New car versus Used car
There are still the uber wealthy that will still be paying out for brand new cars and some bargains can be had here while suppliers are desperate to pull in new custom. However, one thing that should be considered when buying a new car is that the moment you drive that car off the forecourt, it has already lost several thousand pounds of your hard earned money.
Brand new cars are one of the things that have slipped by the wayside while the economy is under the threat of a recession. Of course, people still need reliable vehicles to get to work etc so they are turning to used cars.
There is the possibility of buying a used car from a private seller and while the majority of them are trustworthy, there are still some that will try to rip you off, never to be seen again. Even the honest, above board average Joe looking to sell his car cannot guarantee that you will get to the end of the road without some unforeseen occurrence happening.
Indeed, in one street recently, two neighbours sold their cars from their driveways for buyers needing a new runabout and not wanting to pay forecourt prices. One was a used Honda, the seller having looked after it, kept up with the servicing and generally looked after it well. The buyer of the used Honda drove off happily and continued using the car without any hiccups for many months before some tweaking needed to be done.
The neighbour of the used Honda sold a Peugeot to a buyer, in good faith, yet within a week a mechanic had flagged up a plethora of problems that the seller had no way of knowing about. It really is a risky way to buy a used vehicle.
If you are looking for a used Honda, Peugeot, Mini, Mercedes or whatever, the forecourt is always the better option. It may be that little bit more expensive but you do have the peace of mind that comes with a guarantee of three months at the very minimum. This means that you will be on the road with some reassurance that you have a good amount of time within which any problems that surface will be dealt with without too much fuss.
When buying from a used garage forecourt, there is also the knowledge that little, if any, money will be lost. In fact, I have personally bought a car from a garage forecourt and managed to re-sell it within six months at a profit. This is not the usual way of things but it really depends on how well you look after the car and also a little bit of luck in finding a buyer that is looking for just what you are offering and is willing to pay what you are asking.
A well cared for used car will escape the teething problems of a brand new car and it will not really lose you any money for some time. The best idea is to buy a car with a provable service history. If you cannot, or don’t want to pay, used car forecourt prices and are willing to take a chance with a private seller, then protect yourself by taking a knowledgeable person with you that can check it over as well as they can. Also, try to buy a car with a service history so that you can insure, as far as possible, that it has been well looked after. This will mean you have done everything in your power to get the best car at the best price.
Democrats urge Paulson to weigh aid for automakers
The top congressional Democrats urged Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Saturday to consider providing aid to troubled U.S. automakers as part of the Bush administration’s corporate bailout efforts.
The letter from House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recommended strong conditions,” possibly equity stakes and limits on executive compensation, in return for any help. The government is requiring similar steps in its rescue of banks.
“We must safeguard the interests of American taxpayers, protect the hundreds of thousands of automobile workers and retirees, stop the erosion of our manufacturing base, and bolster our economy,” Reid and Pelosi said.
President George W. Bush’s administration has never embraced a bailout for automakers and has urged industry to take advantage of other loan assistance approved by Congress this year.
General Motors Corp, Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co are seeking up to $25 billion in emergency loans to enable them to weather a crippling financial downturn they blame on plunging sales and the global credit crisis. Automakers would like another $25 billion later to help reduce their retiree health-care costs.
Car companies are burning through cash at an accelerated rate, with executives saying corporate and consumer borrowing for auto purchases is all but choked off by the housing and financial services meltdown.
GM warned on Friday its cash holdings would fall short of the minimum needed to run its business without new funding or other drastic action.
President-elect Barack Obama said on Friday that federal intervention to help the auto industry was a top priority of his transition.
Detroit welcomed the letter by Pelosi and Reid.
“We will continue to urge Congress and the Bush administration to immediately address the liquidity crisis facing the automotive industry,” Chrysler said in a statement.
SEEKING URGENT HELP
Pelosi and Reid discussed the industry’s fate with the chief executives of Chrysler, Ford and GM on Thursday. Although the companies are pressing for assistance, the legislative calendar is in flux and lawmakers cannot say yet whether they can help before the end of the year.
