Cash For Clunkers Aftermath

Cash For Clunkers 1
Originally uploaded by 1bluecanoe

The Cash For Clunkers Government program that gave customers $3500-$4500 for their old cars to buy new ones is officially over and here is what is left. A heap of Scrap Iron heading overseas, most likely to Japan.

It was a program that increased sales during the program period, but we are now dealing with a Clunker Hangover. Everyone that had thought of purchasing a car in the near future, did. Now everyone is looking for cheap cars and there are none, driveable anyway.

The program cost the Government Billions of dollars and was a huge success, I guess, but what do we do now. Do we wait on the next big rebate, the next new hot car, or do we go about business as usual?

Customers are definitely in the drivers seat right now. They have all the bargaining power and Car Salesmen are at the mercy of taking crazy offers. The car business has always went in cycles and normal business will return, but will it be soon enough to save starving dealers? Only time will tell.

Mazda CX-7 Urine Powered Car?

Now you can drain your bladder and fill your gas tank simultaneously Was a post originally posted at ihatethemedia.com where Mazda has a vehicle that runs on urine.

The new Mazda CX-7 4WD uses a liquid similar to human urine to reduce emissions. The liquid is named AdBlue and is 1/3 urea and 2/3 demineralized water. The technology, is common in Europe and Australia’s trucking industry. Selective Catalyst Reduction, its formal name, injects AdBlue into the car’s exhaust system and renders NOx emissions harmless.

It has other auto makers "Pissed" off because they didn't think of it first until they started thinking of how they would market the urine running car! So they said, "Piss" on it, Mazda can have this one!

The French are thinking of coming out with a similar vehicle called the Wee-Wee!

Now you can drain your bladder and fill your gas tank simultaneously
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Pontiac Close Out - Sad To See It Go!

It is nearing the end of year for buying cars and Pontiac Dealers are pressing to sell all remaining inventory to say Goodbye to a long time friend. Pontiac has been in many driveways over the years since its first inception in 1926 with the Landau Series.

Pontiac has always been a popular GM brand because it was designed for driving enthusiasts and always had a little muscle behind it. The question has been raised, why get rid of Pontiac? I believe GM is putting all the marbles on the bow tie. Chevrolet has always been the #1 GM vehicle, but GM is expecting even more from the head of the class now.

GM is taking a "Toyota Like" model lineup with Chevrolet making up the largest portion of sales as the main brand. GMC, Buick, and Cadillac will comprise the luxury end of the lineup. Toyota has taken this approach as they have Toyota, Lexus, and Scion. Lexus being the luxury brand and Scion taking up the youth segment of the market. Toyota has been very successful with their marketing strategy and have been able to change with the times before the times have changed them.

Pontiac has been the youth of GM, but they changed their marketing strategy a few years ago with the "G" series lineup to compete against luxury brands such as BMW and Mercedes. Why put a youthful segment up against a more settled Luxury brand? I think this was a big mistake because the youthful buyer could not afford the escalating prices brought to the brand and the luxury buyer was not showing. Now what? Of course you know what GM has been through in the past year and on top of that, lets get rid of Pontiac! I can just imagine the meetings over this decision, but cant imagine nobody standing up for the long lived Pontiac.

I guess all good things must come to an end, but I for one will miss Pontiac. I have not only sold them for 10 years, but have owned 4 myself and had very good service. I am sure Chevrolet will build more youthful vehicles in the future with price points to satisfy this segment, but I know there are others that will miss Pontiac as well. So, if you are looking for a vehicle that will no longer be, check out the remaining Pontiac's that may be left at dealerships near you. If you want to see how cheap you can buy one now, check out Yahoo! Autos All you have to do is enter your zip code, contact info, and select all dealers and you will get awesome price quotes delivered to your email. This goes for any type of vehicle you are looking for.

Elevator Repair Joke At Car Lot

You get to hear all the jokes at a car dealership.

I was assisting an Elevator Repair Man buying a truck.

I asked him "how's business in the elevator business?"

He replied, "Its Up and Down!"

Crazy Car Paint Job Cool Graffiti

Graffiti Paint Job
Originally uploaded by soniclude

This is the wildest paint job I have ever seen on a car. This painter has some mad talent for sure! I dont see how you can get this much detail in a paint job, but is cool for sure.

Car Loan Payment Calculator

Powered By: Auto Loan Calculator

This is a Car Loan Payment Calculator so that you can figure what your payment will be before going to a dealership. There are a few things you must first know before calculating your Auto Loan Payment.

