I skipped October’s post because I was pretty busy with work and my weekends were packed with activities and errands. Just keeping up with lease rate posts was extremely challenging with the limited amount of time I had. So anyway, here are a few things going on this month that may affect or may not affect you.

Dealerplace

As I mentioned a few months ago, the Dealerplace thing didn’t really do as well as expected, so I have removed all direct links to that part of the site. I haven’t told the dealers about it yet, but they have been fairly in active as of late so I don’t think it will affect their bottom line. I do thank them for the information they’ve provided in the past. Those of you living in Southern California, if you still want to contact them, I have created a space in the forums where you can find their contact information. Just keeping it simple instead of building an entire website just for dealers to NOT use it. Haahaa.

Referrals and Affiliates Disclosure

Apparently, the FTC has mandated that sites, such as mine, disclose relationships with vendors that I promote (more on that here). Since I refer products and services to US residents, I am pretty much obligated to tell you if I get a kick back from any of the folks I recommend. So that there aren’t any misunderstandings, here is a list of folks I do get referral fees from every time you click on their links, sign up with their service or purchase something from them.

1. Google Ads. This one is pretty obvious since it says “Advertising” right above it.
2. Yahoo! Autos. Yes, I do get a referral fee every time you request auto quotes using their service. I recently added a widget on every page to make quote requests quicker/easier. Please use it if you need a quote. It really helps me out. 🙂
3. MyFico. I’m not only a affiliate, but also a client. I do actually have an account with myFico and have used it, that is why I recommend it. I also get a kickback from referrals.
4. Amazon. com. This is new and you will find the ad right below the Yahoo! one on the right panel under “sponsors”. I only get something if someone clicks the link and buys something. All of the money I make here is from my own shopping or from friends who are trying to help me out.
5. LeaseTrader. I do get something IF someone signs up with their service, but I haven’t had a single person do so in almost a year. Sad. Haahaa.
6. ING, Up2drive, Web2carz, Carsdirect, Leasecompare, Experian, Equifax, Creditreport.com, Tire Rack and Esurance. are also business where I get commissions from. But haven’t.

So there you have it, this is what keeps the website going. Well actually, Google, Yahoo and MyFICO keep the website running. The rest don’t give me squat. In the future, I will be updating all my links to with the word (Referral) next to any link, so that you know the business relationship I have with them.

The only people I don’t get anything from are the dealers I refer to on the Dealerplace site or on my posts. I don’t get a dime from them. I refer them since they are nice folks and easy to work with, but that is about it.

As you know, I’ve always strive to be transparent about the things I do on this website. That is pretty much the premise of why I even began doing this to begin with. So I thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

I also would like to thank those of you who have given me gift cards (The Miller Family) and offered to pay me for my time or donating to the site (VJ).

About the ML Last Month

VJ, I wanted to let you know I did get your email and read it through. I think it would have been nice of Brian was able to disclose all of the information pertaining to his deal. For those who don’t know what I am talking about, head over here.  Basically, Brian had a trade in I didn’t know about, that is why he was able to get about $10k off MSRP on his ML (according VJ). There is a lot of missing information here, so I am not going to get into any finger pointing here, but it would be nice to know the final numbers. Until then, I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say the 2010 ML 4matic was great lease deal since no one besides Brian was able to replicate it.

Los Angeles Auto Show

Who’s going? I know I am. This year’s show will take place in December 4th to the 13th (instead of November). It is never too late to start thinking about it and planning for it. The list of exhibitors have not been listed yet, so keep an eye on that list. I don’t think it will be disappointing, but you never know.

A New Ride

Mrs G’s 2007 TSX is nearing the last 6 months of its lease, so we’re looking around for a new ride for her as well. She’s interested in (yet another) sedan, but with the amount of driving she does on a daily basis, we have to be choosy in terms of gas consumption, comfort and reliability. I was personally thinking that she might be willing to rough it a little bit by going down to a Honda Insight, but the problem is the warranty on non-luxury brands is only up to 36k miles, which isn’t exactly a good idea since she does a lot of driving. I thought about her getting the G37 sedan, but the need for premium gas and it’s so-so MPG really make it a tough car to get for her.  Another alternative would be to keep her in the Acura line and get her the new TSX or maybe upgrade her to the TL if she can get past the looks. Decisions, decisions. Regardless of the outcome, expect some extra numbers from me as I search for the right ride for the wifey in the coming months.

Weekends, Holidays and Vacations

Since the holiday season is slowly approaching, I (like most people) will be pretty busy with life relate things. So, my email, blog and forum responses will probably drag a few days longer than usual. If you haven’t noticed, this past October was kind of like that, so I just thought I’d let you know that there will be a bit more of that in the coming months. As far as vacations go, end of December/Beginning of January is usually when I head out of the country for some R&R. This coming trip will take place in the first 2 weeks of January. I will be in Uruguay and I won’t have internet. This also means you won’t be seeing any lease rates on the website  for the first 18 days of January. It sucks, I know, but I do need a break since it’s been nearly a year since I’ve taken a vacation. The good news is that January isn’t really known to be a great leasing month. Typically, I will see November rates last through December, then January rates stink it up for about two months. Starting March through the summer, we start seeing numbers improve significantly. Keep in mind that this is subject to change depending on how sales figures look during that time. But overall, the auto industry is still struggling, despite the fact that Ford managed to post a profit recently. That was probably due in part to the Cash for Clunkers program, which we won’t see happening again any time soon. In my opinion, the outlook is still bleak for the next 6 months (at least).