The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Cash for Clunkers program trades old pickups for new ones

It’s extremely disappointing to learn that highly touted Cash for Clunkers program mostly exchanged old Ford or Chevrolet pickups for new ones that receive only slightly better gas mileage.

An analysis by The Associated Press, as reported by Yahoo! News, shows:

The single most common swap – which occurred more than 8,200 times – involved Ford F150 pickup owners who took advantage of a government rebate to trade their old trucks for new Ford F150s. They were 17 times more likely to buy a new F150 than, say, a Toyota Prius. The fuel economy for the new trucks ranged from 15 mpg to 17 mpg based on engine size and other factors, an improvement of just 1 mpg to 3 mpg over the clunkers.

The AP's analysis of sales of $15.2 billion worth of vehicles at nearly 19,000 car dealerships in every state also showed:

Owners of thousands more large, old Chevrolet and Dodge pickups bought new Silverado and Ram trucks, also with only barely improved mileage in the middle teens.

Those deals helped the Ford F150 and Chevy Silverado – along with Ford's Escape midsize SUV – climb into the top 10 most-popular vehicles purchased with the government rebates, reports Yahoo! News’ article “'Clunker’ Data Show Pickup-for-Pickup Trades.” The most common truck-for-truck and truck-for-SUV deals totaled at least $911 million.

It's a violation of the Cash for Clunkers program to give the rebates for new cars and trucks that got the same or worse mileage.

Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating these violations and dealers that submitted invalid trade-ins will have to return the rebate, it’s upsetting that consumers and dealers defrauded taxpayers and the federal government.

Consumers, businesses, and the government need to work together in a spirit of fairness and honesty to come through the Great Recession and restore our economy. Turning in a gas guzzling pickup or SUV for a new gas guzzling pickup or SUV doesn’t cut it in terms of producing a good outcome for all.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Flickr photo by JFeister

Which 2009 vehicles are the most dangerous?

A list of 2009’s most dangerous vehicles has been compiled Forbes magazine.

Forbes researchers used crash results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and rollover ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The institute uses a scale of "good," "acceptable," "marginal," and "poor," while the administration awards up to five stars for rollover safety

Test dummies are checked for trauma in 28 regions for front crashes and 37 regions for side crashes after each institute crash. Each region is awarded a rating based on specific parameters for trauma.

A "good" rating means little to no trauma occurred to drivers and/or passengers during the crash, while a "poor" rating means severe and possibly fatal trauma happened.
 
Forbes assigned point values for each administration and institute rating, with more points awarded for better results, according to the article. The 16 cars on its list of the most dangerous vehicles scored the lowest number of total points. They are:

• Chevrolet Aveo

• Chevrolet Colorado

• Chevrolet Trailblazer

• Chrysler PT Cruiser

• Dodge Nitro

• Ford Ranger

• GMC Canyon

• GMC Envoy

• Hummer H3

• Hyundai Accent

• Jeep Liberty

• Jeep Wrangler

• Kia Rio

• Mazda B Series

• Nissan Frontier

• Suzuki Equator

Among the lowest-scoring were the Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV, the Kia Rio small sedan, and the Ford Ranger pickup, the Forbes article reports.

See the article for details on each vehicle, automakers responses to the Forbes article, and how to use the list when buying a vehicle.

My next post will be on “What Are the Most Dangerous Times to Drive?”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Ford vehicles due to fire danger

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is alerting owners of Ford vehicles about a fire hazard involving an additional 4.5 million vehicles in the latest in a series of related recalls.

Including the latest announcement, there has been a total of eight safety recalls involving approximately 16 million Ford vehicles equipped with a faulty cruise control deactivation switch manufactured by Texas Instruments.

The switch can leak hydraulic fluid, overheat and then burn, potentially causing vehicle fires even with the ignition turned off and the vehicles parked and unattended, reports the administration.

Visit www.SaferCar.gov for more information on the previous recalls.