It is a little hard to read, but the first line is the amount of the car you are buying. This amount would have to include your sales price, sales tax, any extra fees, and any warranties or insurance products added to your loan. In other words, with this car payment calculator, you have to know the total amount you would be financing.

The second line of the car payment calculator is the Interest Rate you are charged on the car. This is something you may have to guess at or do an application to find out the interest rate. If you have great credit, you can call around to local banks and find the best going rates. If you have not so good credit, enter a higher number here to get an idea. As a guide, there are not many loans over 20%.

The last line on the Auto loan Payment Calculator is the length of the loan in years. How many years do you want to finance the car. If you want to finance for 60 months, enter 5, for 5 years. If you want to finance for 6 years, enter 72.

After these numbers are entered, hit the calculate button at the bottom of the payment calculator to figure how much your car payment will be. This is used for a guide and different finance companies may compound interest differently. Just use this car payment calculator as a guide to get an idea of what price car you can afford.

Can You Save With Geico Car Insurance?

If you have a TV, you have seen the Gecko on the commercial for Geico Car Insurance. The Question, can you save money with Geico Car Insurance?

I am writing in the hopes of hearing from other readers to see if they saved money? You can leave a comment in the comment section below. Please dont tell me who saved you the most money, just if you saved money with Geico or did not save money with Geico.

I can only speak from personal experience, but I did save money when I switched to Geico. I actually switched long before the commercials, but probably did call because of the Gecko! He has to be the cutest thing! I saved about $30 per month, but I only have liability. If it were full coverage it may have been a greater savings.

Paying too much for car insurance? See how much you could save with GEICO. Get a FREE quote today. Let me know if you saved from the Car Insurance you have now or if there were no savings, let me know. I call it the Geico Car Insurance Challenge! It will be unbiased so please be honest if you saved money or did not save money. Good luck and the worst thing that could happen is you have to change Insurance Carriers because you saved money with the Gecko!

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Open Car Door With Tennis Ball

There has been a question posed and it has been told that you can open your car door with a tennis ball!

Here is how it goes: You drill a precise hole in the tennis ball so that air can escape. You put this hole over the keyhole in your car door, and hit the back of the tennis ball with great force. This is said to push the pins in the keyhole so that the lock will pop open.

I have tried this and have not had any luck, but have been told by others that it can be done and has been done. They say that the hole in the ball has to be perfect along with the correct hit on the back of the tennis ball and it has to be lined up with the keyhole.

So the question is, can a tennis ball open your car door? If anyone has had this work, let me know. If you don't believe this will work, let me know. I just want to see how possible it is to open a door with a tennis ball?

Unlock Car Door Via Cell Phone
Day In The Life Of Car Salesman

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Car Salesman Lingo and Language

CAR SALES LINGO:
Car Salesman have different words they use when talking to other salesman and when talking to customers. It is like a secret language that you have to learn when you start selling cars.

Negative Equity: Buried, Killed, Smashed, Upside Down

Sunroof: hole in the head, hole in the roof,

Leather or Cloth Seats: tan leather guts, cloth guts

Manual Transmission: Donkey D***, Stick, Hog Leg,

Crazy Customer: Jack,

Finance Office: In The Box

Close Customer in Finance: Box Close

Crazy Customer in Finance: Jack in the Box--OK, I made that one up!

High Gross Deal: Home run, Knocked Their Head Off,

Low Gross Deal: Mini

Steal a Customer from another salesman: Skate, got Skated

Nice Trade: Cream Puff, Slick,

Ugly Trade: Turd, Scrap, Appraise it from here

Good Credit: Bullets

Bad Credit: Boge, Bogus, Deadbeat,

New Salesman: Green Pea, Newbie

Old Salesman: Old Hat, Veteran

New Customer on Lot: Fresh Up

Process when customer takes ownership: Take Delivery

Customer Comes Back after leaving: Be Back

How to get them to come back: Be Back Dust

Easy Sale: Lay Down

I know there are a thousand other words in the Car Salesman Lingo book, but I cannot think of them right now. If you can think of any, leave them in comment section.

10 Steps Road To The Sale

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Walk-Around Tips For Car Salesman

A Walk-Around is where you actually go over the features of the car with the customer. There are certain steps in the process that have been proven to work best, but something else may work better for you.

Walk-Around Step 1: Under the Hood
When you get the keys to a car, the customer automatically wants to jump behind the wheel. Tell them that you would like to go over the features before driving. This is when you pop the hood and go over Engine size, horsepower, location to check fluids, Safety--crumple zones, breakaway motor mounts, etc.

Walk-Around Step 2: In The Front of the Car
This is when you close the hood and step back to look at the design of the front of the car. If the car has fog lamps, halogen lights, grills, etc.