Some congressional Democrats insist the Bush administration has the power to offer substantial assistance now. Pelosi and Reid said a healthy automobile sector was crucial for restoring health to financial markets and the overall U.S. economy.
The administration instead is urging automakers to take advantage of aid already in the pipeline — $25 billion in federal loans approved in September by Congress to help Detroit make more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Although the industry sought that package to spur new products like electric cars, automakers now say privately the financing would take too long to obtain and has too many strings attached to help them shake the current crisis.
Treasury spokeswoman Brookly McLaughlin could not say whether the agency had received the letter from Pelosi and Reid, but said the administration would “continue to work on a strategy that most effectively” leverages the bailout program to unfreeze credit markets.
The financing arms of GM, Chrysler and Ford have qualified for certain assistance under the bailout.
Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said lawmakers were preparing legislation for consideration by a post-election “lame-duck” session of Congress that would increase the flexibility of the bailout program if Treasury objected on grounds it does not have the authority to act.
Vehicle crashes increase on election day
|
Canadian researchers recently found that traffic deaths spiked on Election Day, based on an analysis of presidential elections dating back to 1976, when Jimmy Carter faced down Gerald Ford.
An average of 24 more people have died in car accidents on presidential election days than on any other Tuesday during the months of October and November, which means your chances of dying in a car accident will be 18% greater this Nov. 4. The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and it offers some rather convincing arguments as to why traffic fatalities and injuries rise on Election Day. For instance, more people are in a hurry, either to get to their polling place or to get back to work. Drivers may also take unfamiliar routes to reach their place of civic duty, and perhaps be distracted by the great weight of participatory democracy. OK, so you should still vote — early if possible — because of war and taxes and climate change and individual rights and economic collapse and all that other hooey everyone’s always going on about. When you do vote, though, drive carefully. |
Internet marketing works in a bad economy
Few businesses have felt the effects of the current economic slowdown like car dealers. The reason is obvious since car dealers rely on credit to run their business, and the credit crisis is putting increasing strain on their operations. In addition to problems in the credit industry, auto sales are down across the board, and specific segments such as the truck and SUV categories are hit the hardest due to rising gas prices, among other constraints.
stalled inventory at a dealership
The National Automobile Dealers Association has also made the prediction that hundreds of dealerships will go out of business by the end of the year, prompting many local dealerships to remain unenthusiastic about the current economic environment.
With everything happening in regards to consumer spending and the economy, not to mention failing banks, high jobless rates, and federal and state budget problems, there remain factors to remain optimistic about.
Innovating internet marketing still provides a solid foundation for a dealership to promote itself and drive leads. Online marketing also provides a foundation for networking, branding, communicating with your community in a cost effective manner. In addition, internet strategies are more trackable and measurable than traditional media tactics.
There are endless reasons to still consider boosting your internet marketing efforts in the slowdown:
Be found where car buyers are searching. This is perhaps the best reason for boosting search visibility, whether it’s via paid or organic listings. If buyers in your area are actively looking for what you offer, there’s no reason you should be ignoring that opportunity.
Save money and boost ROI. Internet marketing is the best marketing tactic in the economic slowdown because it’s extremely cost effective. Traditional marketing and advertising is expensive, and perhaps more so recently as traditional media outlets are hurting financially in the slowdown as well. Internet marketing may require more time and maintenance than other forms of marketing, but it certainly is less expensive.
Test, Measure, then test again. Internet technologies enable marketers and dealerships to test and measure their efforts. Whether you’re launching an SEO campaign, a PPC campaign, or you simply want to measure a specific metric that’s important to your dealership, you can gain insights unlike any other form of media.
Don’t take your eyes off the competition. If you’re considering allocating more resources to online media, consider what your competition is doing. Chances are, they’ve already begun boosting their online marketing efforts! This will give them the advantage of greater visibility among potential customers that are actively searching for your dealership.
Flexibility like no other. Internet marketing enables businesses to shift gears quickly and be nimble in a dynamic economic atmosphere. Switching keywords or changing the profit center that you would like to promote the hardest can usually be done on the fly, which is rarely possible with traditional marketing.