“These hazardous cruise control switches pose a safety risk even while the cruise control is not in use and vehicles are turned off or unattended,” cautioned U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in an advisory about the recall. “I urge consumers to pay attention to this warning and bring the affected models in to have them repaired as soon as possible.”

Today’s recall involves a total of approximately 4.5 million vehicles, including:

•    1995-2003 model year Ford Windstars
•    2000-2003 model year Ford Excursion diesels
•    1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesels
•    1992-2003 Ford Econolines
•    1995-2002 Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers
•    1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Rangers
•    1994 Ford F53 motorhomes

The safety agency warned consumers to be on the look out for certain warnings of possible imminent fires, including cruise control systems that stop working or can’t be activated, brake lights that stop working, brake lights and ABS warning lights illuminating on the dash board, or not being able to get the vehicle out of park.

All owners of recalled Ford vehicles should immediately make appointments with their dealers and not park their vehicles in garages or near homes until repairs are made, the administration recommends.

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ConsumerAffairs.com has been following the fire hazard issue with Ford vehicles for years and calls the recall “the latest in a series of too-little, too-late recalls” in the article “Ford Recalls Millions of Vehicles to Fix Fire Danger.”

See the article “Ford F150 Engine Fires,” also by ConsumerAffairs.com, to read accounts from consumers whose vehicles have caught on fire.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 10 cheapest cars to own and operate

 

The more information consumers gather, the more likely it is that they’ll negotiate a good price, obtain the best financing available, and purchase a car that they can afford.

However, being affordable is more than what you pay, reports the article “10 Cheapest Cars to Own And Operate” on Bankrate.com. It includes other costs such as insurance, fuel, maintenance, repairs, and depreciation. Your costs also will vary according to how you use and take care of your car.

Edmunds.com, an automotive Web site, offers a True Cost to Own calculator, which estimates total five-year cost and the cost per mile based on driving 15,000 miles a year.

Here are the top 10 cheapest cars to own and operate, according to Edmunds.com:

1. Hyundai Accent GS

2. Nissan Versa

3. Chevrolet Aveo5 LS

4. Suzuki SX4 Sedan

5. Pontiac G3

6. Mazda3 iSport

7. Honda Fit

8. Pontiac Vibe

9. Toyota Yaris

10. Nissan Sentra

Is your car on this list? My Honda Accord didn’t make it.

My next post will be “Top 10 Cars for Older Drivers.”

flickr photo

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

New GM not responsible for claims by consumers already injured by defective GM vehicles

A bankruptcy court has ruled that Chrysler is exempt from accountability and responsibility for products sold before the bankruptcy in many respects, according to a consumer advocacy organization.

Public Citizen is disappointed with the court’s decision to allow GM to be sold to the new GM “free and clear” of product liability claims by consumers who already have been injured by defects in GM vehicles, the group states in the article "Shaking Off Blame: Bankrupt Chrysler Avoids Accountability for Dangerous Vehicle Defects."

A committee representing GM crash victims has said that more than 300 personal-injury claims are pending against GM with combined damages of about $1.25 billion, the article reports.

Public Citizen thinks Congress needs to get involved to ensure that consumers remain protected.

See the article for details.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Safe and dangerous airports

Which are the safest and which are the most dangerous airports?

In a Feb. 23, 2007 article entitled “America’s Most Dangerous Airports,” Forbes.com editors analyzed data for 452 airports and examined the size of the facility, numbers of takeoffs and landings, and severity of the incidents as categorized by the Federal Aviation Agency.

Since 2001, 108 travelers have died in ground collisions involving commercial airlines, the article reports. Many of the deaths occurred at highly congested airports.

Analysts blame congestion, weather, poor runway design, and pilot error. Many say the problem is only getting worse.

Topping the list of the nation's most dangerous airports are smaller fields relieving bigger congested hubs.

