Is It Safe To Take A Summer Road Trip In The COVID-19 Era?
The official word, according to the Centers for Disease Control, is that travel of any kind can be risky business these days - make sure you’re not headed for a hot spot where COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on a rapid upswing.
If you do travel, plan to bring an ample supply of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes along with you. If you take medications, remember to bring along enough to last for the entire trip, and perhaps more to cover an unforeseen delay.
Highway rest areas are an obvious hazard, so take extra precautions should you need to stop while en route. Pack your own food so you can minimize exposure from restaurants and grocery stores, or use a drive-through window. Pay for all transactions with a debit or credit card instead of making face-to-face cash purchases. Whenever and wherever you stop, sanitize everyone’s hands before reentering your car.
Read the article at Forbes.
Car Buying Tips Amid COVID-19: 6 Key Questions Answered On New, Used Cars, Trucks, SUVs
Looking for a deal on a car in the midst of the pandemic? There are some to be had, but don't expect everything to be on sale just because the economy is sputtering.
Automakers dialed back discounts in June after ramping them up in May, and interest rates have ticked upward after reaching historic lows. But deals are still better than this time last year.
One of the questions asked by car buyers includes wanting to know if dealers are trying to sell off 2020 models before the 2021 cars and trucks arrive. Not yet. About two months of downtime at most manufacturing plants due to the pandemic means that dealers don’t have a surplus of vehicles.
Read the article at USA Today.
Ford Will Let You Return Your New Car If You Lose Your Job
In an effort to appeal to customers worried about the uncertain economy, Ford will allow anyone who loses their job within a year of buying a new Ford car, truck or SUV to return it at no cost.
Under the terms of a new financing program called the Ford Promise plan, Ford Credit will pay for the difference between what the car is worth at that time and what the customer still owes, up to $15,000.
There are numerous restrictions. For instance, the job loss can't be within 30 days of signing the purchase or lease contract and it must be involuntary. Self-employed Ford buyers can take advantage of the program if they're forced to declare personal bankruptcy. The offer only applies to those vehicles purchased or leased on June 26, 2020, or later.
Read the article at CNN.
Stuff Happens: The Automotive Survival Skills You Need to Get Away
Let's say you need to flee civilization, or maybe just outrun the miasma of cable news and social media. Either way, when it's time to bug out, a vehicle is your ticket to escape from reality.
And of course, once you're out there, out on the road or in the wild, plenty of things could still go wrong. You'll need a few skills, just in case.
Do you know how to change a tire? Not just replacing it with a spare, but replacing your worn rubber in a world without Discount Tire. How about siphoning fuel without getting a mouthful? Would you know how to hot-wire your vehicle if you lose your keys?
Read the article at Car and Driver.
Amazon Begins Rolling Out Bigger UPS And FedEx-Style Delivery Trucks
Amazon.com is launching a new fleet of bigger, boxier trucks like those favored by rival package carriers UPS and FedEx, as it fights to fix widespread pandemic-fueled delivery delays that sent customers into the arms of competitors like Walmart.
More than 2,200 heavy-duty Utilimaster "walk-in" delivery trucks have been ordered from Shyft Group, a Michigan-based speciality vehicle company. The new vehicles can carry more and bigger packages than the Mercedes-Benz, Fiat Chrysler, and Ford vans Amazon contractors dispatch around the country.
Amazon is under pressure to make good on one- and two-day deliveries promised to customers who subscribe to its $119 annual Prime service. Orders for food, computers, toys and exercise equipment surged after states issued stay-at-home orders to battle the pandemic, overwhelming Amazon's network and adding days and even weeks to delivery times.
Read the article at Autoblog.
