Vehicles to buy used, Subaru finds love, cost-to-own winners and more

February is already over.

Who knew it would pass so quickly. OK, maybe you did, since it’s the shortest month of the year.

A lot of blog content, useful for customers and consumers, alike, flowed under the bridge during the month, so we wouldn’t blame you if you missed some of it.

But we would blame ourselves if we didn’t give you another shot at that content, which includes information on vehicles to buy used instead of new, more convenient – and faster – car buying and financing, vehicles that are expected to have the lowest cost to own, and more.

Cadillac is one of several automakers that may offer car subscriptions.

So here are February highlights from the Santander Consumer USA blog, with links to individual posts:

These are the Top 12 cars to buy used instead of new – iSeeCars.com

Peace of mind usually is associated with purchasing a new vehicle instead of used model. But most shoppers have a limit, where peace of mind means not spending too much. In a study of more than six million new and used cars, iSeeCars.com, an automotive data and research website, identified 12 vehicles it believes shoppers should buy used instead of new

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Subaru finds love, success in the U.S. after a 50-year journey

Subaru’s first vehicles were sold in America 50 years ago, but you could say the brand really just arrived here in the past decade. Sales have climbed every year from 2007 through last year, when Subaru sold almost 650,000 for a 3.76 percent market share. And Subaru isn’t letting the milestone pass unnoticed.

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SC aims to make car buying, financing more convenient – and faster

A win for car shoppers means getting three things from dealerships and lenders: convenience, efficiency and transparency in researching, financing and purchasing a vehicle. And these are what Santander Consumer USA seeks to provide shoppers through a new relationship that will allow the Dallas-based, national auto lender to “streamline and simplify the vehicle-buying process for consumers.”

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Kelley Blue Book awards shine light on cost-to-own winners for 2018

Awards are usually good to spark debate. But in Kelley Blue Book’s 2018 Five-Year Cost to Own Awards, one winner is more likely to spark admiration. The Chevrolet Spark won the cost-to-own subcompact category for the fourth time in five years as one of 22 category and two brand winners.

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Would you keep your vehicle 15 years or more? Some owners would

While the average new-car buyer keeps his/her purchase about eight years, a healthy number of owners drive their cars, trucks and SUVs for 15 years or more, according to a report from iSeeCars.com. So, if one of the long-lived models on the website’s latest list is available used – and less than 15 years old – you might want to consider snapping it up.

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Can you drive a vehicle that fits your lifestyle without buying or leasing?

Some car companies are introducing a new model. And they’re betting that a healthy number of consumers will buy in. Automakers such as Cadillac, Ford, Volvo and Porsche – and soon Mercedes-Benz and BMW – are going where magazines and newspapers, smartphones, clothes, food, beauty products, pet supplies and other businesses have gone before: subscriptions.

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