How To Survive Traffic During The School Year

School is back in effect for most students!  After a swift summer, our children are on their way back to the learning cave, provided they’re given a backpack on all the tools necessary to make their journey.  Now that the kiddies are safe and sound on school grounds, you can breathe easy…in that respect, at least.  Now, you have to navigate around school zones, more traffic and insane drivers.  However, you’re in luck!  Today, our blog provides ways to avoid the traffic of school zones, pedestrians and cranky motorists!

The average commuter lost 34 hours or a full workweek because of traffic in 2009, according to the latest Urban Mobility Report.  In larger cities, traffic increases from office parks being built on rural land and the lag of mass transit continues to add fuel to the fire. 

Avoid the Traffic!

Trapster, a free iPhone application allows drivers to scan the area for known speed traps, police hangouts, speed cameras or even stop-light cameras.  Using the GPS capabilities in your smart phone it uses reported speed traps in Trapster’s network database to give voice alerts of approaching traps.  This technology is due to a network of over 5 million Trapster users that constantly contribute trap locations.   

Having Trouble Finding Your Car in the School Parking Lot?

Car Finder Plus is an app that records your position when you leave your car, tracking your location in the process.  The GPS stores this location and when you’re looking for your vehicle after running your errands it provides a display of where to locate your car.   

Avoid High Gas Prices, Take the Short Road:

GasBuddy is a lifesaver for savvy individuals with a frugal mindset.  Gas changes fluctuate at the drop of a hat, sometimes varying as much as 20% within a couple city blocks.  GasBuddy is a comprehensive source for up to date gas prices.  The app lays out prices on a map and allows the user to choose one that fits their budget.  Priceless.   

6 Things to tell your insurance agent that could lower your bill

Recently I moved from a major city in which public transportation was my most logical means to get around.  (Perhaps you can relate?) Since I was no longer privy to public transpo.  I decided to lease one of our fine vehicles. Now, I’ll admit, insurance was the one thing I hadn’t researched before my purchase.  So needless to say two months later I realized I was getting hosed.  Has this happened to you?  Well I quickly came up with a game plan that might help to save you some money.  Read on to learn more.

1.)  Since I hadn’t been in an auto accident in over 2 years I began my negotiation there.  The agent looked at my record and gave me a discount.  I’ve become aware that insurance agents are on a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality.

2.)  I am definitely over 25, so I was under the impression that I shouldn’t be paying more than when I first started driving.  The agent told me that policies go up and down as we age.  I pressed a little and was able to persuade the agent that I should be rewarded for the fact that I have never had a car accident in the entire 31 years I’d been driving and that my maturity shouldn’t be a benefit.  Moral: A little sniveling and groveling can put a little extra money in your back pocket!

3.)  Since I was leasing the car; I was allotted 12K miles per year.  I was a perfect candidate for a lease since I only drove to work and back less than 10 miles each day.    I asked again if there were any special rates for someone driving with that mileage that low.  The agent took off another chunk of money.  Moral: Getting lower insurance rates could be fun!

4.)  He asked if I had airbags all over the car and an alarm system.  I replied well most cars are built with airbags aren’t’ they?  I’m sure that my sarcasm was far from welcome. However,  I did purchase LoJack, which eliminated that hit.  Pow! Take that Insurer!

5.)  Next I asked if I was being charged for my credit?  The insurance agent explained that I was being charged additional fees for not having insurance for the past 2 years.  When I explained to him that I didn’t own a car for two years I was told that didn’t matter.  (Apparently you should buy insurance for invisible cars or insure air?).  I pleaded my case and explained that I had good credit and felt that this was unacceptable treatment.  Cha Ch’ing! They lowered my rate once again.

6.)  Last but not least; a big pet peeve of mine is drinking and driving.  Since I have never and I mean NEVER, gotten busted for DUI I politely asked the rep if I could get rewarded for having never gotten one of these offenses.   After the harps stopped playing and I took off my halo, the agent came back with a new payment that was $185 cheaper per month! 

Last moral: Ask and Ye shall receive.  I could have saved myself $688 had I done my research first.  While we don’t endorse insurance companies I am hoping that this might help save you some serious cash.  It never hurts to try!

For more information on Automotive Issues contact us at: 720-746-2697

How to buy a car like a celebritaunt

When it comes to celebrities and their automobiles one would assume that the only vehicles that your favorite movie star drives, would be a Bentley or Rolls Royce.  It might fascinate you to know that our “celebutantes” like Katy Perry and guys like Robert Downey Jr, and Mark Zuckerberg drive the cool and practical vehicles just like you.  So what are their buying patterns?  What would make them choose vehicles in this category?  Do you think that these individuals lease or pay cash for their cars? Are celebs as concerned with insuring their vehicles as you might be? In this blog, you might discover some points on how and why celebrities make their choices.