Walk-Around Step 3: Walk around drivers side--not letting customer get in!
At this point you want to talk about safety or styling depending on customer. Safety--hit the door to show it has a steel safety cage construction that wraps around the car. Show them tight gaps in doors and all seals if it is a newer car. Something to remember: Every car that your customer looks at will have what you are showing them, but if the competition does not show them, it does not have it!

Walk-Around Step 4: In the Trunk
Show customer size of trunk. Low lift in height if you have something heavy in trunk, safety latch to get out of trunk, pass through to back seat, etc.

Walk-Around Step 5: At the Rear
This is when you step back to look at styling at the rear. You may go over tail lights, exhaust tips, etc. Whatever the car has. Remember to just mention 3 to 5 things at each stage. You don't want to pour out a book report, just touch on a few things.

Walk-Around Step 6: Passenger side
Touch on anything going down the passenger side, gas cap entrance, etc. The sole goal is to get the customer to get in the passenger seat.

Walk-Around Step 7: Inside the Car
Have your customer get in on the PASSENGER SIDE!!! You want to show them a few things inside the car. You go over a Radio, climate, steering wheel controls, or anything else inside the car that a customer may need to know.

Now, this is the most important part. You tell your customer to put on their seat belt as you want to show them how the car drives. You drive the car off the lot. You find a pre-determined spot to stop and let the customer drive at which you swap with the driver. This is a control thing. If you take control in the walk around, you will have control at the closing table. Happy Selling and email with any questions.

Check out 10 Steps-Road To The Sale
Day In The Life Of A Car Salesman

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GM Offers New College Student Discount

GM offers new discount for college students
All that studying now equals up to $5,000 off a new GM vehicle

Buying a new vehicle could be the first large purchase a college student or recent graduate makes. With school loans looming, young buyers are looking to save wherever they can. GM is now offering a discount for these individuals who will be eligible to save up to $5,000 when they buy or lease a new and unused GM vehicle.

Getting the discount is simple. All you need to do is visit gmcollegediscount.com and register. Next, request an authorization number and take this to the dealership. Finally, breathe in that intoxicating new car smell.

Now the big question is: how much will you actually save? The price that students pay is a predetermined supplier price that is considerably less than MSRP. You can even build your own GM vehicle to see how much you could save on your dream car. But don’t stop there; this discount can be combined with any other current incentives in your region.

College students from any two- or four-year school are eligible for this discount, as well as nursing students and graduate students. Students who have graduated no more than two years ago can also take advantage of this opportunity to save.

Free Credit Report; Free Trial Monitor 3 Credit Bureaus

Positive Credit Reports is the most important thing a person can have and should be monitored just like you monitor your Bank Account. Everyone needs to rely on their good Credit at one point in their life whether it is to buy a Car, House, or just borrow some Money. Get Equifax Credit Watch Gold 3-in-1 Now!

I will tell you a story about Identity Theft that is a true story in the car industry. A customer came in to buy a car and had perfect credit. They negotiated the price, left to shop elsewhere, and then came back the following day to finalize the deal. They had all the identification to buy the car and Awesome Credit. They purchased the car. We were contacted about 1 month later that there was a Identity Theft ring going around and this suspected person had purchased 24 Cars in the surrounding areas along with ours. They had fake Id's and used someones good credit rating to purchase multiple cars, and numerous Credit Cards, and many store Credit Cards. The person who had their Identity stolen is probably still trying to get everything cleared up on their Credit. It is almost impossible and takes many months if not years to correct.

3-Bureau Credit Monitoring alerts you to changes on all 3 of your credit reports! Get a free 7-day trial plus credit report & score! With Credit Monitoring, the person would have been contacted when the person was trying to use their Credit and could have avoided a major headache. Everyone needs to take charge of their Credit and make sure it is kept intact. You don't work hard to get a Great Credit Score just to have it zapped by identity theft. Try the 7 day free trial to see how you would benefit from Monitoring your Credit and it does cover all 3 Credit Bureaus.

Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union are the 3 Credit Bureaus that are available, but which is used most. I know in the car industry, Equifax is the most used bureau by lenders. Not to say they do not pull the other 2, but Equifax is the main source. You can have information on 1 bureau and not the other 2 which makes your score high on one and low on the other two. This is why it is so important to get a copy of your Credit Report to see what is on it and correct any descrepencies.

Select A Vehicle; 10 Steps Road To Sale

Select a Vehicle is one of the most important steps in the 10 step Road To a Sale Process. All 10 steps are important, but if you select the wrong car, you will miss the sale for sure.

