Buses move America; Financing tips and tools can help when you're ready to buy new

Buses provide most passenger trips in U.S.
More than planes or trains, Americans take commercial buses for their intercity travel, according to a recent census by the American Bus Association. There were 751 million passenger trips via motorcoach in 2007, up nearly 20 percent from the previous figure of 631 million passenger trips in 2005. That's 9 percent more passenger trips than commercial airlines (excluding foreign air carriers) and 67 percent more than Amtrak and commuter rail combined.

New interest in a new car? Finance wisely
If you're considering a new car buy in the wake of the tax breaks included in the federal stimulus bill, be sure to prepare for vehicle financing decisions, says AWARE, a nonprofit auto financing education group. Its top steps to successful financing: understand your credit history, evaluate your financial situation, become familiar with common terms and shop around. Tools, calculators, and other resources are available at AutoFinancing101.org. With the tax break, buyers have the ability to deduct local and state sales tax paid on new car purchases in 2009 up to $49,500.

--NWautos staff