But this year we will be trying out some new promotions to get people into the store to buy Christmas presents.  There seems to always be a car buff in everyone’s family, and we are looking to cater to them this year.  I don’t know why we haven’t done this in the past, but this year every bit of extra money in the coffers will help.

So, we are putting everything from steering wheel covers to gift certificates on sale this winter season to try and drum up some new sales.  We are even getting the staff to dress up for the season and most of us will be wearing Santa hats to show some holiday spirit.

I just hope that things go well since this year hasn’t been too stellar for the shop – with slumping sales all we can do is pray that we can stay open – hopefully this Christmas season will be a good one.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, winter automotive products

You see, if there were no car salesmen, you probably wouldn’t have anything to drive to work.  How would your son get to little league?  In fact, anytime you go pretty much anywhere, you have a car salesman to thank.

The life of a car salesman also has a lot of perks.  For example, when I sold the most new trucks in Weatherford I was given a new truck as a prize.  It was definitely a great reward for a job well done.

The wages are also a lot higher than you would think.  In fact, many of the sales people at the car dealers in Fort Worth earn more than doctors without having to put in so many hours.  Though the money is nice, it is also very important to spend time with your family which is a luxury that us car salesmen enjoy.

So when you are looking for a new career or just starting out in the working world, I urge you to take a look at being a car sales person.  It can be a lucrative job as well as very rewarding career – at least it has been for me.

Technorati Tags: car dealers in Fort Worth, new trucks in Weatherford

Once during a long term assignment, I found myself living in Jacksonville. After a series of auto related challenges, I started looking into the used cars in Florida market. The great thing about being so close to the border meant that I also had the chance to research and look for used cars in Georgia as well.

In the end, it was definitely me, the consumer that won. By having the ability to seek out the very best deal on a great quality used vehicle from not one but 2 states really afforded me the most bang for my buck. While not everyone reading this may have the luxury of shopping for a new or used car along the Florida / Georgia border, if you are among the millions of individuals that live at or near the border of the Sunshine state and the Peach State, be sure to look at both sides of the line for the very best deals.

Technorati Tags: used cars Florida, used cars Georgia

Some of the reasons that I loved my Corolla were:

• It was my very first car. This is the core reason that the Toyota Corolla holds a special place in my heart. I bought it before I even got my driver’s license!
• It drove well. It was a used car but it actually drove really well. It sure drove a lot better than some of the other used cars I’ve owned.
• Parts were cheap to replace. Not all Toyota parts are cheap but Toyota Corolla parts were definitely affordable. That was nice since I was working at a minimum wage job when I had this car.
• It was affordable. The car itself was affordable. Of course, it does help that I bought it used!
• It was the right size. The Toyota Corolla is neither too big nor too small. I’ve since had everything from an Expedition to a Mini and I have to say that there’s something to be appreciated about a right-sized vehicle!

So, the Toyota Corolla wasn’t the fastest or nicest car I owned but it’s one of my favorites. Perhaps now you can see why.

Technorati Tags: toyota corolla parts, Toyota parts

Zoe is my 1983 Nissan 280ZX.  She is the second of these cars that I’ve owned — I bought her after my first one was smashed in a hit and run in 2005, after a dedicated partnership of 8 years.

Yes, I get rather attached to my cars.  When I bought Zoe, I promised her that I’d always have a garage to keep her in.  (I did at the time.)  My old car had suffered rust and other damage from the elements, so I was determined to keep Zoe beautiful.

Sadly, it was not to be.

When my husband and I bought our house three years ago, it didn’t have a garage.  We were planning to build one, but never got around to it.  Then Zoe quit running reliably, with a crazy-making electrical problem that has literally taken me years to track down.  It’s tough working on a car without a garage to keep it in!

If I had it to do over, I probably would have put my car in a self storage unit to keep her out of the elements.  It would have been a bit pricey, but it would have been worthwhile in the long run.  Now I’m looking at probably $3,000 to fix all the rust.