Here‘s the Forbes list of most dangerous U.S. airports:

1. North Las Vegas – 63 incidents, five serious
2. Charlotte Douglas International – 15 incidents, one serious
3. Long Beach, Calif. – 78 incidents, none serious
4. Phoenix Sky Harbor International – 49 incidents, three serious
5. Los Angeles International – 95 incidents, eight serious
6. Boston-Logan International – 53 incidents, two serious
7. Newark International – 36 incidents, three serious
8. Chicago-O’Hare International – 68 incidents, eight serious
9. Philadelphia International – 36 incidents, two serious
10. Daytona Beach – 15 incidents, four serious
11. Chicago Midway International – 14 incidents, one serious
12. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International – 14 incidents, four serious (no deaths)

City-Data.com provides this list of the 10 best airports in America:

1. Dallas/Fort Worth International
2. Kansas City International
3. Orlando International
4. Denver International
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul International
6. Atlanta Hartsfield
7. Seattle/Tacoma International
8. Houston Bush
9. Washington Reagan, Wash., D.C.
10. Pittsburgh International

CNN offers this list of the “World’s Worse Airports:”

1. Baghdad International
2. Indira Gandhi International
3. Lukla Airport, Nepal
4. Leopold Sedar Senghor International, Senegal
5. Los Angles International
6. London Heathrow, U.K.
7. Charles de Gaulle International, Paris

Here’s CNN’s take on the best airports in the world:

1. Hong Kong International
2. Changi International, Singapore
   
3. Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
4. Kuala Lumpur International, Malaysia
5. Munich Airport, Germany

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Which airlines are the safest?

Baby boomers enjoy traveling, so it's important for boomers to consider airline safety.

The airline industry contends flying on a large commercial aircraft is one of the safest forms of transportation.

Consumer groups argue more needs to be done to make air travel safer.

There were 0.2 fatal accidents per 1 million departures in the United States in 2008, compared to 1.4 per 1 million departures in 1989, reports LiveScience.com. A review of the statistics between these years shows an improving trend overall.

The following list shows the five safest airlines in America based on number of accidents per 1 million takeoffs, according to data gathered from the Federal Aviation Administration, MTSM, and the U.S. Department of Transportation and reported on Injury.com.

These numbers are the yearly average from Jan. 1, 2002 to Jan. 1, 2007:

1. US Airways (.89 accidents)

2. Southwest Airlines (2.59 accidents)

3. America West Airlines (2.96 accidents)

4. Continental Airlines (3.17 accidents)

5. Alaska Airlines (3.32 accidents)

Methods vary for comparing air travel to other forms of transportation. Some show cars are safer than airplanes. Others show the opposite.

For information on airline accidents, see the “10 Worst Accidents in North America” on Aviation Safety Network.com.

The Federal Aviation Administration provides a list of countries whose air carriers can’t initiate new service and are restricted to current levels of any existing service to the United States while corrective actions are underway.

The European Union maintains a list of airlines that are banned from serving countries in Europe.

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Here are more resources to help you evaluate airline safety:

“Accident and Incident Data” – Federal Aviation Administration

“Aviation Accidents From the Past 10 Years” – Federal Aviation Administration

“Aviation Accidents From More Than 10 Years Ago” -- Federal Aviation Administration

“Safest Airlines and Planes” – Frommer’s

“The Worst Airlines in the World” – HotelClub Travel Blog

“How Safe Are America’s Airlines?” – msnbc.com

“Airlines Record Safest Two Years” – eTN

My next post will be on "Safe and Dangerous Airports."

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Journalist

Comparing Airline Performance

As a boomer consumer, what’s your favorite airline? Why do you like it? Is it usually on time? Does it always handle your luggage correctly? Is the staff friendly?

Here is information from “Air Travel Consumer Report February 2009” comparing the performance of different airlines for January to December 2008.

Nineteen airlines are required to report information to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a part of U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

The department’s Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings compiles reports from this information. The comparisons below are from this data:

Flight delays – Percentage of on-time arrivals

Three highest

1. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES – 90%
2. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES – 80.5%
3. US AIRWAYS – 80.1%

Three lowest

17. UNITED AIRLINES – 71.6%
18. COMAIR – 69.9%
19. AMERICAN AIRLINES – 69.8%

Mishandled baggage – Reports per 1,000

Lowest rates of mishandled baggage

1. AIRTRAN AIRWAYS – 2.87
2. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES – 2.97
3. JETBLUE AIRWAYS – 3.47 

Highest rates of mishandled baggage

17. COMAIR – 8.32 
18. ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES – 9.82 
19. AMERICAN EAGLE AIRLINES – 9.89

Oversales – Involuntary denied boardings per 10,000 passengers

Fewest denied boardings

1. JETBLUE AIRWAYS – 0.01 
2. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES – 0.07
3. AIRTRAN AIRWAYS – 0.34

Most denied boardings

16. AMERICAN EAGLE AIRLINES – 2.44
17. COMAIR – 3.41
18. ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES – 3.89

Consumer Complaints – Complaints per 100,000 enplanements

Fewest complaints

1. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES – 0.25
2. EXPRESSJET AIRLINES – 0.42
3. ALASKA AIRLINES – 0.45

Most complaints

17. DELTA AIR LINES – 1.80
18. UNITED AIRLINES – 1.85
19. US AIRWAYS – 2.01

How did your favorite airline rank in these listings? If you didn’t see it, check the report for details.

In October, the bureau began gathering data on tarmac delays. I didn’t include information on this because statistics for 2008 aren’t available.

For information on tarmac delays for February 2009, see this news release from the bureau.

FlyersRights.org, an air passengers' rights group, doesn’t think the bureau statistics on tarmac delays are accurate. 

In a report, the “2008 Real Air Travel Consumer Report Card,” the group said there were more than 1,200 tarmac strandings – in which passengers are locked in planes on the runways – in 2008.

The report card is based on government statistics, press reports, airline website data, FlyersRights hotline reports, and eye witness accounts provided by the group’s coalition members for the period from January 2008 through December 2008. (Click on 2008 Report Card on the left side of the Web page under “Events” to find the pdf report.)

In the FlyersRights’s report, Delta, JetBlue, American, US Airways, and Comair received the grade of "F" for tarmac delays of four-plus hours.

United Airlines and Atlantic Southeast got a "C." Alaska, Northwest, Frontier, Hawaiian, and Southwest received an "A."

My next posts will be on “Which Airlines Are the Safest?” and “Safe and Dangerous Airports.”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Are discounts for airline tickets a myth?

This fall, I’ll be visiting my daughter in Miami.

It’s time to sign up for an airline ticket, so I thought I’d spend some time on the Web to see if I could find a way to get a cheap ticket.

I know you need to be a wise consumer and start early to get a good price. The longer you wait the more the price goes up.

I called American Airlines and the cheapest ticket they had for dates and times I wanted to travel was $300. My goal was to beat that price.

I began by checking Expedia.com, Cheapflights.com, Orbitz.com, Cheapoair.com, Cheaptickets.com, and Travelocity.com.

The flights on American were consistently $20 less, which is the $20 booking fee that American charges if you call to make a reservation.

If I’d been willing to take a “red eye,” I could have purchased a ticket for about $30 less.

Next I tried coupons. I started out with coupon sites I’d listed in my post “Opportunities Abound for Baby Boomers to Cut Costs With Internet Coupons” because I knew they were reputable sites.

I tried RetailMeNot.com and Coupons.com. I was hopeful when I saw a 10 percent off coupon for American Airlines on RetailMeNot.com. A reviewer said he’d obtained the discount 18 days ago.

But alas. The promotional code didn’t work when I tried to buy a ticket.

Then I found a note on RetailMeNot.com and another coupon Web site that stated American Airlines and another airlines had requested all coupons for the companies be removed.

Next I did a search for an airline coupon on any site. Some sites merely take you to the Promotions section of airline Web sites.