If a customer wants a $300 payment and you show them a $25000 car, you just lost this sale. The customer will have a doctors appointment they forgot about, have to pick up kids from school, or some other good excuse to go down the street and find a real salesman. You have never heard any of these excuses have you?

Lets say a customer comes in and are not interested in discussing payment, but just want to look at a Yukon. Always show this customer the cheapest Yukon or similar SUV first on your way to show them what they wanted, a loaded out Yukon. I will tell you why. Because when you get to the closing table and the customer tells you that the payment is too high, you can turn right around and remind them of the first Yukon they looked at. Many customers will remind you instead of you reminding them. It gives them an option without being embarrassed. They may not say they cannot afford it, but instead will say they may not need all the options on the vehicle. You may even want to pencil the deal with both vehicles so that the customer has the option at that time to pick the cheaper of the payments or prices. Always give the customer a way out without being embarrassed.

Remember that all customers are "Just Looking." When you select the right vehicle, this is when they turn into buyers. Many times they will not tell you they do not like the vehicle you are showing them. They will say they are just looking at this time. Not many people come to a car lot if they are not interested in buying a car. If you do not make it to the next step in the process, step back and realize you are on the wrong car. Listen more than you talk, many customers will tell you exactly how to sell them a car.

Selecting the correct vehicle for your specific customer will help you at the close and will make you more money. If you select the right vehicle, you do not have to worry about closing the deal. It will be as easy as writing it up and finalizing all paperwork. The hardest thing to remember as a salesman is customers like different vehicles than you like. Do not walk away from a car because you don't like it. It may be exactly what your customer is looking for. Also, do not discriminate on a car that has been on your lot for too long. It is brand new to the customer that is there now. They have probably not seen the car before. Treat it like it just arrived. Good luck and Happy Selling. Also remember, Never lie to sell a car, it will bite you down the road. Honesty and Integrity sells cars and keeps happy customers.

Check out 10 Steps-Road To The Sale

Delivery; Last Step - 10 Steps Road To Car Sale

Delivery is when a customer takes delivery of their car. This is when you actually give the customer the key after signing paperwork and go over the equipment and operation of the car.

This is one of the most important steps for a car salesman in the "10 Steps Road To The Sale." Many customers do not realize that Salesman are graded on the whole sales process. If you have ever purchased a new car and received a survey from the manufacturer, you gave your salesman his report card if you filled it out and sent it back. There are questions such as, overall how satisfied are you with the dealership? Has anyone from the dealership contacted you since your purchase? How satisfied are you with your salesman? Finance? Etc. The is the salesman's "CSI" report card, or Customer Satisfaction Index.

The most important tip I can give a salesman is show the customer how to operate the Radio, air condition and heat controls, driver info. center, etc. Make sure the customer is familiar with all buttons and gadgets. Make sure you go over the owners manual and cover all aspects of the warranty that the car offers. Make sure the customer knows the roadside assistance number and how to look up problems. A little trick I learned; When you go over the owners manual, put 5 cards inside the front of the manual. Tell the customer to give a card to the first 5 people that they show their car to. Everyone will show their car to at least 5 friends or family and this will put your name in front of at least 5 more people. When they hear the praises from your current customer, they will beat a path to your door and feel comfortable already because you helped their friend get a car.

Don't forget to introduce your customer to the service department. This is very important because a customer that is familiar with your service department will have their car serviced there. This keeps your customer coming back to the dealership so that when they are ready to purchase again, they will already be familiar with you and your dealership. Don't hide when a customer has a problem! This is your chance to show a customer that you will be there for them even when they have a problem. This will help with your referral business as well as your repeat business and this is something that all salesman need.

Cars are getting more sophisticated and there is more things to go over, but do not shortcut the delivery process. This is the step where you get the most referrals. This is the last thing the customer will remember about their purchase and will have the greatest deciding factor on how your survey will be completed. If your customer is in a hurry or you do not have the proper time to finish the delivery process, set an appointment for the Delivery. Have the customer come back the next day or go to the customers house to make sure they know how to operate the car. The customer will appreciate the fact that you want to make sure everything is explained and will not have a problem coming back to see you. The Delivery is a vital part of our job so take your time and do it properly. Happy selling!

Check out 10 Steps-Road To The Sale

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Trade In Value; What Is My Trade Worth?

One of the most asked questions by car buyers is, What is my Trade In Worth? It is a little subjective, but there are guides to take the guess work out of it. Black Book, Kelly Blue Book, Bank Value, Wholesale Value, Edmund's, NADA, and tons of other resources, but which do you use when trading in your car?

There are many resources for Trade In Value, but Car Dealers have really one guide they use. The primary guide used by dealers for trades is the Black Book, but they also rely on Wholesalers to help determine the value. But, guess what? Wholesalers use the Black Book as well. The Black Book is a book that many banks and financial institutions use to determine how much they will loan on a car. The book will give Retail, Clean Trade, Average Trade, Rough Trade. Much of this is determined by the condition and miles on your Trade In. There is a guide in the back of the book that tells how many miles a specific year should have and how much should be deducted for extra miles or how much added for under miles. Miles are pretty much objective, but condition can be a little subjective.

I suggest detailing your car before trading it in. A clean trade can give the impression that the car is in better condition than it actually is. If the car has been wrecked, there is not much you can do to cover that up. A trained Used Car Manager will spot any damage that has been repainted even if it was paint over scratches and not from an accident. Any paint work will diminish the value of the car, period. Even paint work from a great body shop can be detected by a trained eye.

Many customers will say, the Blue Book is higher than what you are giving me for a Trade In! The blue book is always a little higher on Trade In's, just like it is higher on Retail Values of the car you are buying. If you use the Blue Book value on the trade, use the blue book value for the car you are buying.

Trade In Values have always been the prevailing argument between the salesperson and the customer. Always try to look at the bottom line though. If you are getting a good deal on the car you are buying, maybe Trade In can be a little less. I am just saying, don't let the Trade In Value solely determine if you are going to buy a car or not. Look at the bottom line or Trade Difference between Trade In and Price you are paying for your New Car.

Always remember this as well, Your Trade In will be worth pretty much the same wherever you go. The Trade In Value will be within $500 at any dealership in your area. Most dealers use the same wholesalers and will call them when they have a trade. So, a wholesaler may be called from different dealers on the same car. Now, the dealer may allow you more on your trade at different dealers. This is a topic for another discussion, but any time a dealer allows you more on your trade, they are taking this money from the price of the car you are buying to do so. This means you will pay more for the car you are buying, but get more for your trade. This is why I say look at the bottom line or Trade Difference. If you have any questions or I can be of assistance in any way, feel free to email me. My email is at the top of the page. I will be glad to help. Good luck and happy Trading!

2009 GM Rebates; Large October Incentives For Buyers

General Motors is ramping up advertising in October of 2009 and GM is also ramping up Rebates and Incentives for Year End Buyers. If you watch any TV at all, you have noticed a more aggressive GM Advertising Campaign. "May the Best Car Win" has been the tag line to all ads, but take a look at the Pontiac, Buick, and GMC Rebates and Incentives for Buyers.

2009 Pontiac Rebates:
Pontiac G6 $3500 or 0% for 72 months, Pontiac G8 $3500 or 0% for 72 months, Pontiac G3 $2500 or 0% for 72 months, Pontiac G5 $2500 or 0% for 72 months, Pontiac Vibe $2500 or 0% for 72 months, Pontiac Torrent and Solstice $2500 or 0% for 72 months.

2009 Buick Rebates:
2009 Buick Enclave $2000 or 0% for 60 months, Buick LaCrosse $2500, Buick Lucerne $2500. The Buicks also offer an extra $500 Rebate if you choose not to participate in the 60 Day Satisfaction Guarantee offered by GM.

2009 GMC Rebates:
GMC Acadia $2000 or 0% for 60 Months, GMC Canyon Ext/Crew $1500, GMC Envoy $3500, GMC Regular Cab Sierra $2000 or 0% for 60 months, GMC Sierra Ext/Crew $3500 or 0% for 60 months, GMC Sierra 2500/3500 Reg. Cab $4000 or 0% for 60 months, GMC Sierra 2500/3500 ext/crew $3000 rebate. GMC Yukon and Yukon XL $1500 plus $2500 Bonus Cash or 0% for 72 months. GMC Also has an extra $500 rebate on each vehicle if you choose not to participate in the 60 Day Satisfaction Guarantee.

If you want to see what price you can negotiate on top of the Rebates and Incentives, check out Yahoo! Autos You can get local dealer quotes in a matter of minutes. Find your lowest price from your local dealers, and go pick up your new ride.

Remember this, GM Dealers also have some Dealer Cash incentives that they can apply to your purchase at their discretion. Most all the 2009 GM Vehicles have at least an extra $500 that you may get if you are close on the deal. Don't forget that Pontiac will be gone when all inventory is depleted so Dealers are giving great deals on all Pontiac's. If you are upside down or just looking for an Awesome deal on a Car, Truck, or SUV, now is the time to visit your local GM dealer. These are just the rebates on the vehicles and does not figure in any discounts that you may receive.

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