Blog Category: Lexus

Leading Green Cars for 2012

Submitted by AutoBuying101.c... on April 20, 2012 - 6:26am

With Earth Day right around the corner, it only makes sense to take a look at the leading environmentally-friendly green vehicle market. What was once a market dominated by the Toyota Prius has ballooned in the last year or so to include a wide range of manufacturers, models, and features. The green car is here to stay and with recent legislation proposals in California and other States, we’re likely to see even more of these environmentally-friendly vehicles on our highways and city streets.

2012 New York Auto Show - Lexus

Submitted by Gordon Blau on April 7, 2012 - 9:33am

For Lexus the big story was the debut of the new ES350. This mid-sized luxury model always follows on the heels of the Toyota Camry debut because it's the Camry that provides the platform for the ES line. So we're talking about a FWD-based vehicle here, not RWD as in the rest of the Lexus sedan stable. Not necessarily a bad thing; plenty of shoppers in this segment are just looking for a quiet comfortable ride to go with the plush amenities.

The styling is pleasant, inoffensive, with some cues from the top-of-the-line LS, and a slightly toned-down version of the new Lexus family Predator face.

2011’s Top Ten Green Cars Offer More Choice Than Ever

Submitted by Kristen Hall-Geisler on September 19, 2011 - 3:00pm

If you were in the market for a green car ten years ago, your choices were few and far between. The Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid were newly available -- and rarer than hens’ teeth. Now it seems like every third driveway has a hybrid in it, and all-electric cars are moving from hobbyists’ garages to the mainstream vehicle marketplace.

When Kelley Blue Book, a well-known authority on vehicle prices and buying trends, published its annual list of the Top Ten Green Cars for 2011, it had lots of eco-friendlier cars to choose from, and they’re not all limited to that one special dealership in Los Angeles. You can find most of these cars most anywhere.

J.D. Power & Associates 2011 Initial Quality Study Results

Submitted by Lee Morrell on September 19, 2011 - 2:00pm

According to JD Power and Associates, despite modest improvement in initial quality on both newly developed models and new version of existing models over the last 5 years, the trend has not continued and initial quality for newly developed models for 2011 is down, as is reported in the organization’s newest study.

The Initial Quality Study, conducted by JD Power for the last 25 years, is a survey of recent buyers and lessees of 2011 models. Owners are contacted after 90 days with the cars and are given a 228-question survey designed to provide the manufacturers with information to “facilitate identifying problems and drive product improvement.”

Study Finds Mercedes Benz Tops List For Best Dealership Experience

Submitted by Kristen Hall-Geisler on August 22, 2011 - 10:11am

It’s probably not too surprising to most car shoppers that dealerships selling luxury car brands treat their customers the best, with Mercedes-Benz topping the list for 2011. Pied Piper PSI, a company that monitors consumer satisfaction for the automotive industry, sent more than 3500 mystery shoppers to dealerships across the United States to measure how well people shopping for vehicles were treated by each brand’s staff.

The top five dealerships in the study were:

Nadaguides Best Cars Buys For 2011

Submitted by Steve Moretti on August 12, 2011 - 8:19am

NADAguides.com, one of leading vehicle pricing and information sites, released its list of Best Car Buys for 2011, with Honda dominating the list with 5 models while Kia, Toyota and Chevrolet had 3 models across multiple categories.

The list, which was created based on value, efficiency, consumer piece of mind, and safety ratings cover a variety of vehicle types including Vans, Wagons, Sedans, Luxury, Coupes, Sports, SUVs, Trucks, and Hybrids.

2011 Top Safety Picks By The IIHS

Submitted by Steve Moretti on July 11, 2011 - 3:14pm

Their name is a little hard to remember, but if you are in the market for a new or used auto, you definitely do not want to forget who the IIHS is. Formed over 50 years ago, the mission of the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) is to help reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage.

Intellichoice’s Best Overall Values of 2011

Submitted by Lee Morrell on June 14, 2011 - 3:55pm

As you may have noticed, we have an ongoing theme that relates to helping you find great autos and being able to buy them without breaking the bank. We will often steer you to great websites that can help you make those decisions or provide you with tips and information to do it yourself.

ALG's 2011 Residual Value Award Winners

Submitted by Lee Morrell on June 13, 2011 - 10:08am

One of the most complex concepts consumers will encounter when trying to decide if buying or leasing is the best option for them, is “residual.”

What is residual value?

This number is the projected market value of a vehicle at a given point in time in the future.

So, when it comes to leasing, the residual value is used to help calculate how much a vehicle will depreciate (lose value) during the lease period…and thus how much the consumer should pay every month to lease the vehicle now.

Forbes Magazine Names the Auto Brands that Americans Think Are Best

Submitted by Lee Morrell on June 13, 2011 - 9:29am

In an article recently published by Forbes Magazine, the publishers identify the automotive brands that Americans think are the best. This is not a list made up of the best selling cars in America, as that would be populated by Chevrolets, Toyotas and Fords.

TrueCar Releases TrueTrends Report for May

Submitted by Lee Morrell on May 30, 2011 - 5:51pm

Our friends at TrueCar.com recently released the May TrueTrends report, their monthly car buying industry trend report and, as it is jam packed with some fantastic information for new auto buyers, we thought we’d break down some of the more interesting tidbits for you.

According to TrueCar:

J.D. Power & Associates 2011 Vehicle Dependability Study

Submitted by Lee Morrell on May 10, 2011 - 10:42am

You would think that after all Toyota went through with their “memorable for all the wrong reasons” 2010, the brand would have taken a hit in the many surveys and studies that are taken on the topic of dependability.

Kiplinger Personal Finance Announces Their 2011 Best Values

Submitted by Steve Moretti on March 7, 2011 - 2:48pm

Kiplinger Personal Finance recently launched their 2011 Car Buying Guide on their website, and published their "Top Picks" recommendations in the March 2011 magazine issue available now. Kiplinger's categorized autos in 11 categories and ranked them by price, performance, safety, roominess, and driving impressions. You can see their full research functionality on the Kiplinger website.

Kelley Blue Book Announces the 2011 Best Resale Value Award Winners

Submitted by Steve Moretti on March 7, 2011 - 1:23pm

As you evaluate different makes and models during your auto buying research process, one of the helpful factors involved in your decision should be the evaluation of a auto's resale value. This can help ensure you get the most for your money, and if you ever decide to sell or trade-in your auto, that you get a good return for your next purchase.

Tertiary Links