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☆ As new vehicles become more like computers, what car shoppers need to know about protecting their data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

New cars today are loaded with high-tech features for car shoppers, from their own operating systems to navigation and remote unlock. Almost every new vehicle collects different types of details about you — and they will share and sell that data, according to a September report by Mozilla, a data privacy advocate, which looked at the privacy practices of 25 different car brands. Only two car brands currently allow users to delete their personal data, Mozilla found: Renault and Dacia. "This is still kind of the 'Wild, Wild West' of data collection and aggregation," said Theresa Payton, the founder, president and chief executive officer of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity advisory firm. While it remains to be difficult to do your own research, there are three steps car shoppers can take as they assess potential new cars, experts say.

Persons: Ivan Drury, Theresa Payton, Tom McParland, Said Drury Organizations: Mozilla, Finance, Renault, Dacia, Fortalice Solutions, Automatch Consulting Locations: Edmunds, West

☆ Sparse inventory drives prices for new, used vehicles higher. 3 things to do when car shopping
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Moreover, the strike might only affect a relatively small number of vehicles when compared to the auto market as a whole. Car shoppers hardly saw similar end-of-summer sales last year either because of a chip shortage that reduced production levels, added Caldwell. "It is absolutely a great time to look into the EV market, both for new and pre-owned," he said. Additionally, recurring price cuts from Tesla this year might also soften prices in the EV market as a whole, added Caldwell. Shopping tips for a low-inventory car market

Persons: Adam Gault, Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds, Gen Z, We're, They're, Caldwell, Tom McParland, There's, Kelley, EVs Organizations: Finance, Workers, United Auto Workers, Automatch Consulting, EV Locations: Edmunds

☆ Scientists found a massive lithium deposit inside an ancient US volcano that could be a game-changer for American clean energy but spell disaster for Native Americans
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lithium independence would be a game-changer for clean energy but Native Americans are already suffering for it. In August, researchers reported that the illite in the southern portion of McDermitt Caldera, called Thacker Pass, contains about 1.8% lithium, on average. And McDermitt Caldera could be that resource. AdvertisementAdvertisementMcKinney is part of the Indigenous group called People of Red Mountain that has opposed lithium mining at Thacker Pass. "The world needs to know that this lithium mining, and this fast-tracking of lithium mining, is a continuation of racism on Paiute and Shoshone people," McKinney told NPR.

Persons: Caldera, Thacker, McDermitt, Jalopnik, There's, Gary McKinney, Al Jazeera, McKinney Organizations: Service, McDermitt Caldera, Chemistry, Nevada -, US, KU Leuven University, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Guardian, Shoshone -, NPR, MSCI Sustainability Institute Locations: Wall, Silicon, McDermitt, Nevada, Nevada - Oregon, Tervuren, Belgium, Thacker, Red, Americas, Al

☆ Here's what to do if you could only afford a used vehicle and are saddled with high interest rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

I Love Images | Cultura | Getty ImagesRising interest rates are pushing auto loan rates upwards for both new and used cars across the U.S. "If you have good credit, you get lower interest rates," he said. "If you have poor credit, you're going to get higher interest rates." Interest rates on used cars currently are the highest in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia. The longevity risk associated with used cars is yet another factor driving up interest rates for car shoppers, Yoon said.

Persons: Edmunds, Joseph Yoon, Tom McParland, McParland, Here's, Yoon Organizations: Getty, U.S, Automatch Consulting, WalletHub, Finance, AAA Locations: Alabama , Georgia, Louisiana , Mississippi , Nevada , New Mexico , Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, New Mexico, Massachusetts

☆ Truck purchases are driving up the average cost of car payments. Some buyers pay over $1,000 a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST all-electric pickup truck on display at the International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York on April 13, 2022. Tight inventory and sky-high prices have kept interested truck buyers on the sidelines, but as the market cools, shoppers are coming across better deals. Pickup trucks have larger fuel tanks, allowing these vehicles to have longer ranges. Additionally, pickup trucks are beneficial for the work many people do in these areas, such as farming, ranching and energy production. Thus, owning a pickup truck can be key in regions with lots of heavy-duty, hands-on work, Waatti said.