Marketing dollars are tight for many dealers, which is precisely why dealers need to spend considerable time in evaluating which strategies are the best to pursue. Rather than cutting budgets across the board and running the risk of potentially reducing the number of leads further, dealers may want to think about where they should be investing their money to deliver the greatest opportunities and ROI. Simply put, don’t take a step backwards in response to economic hardships - instead, take a step forward.
source: Top Dealer SEO
Even CarMax is not immune to the bad economy
carmax
CarMax reported a quarterly profit drop of 78 percent on Monday, September 22, signaling its own struggle with a faltering economy and the plummeting resale value of trucks and SUVs.
CarMax, the largest retailer of used vehicles in the United States, saw its net income drop by $14 million in the fiscal quarter ending August 31. One year ago the company boasted a net income of $65 million.
Analysts had expected CarMax to report earnings of approximately 10 cents a share, but the actual figures equal only six. The net revenue for the company declined 13 percent from the $1.84 billion reported in 2007.
In a statement issued by CarMax, Tom Folliard, company CEO said, “The slowdown in the economy and reductions in consumer spending power resulting from higher gasoline and food costs continued to create a difficult environment for our business.”
Planned openings of several new CarMax locations have already been delayed in the face of declining sales over the past few months that coincided with spiraling gasoline costs.
With consumer preference shifting toward smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles, new and used car dealers have found themselves saddled with a surplus of trucks and SUVs. Automakers are resorting to aggressive incentive plans to stimulate the sale of those vehicles, while used car dealers must swallow rapidly dwindling resale values.
Bad Economy and Car Dealers
City Mazda
The U.S. economy is bad for everyone right now, including new car dealers. Car dealerships are experiencing lower sales and some are going out of business completely. Bill Heard Enterprises have closed all of their locations. The bailout plan should help but it will still take a long time for the auto industry and everyone else to recover.
How does this affect the new car consumer? This can be used as an advantage for those with good credit who can afford to buy a new car. The cost of buying a new car from a dealer is going to be lower. With fewer people buying, many car dealers will be lowering their prices and offering more incentives in order to get much needed sales.
For those with bad credit, getting car loan approvals will be harder and the requirements will be stricter. It’s important to find out what your credit rating is. Check with a loan provider to see what the new requirements are before going to the dealer. Make sure you can afford it, calculate all of the costs involved. The cost of buying the new vehicle from the dealer, insurance costs, inflated gas prices, regular maintenance, etc.
Sell your ride for free under 2 minutes on AllTheRides.com
As the phrase goes, “Seeing is believing”, I’d like to invite you to take a look at how you can sell your ride for free under 2 minutes at AllTheRides.com! 
Nissan 300ZX: The Death of a Modern, Affordable, High-Tech Sports Car
The Nissan 300ZX and it’s turbo brother were a much-needed breath of fresh air. By 1989, Nissan’s proud Z-car felt like a disco-age holdover, and the competition wasn’t much better. Mazda’s RX-7 Turbo had 200 hp and an identity crisis. The 232-hp Toyota Supra Turbo weighed more than a Cadillac Eldorado. Porsche charged $42,000 for a 944 S2 with a 208-hp four-cylinder, and only big discounts could move the 250-hp Corvette.
Into this fricassee blew the 1990 Nissan 300ZX, quickly recognized as the benchmark it was. When the 222-hp base model was followed in a few months by the 300-hp Turbo, the birth of the modern, affordable, high tech, sports car was complete.
- The 3-liter, twincam V-6 gave the Nissan 300ZX Turbo a healthy turn of speed to match its slick exterior.
“A near flawless mix of form, function, and class,” raved Car and Driver. A one-year evaluation led David E. Davis Jr. of Automobile to call the Turbo “as good a high-performance coupe as any company has ever built in any country at any price.”
