General Motors is still trying to shed some of its niche businesses, selling Saab to a supercar manufacturer and attempting to slough off Saturn on a major automotive parts dealer. When it comes to its largest vehicles, it took a trip to China in a move that could leave some owners of used cars in New Jersey shaking their head.

The company announced that a memorandum of understanding is now in place to sell Hummer to a Chinese industrial manufacturer, although the base of operations and assembly will remain in the U.S., according to GM officials.

Interestingly, the press release notes that the automaker sold 8.5 million cars under the “Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling” nameplates.

Owners of used cars in New Jersey may know that only Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC will continue to be sold as U.S. models from GM starting in 2010.

The news could hearten some who look to Hummer as a potential supplier of future used cars in New Jersey, but the press release detailed little of how the new owners would operate the brand.

Cash for Clunkers is over, and the hangover has set in for dealerships trying to sell new vehicles, according to some industry reports. Now may be the time for some shoppers to take a look at used cars in New Jersey, where values have remained constant without government assistance.

Roughly half of the buyers considering a vehicle purchase are putting off plans to purchase a new car, reports the staff at Kelley Blue Book. New incentive packages and initiatives like General Motors’ 60-day money back guarantee have done little to change attitudes; more than 60 percent say incentives play no role in their purchase plans.

“With the ongoing economic recession and the Cash for Clunkers stimulus program over, the latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence data shows that availability of incentives and rebates is no longer enough to persuade car shoppers to deviate from their intended purchase timeframe,” said James Bell, Kelley Blue Book executive market analyst.

Although some buyers indicated that they would be willing to pay more for their next vehicle than they would have several months ago, a used car in New Jersey could offer more value for an owner’s budget.

Bans on texting and driving, or on cell phone use in general, are already well known in some Northeast states, but owners of used cars in New York may want to be mindful of a new legislative push to make the ban a nationwide prospect.

Following a summit in Washington, DC, President Obama recently announced that 3 million federal employees throughout the nation would be asked to stop texting while driving, though enforcement is still an issue, reports the Washington Times. There is now a 90-day period where administration officials will decide how to punish employees caught in contravention of the new executive order.

“Text messaging causes drivers to take their eyes off the road and at least one hand off the steering wheel, endangering both themselves and others,” noted the president in the order, according to the newspaper. His goal of reducing texting may also be supported by some in Congress.

Senator Chuck Schumer has already seen how the bans affect drivers of used cars in New York as well as other vehicles in his home state, and has called for a bill that would cut highway funding to states that refuse to institute similar regulations.