It was more than a philosophical matter for Toyota Motor because of the money involved. The company, while comfortably in the black, could ill afford to pursue a misguided vanity project. But some argued it stood to lose more from staying out of the luxury market than by jumping in when its most loyal customers – baby boomers – were moving into their peak earning years and would soon be looking to buy more expensive cars. Toyota Motor wanted a high-end product line to prevent these loyal customers from defecting to other brands. The idea was to build a gilded bridge between the compact-car buyers of today and the luxury-car buyers of tomorrow. What’s more, it also needed to safeguard its revenue in an era of increased U.S. import barriers, to stay neck-and-neck with Japanese rivals who were planning their own luxury lines, and to keep its engineers motivated with new challenges.

At home, it sold the stately Century, a boat of a car with a 5.0-liter V-12 engine, used to chauffeur Japanese CEOs and cabinet ministers around the crowded streets of Tokyo. The often empty front passenger seat on this and other Japanese luxury cars was built with a removable cushion so that the back-seat passenger could stretch his legs through to the front seat. But at the equivalent of US$125,000, the car was deemed too expensive to compete in the mass luxury market in the U.S. Besides, Toyota Motor needed to update its export line-up with a car-lover’s car designed primarily to be driven by its owner, not a stately limousine to be driven around in.

Most significantly, Toyota Motor sensed opportunity. Present manufacturers of high end vehicles had risen and gone beyond the needs of the brand new era of car purchasers. Hence, Eiji Toyoda presented the strategy to penetrate towards the high end market. 6 years along with 50 percent of a billion dollars later, the initial Lexus was born. To Toyoda, it was not a matter of cost, only a matter of time. In his words: “For us, this was not only a tremendous challenge and a dream to fulfill but also an inevitable decision.” Yet even the most zealous proponents of a Japanese luxury-car program in the early 1980s could scarcely imagine what Toyota Motor would unleash upon unsuspecting rivals a decade later.

The company’s luxury division, the Lexus brand, has grown from a car enthusiast’s afterthought into the leading luxury brand in the U.S. It usurped Cadillac for that title in 2000 and has kept it ever since. In its debut year in 1989, sales of the untested brand’s two models – the flagship LS and entry-level ES sedans – totaled just 16,302 cars. Two years later it became the best-selling luxury import in the U.S. and had added a third model, the SC coupe. Today, just over two decades since the brand debuted, millions of vehicles sporting the Lexus L are being driven on the roads of America, a testimony not only to the brand’s popularity but also the durability of its cars. Indeed, it is not uncommon to see a vintage 1990 model year LS 400 or ES 300. Today, Lexus has expanded from the first two pioneer models to an industry-leading fleet of nearly a dozen different cars and SUBs, three of which have been added within the past two years.

Source by Ken Li

You will be glad you did. Porsche is a classic car brand which has a rich history since the company was started in the late 1800’s. The cars got its names after the founder Ferdinand Porsche. He was born in 1875 and was from Austria. Ferdinand Porsche not only created the first Porsche cars, but also created the Volkswagen beetle.

In 1937, he was awarded the German National Prize for Art and Science by none other than Hitler himself. The award was a very rare, and that just goes to show how talented he actually was. In 1901, Ferdinand Porsche made the very first gas/battery hybrid car. Part of his biggest achievements is the fact that their cars are some of the fastest in the world.

It was no different even when the first Porsche cars were still around. Now these were not really cars such as the ones we have today, they were buggies. They were basically horseless carriages with tires like a bicycle: tall and skinny. Ferdinand Porsche’s hybrid car broke many speed records of the time and even won the Exelberg Rally in 1901. Ferdinand Porsche was the actual driver of the car during that rally.

The speed records were not set very high at the time for a motorized vehicle. The hybrid Porsche had a max speed of just 35 miles per hour: it may not sound like a lot, but the only other way to get around at the time was a horse and a horse can’t sustain 35 miles per hour for very long if at all. Now also consider that this is a horseless buggy and that suspensions and a soft ride were probably not a part of the equation. If you were to turn too fast on a curve and being that the buggy sat up so high, you could easily tip it over: so 35 miles per hour would be quite fast for an old Porsche classic car such as the hybrid buggy.

