Popular posts for August on Santander Consumer USA blog

Here are the most popular, shared posts from August on our Santander Consumer USA (SCUSA) blog, which we think you also will enjoy reading (see links below).

Consumer credit scores expected to rise with FICO changes,” good news for millions of Americans who seek to borrow money to finance the purchase of a new or used vehicle. Experts say the changes could result in scores “as much as 100 points higher” for some.

How I would shop for a new car (or used) in five easy steps” takes the reader from the earliest stage of selecting a vehicle through the final choice based on the author’s own experiences and thought process. “It can get downright complicated if you don’t know which resources to use as part of your shopping,” according to the blog post. Three parts of the series were published in August.

Who’s driving convertible cars? Experian’s answer may surprise you” challenges the “young and carefree” images of popular culture, according to an Experian Automotive study, which analyzed the age, education, income and more of an estimated 4.5 million convertible drivers.

Don’t forget these 10 essentials when returning to college” is an infographic in the Dr. Seuss tradition – “Oh, the Things that You’ll Pack” – to help students and parents ensure that “the true necessities” (television, microwave, spirit wear, laptop, minifridge, etc.) aren’t left behind.

Teenage drivers are at risk because they are driving older, smaller vehicles,” recent research shows. “Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to get a safe vehicle for a teenager at the prices most people are paying,” said an official of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The organization also offered its recommendations for the safest vehicles for teenage drivers.

Why you should worry about other drivers taking selfies” and “Drivers know texting is dangerous, but many do it anyway” are posts about some of the hazards of distracted driving. Both are based on results of driver surveys – one by Harris Interactive and the other for Ford Motor Company. Younger drivers take more risks, but many older drivers don’t behave any better, the surveys found.

Will Sonic boom by challenging CarMax, used car market giant?” CarMax represented only about 1.2 percent of the nation’s 42 million used sales in 2013, leaving a lot of room for competition, says Sonic Automotive, which plans to open its first retail used-vehicle lot soon.

Visit the Santander blog regularly for more news on auto-, auto-finance and SCUSA-related topics. RoadLoans is a direct-to-consumer brand of Santander Consumer USA.

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