Against the ‘89 model, the 1990 Z-car had a five-inch-longer wheelbase, but its body — a fluid shape jointly drawn by Nissan’s Japan and California studios — was shorter, wider, and lower. A modest rear spoiler, under-grille cooling slots, and a “Twin Turbo” decal subtly differentiated the two-seat Turbo from the base coupe and 2+2. All used an iron-block, aluminum-head 3.0-liter V-6 with state-of-the-art dual cams and variable-valve timing.
To each cylinder bank the Turbo added an oil-cooled turbocharger and an intercooler for lag-free thrust right to the 7000-rpm rev limiter. It also had Nissan’s Super HICAS (High Capacity Actively controlled Steering), which turned the rear wheels to provide remarkable transitional stability and surgical steering response. Steering assist was vehicle-speed-dependent, and the driver could adjust the all-independent suspension between touring and sport damping. Balancing this gadgetry was a cockpit of disarming simplicity and comfort, marred only by a frustrating automatic climate system that reset itself each time the car was started.
At $33,000 to start, the ‘90 Nissan 300ZX Turbo was a terrific performance value, and the car changed only in detail over the years. By 1996, however, the escalating yen had shoved the base price to $43,979, and the bloom was off. The market shifted — to sport-utility vehicles, to lower-tech roadsters, to sport sedans. Nissan didn’t import the ZX for ‘97, and the death of the modern, affordable, high-tech sports car was complete.
2009 Toyota Supra: A Superhero’s Car
Toyota insiders recognize that, to go up against established sports cars, their entry needs a compelling differentiating quality. “We want to do something original,” says Hunter. “We asked ourselves, ‘What can we do that no one else can do?’ The answer was a hybrid.” The FT-HS is a hybrid sports car the name stands for Future Toyota Hybrid Sports. Its powertrain marries a 3.5-liter V-6 with a new-generation hybrid system to provide a combined output of some 400 hp driving the rear wheels. The transmission would be an evolution of Toyota’s current planetary CVT with discrete ratios selected via paddles.
It’s rumored that the upcoming Lexus LF-A sports car also could offer a hybrid powertrain (in conjunction with a conventional V-8 or V-10), but the FT-HS doesn’t share the platform of the Lexus. Size-wise, the two-plus-two is almost an exact overlay of the Nissan 350Z, a car that would be an obvious competitor, although, if you take the Supra’s price at the time of its departure ($40,000) as a ballpark starting figure, the Toyota would be considerably more expensive.
The FT-HS would be dramatically cheaper than its performance targets, however, which include the Porsche 911, the Ferrari F430, and the Chevy Corvette. At this early stage, Toyota is sharing only one performance target: 0 to 60 mph in four seconds. This while providing fuel economy in the mid-20s. Toyota concept planner Chiharu Tamura says the company aims to provide both on-road and on-track ability in the FT-HS. The latter comes in part from a more potent regenerative braking system, which would capture more braking energy than Toyota’s current hybrid system and would make that energy available for propulsion more quickly.
Despite the obvious weight penalty of a hybrid’s battery pack, the hybrid performance concept has more credibility than perhaps even Calty realizes: FIA president Max Mosley continues to discuss fitting regenerative braking and energy storage devices to Formula 1 cars by the end of the decade.
As with the powertrain, the goal of the design was to be unique. Again, Toyota took inspiration from its hybrids, namely the iconic Prius’s peaked-roof profile. That triangular theme repeats itself throughout the FT-HS’s dramatically creased exterior and into its cabin as well. The FT-HS further advertises its hybrid powertrain with its peek-a-boo hood, which features a hole through which one sees the engine cover with its Hybrid Synergy Drive logo. Calty’s Erwin Lui likens it to the shaker hood scoops of an earlier era. Another styling element that relates to the hybrid system are the flying buttress C-pillars, which are similar to those of the Ferrari 599GTB. Here, they direct cooling air to the car’s rear-mounted battery pack.
Like every other concept car, the FT-HS incorporates a number of gee-whiz features. The most obvious is the roof. A large, opaque panel slides rearward, like Porsche’s 911 Targa, but it then pivots down to allow visibility to the rear. The two-plus-two becomes a two-place sports car when the roof is open.