Mr. Porsche first worked for the Austro-Diamler company. He was their chief designer and helped make some good cars, but still not under his own name. He later quit Austro-Diamler because they did not agree with the direction towards which cars headed. It was not until 1931 that Ferdinand Porsche founded his own firm. It was titled and still is today, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

In 1934, Hitler wanted to make it so that every German had a car or tractor. Porsche was to build 3 prototypes from designs he had already made. The car he made for Hitler was the Volkswagen beetle which we know today. Some people today refer to a Porsche as being a supped up Volkswagen. Today, Porsche owns a large stake in the Volkswagen company, and if you look at the headlights on the beetle and the turbo 911, they look very similar. Volkswagen means “the people’s car”, and the very first one was the Volkswagen beetle.

The very first car to carry the Porsche name was the model 356. This first Porsche car was made in an old saw mill and they built 49 cars all by hand. This Porsche classic car is definitely worth a lot today. It was not until 1953 that the famous Porsche emblem or badge was placed on the cars. The 356 was made for 17 years and in 1965, the last classic Porsche 356 model left the production line.

One of the most famous models of Porsche was introduced by “Butzi” Porsche on September 12, 1963. It was just a prototype at the time, but it would become a classic long running car. The prototype was called the 901 or what we call the 911 today.

It was not until August 1964 that the first 901 could be sold to a customer. The 901 number had to be changed because of a patent on 3 numbers with a zero in the middle, so it was changed to 911. The 911 turbo is an amazing car today: one of the fastest around, but just look at its history. It would be hard to find a classic Porsche car nowadays. You can find classic Porsche cars if you search carefully enough, but the price people would want for them is not for those with a small budget. If you were to find a classic Porsche 356, one of the first ones, they are pretty much priceless. If the owner knew what they had, then it would be very hard and very expensive to get the owner to sell the car in question.

Source by Manuel Merz

As our technology advances, we discovered better ways to live with great convenience like the invention of different means of transportation such as the car. Almost every American home owns a car nowadays because having one is already a necessity.

In earlier times when there are no vehicles yet invented for transportation, the people uses animals like horses, camels, and even walk by foot to go to places they wanted to go thus it would take them longer periods of time before they reach their destination.

Moving from one place to another by land becomes easier with you having your personal transportation. You can choose whichever road nearest to the place you will go hence saving time having your own car.

Shopping would be more convenient knowing that you have your own time when you will leave from the house and when you go home after buying everything you need unlike in public transportation there are specific schedules to follow. You manage your own time and it makes you freer to use your time with other things.

In emergency situations requiring urgent medical help we can use our car to transport patient to the hospital especially if it would take longer time for the rescue mobiles to reach our place. But prior to transport of patient, first aid must be properly given by a trained person. With our car as transportation in emergency situations, we get to help save a person’s life.

Busy people who have work that requires travelling a lot in nearby states would need their own car so they can escape from the toxicity of purchasing a ticket to a train, a bus or booking a flight by an airplane. You can also have pleasure trips to these states together with the whole family and you will have more privacy travelling using your own vehicle for transportation.

When you buy a car, just make sure that the type you buy would be very comfortable to use and fit for your lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be very expensive, as long as it has a good quality. Choose the car that is convenient to drive by you and your family. You may get a second hand car and still a very beautiful one at that. Some used cars may not look so great buy with wonderful working engines just needs a little adjustments or even a new color to make it look new.

Source by Thomas Glickman

Drifting is becoming more and more popular by the minute. Everywhere we see, on the street and in the stores, drifting is on fire. Ever since drifting busted out onto the mainstream with help from Hollywood movies and with the increase in drifting fans, the surge for wanting to learn how to drift, like they see in the movies has grown rapidly.

Sure drifting looks easy, just drive really fast and get your car sideways and smoke the rear tires. But as you’d know if you’ve already tried drifting, it isn’t as easy as they make it look on the big screen.

Here’s a short drifting lesson for beginners. The very basics of drifting. First, here’s what you need:

1. You need a car – preferably rear wheel drive.

2. It should be a manual car preferably. Automatics are harder to drift but not impossible.

3. You need to go practice in a wide open area where its legal and safe. Drift days are the place to go.

4. You’ll need some spare tires. Obviously.

Now, here’s what to do:

1. You want to practice doing circles or donuts in one spot on the donut pad or wide open flat area around a pilon / cone. DON’T go straight to the circuit trying to drift around corners on your first time attempting drift.