Persons: Jacob Javits, Tom McParland, Paul Waatti, they've, Waatti, you've Organizations: Silverado EV RST, International, Jacob Javits Convention, China News Service, Buyers, Automatch Consulting, Cowboys, Silverado, ZR2 Bison, Texas, Automatch Locations: New York, Texas, Wyoming

☆ As interest rates, inventory issues keep car costs high, what drivers are doing to make ownership possible
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty ImagesInterest rates, inventory issues add to costsThe overall cost of purchasing a car is increasing in part due to interest rates, said Tom McParland, contributing writer for automotive website Jalopnik and operator of vehicle-buying service Automatch Consulting. The average rate on a new car loan is 7.2%, according to Edmunds. While some car manufacturers are improving their supply deliveries, inventory wrinkles are still far from being ironed out, experts say. Yet, a longer loan is not always ideal. Between the pricing and inventory issues, people who have the luxury or the patience to wait it out are "definitely" doing so, said Yoon.

Persons: Tom McParland, Joseph Yoon, Edmunds, Yoon, Ivan Drury Organizations: Westend61, Getty, Automatch Consulting, Consumers, Automatch, Santander Locations: Edmunds

☆ Tesla instructed employees to only communicate verbally about complaints so there was no written record, leaked documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Handelsblatt published a series of stories detailing unreported customer complaints and possible data mishandling. One of the leaked documents contained a Tesla policy to only discuss customer complaints verbally, not in writing. Thousands of documents leaked to a German newspaper indicate Tesla enforced a company policy that discouraged creating a written record of customer complaints involving acceleration, braking, and crashes. "Do not copy and paste the report below into an email, text message, or leave it in a voicemail to the customer," Tesla instructed employees, according to files leaked to Handelsblatt. Handelsblatt reported conversations with dozens of those affected by the complaints, including some who showed reporters video of the incidents or their communications with Tesla.

☆ What to know about buying a used electric vehicle as more hit the auto sales market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Joe D'Allegro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Electric vehicle sales keep growing, too. As recently as 2021, total battery-powered electric vehicle sales in the U.S. were under 450,000, but Kelley Blue Book says sales surpassed 800,000 in 2022 and are expected to top one million this year. While the used EV market is still very small, the growth trajectory of EV sales means shopping for a used electric vehicle will become more common and get easier over time, and encompass more make and model choices. In many ways, shopping for a used electric vehicle is the same as looking for any other used car or truck. Electric vehicles lose value faster, but upkeep is lessEVs generally depreciate faster than ICE vehicles, according to Kelley Blue Book.

☆ A former California lawyer wants to 'CASH' in on his 50-year old vanity plates. He's selling them for $2 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Claude Arthur Stuart Hamrick, or "Cash," is selling vanity plates bearing his initials for $2M. The plates are listed to a website called The Plate Broker, which deals in unique and rare vanity plates. The plate is listed on Modecki's website, called The Plate Broker, for $2 million. "The Plate Broker thinks this plate is perfect for a high profile performer, investor, or socialite," the listing reads. "According to the owner (a retired Bay Area lawyer named Cash), he ran down to the DMV right when vanity plates were released," the listing reads.

☆ Couple paid $100 for abandoned car they found in a storage unit—Elon Musk bought it from them for nearly $1 million
▼ + stars: | 2019-12-01 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Photographer: Bronte Wittpenn/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIn 1989, a couple from Long Island, New York paid roughly $100 for an unclaimed storage unit. Actors Barbara Bach and Roger Moore, stars of the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me," sit on the 1976 Lotus Esprit. But after they loaded the car onto a truck and set off for home, truckers contacted them via CB radio to let them know they were hauling a James Bond car, according to Redenius. National Motor Museum | Heritage Images | Getty ImagesMusk said he'd grown up watching the Bond movie. The 1976 Lotus Esprit, known as "Wet Nellie," that was used in the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me."

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