Automotive Addict

It is the end of the 2007 model year, 2008 models are rolling in, so you know what this means? YES, 2007 deals are GREAT deals.

There are 2007 extra factory incentives as well as dealers willing to make deals to move the 2007 inventory out and make room for the 2008 inventory. You can literally save thousands on the car, truck, or SUV you are looking to buy. I have said this before and will say it one more time, make it easy on yourself and fill out this short form at Yahoo Autos. What this is going to do is save you all the money possible on your make and model choice before you ever step foot on the showroom floor. And, Its FREE! So if you have not already checked it out and save some BIG Money! Don't wait too long because your choices in 2007 inventory are dwindling on a daily basis and your choices will be limited.

Save a TON of money, bookmark my site, and come back and visit when you can stay longer. There are ways to save money on car insurance, auto parts, accessories, warranties, and just about anything dealing with the auto industry.

Every auto ever made has a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). It does not matter if it is a car, truck, van, or SUV, it will have a VIN number found on the driver door panel and in front of the steering wheel on the dash-seen from outside the car. Over the years the VIN numbers have grown in length to signify different things. They are currently 17 digits long and mean the following.

1st digit: Country of origin, 1 is US, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico, Germany is W, and Japan is J. Don't ask why Germany is W??

2ND digit: Manufacturer. A is Audi, N is Nissan, B is BMW, G is General Motors.

3rd digit: Tells the make of the Car. In the diagram 1 is for the Chevrolet division of General Motors.

4Th and 5Th tells what type of car. The YZ is a Corvette ZR1.

6Th digit is the body type. 2 is 2 door hatchback and 3 would be 2 door convertible.

7Th digit is the type of restraint system. It this instance the 3 means manual belts with driver air bag.

8Th digit is the engine type.

9Th is a check digit. It will be a number from 0-9 and supposedly it can be told if the VIN has been tampered with.

10Th digit is very useful especially when appraising a car because it tells what year the vehicle is. It used to be represented by letters and now is using numbers. P-93, R-94, S-95, T-96, V-97, W-98, X-99, Y-00, 1-01, 2-02, 3-03, 4-04, 5-05, 6-06, 7-07. Well you get the point. The letters go back further and if you notice there are some letters that got skipped. I, O, Q, U, Z, because they could have confused with other numbers.

11Th digit is where the vehicle was manufactured. 5 being Bowling Green Kentucky, 9 is Detroit Michigan.

The last six digits 12-17 are the production sequence numbers.

Now you will look at VIN numbers in a different way. Impress your friends, count back 8 from the end and this will tell the year of the vehicle.

One of the largest expenses over the life of an auto is oil changes. When you figure $15-$25 every 3000 miles, it really adds up, but is essential to the longevity of a car.

GM has a unique intelligent system called an Oil Life System Monitor. Each GM vehicle has a computer that calculates the revolution of the engine and can even tell what type of driving you do. If you do all highway driving or in town driving. The benefit to the customer is Reduced Cost of Ownership, Reduced National Consumption of Oil, and full usage of your oil.

This Oil Life Monitor for GM cars, trucks, and SUV's will tell you when to change your oil. It may be at 5000 miles and may be at 9000 miles. You can read more about this system in your GM owners manual, but my car can usually go 6000-7000 miles before it comes on. If you have a Drivers Information Center in your vehicle to check tire pressure, and different settings, you will notice an oil life percentage. If it is at 70%, it means there is 70% of your oil life remaining.

Now, consider half the oil changes of the competition. It may not sound like much, but do the math. In every 100000 miles you will change the oil 33.3 times if you change every 3000 miles. Multiply this # by an average of a $22 oil change and it comes up to $734. Cut this in half and you get $367. That is just for oil changes and only figuring it will get 2 times more mileage. You also have long life spark plugs and coolant. GM is thinking of the customer more than ever trying to regain market share.

Remember, the GM Oil Life System does not check oil levels, just when the oil starts to break down and needs changed. You still have to check levels.

There is a simplified GM maintenance schedule. This is performed when your change oil light comes on.
Maintenance 1:
-change oil and filter
-reset oil life system
-inspect engine air cleaner filter-change as needed
-rotate tires and check inflation pressures and wear
-inspect brake system
-check engine coolant and washer fluid
-any other needed services

Maintenance2:
All services from maintenance 1 plus:
-inspect suspension and steering components
-inspect cooling system
-inspect wiper blades
-inspect restraint components
-lubricate body components
-inspect throttle system

You can alternate in between maintenance 1 and maintenance 2 each time the light comes on. Tires should be rotated every 5000 to 8000 miles.

General Motors showed off 3 Minicar concepts at the recent New York International Auto Show. The Cars were designed in its South Korea design studio in Inchon. GM were asking potential customers to go to www.vote4chevrolet.com to cast a vote on their favorite of the 3. I believe GM was testing the waters to see if any of the 3 would float.



The first being the Chevrolet Beat Concept which has a 1.2 liter gasoline engine and automatic transmission. It is a 3 door hatchback that has a fabric covered instrument panel that will give it an uplevel feel.


The Chevrolet Groove Concept is a 4 door and features the only deisel engine of the minicars. It is a 1.0 liter deisel and could get up to 50 miles to a gallon. The Chevrolet Groove has a matte finish similar to the finish on cell phones, but GM is concerned the sought after matte finish will shine up from buffing of car washes.


The Chevrolet Trax Concept will feature a low cost All Wheel Drive option with a 1.0 liter gas engine. The Chevrolet Trax uses thermoplastic components that are injected with paint on the front fenders and front and rear facia.

When I voted, and I will not tell which I voted for, the Groove was in the lead with 53.8 percent of the vote. The Beat was a close second with 37 percent, and the trax just had 9.2 percent.

Everyone always Asks, Should I BUY A CAR or LEASE A CAR? This is a very important question when going to the Car Dealership.

You need to look at your past car experiences to determine your future car needs. Some questions to ask yourself about your car.

1. How many miles do I drive my car?
2. What kind of condition do I keep my car in?
3. What do I use my car for?
4. How long do I keep a Car?

This is 4 very important questions when deciding to Lease or Buy a Car. If you drive over 15 or 20 thousand miles a year, I would suggest you BUY YOUR CAR. If you are rough on your car, like scratches, dents, wear inside and out, I would suggest you BUY YOUR CAR. If you use your car for travel and it is your main car, you may want to BUY YOUR CAR. If you keep your car a very short amount of time or a very long time, you may want to BUY YOUR CAR!

But, on the other side, if you drive 15000 miles a year or less, trade every 3 to 4 years, and keep your car in good condtion, you may want to LEASE YOUR CAR.

Look at the last car you traded. Did you have Negative Equity? Did you owe more than it was worth? If your answer is yes, check into leasing. Leasing gives you the opportunity to trade more often without having negative equity. You turn your lease in and pick out another. It is a great way to drive newer cars more often. Lease scares many people because their mothers and fathers said to NEVER LEASE! Why? It works great for many customers. I have customers call me and tell me to get a new vehicle of their liking ready and they will pick it up tomorrow. Easy for the customer and easy for the dealership.

Upside Down is Dealership slang for Negative Equity. Who has it? Just about everyone, even dealership employees, so dont feel bad.

It is just a fact of life, cars depreciate. When you drive a car over the curb it loses value. If you buy from an individual, it still loses value. The only way to keep from being upside down is to:
1. Put Money Down
2. Pick a shorter term to finance; 48 months instead of 60
3. Do not Trade Too often
4. Make Sure You Get a Good Deal, Get Your FREE Quote!


These are just a few ways to avoid negative equity. Another one is to lease your vehicle. Some say, buy what appreciates and lease what depreciates. You lease for 3 to 4 years and get the best life out of the vehicle, turn it in, and lease another. Why worry about ever owning it. If you do own the car, it is worthless by the time you are through paying for it.

If you are upside down now and are looking for a lender to finance your new car along with your negative equity, check out Roadloans as they will usually finance 125% of NADA Retail. This is more than most lenders will lend. This will make it easier to finance a car without putting a bunch of money down.

