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I thought buying a former lease car was one of the smartest ways to save money on a nearly new vehicle. It was only a few years old, had reasonable mileage, and looked like someone had taken good care of it. The dealership made its previous lease history sound like another reason to feel confident. But after bringing it home, I started wondering whether being leased actually meant it had been properly maintained.

My car has been parked for six months, and now I'm ready to start driving it again. It looks exactly the way I left it, but that doesn't necessarily mean everything is ready for the road. Batteries can discharge, tires can lose pressure, and brakes can develop corrosion while a vehicle sits unused. Before turning the key and heading out, there are several important things worth checking.

I thought I had found a great deal on a vacation rental car, but the insurance options nearly doubled the price. Suddenly, that affordable getaway was becoming much more expensive than expected. Was I being overcharged, or is this simply how rental car insurance works? The answer is more complicated than the rental company's daily rate suggests.

In the 1980s, car phones were expensive status symbols. Discover why some Americans installed fake phones and antennas just to look wealthy and successful.

Discover why Chrysler built 55 revolutionary turbine-powered cars in the 1960s, let ordinary Americans drive them, then destroyed 46. Explore the engineering, surprising failures, and nine surviving examples today.

You discover that your car insurance includes roadside assistance, but your credit card advertises the same benefit. Are you paying twice for identical protection? Possibly, but the answer depends on what each program actually covers and charges.