Do donuts to the right, then change and do circles to the left. Start with small circles and then get bigger.

2. Once you have mastered the donuts, you can start to use the handbrake and try some 180 degree spins. Set up 2 pilons about 100 feet apart and go up and back doing 180 handbrake turns.

You shouldn’t try to drift out of the turns yet, just get used to your handbrake and feeling of the slide of your car. Once you can get it nice and smooth, you can try drifting out of the slide.

NOTE: Keep the handbrake on for longer than a split second. Slide it right around with the handbrake until you’re facing the way you want to go then you can power out.

3. Keeping the 2 pilons where they are, you can now try figure-8 drifting around the pilons. Just like you we’re doing in the 180 degree spins, use your handbrake to slide it right around and then power out straight, lining yourself up for the other side of the pilon at the other end. Repeat and try to get close to the pilons with your ront bumper as you can – touching the clipping point – just like the pro drift drivers!

Try these beginners drifting tips before you hit the track and total your car. Just like any sports, practice makes perfect and the right training when learning how to drift will keep you and your car safe so you can live to drift another day.

Source by James Hendricks

Have you noticed how you see more older Honda Accords being driven than any other type of car? It’s a stretch to find a 1989 Chevy Monte Carlo or a 1992 Ford Taurus driving these days. However, Accords seem to have longevity. Blame it on their reliability and high resale value, as well as true driver loyalty to the Honda brand. You can’t kill these cars.

The Honda Accord has long been known for its trustworthiness, ever since 1976 when the model was born. The car has beat out the competitors (including Toyota Camry) with solid ratings across the board for safety, reliability, resale value, design and family friendliness.

Drivers who bought their Honda Accords in the 1980s find little reason to sell them, since the Accord lasts so long if properly maintained. After a few repairs and replacements (most occurring at the 100,000 mile mark), like timing belt, water pump and axles, owners have put as much as 300,000 miles (or more) on their Accords and continue to get great use from the reliable vehicle.

A Look at the Accord’s Best Years

The Accord is in its eighth generation currently. Some generations of the popular vehicle have lasted better than others, although there are Honda Accords on the road from all generations.

Fourth Generation

The Accords built between 1990 to 1993 were hearty, and we still see them out and about. This model bore a close resemblance to the Acura Legend, which gave it a more upscale feel for an Accord compared to previous generations. In 1993, the 10th anniversary of the SE model brought a special edition of the LX sedan with extra features.

Fifth Generation

Probably the most popular in terms of used cars today, the Honda Accords built between 1994 and 1997 still retain good resale value and are more reliable than your average 12 to 15 year old used car. This model got a facelift from the previous generation, with a wider body and a V6 engine introduced in 1995.

From New to Old

If you’ve owned a Honda Accord, you’re likely to buy another one for your next car. Accord owners appreciate the vehicle’s handling ability, and those that drive the coupe love the sportiness that still comes with great reliability and quality. Sedan drivers appreciate the roominess that allows for comfort for the whole family.

Looking to sell your Honda Accord?

Accords provide good resale value, with models from as far back as 1990 being worth at least $1200.

Source by Jason S. Tustle

According to Consumer Reports, the average car will last 150,000 miles. If you are buying a newer model and keeping it properly maintained, it may last until 200,000. That still leaves a few car shopping expeditions in the average consumers lifetime. For many of us, car shopping fills us with dread. So we want to start with a car that is naturally inclined to last longer than average.

Honda and Toyota still lead the pack in producing the most reliable cars. But according to a 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, General Motors is stepping up its game to improve previous models and some new models, such as the Cadillac SRX, the Chevrolet Camaro and Equinox and the Buick LaCrosse V6 have a reliable rating from the beginning. Ford remains the most reliable of American made models, while Chrysler is the lowest ranked. And the car hailed by Consumer Reports as yielding the best predicted reliability was the Porsche Boxster.

Retired schoolteacher Irv Gordon drove his red 1966 Volvo P1800 for 2.5 million miles and holds the current Guinness World Record, as certified in the mid 1990s. Of course, such occurrences are extremely rare. But there are services available and steps you can take to increase the longevity of your car, most of which concern the taking proper care and maintenance per the vehicles manual.

