Some tips to help protect car sellers.

MercuryNews.com | 02/03/2006 | How to protect yourself when you sell your car

It looks like Toyota has a winner with the 2007 Camry. A full review including pictures and info on the new Camry Hybrid can be found here.

The new Camry looks to be another home run for Toyota . It's not exciting, but it goes above and beyond what the vast majority of car buyers need, with more luxury than most of them will actually be looking for.

2007 Toyota Camry - The Car Connection

The Motley Fool, aka Fool.com, has gathered up some helpful car buying tips and links. They've also started a car buying forum.

Fool.com: Buying a Car: Introduction [Buying a Car]

More good news for hybrid car buyers in 2006. Here's the skinny on federal tax breaks.

A new federal law aimed at kicking hybrid sales into high gear took effect this month, offering tax credits to consumers who buy the eco-friendly vehicles.

The Internal Revenue Service has yet to issue final rules for the program. But industry experts believe the measure will let hybrid buyers knock off as much as $3,150 from federal income taxes.

Hybrid Cars and Vehicles - MixedPower.com - Hybrid Car Buyers Get Federal Tax Break

GM is moving forward on the flex fuel front, meaning some cars can burn 85% ethanol, made from corn and other renewable sources.

GM has more than 1.5 million FlexFuel Vehicles on the road today in all 50 states, able to operate on gasoline or on a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. So you can choose the fuel that's best for you. Important, because E85 fuel is not yet widely available. And vehicles running on E85 have a 5% to 25% shorter cruising range than the same vehicle operating on regular gasoline. Yet when you can choose E85 ethanol, you make a difference. This renewable fuel, made from U.S. grown bio material (like corn or grain products), helps reduce our dependence on petroleum and greenhouse gas emissions. GM FlexFuel Vehicles operating on E85 fuel can help:

• Gain increased horsepower for better engine performance because E85 ethanol fuel has a higher octane rating than premium gasoline
• Lessen engine wear
• Support the domestic agriculture industry in the U.S.

GM Flex Fuels Vehicle list

CNN Money asks a great question, "are American cars really that bad?" The perception comes via a J.D. Power survey and the "facts" come from Consumer Reports "average predicted reliability."

Read Article

Some new rules for car loans go into effect in California soon. Check it out before you buy, no matter where you live.

With the passage of the Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights (Assembly Bill 68 from 2005), beginning on July 1, 2006, car dealers will not be able to jack up a consumer’s interest rate by more than 2.5% for most loans and 2% for loans longer than five years. This is a modest step forward, but consumers can do better. To protect yourself from phony financing, follow these ten tips:

Link to full article

Glad to hear a new VW GTI is coming...and it's a very fine vehicle. Here's a first-hand account of the new Volkswagen GTI.

First Drive: North American GTI

Here is a handy "Dealer Holdback" car price guide which shows you how much car companies give back to car dealers for selling a car. Knowing dealer holdback isn't going to save you thousands of dollars on your next new car purchase, but as they say, "it can't hurt."

Dealer holdback is a percentage of either the MSRP or invoice price of a new vehicle (depending on the manufacturer) that is repaid to the dealer by the manufacturer. The holdback is designed to supplement the dealer's cash flow and indirectly reduce "variable sales expenses" (code words for sales commissions) by artificially elevating the dealership's paper cost.

Dealer holdback at Edmunds car price guide

A friend asked about the California Lemon Law. Here's a handy link if you live in California and your vehicle, "does not perform as provided under an express warranty."

Motor Vehicle Warranty and Lemon Law - Consumers - California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General