General Motors is trying to take the GM or Certified Used Vehicle Sales to the next level. They will be offering a 100000 mile warranty on USED VEHICLES! WOW!

First, it has to be a Certified Vehicle from a Certified Used Dealer. A Certified Used GM Vehicle is a car, truck, or SUV from the year model 2002-2006 with less than 60000 miles. Notice that I did not include 2007 models. This is because they already have the 100000 mile warranty included. Brands included are Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Buick.

The warranty is a warranty that will cover engine, transmission, drive train. It is not a bumper to bumper warranty, but will cover the major components that cost the most to fix. This will take the GM sales to record levels this year as it will offer peace of mind. Imagine, you are looking at a 2003 GM Car with 45000 miles. Under the old Certified Program, you would receive a 3 month, 3000 mile bumper to bumper warranty only. You still receive this, but also get the 100000 power train warranty. I am happy to be a GM Salesman during this Awesome program! Way to go GM, lets take this to the next level.

If you need an Auto Warranty that wont break the bank, Get a FREE QUOTE NOW! This quote is good for ALL Makes, Models, and years. Chevy Car and Truck Warranties, Ford Car and Truck Warranties, Dodge Car and Truck Warranties, and even Toyota, Nissan, and any other makes or models. You pick the place to work on your Auto. Best of All, finance your warranty at 0% interest. Check it out, FREE Extented Warranty Quote!

Guess what? There are still some 2006 models on the ground. What does that mean for you? That means there are some GREAT deals to be found. We are in the second month of the year with last years models still on the ground, that means the rebates are hitting the max, and the deals are getting sweet! They have to GO!
Fill out this short form at Yahoo! Autos
to see exactly what you should be paying for the 2006 you found or the 2007 that just arrived on the lot. There are deals on all of them now, but know what to pay before you even go. there are many savvy customers that are making their deals over the phone just because they do not like the games at the dealerships. Get your price at Yahoo! Autos
and call the dealership and make an offer. If the offer is accepted, then go take a closer look to make sure it is right for you. The saleman will not be mad because once you come in, they know you are serious. There is no haggleing once you get there. It just takes the stress out of the deal for all involved. Oh and by the way, if you are in most parts of the country it is very cold out right now, so dealing over the phone is not such a bad idea. Let me know if you use this method and it works for you.

This is a question that I, as a car salesman, get daily. Everyone is sort of confused about which one to buy. The main thing customers are concerned about is getting a good deal.

Let me say this; Consider pricing between the new vehicle you want compared to used car pricing of the same model. I will use the GMC Envoy because this is one that I sell.

A new GMC Envoy with leather interior will cost about $34000 pretty well equipped. Now with rebates and discounts lets say you can buy one for $31000-this is just an example. Include your tax, tag, title fees and your payment will be approx. $550-$600, this is also an approx. figure. This payment will change according to your rate determined by your credit. Now lets say you plan on trading this vehicle in 2 years and you did 60 month financing. At the end of the 2nd year, you probably will still owe about $26000. I am guessing at these figures, but I have been selling for 10 years so probably real close to being accurate.

Now, take this same well equipped GMC Envoy in a used model. You can buy last years model with 18000 miles for approx. $22000 with a payment in the $400 to $450 range. You also plan on trading this one in 2 years. In 2 years you owe approx. $16000-$17000.

Now, when the used car manager appraises these 2 vehicles you will get a better idea of how things work. The used one will have a few more miles because of the miles on it when you purchased it. The extra miles may cost you $1000 dollars. The new one may appraise for $14000 leaving you a negative equity of $12000. The used one may appraise for $13000 leaving you a negative equity of $4000-$5000. Now you can see the value of buying a used car over new. I have had plenty of customers that purchased a new car that are having trouble trading because of the large negative equity whereas the one that purchased the used vehicle can trade because they are in a better position for the bank. Now, if you put money down when you purchased the used one, you are even in better condition.

I am not saying every new car purchase is bad, but you stand a better chance with a good used car. We also do not know exactly how much a car will depreciate in these 2 years, but this is my experience in past years. So, look at a good used car and compare pricing while you are at the lot.