A good start for any car owner is to read the manual. Consult it often, and don’t be afraid to take any questions to the dealership. Another simple step is to keep the car clean. Spending oodles of money isn’t necessary, but you should be sure to keep up with routine maintenance. Check fluids every few months (or as suggested by the car manual) to make sure they stay at the proper levels. These include radiator coolant and brake, windshield washer, power steering and transmission fluids. This is very important because these fluids lubricate different parts to reduce friction, heat, and the overall wearing down that can occur over time. Check your manual to see how often the oil and oil filter should be changed; the answer can differ depending on how many miles you drive.

So, if you want to buy a car that will outlast the average of 150,000 miles, start with a car that has a dependable reliability rating, such as a Honda, Acura, Subaru or Ford. If you are buying used, be sure and run a vehicle history report. You can save time searching for your car by using a car search engine such as Piefind.com. Piefind searches multiple classifies ads to bring you a list of relevant possibilities, saving you time and energy.

Source by Jen Marie

Every car charging system consists of at least a battery and an alternator. The alternator generates the electricity needed for the electrical components in the car to run. This is by charging the battery. When it comes to the alternators, they have a reputation of being strong and rugged. But they still break you may wonder. Well, yes they do, and if you are interested to know the reasons then you are reading the perfect article.

The primary reasons for alternator breakdowns are excessive heat, overwork, and overload. This is why you should be very careful when jump starting a car. Simply, you may accidentally cross the jumper cables, which is not tolerable by the alternator. Furthermore, if the battery cables are disconnected while the engine is running, the alternator won’t like it either, and may collapse.

Before deciding to dislocate the alternator, and taking it to a service shop to test it, you may consider buying a voltmeter for fewer than five dollars, drive the car for a day or two while constantly monitoring the voltage reading. So long the meter reads above 12 volts then the alternator is doing what it is supposed to do. Now it may drop during idle, buts that normal, just make sure that it is reading well above 12 when driving.

On a concluding point, alternators can also partially fail, where the converter of AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current) fails. Now the reason I said partially is because each alternator has more than one converter or diode, and in case one fails the rest would still work, however the overall result may not be sufficient to keep the voltage efficient at idle and low speeds. For more information about selling your car, check out the Why Do Alternators Fail

Source by Khalid Mustaffa

Given that car sales account for 19% of total U.S. sales in 2000 (source: U.S. Small Business Administration), a lot of people are buying cars which mean that are a lot of people selling cars. Additionally, new car sales have dropped from 63.4% in 1989 to 60% in 1999. Selling cars is not easy given that many still have a negative perception of car salesmen or women. Hopefully, these 7 tips may help you to sell more cars.

1. First and Foremost YOU need to think of yourself as a business. Car sales people work for an auto dealership, but most work on a salary and commission basis. When your compensation is commission based, this means you have more control of your destiny and should view yourself as a business instead of just a sales person.
2. Adopt a Planning Attitude. If you do not have a plan, then you are on some else’s plan – usually the successful car saleswoman or salesman. As a practicing performance improvement consultant or coach for the last 10 years, I have observed that most people plan less for their entire lives than they do for a simple visit to the grocery store.
3. Learn how to prospect. There exists a fundamental belief that the auto dealership is responsible for bringing traffic through the door because the dealership owners have all those “big bucks” for media advertising. Given that 80% of all new sales comes from referrals, would it not make more sense to prospect individually rather than rely on outside resources to control your destiny? Those media efforts usually bring in suspects, not prospects. Use your time wisely by focusing on prospects those who have a need, dollars and are a decision-maker. Don’t rely only on the auto dealer to send out letters. Take the time to write some handwritten notes.
4. Improve your sales skills to make more money. Today’s buyers are far more savvy than years ago. Learn how to cultivate and develop long term relationships. Consider a proven buying/selling sales process where marketing and selling skills are united to deliver to the desired results of another sold car. New car sales to used car sales are far more relationship based selling than years ago when car sales was a commodity sale.
5. Establish your sales goals using your great planning attitude. If you are a car salesman or car saleswoman and have 300 customers and the industry average sales cycle is 3 years, then every year you should be selling 100 cars. Focus your efforts of those who will be buying a car this year, but remember to continue to touch those who will potentially be buying another car in 2 or 3 years. HINT: Use the W.A.Y. S.M.A.R.T.criteria for goal setting.
6. Identify the attitudes or beliefs that are obstacles to your success. Working with those in the auto industry, I have heard countless reasons why sales cannot be made. However, when these reasons are reviewed, they are usually unfounded reasons based upon existing attitudes and beliefs. For example, “corporate has ruined the car industry by posting prices on the Internet. Everyone knows everything about the car.” My response is “if price was a real objection, then everyone would be driving a Yugo or a Chevette. And doesn’t it make more sense to have an educated buyer than an uneducated one when it comes to your time and resources?” HINT: When you change how you look at things, the things you look at will change.
7. Make managing yourself priority number one. You must learn how to maximize your time especially in the area of time management, ongoing professional development such as through business coaching training and personal life balance. The auto industry is truly a 24/7 business given that cars are with us each and every day of our lives. However, it is important not to lose sight of your personal life including family, friends, physical health, etc.

