers. Don't let the tough talk fool you. As fewer cars are sold throughout 2008, the rebate war will kick into full swing -- and spiffs will help bring down the average transaction price.

This last reason is why we launched Current Auto Rebates, a site that publishes all the rebates for every model in a single PDF file, to make bargain hunting that much easier.

January 23, 2008

Harness the power of free price quotes!

Many of you have seen the link to get a free dealer price quote on our pages, as well as in our Current Auto Rebates report.

The free price quote is one of the best tools for savvy vehicle shoppers -- it's convenient, and there is absolutely no obligation to buy anything. Here are some of the other advantages:

-- You are essentially putting a bid out to local new vehicle dealers to compete for your business. In many cases, several dealers will respond to your price quote request. Armed with your knowledge of MSRP and rebates, you can then have dealers compete on price for your car buying dollars!

-- You can fill out a free price quote for each vehicle you are cross-shopping.

-- Schedule your test drive appointments. Just think, you know longer have to suffer the indignity of walking into a dealership and either being ignored or descended upon like a piece of fresh meat.

-- The dealership will have the vehicle you are interested in ready and waiting [if they are pros, which many are nowadays, given the competition of the Internet.]

-- You will be doing 90% of the work that goes into buying a new vehicle from the convenience of your own computer -- how civilized is that!

Get your free dealer price quote today!

Current Auto Rebates -- What You Don't Know Could Cost You Thousands of Dollars

Want to see all the rebates on every make and model vehicle for sale in the United States?

Current Auto Rebates has just launched a valuable 13-page PDF report that is the first of its kind -- listing all rebates for all vehicles. What you don't know about current auto rebates could cost you thousands of dollars!

Aren't you tired of clicking through page after page on web sites to find the information you need? This report has everything you need in one convenient, easy-to-use package.

Check out CurrentAutoRebates.com and get your free PDF report today!

December 10, 2007

What Would Santa Drive?

BLENHEIM, Ontario -- Everyone knows Santa's vehicle of choice for getting around on his biggest night of the year -- a magical sleigh led by nine good-natured reindeer -- but how does the jolly old elf get around the remaining 364 days of the year?

The experts at RM Auctions have ventured a guess at what a guy like Santa, being a fellow of impeccable taste and experience, would put on his wish list. In red, of course:

Continue reading"What Would Santa Drive?"

November 8, 2007

Thirty Thousand Fans at Mugello for Ferrari Party

SCARPERIA, Italy -- The 2007 World Finals came to an end with the key moments of the event October 28, 2007 at the Mugello International Circuit.

The highlight was the demonstration by Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, warmly received by over thirty thousand fans gathered at the Tuscan track to salute Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Luca Badoer, Marc Gene and the entire F1 World Championship winning team. Also in attendance were Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, Vice-President Piero Ferrari, C.E.O. Jean Todt and Managing Director Amedeo Felisa.

Continue reading"Thirty Thousand Fans at Mugello for Ferrari Party"

Posted by Frank at 3:34 PM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Ferrari

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October 23, 2007

Consumer Guide Announces 2008 Best Buys

LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. -- Consumer Guide Automotive, the leading publisher of authoritative, objective new and used car reviews for 40 years, today announced the recipients of its 2008 Best Buy and Recommended Awards.

The annual list, designed to make car buying easier for consumers, represents the best overall values in 18 categories and includes a total of 87 vehicles.

The editors then use objective criteria, such as price, features, performance, accommodations, fuel economy, reliability records and resale value, to assess each vehicle. The winners are divided into two categories: The Consumer Guide Automotive "Best Buy" and "Recommended" winners.

Continue reading"Consumer Guide Announces 2008 Best Buys"

September 26, 2007

'Buy American' Desire Drives Many New Shoppers to Purchase Domestic Rather Than Import Nameplates

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- Despite the fact that import vehicles make up nearly 49 percent of the U.S. auto market, the country of origin still plays a crucial role in consumer choice of which make and model to purchase, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Escaped Shopper Study released today. The study provides a comprehensive evaluation of why consumers may consider one model, but ultimately purchase another.

Nearly 80 percent of new-vehicle buyers limit their consideration set to include only domestic models or only import models. Among those who cross-shop for both import and domestic models, consumers who ultimately buy a domestic frequently do so because they simply decide they do not want an import. Buyers of domestic new-vehicles also frequently decide against import brands for financial reasons, most often citing that the import didn't offer aggressive rebates or other incentives.

Continue reading"'Buy American' Desire Drives Many New Shoppers to Purchase Domestic Rather Than Import Nameplates"

August 25, 2007

Report: Auto Finance Providers Exploring Direct Lending Initiatives

WESTLAKE VILLAGE -- As competition in the auto finance market intensifies, many lenders are deploying full-spectrum strategies, which consists of lenders servicing both prime and sub-prime customers, to increase volume and market share and to improve service to their dealers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study released today.

The study finds that many prime finance providers are making the transition to the sub-prime market, with 57 percent of dealers utilizing traditionally prime lenders for sub-prime customers. Conversely, only 33 percent of dealers report using traditional sub-prime lender services for their prime customers.

Continue reading"Report: Auto Finance Providers Exploring Direct Lending Initiatives"

August 22, 2007

Record Breaking $60 Million Haul at Pebble Beach Auction

In above pic, this 1956 Ferrari 250 GT sold for $1,100,000. It was one of many classic vintage cars that sold for over one million dollars at the Gooding and Company Pebble Beach Auction.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Gooding and Company announced its top results from the company's first-ever two-night Pebble Beach Auction event this weekend, held annually following the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

A high-energy atmosphere in the Damon Drescher (Partner and Sr. Creative Art Director) designed tent set the tone for a capacity filled crowd of bidders at both Saturday and Sunday's auctions that garnered a record breaking more than $60 million dollars in sales.

The multiple record-breaking sales included the 1931 Blower Bentley from the E. Ann Klein Estate for $4.51 million dollars along with a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, which sold for $4,455,000.00.

Continue reading"Record Breaking $60 Million Haul at Pebble Beach Auction"

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