I didn’t find a coupon and even ran across several coupon sites that were considered “dangerous.”

I checked the rewards program for my credit card, but I haven't accumulated enough points to receive a reduction on my ticket. The Safeway rewards program was closed on the weekend, so I couldn't check my point total.

I tried Priceline.com, Yahoo! Travel, AOL Travel, and a consolidator. Same $280 price.

After several hours on the computer, I decided to give up. I put a ticket on hold for $280 through the American Airlines Web site.

The next day, when I went buy the ticket, I discovered that I’d made a mistake. I’d signed up to go on a Tuesday when Wednesday was the day I wanted.

I had to start over.

I decided to get the ticket through Priceline.com. Although I had to leave an hour earlier, I was still able to get the $280 price.

After I completed the details for buying the ticket, a window popped asking if I’d like a 10 percent discount. I laughed and clicked on it.

Priceline said it would upgrade me to a 15 percent discount if I’d join their Great Fun club. I agreed. Membership is free for the first month and $12 a month after that unless I cancel.

I’m to receive a Cash-Back Claim Form that will be e-mailed to me within 72 hours.

We’ll see how that works, whether the form is sent and the check received.

Have you been able to find discount coupons for airline tickets? If so, let me and my readers know where to locate them.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What’s in your bright, green future?

Alex Steffen, executive editor and cofounder of Worldchanging.com, is a big, green idea guy.

Steffen tracks what’s going on in green innovations and writes essays on the possibilities for the future. The popular book he edited, “Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century,” is a 600-page tome of writings from more than 60 leaders around the world.

Tall, dressed in jeans and a dark blazer with his white shirt untucked, he addressed his audience at the Seattle Green Festival and flung ideas out at them – one after the other.

Steffen sees the possibility of the world becoming choked with people, with the demographic tilting to the old and young.

Four billion people in poverty have seen the American lifestyle on television, and they want to climb up into the middle class. The most watched TV program in the world is “Bay Watch,” and the world’s poor are saying, “I’ll take my version of that.”

Educational opportunities need to be extended to women throughout the world, he said, because when women have choices they have fewer children. If education is provided to every woman, population could see peak this century.

While the poor are “getting rich,” our job is to reinvent what “rich” means, Steffen said. Americans need to consume less of the world’s resources, reduce their impact on the earth, and develop a restorative economy.

“We can do that,” he said, adding “It’s not going to be easy.”

Changes are needed in how:

• Infrastructure is constructed.

• Transportation is provided.

• Minerals are used.

• Waste is handled.

• People live in cities.

Some things that are working:

• Mountain Dwellings near Copenhagen, where livable, suburban apartments are stepping up the “mountain” above the car parking space.

• Huge flowerboxes added to buildings that provide shade and food to eat.

• Yard sharing where people garden in your yard and share the produce with you.

• Street lights that turn off when moonlight reaches a certain intensity.

• Meters in the home so people reduce usage when they see the dial spinning fast.

• Car sharing.

• Bicycle sharing programs such as Bicing in Barcelona.

• Tool sharing through tool banks where you can checkout tools.

• High-end purses and jewelry rentals, such as Seattle’s Bag, Borrow, and Steal.

Things that are operational but need to be improved:

• Google walking maps.

• An iPhone program that will tell you when the next bus is coming.

Ideas for the future:

• A smart grid that can take inputs from electric car batteries and other sources which have extra energy.

• An iPhone readout of how much energy and materials are imbedded in a product you can receive after taking a picture of the product.

• Cell phones that pop into components when heated so all the parts can be recycled.

Steffen said the economy of the future is a high quality of life at a low ecological impact.

“We can do it,” he said, adding a better place can be created than what’s happening now with the destruction of the planet.

“We’re all in this together,” Steffen said. People in balance with the planet will make a life everyone can enjoy.

The Seattle Green Festival is sponsored by the Global Exchange and Green America, formerly Co-op America.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist