For many, contacting a junk car removal service is the best car disposal solution. You can contact a local towing company but you’ll have better results using a nationwide car removal service. Not only is it fast and hassle free this way, but they buy junk cars and pay top dollar for them. Even car scrap yards will not pay as much.

Most local car towing companies are picky and may not accept vehicles in any condition or every make and model. A national service is also more able to help you through the process. They have arrangements with towing companies throughout the United States and Canada. They will buy any vehicle, in absolutely any condition at any location no questions asked.

The main benefit of going with a national car removal company is their ability to pay top dollar for your junk vehicle. Not only do they buy cars and pay well, but you’ll receive a quote for your car over the phone before a car pick up is even scheduled. They’ll line up a buyer for your vehicle, line up vehicle towing to meet your schedule, then pay you.

Here are the main benefits of a national car removal service.

• Fast and reliable service. You know they’re not too busy to pickup your vehicle.
• Any condition, year, make and model are accepted and paid for.
• A title is not required before 1995.
• There’s no charge for pickup or disposal, you actually get paid well.

Here’s how it works. First you have a problem and need to arrange some form of car disposal to get rid of your junk or used car that won’t work, or won’t sell. Next you’re going to look for a junk car removal company that pays cash for junk cars such as the one at the bottom of this article. Once you contact them they’ll ask you a few questions about your car or truck and give you a quote right over the phone. If you accept the quote they’ll send over a car towing company to tow your car and you’ll get paid.

Now that you know how it works, don’t worry about how to get your car to the vehicle salvage yard. Contact the Junk Car Removal service below today and get paid for your car that doesn’t work or won’t sell in any condition.

Source by Adam D Roy

If you are planning to ship your car overseas in areas that have facilities to provide automotive services, your car's vehicle warranty issued by your car manufacturer and / or dealer in the United States may not be valid overseas. You should look into buying an extended auto warranty often called an international vehicle warranty before shipping your car overseas. Your automobile manufacturer or dealer can be contacted before you ship your car overseas to find a suitable extended vehicle warranty or an international car warranty.

Shipping your car abroad and hiring to use your US auto manufacturer's car warranty abroad would not be a wise course of action. Either would be waiting until your car is abroad before finding an international warranty to buy overseas. You can locate an extended warranty seller online very easily and very economically. Of course, your car warranty should be valid in the United States or else you might want a more expensive vehicle warranty.

Vehicle warranties in the United States and abroad are time oriented. If your auto warranty has expired, you should buy an extended warranty to cover your costs in maintaining your auto before you buy an international vehicle warranty. There are some online sellers of international auto warranties that are very inexpensive. There might be a reason for the low cost of international vehicle warranties. Your best course to insure your overseas experience with your auto is to contact your car's manufacturer either directly or through your auto dealer and get more detailed information.

Another point to remember is that your vehicle warranty in the United States covers your car repairs, usually, only if a manufacturer approved mechanic or garage does the repairs. In many instances, if you use an unauthorized car repair garage, your warranty will not be valid even here in the United States. Before spending more money on an international vehicle warranty, you may ask if there are authorized mechanical service areas in the country where you will be shipping your car.

But, if your question is simply will your warranty be valid if you ship your car overseas, the answer is not if you repair your car overseas at an unauthorized dealer or repair shop. There are many expenses involved in shipping a car overseas. One of them is getting an international vehicle warranty . The reason why so many people choose to ship their car overseas is because the cost of buying a car overseas is astounding when compared to the cost of buying a car in the United States. Even with shipping costs and additional auto warranties, it is cheaper to buy a car in the United States than overseas.

Vehicle warranties when used appropriately can make what appears to be a costly repair situation an almost pleasant experience. There are parts of any auto that would cost thousands out of your pocket if they should need repairs. Auto warranties take that burden off of your shoulders or we say, your pocket book.

Source by Millie Borris

Market Overview

The car rental industry is a multi-billion dollar sector of the US economy. The US segment of the industry averages about $18.5 billion in revenue a year. Today, there are approximately 1.9 million rental vehicles that service the US segment of the market. In addition, there are many rental agencies besides the industry leaders that subdivide the total revenue, namely Dollar Thrifty, Budget and Vanguard. Unlike other mature service industries, the rental car industry is highly consolidated which naturally puts potential new comers at a cost-disadvantage since they face high input costs with reduced possibility of economies of scale. Moreover, most of the profit is generated by a few firms including Enterprise, Hertz and Avis. For the fiscal year of 2004, Enterprise generated $7.4 billion in total revenue. Hertz came in second position with about $5.2 billion and Avis with $2.97 in revenue.

Level of Integration

The rental car industry faces a completely different environment than it did five years ago. According to Business Travel News, vehicles are being rented until they have accumulated 20,000 to 30,000 miles until they are relegated to the used car industry whereas the turn-around mileage was 12,000 to 15,000 miles five years ago. Because of slow industry growth and narrow profit margin, there is no imminent threat to backward integration within the industry. In fact, among the industry players only Hertz is vertically integrated through Ford.

Scope of Competition

There are many factors that shape the competitive landscape of the car rental industry. Competition comes from two main sources throughout the chain. On the vacation consumer’s end of the spectrum, competition is fierce not only because the market is saturated and well guarded by industry leader Enterprise, but competitors operate at a cost disadvantage along with smaller market shares since Enterprise has established a network of dealers over 90 percent the leisure segment. On the corporate segment, on the other hand, competition is very strong at the airports since that segment is under tight supervision by Hertz. Because the industry underwent a massive economic downfall in recent years, it has upgraded the scale of competition within most of the companies that survived. Competitively speaking, the rental car industry is a war-zone as most rental agencies including Enterprise, Hertz and Avis among the major players engage in a battle of the fittest.

Growth

Over the past five years, most firms have been working towards enhancing their fleet sizes and increasing the level of profitability. Enterprise currently the company with the largest fleet in the US has added 75,000 vehicles to its fleet since 2002 which help increase its number of facilities to 170 at the airports. Hertz, on the other hand, has added 25,000 vehicles and broadened its international presence in 150 counties as opposed to 140 in 2002. In addition, Avis has increased its fleet from 210,000 in 2002 to 220,000 despite recent economic adversities. Over the years following the economic downturn, although most companies throughout the industry were struggling, Enterprise among the industry leaders had been growing steadily. For example, annual sales reached $6.3 in 2001, $6.5 in 2002, $6.9 in 2003 and $7.4 billion in 2004 which translated into a growth rate of 7.2 percent a year for the past four years. Since 2002, the industry has started to regain its footing in the sector as overall sales grew from $17.9 billion to $18.2 billion in 2003. According to industry analysts, the better days of the rental car industry have yet to come. Over the course of the next several years, the industry is expected to experience accelerated growth valued at $20.89 billion each year following 2008 “which equates to a CAGR of 2.7 % [increase] in the 2003-2008 period.”

Distribution

Over the past few years the rental car industry has made a great deal of progress to facilitate it distribution processes. Today, there are approximately 19,000 rental locations yielding about 1.9 million rental cars in the US. Because of the increasingly abundant number of car rental locations in the US, strategic and tactical approaches are taken into account in order to insure proper distribution throughout the industry. Distribution takes place within two interrelated segments. On the corporate market, the cars are distributed to airports and hotel surroundings. On the leisure segment, on the other hand, cars are distributed to agency owned facilities that are conveniently located within most major roads and metropolitan areas.

In the past, managers of rental car companies used to rely on gut-feelings or intuitive guesses to make decisions about how many cars to have in a particular fleet or the utilization level and performance standards of keeping certain cars in one fleet. With that methodology, it was very difficult to maintain a level of balance that would satisfy consumer demand and the desired level of profitability. The distribution process is fairly simple throughout the industry. To begin with, managers must determine the number of cars that must be on inventory on a daily basis. Because a very noticeable problem arises when too many or not enough cars are available, most car rental companies including Hertz, Enterprise and Avis, use a “pool” which is a group of independent rental facilities that share a fleet of vehicles. Basically, with the pools in place, rental locations operate more efficiently since they reduce the risk of low inventory if not eliminate rental car shortages.

Market Segmentation

Most companies throughout the chain make a profit based of the type of cars that are rented. The rental cars are categorized into economy, compact, intermediate, premium and luxury. Among the five categories, the economy sector yields the most profit. For instance, the economy segment by itself is responsible for 37.7 percent of the total market revenue in 2004. In addition, the compact segment accounted for 32.3 percent of overall revenue. The rest of the other categories covers the remaining 30 percent for the US segment.

Historical Levels of Profitability

The overall profitability of the car rental industry has been shrinking in recent years. Over the past five years, the industry has been struggling just like the rest of the travel industry. In fact, between the years 2001 and 2003 the US market has experienced a moderate reduction in the level of profitability. Specifically, revenue fell from $19.4 billion in 2000 to $18.2 billion in 2001. Subsequently, the overall industry revenue eroded further to $17.9 billion in 2002; an amount that is minimally higher than $17.7 billion which is the overall revenue for the year 1999. In 2003, the industry experienced a barely noticeable increase which brought profit to $18.2 billion. As a result of the economic downturn in recent years, some of the smaller players that were highly dependent on the airline industry have done a great deal of strategy realignments as a way of preparing their companies to cope with eventual economic adversities that may surround the industry. For the year 2004, on the other hand, the economic situation of most firms have gradually improved throughout the industry since most rental agencies have returned far greater profits relative to the anterior years. For instance, Enterprise realized revenues of $7.4 billion; Hertz returned revenues of $5.2 billion and Avis with $2.9 billion in revenue for the fiscal year of 2004. According to industry analysts, the rental car industry is expected to experience steady growth of 2.6 percent in revenue over the next several years which translates into an increase in profit.

Competitive Rivalry Among Sellers

There are many factors that drive competition within the car rental industry. Over the past few years, broadening fleet sizes and increasing profitability has been the focus of most companies within the car rental industry. Enterprise, Hertz and Avis among the leaders have been growing both in sales and fleet sizes. In addition, competition intensifies as firms are constantly trying to improve their current conditions and offer more to consumers. Enterprise has nearly doubled its fleet size since 1993 to approximately 600,000 cars today. Because the industry operates on such narrow profit margins, price competition is not a factor; however, most companies are actively involved in creating values and providing a range of amenities from technological gadgets to even free rental to satisfy customers. Hertz, for example, integrates its Never-Lost GPS system within its cars. Enterprise, on the other hand, uses sophisticated yield management software to manage its fleets.

Finally, Avis uses its OnStar and Skynet system to better serve the consumer base and offers free weekend rental if a customer rents a car for five consecutive days Moreover, the consumer base of the rental car industry has relatively low to no switching cost. Conversely, rental agencies face high fixed operating costs including property rental, insurance and maintenance. Consequently, rental agencies are sensitively pricing there rental cars just to recover operating costs and adequately meet their customers demands. Furthermore, because the industry experienced slow growth in recent years due to economic stagnation that resulted in a massive decline in both corporate travel and the leisure sector, most companies including the industry leaders are aggressively trying to reposition their firms by gradually lessening the dependency level on the airline industry and regaining their footing in the leisure competitive arena.

The Potential Entry of new Competitors

Entering the car rental industry puts new comers at a serious disadvantage. Over the past few years following the economic downturn of 2001, most major rental companies have started increasing their market shares in the vacation sector of the industry as a way of insuring stability and lowering the level of dependency between the airline and the car rental industry. While this trend has engendered long term success for the existing firms, it has heightened the competitive landscape for new comers. Because of the severity of competition, existing firms such as Enterprise, Hertz and Avis carefully monitor their competitive radars to anticipate Sharpe retaliatory strikes against new entrants. Another barrier to entry is created because of the saturation level of the industry.

For example, Enterprise has taken the first mover advantage with its 6000 facilities by saturating the leisure segment thereby placing not only high restrictions on the most common distribution channels, but also high resource requirements for new firms. Today, Enterprise has a rental location within 15 miles of 90 percent of the US population. Because of the network of dealers Enterprise has established around the nation, it has become relatively stable, more recession proof and most importantly, less reliant on the airline industry compared to its competitors. Hertz, on the other hand, is utilizing the full spectrum of its 7200 stores to secure its position in the marketplace. Basically, the emergence of most of the industry leaders into the leisure market not only drives rivalry, but also it varies directly with the level of complexity of entering the car rental industry.

The Threat of Substitute

There are many substitutes available for the car rental industry. From a technological standpoint, renting a car to go the distance for a meeting is a less attractive alternative as opposed to video conferencing, virtual teams and collaboration software with which a company can immediately setup a meeting with its employees from anywhere around the world at a cheaper cost. In addition, there are other alternatives including taking a cab which is a satisfactory substitute relative to quality and switching cost, but it may not be as attractively priced as a rental car for the course of a day or more. While public transportation is the most cost efficient of the alternatives, it is more costly in terms of the process and time it takes to reach one’s destination. Finally, because flying offers convenience, speed and performance, it is a very enticing substitute; however, it is an unattractive alternative in terms of price relative to renting a car. On the business segment, car rental agencies have more protection against substitutes since many companies have implemented travel policies that establish the parameters of when renting a car or using a substitute is the best course of action.

According to Tracy Esch, an Advantage director of marketing operations, her company rents cars up to a 200-mile trip before considering an alternative. Basically, the threat of substitute is reasonably low in the car rental industry since the effects the substitute products have do not pose a significant threat of profit erosion throughout the industry.

The Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Supplier power is low in the car rental industry. Because of the availability of substitutes and the level of competition, suppliers do not have a great deal of influence in the terms and conditions of supplying the rental cars. Because the rental cars are usually purchased in bulk, rental car agents have significant influence over the terms of the sale since they possess the ability to play one supplier against another to lower the sales price. Another factor that reduces supplier power is the absence of switching cost. That is, buyers are not affected from purchasing from one supplier over another and most importantly, changing to different supplier’s products is barely noticeable and does not affect consumer’s rental choices.

The Bargaining Power of Buyers

While the leisure sector has little or no power, the business segment possesses a significant amount of influence in the car rental industry. An interesting trend that is currently underway throughout the industry is forcing car rental companies to adapt to the needs of corporate travelers. This trend significantly reduces supplier power or the rental firms’ power and increases corporate buyer power since the business segment is excruciatingly price sensitive, well informed about the industry’s price structure, purchase in larger quantities and they use the internet to force lower prices. Vacation buyers, on the other hand, have less influence over the rental terms. Because vacationers are usually less price sensitive, purchase in lesser amounts or purchase more infrequently, they have weak bargaining power.

Five Forces

Today the car rental industry is facing a completely different environment than it did five years ago. Competitively speaking, the revolution of the five forces around the car rental industry exerts some strong economic pressure that has significantly tarnished the competitive attractiveness of the industry. As a result of the economic downturn in recent years, many companies went under namely Budget and the Vanguard Group because their business infrastructure succumbed to the untenability of the competitive environment. Today, very few firms including Enterprise, Hertz and Avis return a slightly above-average revenue compared to the rest of the industry. Realistically speaking, the car rental sector is not a very attractive industry because of the level of competition, the barriers to entry and the competitive pressure from the substitute firms.

Strategic Group Mapping

As a moderately concentrated sector, there is a clear hierarchy in the car rental industry. From an economic standpoint, disparities exist from a number of dimensions including revenue, fleet size and the market size each firm holds in the market place. For instance, Enterprise dominates the industry with a fleet size of approximately 600,000 vehicles along with its market size and its level of profitability. Hertz comes in second position with its number of market shares and fleet volume. In addition, Avis ranks third on the map. Avis is among one of the companies that is having issues recovering its revenue margins from prior to the economic downturn. For instance, in 2000 Avis returned revenues of approximately $4.23 billion. Over the course of the next several years following 2000, the revenue of Avis has been significantly lower than that of 2000. As a way of reducing uncertainty most companies are gradually lessening the level of dependency on the airline industry and emerging the leisure market. This trend may not be in the best interest of Hertz since its business strategy is intricately linked to the airports.

Key Success Factors

There are many key success factors that drive profitability throughout the car rental industry. Capacity utilization is one of the factors that determines success in the industry. Because rental firms experience loss of revenue when there are either too few or too many cars sitting in their lots, it is of paramount importance to efficiently manage the fleets. This success factor represents a big strength for the industry since it lowers if not completely eliminates the possibly of running short on rental cars. Efficient distribution is another factor that keeps the industry profitable. Despite the positive relationship between fleet sizes and the level of profitability, firms are constantly growing their fleet sizes because of the competitive forces that surround the industry. In addition, convenience is one of the crucial attributes by which consumers select rental firms. That is, car rental consumers are more prone to renting cars from firms that have convenient rental and drop off locations. Another key success factor that is common among competing firms is the integration of technology in their business processes. Through technology, for instance, the car rental companies create ways to meet consumer demand by making renting a car a very agreeable ordeal by adding the convenience of online rental among other alternatives. Furthermore, firms have integrated navigation systems along with roadside assistance to offer customers the piece of mind when renting cars.

Industry Attractiveness

There are many factors that impact the attractiveness of the car rental industry. Because the industry is moderately concentrated, it puts new market entrants at a disadvantage. That is, its low concentration represents a natural barrier to entering the industry as it allows existing firm to anticipate sharp retaliations against new entrants. Because of the risks associated with entering the industry among other factors, it is not a very attractive sector of the marketplace. From a competitive standpoint, the leisure market is 90 percent saturated because of the active efforts of Enterprise to dominate this sector of the market. On the other hand, the airport terminals are heavily guarded by Hertz. Realistically speaking, entry in the industry offers low profitability relative to the costs and risks associated. For most consumers, the main determining factors of choosing one company over another are price and convenience. Because of this reason, rental firms are very circumspect about setting their rates and that generally force even the industry major players in the position of offering more to the consumers for less just to remain competitive. Hertz, for example, offers wireless internet to its customers just to add more convenience to their travel plans. Avis on the other hand, offers free weekend specials if a customer rents a car for five consecutive weekdays. Based on the impact of the five forces, the car rental sector is not a very attractive industry to potential new market entrants.

Conclusion

The rental car industry is in a state of recovery. Although it may seem like the industry is performing well financially, it is nonetheless gradually regaining its footing relative to its actual economic position within the last five years. As a way of insuring profitability, besides seeking market shares and stability, most companies throughout the chain have a common goal that deals with lowering the level of dependency on the airline industry and moving toward the leisure segment. This state of motion has engendered some fierce competition among industry competitors as they attempt to defend their market shares. From a futuristic perspective, the better days of the car rental industry have yet to come. As the level of profitability increases, I believe that most of the industry leaders including Enterprise, Hertz and Avis will be bounded by the economic and competitive barriers of mobility of their strategic groups and new comers will have a better chance of infiltrating and realizing success in the car rental industry.

Sources

“Passenger Car Rental.” Encyclopedia of Global Industries. Dec. 2004. Gale group. 02 Feb 2005. http://galenet.galegroup.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu/servlet/BCRC.

“Car & Truck Rental.” Hoover’s AB&D Company. Jan. 2005 . Hoovers. 04 Feb 2005. http://premium.hoovers.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu/subscribe/ind/factsheet.xhtm. “

Rental car foes war on each other’s turf.” The Associate Press. Fall 2004. The Enquirer. 08 March 2005. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/11/biz_rentalcars111.html.

“United States – Car Rental.” Data Monitor Industry Market Research. Nov. 2004. Gale. 12 March 2005. http://search.rdsinc.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu/sessions?products=BNI.

“A synthesis of tactical fleet planning models for the car rental industry.” IIE Transactions. Sept. 2003. Gale. 12 March 2005. [http://www.fleet-central.com/arn/01stat3.cfm].

“Corporate travel plans moving to Web.” Crain’s Chicago Business. Apr. 2001. ProQuest. 12 March 2005. http://www.proquest.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Tracy Esch.” “Car rental market leaders make rebound .” Business Travel News. May 2002. Gale. 12 March 2005. http://search.rdsinc.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Avis Equips Rental Car with Satcomms 1999.” Newsbytes News Network. Oct. 1999. Gale. 12 March 2005. http://search.rdsinc.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Car Rental In the United States.” Data Monitor Industry Market Research. Nov. 2004 . Gale. 13 March 2005. http://search.rdsinc.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Global – Car Rental.” Data Monitor Industry Market Research. Nov. 2004 . Gale. 13 March 2005. http://search.rdsinc.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Corporate and Travel Trends.” Travel Trade Gazette. Nov. 2003 . ProQuest. 14 March 2005. http://www.proquest.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Car rental market leaders make rebound.” Business Travel News. May. 2002 . Gale. 14 March 2005. http://search.rdsinc.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Car rental market leaders make rebound.” Business Travel News. May. 2002 . Gale. 14 March 2005. http://search.rdsinc.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu.

“Ovation Travel.” Wall Street Transcript. May. 2002 . LexisNexis. 14 March 2004. http://www.lexisnexis.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu/cis.

“Avis Offers New Deal for Free Weekends.” Newswire. Feb. 2004 . LexisNexis. 15 March 2004. http://www.lexisnexis.com.ucfproxy.fcla.edu/cis.

Source by Rodrigue Monestime

You would think that the world of junk car removal with no title would just be ripe for abuse. After all, without having the official paperwork that actually states that you own the car, any person could claim that any old abandoned vehicle was theirs, sell it for salveagable parts, or donate the car and fraudulently claim a tax deduction. But then there are those honest people who own an old vehicle outright but do not have the title to state ownership. Can you still get that junk car towed away from your property for good without a title? The answer is yes!

Order a replacement title

If you have a junk car that you would like to be rid of, one of the most obvious answers to your problem of not having the title is to get a replacement. In most states, you can order a replacement title as long as you have your vehicle identification number (VIN). Get your replacement title and then you can finally say goodbye to your old, unusable car. After you receive your replacement title for your auto, then you can go about making arrangements have your junk car picked up and removed.

Find a company that doesn’t require a title

Some people just may not want to go through the hassle of getting that replacement title, and that’s fine, there are ways to work around getting rid of your junk car without title in hand. The first is to sell your junk car via private bill of sale. If you can find a buyer, you can negotiate a private sale, describing the make, model, and year of the vehicle, the agreed-upon sale price, and legal signatures. Before going through with the sale, you will want to make check with an attorney to make sure that all of this paperwork is legit in the eyes of the law. Ending up in small claims court is a major hassle that can completely be avoided by doing your homework beforehand.

Another option is to completely outsource this process by going through a nationally recognized service, such as Junk My Car. You can get rid of your old clunker, no matter where you live in the United States or Canada. Simply call the hotline and an operator will walk you through the process. There is no fee for this service and you can generally expect to receive a call from a towing company within 48 hours to finally get your old automobile off of your hands. And to save yourself a headache, you do not need a title.

If you do not have a title, check the state-by-state Vehicle Documentation Guide on the Junk My Car website to review the steps you need to take to prepare for the vehicle removal process. If you live in one of the Canadian provinces, the information you need is also live on their website.

What Happens After You Schedule Your Vehicle To Be Removed?

One of the best things about using the Junk My Car service is that your car will be scrapped for usable parts. It doesn’t matter whether your car is wrecked, totaled, missing parts, or inoperable. While this is a free junk car removal service, you may interested in how you can earn cold hard cash for your junk car. If so, then you can consult their sister company, Buy My Wreck, and have them make you an offer. You can consult with an operator to determine how much your car may be worth, you will be emailed a purchase agreement, and upon agreement, arrangements will be made to tow away your used car for recycling. You can expect to get paid for your vehicle in some cases on the spot during pickup or, in some cases, no later than 14 days via check.

Source by Isaac MacIntosh

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are hugely important to annual sales in many industries, including automotive sales. Potential customers are out shopping in stronger numbers than the rest of the year, giving car dealerships a larger audience to market to. Holiday shopping crowds are also in “buying mode”, ready to purchase items not only for friends and family, but often for themselves as well. Shoppers with extra available holiday capital are more easily persuaded to treat themselves to a new car than they are during other times of the year. Whether customers’ new car purchases are a special indulgence just for them or a perfect gift for the whole family, the holiday shopping season is a ripe opportunity for automotive dealerships to boost sales.

In order to capitalize on the holiday shopping season, your auto dealership needs to have a solid marketing plan! Thanksgiving and Christmas offer plenty of fun, fresh ways to promote vehicles and special offers, so get creative. The more unique your marketing strategies are, the more successful they are likely to be.

These four holiday marketing ideas are great ways to kickstart your auto dealership’s season of holiday sales.

1) Get festive! Show your dealership’s holiday spirit by making your show floor and lot bright, inviting and festive. Nothing draws the eye like bright Christmas decorations. Buy a 20′ Douglas Fir, place it in the center of your outdoor lot and decorate it with bright white lights, tinsel and decorations. Hang fresh garlands, red bows and lights from building eaves and light poles. Serve hot chocolate on the show floor. Unless you have a talented person already on staff who is willing and able to completely deck out the rest of your dealership’s exterior and interior, hire a decorator to come and do so. Show potential customers your dealership is in the holiday spirit and make your show floor irresistible with holiday cheer.

2) Offer a “12 days of Christmas” holiday sale. Everyone loves a great deal – so why not package 12 fantastic vehicle deals into a Christmas-themed event? Rather than having an unrelated string of holiday sales events, run a 12 Days of Christmas sale, with easy day offering a different type of sale. Start on smaller incentives and older vehicle models and work your way up to the “twelfth day of Christmas” with larger deals, ending with a grand finale!

3) Be creative with holiday-themed direct mail. Christmas is no time to send out the same old stock postcard mailers. Send your direct mail list a little holiday cheer with authentic-looking Christmas cards or present-shaped cards, complete with bow. Throw in some “dealership cash” to send an extra merry message.

4) Run a social media contest. Offer a contest for a significant % off, or a door prize giveaway (if your applicant pool is large enough for it). Ask people to connect with you in a specific way: have them finish the phrase “all I want for Christmas” in a photo, tweet or video, then ask them to post their response either on your dealership’s Facebook wall or tweet it to you using a specific hashtag. Whatever your contest entails, be sure to create a specific landing page on your website (or Facebook event) that outlines the details of the contest – link to this from your social media accounts.

Source by Marjorie Steele

Automobiles have become an integral part of our society. Intended to be used as a tool to get from point A to point B cars have extended their use in today’s society.

This article discusses a few points on car selection and personality. Cars have long stopped being tools that get us from one point to another and have transformed into status symbols and reflect the driver’s values and personality.

Often people judge a person by the car they drive. If you are stepping out a Bentley for example, you would garner much respect from just about anyone who witnesses you getting out of the car.

The condition and look of your car has extended the mantra of your discipline being reflected on how your wear your clothes. Being seen parking a dirty car is the equivalent to going to the office in a disheveled suit. Analogously, alighting from an impeccably detailed car is the prim and proper look that many office executives are known for.

In fact nowadays what you drive adds more to your reputation than what you wear. Studies have shown than rides reflect more of the personality of the person than clothes. Cars have ceased becoming tools and have transcended into the realm of lifestyle.

Playboys want fast looking coupes while daddies are opting to get minivans. Buicks are said to cater to the less internet savvy drivers compared to Honda which has an overwhelmingly digital age buyer group.

This trend even goes to driving tendencies. Sports cars owners tend to be a little less patient on the stop light than station wagon drivers. The gigantic proportions of some SUVs tend to make their owners bully smaller sized vehicles in rush hour traffic.

Brands like Lexus are tend to be bought by wealth and well educated owners. Aside from that demographic the brand caters mostly to married couples. This reflects stability and a more settled down personality for the buyers.

Your choices in the car you are driving very much reflect your personality. Stop thinking of your car as something that takes from one place to another but take great care in choosing your car. You may not think it matters but your peers will gauge your personality on the car you drive.

Source by M. Maxx

The Ford Pinto was Ford’s first domestic subcompact car. It was marketed in 1970 with competitors being the AMC Gremlin, Chevrolet Vega and imports from Volkswagen, Datsun and Toyota. It was a very popular car with 100,000 units delivered by January 1971. A version produced under the Lincoln Mercury name was called the Bobcat.

The Pinto used powertrains proven in Europe but the Vega had an innovative aluminum engine that caused problems. Robert Eidschun’s design of the exterior of the Pinto was chosen which was unusual because most cars consist of style elements from many designers. The Ford Pinto offered an inline 4 engine and bucket seats. And entry level Pinto was $1,850 which made it the cheapest Ford since 1958.

Seating in the Pinto was low to the floor compared to the imports. Body styles were the two door coupe, a hatchback called the Runabout and a two door station wagon. A top of the line Pinto Squire had faux wood sides. Road & Track magazine did not the suspension and standard drum brakes but loved the 1.6 L Kent engine. The Pinto was available with a choice of two engines and Ford changed the power ratings practically every year. The Ford Pinto Pangra is a modified sporting Pinto produced by Huntington Ford in California and only 55 were sold in 1973.

The Ford Pinto is most well known for it’s design problem that allowed the fuel tank to be easily damaged in a rear end collision. Deadly fires and explosions were common occurrences in rear end collisions. The Pinto had no real bumper or reinforcing structure between the rear panel and gas tank. In some collisions the gas tank would be thrust forward into the differential which had protruding bolts that could puncture the tank. Also the doors could jam during an accident due to poor reinforcement. This led to the Pinto’s nickname as a barbeque that seats four.

The Ford Pinto memo is the cost benefit analysis that Mother Jones magazine obtained that they claimed Ford used to compare the cost of an $11 repair to the monetary value of a human life. This characterization of Ford’s decision as a disregard for human life led to lawsuits though Ford was acquitted of criminal charges. The NHTSA ruled in 1974 that the Pinto had no recallable problem but in 1978 Ford initiated a recall providing a dealer installable safety kit that put protective plastic material over the sharp objects thereby removing the risk of a gas tank puncture.

The Ford Pinto has the dubious honor of being on Time magazine’s list of the fifty worst cars of all time.

Source by Christine M. Breen

If you are looking to buy new or used sport utility vehicles or SUV’s, you will find this information useful. We know that SUV’s are usually quite expensive. But what if I tell you that you can buy SUV’s from auctions at bargain prices and the vehicles are only a few years old? You might have seen the ads promoting the seized SUV’s auctions that are available in every state and wonder where the seized SUV’s came from.

The truth is there are hundreds of seized SUV’s auctions that are usually held by police departments, government, IRS, DEA or some financial institutions but somehow a lot of people still don’t know and have let the car dealers take advantage of it for years. The car dealers buy the used SUV’s from these auctions and resell them to you. Anyway the SUV’s auctions are now open to the public and anyone can attend.

The SUV’s are seized by the police officers or some financial institutions from drug dealers or people who have financial difficulties. Actually these secret auctions are the best way for you to buy a quality SUV’s at the lowest possible price. The Police Departments & Government want to get rid of the vehicles as soon as possible and convert them into cash quickly. It costs a lot of money to store the seized SUV’s and keep them in good condition and the vehicles would continue to depreciate in value.

Seized SUV’s Auctions usually sell the vehicles ‘as is, and where is’ which means that what you see is what you buy, and what you buy is exactly what you get.

Advantages of Seized SUV’s Auctions

If you are worried that the vehicles might have been seized from violent criminals, then I can tell you that you don’t have to worry at all. These vehicles are usually seized because of a loan payment default, or driving with license suspended, or they could be the property of individuals or companies engaged in fraud, which means they are either newer models or in very good condition.