Don’t let the same thing happen to your baby!  Learn from Zoe’s plight.  Keep your car garaged — or,  if garaging isn’t an option, look into self service storage.

Technorati Tags: 280ZX, self service storage, self storage unit

During summer, the local racetrack has races every weekend and I make sure to enter as many as I can.  I have been working two jobs so that I have enough money to buy the Ford Racing parts that I need to ensure that my Ford Mustang wins most of its races.  It is definitely an investment, but usually it is worth it.

But now that I have been eyeing some Mitsubishi cars, I have to make a decision as to whether or not I should buy a new car or stick with what I have.  They have some nice rides, and it would be nice to have a sleeker car than the Mustang, but I am not sure if that is the right idea.  There aren’t many parts dealers around in the area, so I might have issues customizing a Mitsubishi car if I got one.

Really, I should just be focusing on tuning my car for this weekend - if I win, the prize money will be enough that I can take a much needed vacation.

Technorati Tags: Ford Racing parts, Mitsubishi cars

Rental cars in Cancun Mexico is apparently a booming business. And this makes sense considering the sheer volume of tourists that come to the area every year. My only concern about the Cancun rental cars was their availability especially since no one on my flight had a reservation. How could we have one, we didn’t even know we would be stopping over!

Getting to the car rental area as fast as I was able to, I was pleasantly surprised that car rentals out of Cancun airport were slow this week. This meant there were a high numbers of available vehicles to choose from.

The unexpected pleasure came from the fact that the airline had given any passenger that got rental cars in Cancun a free double upgrade. This meant that I paid for a compact but I was able to drive around in a sweet convertible. It was unexpected, but greatly appreciated. I may be coming back, soon!

Technorati Tags: Cancun airport car rentals, Cancun rental cars

Details can make a personal statement.  Toyota accessories, for example, can be found online at reasonable prices.  Don’t worry; you can find genuine Toyota parts online, not just generic and shoddy merchandise.  Once you start perusing the options, you’ll see that there are myriad combinations possible.  There’s no trouble in finding a set of decorations and flair that is quite unique to your own style.  Toyota parts of a more practical nature can also be found in abundance.  Gizmos to make your engine run faster, smoother, cooler, quieter, or whatever else you need.

Technorati Tags: Toyota accessories, Toyota parts

In light of the Federal Government beginning to issue bail out money to automotive manufacturers, the edicts of elected officials to auto executives is that they need to trim the fat, or risk the wrath. While only insiders may know what those consequences are, it is clear the auto industry is expected to become much leaner.

The biggest impact on the new car buyer? Most likely they will have fewer competing dealerships to shop at within geographical locales. Have you ever wondered why there were 7 Chevy and 6 Ford dealers in your area, all likely within an hours radius of each other? Free market capitalism. Often the same dealer owns 2, 3 or more of those “outlets” and simply wanted more exposure. Think WalMart in every neighborhood and you’ll have the picture.

With the restructuring of the manufacturers distribution chain, many dealerships will be shutting down. GM has tentative plans to close over 2600 car lots across the U.S. alone!

The biggest impact on the consumer, however, is that instead of driving 10 minutes to get your warranty work completed, you may have to drive to the other side of that hour long radius. That, of course, is better than having no dealer support in sight.

Technorati Tags: auto dealers, bail out

We’re also going to get a car rental in Las Vegas and make a couple of day trips.  We’re going to go to Red Rock Canyon one day.  We’re also going to get a Las Vegas rental car and take a couple of days to go to the Grand Canyon.  It takes about seven hours to drive there, so we didn’t want to try to do that in one day.  It’s possible to get charter flights but we thought that it would be cool to just relax and drive and check out the scenery on the way to the Grand Canyon.  We have so many things that we want to do and so much stuff planned that I’m not sure that we going to be able to do everything.  I’m not worried about it though.  I know that we’re going to have a great time no matter what!

Technorati Tags: Car rental Las Vegas, Las Vegas rental car