Yes, you can be an incredible car salesperson who can increase sales through these 7 simple car salesman tips. Just remember, sales regardless of industry is all about knowing your numbers and then multiplying your activity to secure those desired results.

Source by Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Last year the government officials in California passed the “red tag law” which has had a significant affect on the used cars market that consumers can benefit from. For those who are familiar with the logistics of this new law I’ll explain it simply. In its basic understanding the California red tag law requires dealers to place a red sticker on any vehicle that has been salvaged, in a junk yard, or sustained any flood damage.

These vehicles also have to be registered into a federal database that is also open to the public. With this type of law in affect it helps make people who are looking to buy a pre-owned vehicle much more comfortable about acquiring a reliable automobile. There are also people who can get bad credit car loans with the California red tag law as they will be more confident that the vehicle will last throughout the duration of the loan.

Applying for Used Car Loans in California

Most people can still qualify for auto financing in California even with a poor credit score, but very few dealers would be up for the task as they had too much to lose. Before this law if a used car dealer allowed someone to buy and finance a vehicle that had flood damage, and it broke down after a month they would be out of an investment as most lemon laws don’t require you to continue making payments.

Now that dealers can provide more reliable vehicles it will be easier to qualify for bad credit used car loans, since more credit lenders will be more relaxed. It also helps that another part of this new California law allows dealerships to charge the same fees for leases and actual sold vehicles applications. Originally car lots would only charge $45 for leases and add another $10 if you were going to make a full purchase; however, bother prices have shot up to $80 which has made many dealers happy.

The only true downside of auto financing in California under the red tag law is that it has yet to be applied nationwide. It is rumored the United States government will be discussing this, but in order for it to actually go into affect they will need to get the dealerships on board as well. If they are able to accomplish this, we could see a lot more people feeling comfortable about buying used cars and applying for bad credit auto loans.

Source by De’Meko J Scott

Although there has been a sharp increase in the availability of hybrid and electric cars, gasoline powered cars still dominate the automobile market. Despite the continuous price increases on gas these vehicles has retained its advantages.

The four advantages of these vehicles are revealed below.

1. Accessible Source of Fuel

Gasoline powered cars can be refilled everywhere. You can easily find a gas station even on the country side and rural areas. Their services are available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

In addition to this, these gas stations also offer other services such as change oil, car wash, and tire check up. There are also gas stations that sell vehicle parts.

2. Lower Maintenance Costs

Gas fueled cars require lower maintenance costs. Spare parts and replacement kits are readily available on car service centers. There are also slightly used parts sold at lower prices. Surplus parts are used as replacements for the broken ones. Instead of buying expensive brand new parts, you can use the slightly used as replacements.

3. Accessible Car Accessories Shops

Since gas-powered cars were around for several decades, there are a lot of shops that sell car accessories. They attend to car owner’s needs in upgrading and enhancing their vehicles. Some of the offered in these shops are fashionable seat covers, cool steering wheels, and car audio systems.

4. Accessible Service Centers

Just like gas stations, service centers that repair defective cars are almost everywhere. Technicians and experts attend to the needed repairs of the car. Car engine check-ups, troubleshooting, and car upgrades are also performed here.

Services offered in service centers are not only for minor car repairs. Their staffs are also capable of doing complicated car works such as engine overhauling, under chassis repairs, and engine upgrades.

These are the advantages of the gas-powered car. To cope up with the increasing gas prices, car manufacturers try to create fuel-efficient cars. As a matter of fact, the latest car models are now equipped with gadgets that reduces the fuel consumption. In addition to this, latest cars are built with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Source by Nancy Stewarts