Disadvantages of Seized SUV’s Auctions

The big disadvantage is you don’t really know how long the vehicles have been sitting in storage or in a garage without maintenance. It’s possible that some of them could be there for a year without getting checked. The other thing is they also do not come with any warranties. To participate in the auctions you must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driving license. One big disadvantage of seized SUV’s auctions is that they can be time consuming. It can take a lot of time to locate the auctions, register and deal with all the paperwork, etc. However, there is a solution for that. It will make your life much easier if you join one of the car auction sites on the internet because they have gathered all the information needed for you. What you have to do is just select the vehicle online and enjoy bidding on your new SUV’s.

What will you get at the online seized SUV’s auctions?

o New & Used SUV start bidding as low as $100 or less.

o All makes & models of SUV are available.

o Listings in every U.S. city and state.

o Clean title SUV’s with low miles bought!

o Repossessed vehicles by Police, IRS, Customs, DEA and more.

o Discount of new & used SUV’s up to 95% off!

o Access to Real Estate & Seized Property Auctions

o Personal property items.

o Jewelry auctions.

Source by Yutthaphoom Kaewtathip

Tinting the windows of your vehicle is the most practical way to personalize your car and improve its appearance. Tinted car windows protect the driver and passengers from direct sunlight, hide them from public eye, and strengthen the car window. Tinted windows create the atmosphere of coziness and comfort. Here, in this post we will overview the films for tinting car windows.

This article will help you to pick up the best option for your car. The first thing you should look for when you are choosing a film is the tint brand name. Some of them are really worthy of your attention. One of the companies, providing films for window glasses is Llumar. Their films have high resistance to scratching and a strong adhesive basis. Tint films of Sun-Tek are made in the USA and have decent quality. Their most famous production is black graphite shade and mirror film series. Another American Standard film is ASWF. -it provides sun light control and has low prices. Another company I’d like to mention is Armolan. The films from this brand are widely represented in the global market. Films from the mark 3M tinting do not need advertising as they are famous and very popular among customers due to a hundred percent quality and reliability. Tinting Film Company “made in china” provides packaged films up to 2 meters. They are cheap but not as reliable as the other films. Let’s state some types of car window tinting films along with their purposes:

Protective Anti-grit car tinting

Protective Anti-grit tint films protect car bumper, hood, fenders, or the entire surface of the vehicle from scratches, chips, gravel, and other mechanical damages. Due to its flexibility this type of film can be applied to any part of the car body, leaving no visible traces of its application.

Colorful film

Colorful film is applied to the vehicle body color. This tint protects the surface of the car or changes its appearance. Such tints can give texture to the vehicle or its elements, for example, highlight the bumper or hood

Complicated auto tinting

Usually auto tinting is carried out within one hour by specialists, as for the same type of work for foreign cars; it will take 1.5 to 2 hours. There are several decorative protective films for various types of vehicles designed to improve the performance properties and appearance of the car, as well as improve its safety.

Sunlight dubbing films

Sunlight dubbing films will help prevent overheating of the dashboard of your vehicle in the summer. The film reflects ultraviolet light, absorbs bright sunlight and eliminates sun glare that provides comfortable conditions in the salon during the sunny and hot days.

Protective films

Protective “Armor” film is capable of giving the necessary additional strength to the glasses. Glass with a protective film is hard to beat or shoot that provides protection for the car driver and passenger in the vehicle. This film has a thickness from 50 up to 200 microns. It is applied to the outer side of the car windows of. This film is reliable as it resists impact.

Decorative film

Decorative films are often used for design issues. Such decorative films don’t provide safety but are nice and give the car a whole new look

A-thermal film

It is obvious that this type of film is just made to reflect the sun’s UV rays and control heat in the car salon. Such films usually have high prices

Colored film with the transition

The transition is from black to any color -red, green, blue. Visually it has a very original look if the color of the film matches with the color of the car. But there is one thing – looking from inside you see that same things have red, green or blue shadows that is not very good for your eyes. Tired eyes make the object lose the real color. So, such films are not recommended for a long time use on your vehicle windows

Removable silicone toning

This film can be successfully installed on windows.It has various percentage related to light transmission value of 5 %, 15 %, 20 % from darker colors to the lightest ones.

Mirror film

Mirror films have transparency of 10 %, 20 % and 35 %. They provide wonderful visibility inside. They give the car an unusual appearance but are 20% more expensive than regular films. Site: http://carwindowtintingx.com

Source by Jon Joli

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