Ferrari: The History
Ahhhh the Ferrari…. I cannot explain why but it was love at first sight for me. She’s a beauty….it’s fiery red color(well, I love that color when it comes to the Ferrari), it’s speed…it’s power. I must say that the Ferrari is one of my personal favorite.
I decided to pay tribute to the majestic Ferrari and did a little research on its history….
So to all the Ferrari fans out there, here’s one for you
Ferrari: A History
Enzo Ferrari was born in Modena Italy on February 18 1898. He came from a well to do family that owned a metal foundry making railroad parts, they were the first in his town to own a car.
Ferrari Enzo 1919
When WWI came Enzo’s father and brother (Dino) were drafted into the Italian army, whom both died from influenza in 1916. Enzo was forced to leave school to run the foundry, when the business collapsed he started work as a metalworker at the Modena Fire Brigade workshop as a turning instructor in order to support his widowed mother.
Enzo and Dino Ferrari
Enzo himself was later drafted into the Italian army where he worked shoeing mules for the mountain artillery, after a few months he becomming seriously ill and was released from the military. Not interested in going back to shcool and against his mothers will, he found work as a test driver in Turin in late 1918. Enzo then moved to Milan to work at CMN (Costruzioni Maccaniche Nazionali) as a racing car driver. His first real race came in the 1919, the Parma-Berceto, he then entered the Targa Florio that same year. Enzo then founded Scuderia Ferrari, (literally means Ferrari Stable) who were mainly sponsors and trainers for Alfa Romeo.
THE PRANCING HORSE EMBLEM
The famous symbol of Ferrari is a black prancing horse on yellow background, usually with the letters S F for Scuderia Ferrari.
The horse was originally the symbol of Count Francesco Baracca, a legendary “asso” (ace) of the Italian air force during World War I, who painted it on the fuselage of his planes. Baracca died very young on June 19, 1918, shot down on Mount Montello after 34 victorious duels and many team victories. He was the Italian ace of aces and he soon became a national hero.
Baracca had wanted the prancing horse on his planes because his squad, the “Battaglione Aviatori”, was enrolled in a Cavalry regiment (air forces were at their first years of life and had no separate administration), and also because he himself was reputed to be the best cavaliere of his team. The Scuderia Ferrari logo Coat of Arms of the City of StuttgartIt has been supposed that the choice of a horse was perhaps partly due to the fact that his noble family was known for having plenty of horses in their estates at Lugo di Romagna. Another theory suggests Baracca copied the rampant horse design from a shot down German pilot having the emblem of the city of Stuttgart on his plane. Interestingly, German sports car manufacturer Porsche, from Stuttgart, borrowed its prancing horse logo from the city’s emblem. Furthermore astonishing: Stuttgart is an over the centuries modified version of Stutengarten (an ancient german word for “Gestüt”, translated into english as mare garden or stud farm, into italian as “scuderia”).
On June 17, 1923, Enzo Ferrari won a race at the Savio track in Ravenna, and there he met the Countess Paolina, mother of Baracca. The Countess suggested that he might use the horse on his cars, suggesting that it would grant him good luck, but it the first race at which Alfa would let him use the horse on Scuderia cars was eleven years later, at SPA 24 Hours in 1932. Ferrari won.
Ferrari left the horse black as it had been on Baracca’s plane; however, he added the canary yellow background because it was the symbolic color of his birthplace, Modena. The prancing horse has not always identified the Ferrari brand only: Fabio Taglioni used it on his Ducati motorbikes. Taglioni’s father was in fact a companion of Baracca’s and fought with him in the 91st Air Squad, but as Ferrari’s fame grew, Ducati abandoned the horse; this may have been the result of a private agreement between the two brands. The prancing horse is now a trademark of Ferrari.
Now…..time for some ogling at this gorgeous beauties!
My personal favorites are the Ferrari Enzo and the Spider 360, and yes, as I mentioned, it’s red all the way baby!
The Ferrari Enzo….breathtaking
Look at those doors!
Ferrari 360 Spider
..and another shot of the 360 Spider