One of the choices a celeb makes is to buy or lease their cars.  One reason they might choose leasing over buying is tax deductions.  They have huge incomes and need the write-offs.  So what better way to get a tax deduction than to lease your car?  Besides the idea that they have very busy schedules, and not much time for servicing their cars, they are able to write off a large portion of the vehicle. The other aspect is the warranties on leased vehicles.    With leasing programs vehicles are never out of warranty. This is one less thing for them to be concerned with.   If you haven’t leased a car yet, you might want to find out how to never pay for scheduled service again by leasing your car.  Celebs are very smart on leasing or purchasing their cars, or so it seems.

How is it that they are so smart? Most of these individuals have accountants and financial planners and although money may not seem like an issue and we would guess that then can purchase whatever they want.  However, the fact is their entourage of executives supporting their careers maintains their financial status. They do this by saving them as much money as they can.  We can learn a lot about the auto world by following the famous or their CPA’s.   These braziliant peeps pay cash for used vehicles too.  If you were researching a vehicle for your boss,  “The Biebs” you might learn that a vehicle depreciates in value by 20%.  So your advice to the teen heartthrob would be possibly paying cash. Bieber might give you a raise if you were still trying to save him money. However, advising him on insuring his car is equally important?

When it comes to insuring a car, high achievers have to follow the same rules as well as the rest of us. Just because they have star power doesn’t mean they get away with breaking the law. But what you may not have known is they often have to pay higher insurance rates because of their famous status.  Besides people like Lindsay and her many car accidents, these individuals are often chased by paparazzi making them high risk motorists. On the other hand, these wealthy individuals often pay higher premiums due to auto theft.  Auto theft is more prominent in this demographic.

So not only are these normal individuals, they have the same types of concerns and issues as you do when it comes to purchasing, leasing, and insuring a vehicle.

Here is a list of some celebs and their smart not stuffy auto’s. Perhaps your brand is included?

Mark Zuckerberg can often be seen in his wife’s Acura TSX

Katy Perry drives an Audi A5

Skater Rob Dyrdek just gave away his “Urban Assault Vehicle” Chevy Tahoe

Sarah Jessica Parker drives her children around in a Honda Odyssey.

Jeff Bridges is the Spokesperson for Hyundai

Transformers Josh Duhamel tools around in his GMC Sierra truck.

Angela Lansbury likes to shop in her Kia Soul

Robert Downey Jr. gets serious with the Nissan GT-R

Andy Garci was just on the British show Top Gear for test driving a Suzuki Aerio

Julia Roberts enjoys trips in her Toyota Prius

As flamboyant as these famous people can be, they are also savvy, smart, and practical just like you! 

Watch for our blog next week and don’t forget to like us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. 

Tips For Extending Your Vehicle Life

In 2013, keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape is a breeze with our services at the dealership.  You’re taken care of in a way that’s almost uncanny to someone who’s not used to our all –star treatment.  We’ll wash your car, maintain it during routine work and take care of you every step of the way.  We love our drivers, and as consumers we make it as effortless as possible to make sure you’re getting the best service.  In today’s blog, we’re discussing some cool tips for your daily routine.  When you’re not at the dealership, we’re providing quick and effective ways to stay above the status quo.  Check them out: 

Read your Owner’s Manual – This is a crucial, fan! Mark down your mile markers when you need to make checkups on your car (or check out your scheduled maintenance).  

Windshield Wipers – Simply buy them and follow the instructions to install them.  If you need help, we’re only a couple miles away ☺

Keep Tires Inflated – Having all four of your tires inflated properly can increase your mileage up to 3.3 % according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Changing Your Oil – Having scheduled oil changes at our automotive dealership is crucial to the health of your vehicle.  This is one type of preventative maintenance that can do wonders to extend the life of your car.  Oil changes greatly reduce the risk of engine problems down the road.  

Check Your Headlights – It’s easy to overlook a burned out headlight.  Enlist the help of a friend to walk around your vehicle to look for any light bulbs that aren’t burning brightly. 

Air Filter – Replace your air filter at least twice a year.  This is preventative car maintenance keeps you running smoothly and quietly.

Battery Check - In the winter, corrosion can build up quickly in your car’s battery.  Each spring or summer, check the battery’s posts and cables so that your car will start quickly for you every time you use it.

Be sure to come into our Automotive Dealership, we’ll be happy to assist you! 

Our Favorite Instagram Photos of All-Time

Once in a while, a photo comes along that defines our brand, our goals and our automotive tenacity to the tee.  

For those not familiar with Instagram, Instagram is an online photo-sharing and social networking service that enables its users to take a picture, apply a digital filter to it, and share it on a variety of social networking services, including its own. A distinctive feature is that it confines photos to a square shape, similar to Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid images, in contrast to the 4:3 aspect ratio typically used by mobile device cameras.

By December 2010, Instagram had 1 million registered users.[50] In June 2011 Instagram announced it had 5 million users[51] and it passed ten million in September of the same year.[52] In April 2012, it was announced that over 30 million accounts were set up on Instagram.

In today’s blog, we’re providing our choice for the TOP Instagram photos of all time: