The Sun’s Financial Diary

Yesterday, the Obama administration issued an ultimatum to GM and Chrysler, asking Detroit’s troubled auto makers to restructure immediately or they will face other options including bankruptcy. Unlike last December when the Bush administration gave GM and Chrysler $17.4 bailout to keep them operating, this time the government decided to take a hard line on [...]

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) today released its top safety picks for 2009. The reward is given to vehicles that
do the best job of protecting people in front, side, and rear crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests. Winners also have to have electronic stability control (ESC), which research shows significantly reduces crash [...]

It has been nearly a year since I did a service on my Accord and the “Maintenance Required” light has been on for quite some time (I did change oil regularly though). I felt it was due for a service, but didn’t really find time to do it. Last Thursday on my way to work, [...]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its Top Safety Pick 2007 today and the new Acura and Ford models scored highest rating in front, side, and rear crash tests. According to the IISH news release, the ranking is determined based on the combination of performance and design:
The Institute rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal, or [...]

I received this notice from American Honda a couple of days ago regarding a safety recall. The reason for the recall, according to the notice, is
a defect relating to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2005 Accords and Odysseys, and certain 2006 Ridgelines. A faulty fuel pump relay may cause the fuel pump to lose [...]

Kiplinger has rolled out an online MPG (miles-per-gallon) calculator for consumers who are shopping for 2007/2008 model year new vehicles. The calculator, according to Kiplinger, is based on EPA's revised fuel efficiency estimation rules, which will be applied on all vehicles manufactured after September 1, 2007. 
I used our Honda Odyssey to test the calculator and [...]

Consumer Reports yesterday issued safety alert on infant car seats and released its latest rating on them (part of the rating can be found at their website for free). When I looked at the rating, my first reaction is that contrary to what we usually believe that we get higher quality (in this case, safety) [...]

When you visit new car dealerships shop for a new vehicle next year, you will notice the revised window sticker that more accurately reflects the fuel efficiency of the car you are going to buy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issues new rules on how the fuel economy of new cars is estimated. [...]

According to CNNMoney.com, Consumer Reports just rolled out its reliability ratings on some 2007 models. Among 47 most reliable vehicles, 6 are from US auto makers (3 from Ford, 3 from GM, none from Chrysler), continuing the recent trend of making reliable cars (building reliable, fuel efficient cars, or at least “relevant” ones, is the [...]