Consumer Reports New Cars July 2019

DIP YOUR TOE into the car-buying market and you’ll soon be faced with a challenge: Wait and see what comes out down the road, or drive a new car home today? To help guide your decision, on page 10 we cover the redesigned Ford Explorer and Subaru Legacy, the new Cadillac XT6 and Hyundai Palisade, the sleek Toyota Supra, and other exciting models coming later this year. If you want to buy now, check page 14 for our insights on brand-new models that are currently on sale: the Audi A6, Chevrolet Blazer, Honda Passport, Jaguar I-Pace, and Volvo S60. The widely sold Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester have both been updated for 2019, and we put them up against other top-ranking compact SUVs. If you’re in the market for one, don’t miss our…

Q. I don’t rent cars often. Should I still join a loyalty program from one of the rental car companies? Short answer? Yes. These nocost programs often allow you to skip the long lines at the counters, choose your own vehicle, and—conveniently—avoid the person behind the counter who might try to upsell items you don’t need. Once you’ve found the car and rate you want, sign up for the rental company’s loyalty program before you travel. If you’ve already booked your reservation, make sure to add it to your loyalty profile. Q. My credit card says it offers insurance coverage on rental cars. The agent at the rental car company told me I could still get charged for something called “loss of use.” Who is right? If you get into a crash—even one…

THE FIRST STEP is deciding whether you want to sell your car privately or trade it in at a dealership. CR’s experts can walk you through the pros and cons. Trade In: Less Effort but Less Money Many buyers prefer the simplicity of trading in their current vehicle. You can apply the trade-in amount to your down payment, reducing how much you have to finance. There can be tax advantages, too. Most states require that sales tax be paid only on the difference between the price of your trade-in and the vehicle you’re buying, not the full price of the car you buy. But this tax benefit goes away if you sell your car yourself. A downside of trading in your vehicle is that you might leave behind hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.…

If you’re trading in your old car, you should know how much you could sell it for first. That’s because a dealer might make an extremely low trade-in offer to ensure a big profit when it’s resold or to make up for a discount on the price of a new car. Before you start the negotiation process, get trade-in offer quotes from multiple dealerships first. Use our tips to make your car presentable, and then take it for an appraisal at the used-car department of a few local dealerships or to a chain that buys used cars, such as CarMax. Ask what they would give you in a straight-out sale. This is the minimum to expect if you trade in your car. That way, if you’re being low-balled on your tradein, you can…

□ Get your financing secured. Go to a bank or credit union and get approved for a loan before you go to the dealership. The dealer may even try to beat the rate you got, which works to your advantage. □ Write down your questions. Come in with a prepared list of questions about the vehicle and check them off as they’re answered to your satisfaction. Make sure all of your questions are covered. □ Don’t flash your cash. The dealership doesn’t need to know anything about your finances during the negotiating process. Do not tell salespeople how much car you can afford or they’ll try to take every penny of it. □ Don’t focus on the monthly payment. To make a car seem affordable, a dealer might stretch out a loan term.…

1 Go to dealerships to test-drive the models on your short list. Make it clear to the salespeople that you’re just trying out cars and don’t intend to buy that day. Take notes on each car you drive. Later on, go over the positives and negatives of each model and narrow down your list. 2 Once you’ve settled on the model you want, contact nearby dealers. We find it best to do this by email to avoid a barrage of phone calls. Determine the trim level, features, and color you want. Let the dealers know that you’re shopping around but that you’re ready to buy. If they ask you to drop in, say no. Make sure the salesperson clearly knows that only the best price will win your business. You might…