Winning it all

Trophy for Bowling

When you win it all, it comes as a loss to others, right? This photo shows a bowling pin, a trophy at Fuller Honda that recognizes a winning team, whether it be the sales team or the service team.

At Fuller Honda, the trophy is a symbol of success. It shows who’s got the most pins down in a given month. It counts who got the job completed with the most success. At Fuller Honda, you as the customer win each time you come to either sales or service. You win, because you are backed up by more than 65 years of family owned and operated people who care about your needs and the community. So winning is more than just beating the other guy in bowling. We do care about bowling, and you. And we want to see you win and we stay in business to serve you in the years to come. If you have not been to Fuller Honda, please come. Ask us about our “winning” strategies for your transportation needs. We want to put you on the team. Tell us about yourself and we’ll do our best to fit your needs so you can win it all, too.

Automobiles for Sale

Have you noticed that cars are selling these days? There seem to be lots of cars with new license plates; that’s one indicator of a new car sold. A friend told me that the average car on the road is now 13 years old. That is a good reason why people are beginning to shop and buy, because the cars are not in good condition anymore.

Think about it, if the average car has 13 years of life on it, the owners got good value for their money. Will you hold your next car that long or longer? All the more reason to buy carefully, research your purchase and the dealership well, and pick the person who will be selling you the vehicle with care.

Take Fuller Honda, for example, and consider that they’ve been in business for more than 60 years. They are community leaders in the South Bay, in Chula Vista, CA. They are involved in many charities and causes. And they are 21 acres of a full service car dealership, including service departments (3 of them) a body shop and even a car rental company. So, if you need something, anything, related to a car, Fuller Honda should have it.

Let’s talk about resale value for just a minute. That means the price you can expect when you sell your vehicle. The Honda Fit 2011, seen below, is ranked #2 of the highest resale values according to a poll by CNBC.com and the 2011 Honda Accord is ranked #4. Here are the stats: Category: Mid-Size Car MSRP: $23,530 Projected Resale Value after 5 years: $7,745.20 Retained Value: 37.4%
Why it’s Popular: Sporty yet sensible, the Honda Accord sedan and coupe rate 4.5 out of 5 stars for style.

With so many autos for sale, you need to consider resale value when you purchase in order to make the best buying decisions.

Green Car Options

Do I need a license to drive that?

As we move ahead into a new level of Green Car Options, I visited the 2012 auto show to see what was of interest. Automakers are getting greener and there are many new options. Federal tax credits range from zero to $7500 per vehicle. And there are now more options for fuel, such as clean technology diesels, which sounds to me like jumbo shrimp. An oxymoron, that is. Here’s a list of some of the options you now have, from the Toyota Prius V, which is coming out with a new plug-in version in March 2012, and the Coda, a venture with a Chinese company with a $40,000 all electric sedan which you can go 150 miles between charges. That list includes Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tesla, VW and yes, Honda.

As a Honda driver, and author of this blog, with full disclosure that I work for Fuller Honda, here’s some info on the Green Car Options from Honda. They have a Civic that is Natural Gas, compressed natural gas, that is, with a sticker of $26,656 and a 28 mpg equivalent. The fuel cost for 25 miles is $2.49. Annual fuel cost is estimated at $1495. This starts a trend in the consumer market, as industry and government have been using this for their fleets for some time. There are now at least 9 public CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) fueling stations in San Diego. CNG costs about $1.35 per gallon, a lot less than filling up at the regular gas pumps. So some big savings there.
Honda also has a Hybrid Civic, which we looked at during the recent Auto Show. We were impressed that more than 200,000 vehicles have been sold so far. (Note: as of this writing, only 5,000 Chevy Volts have been sold) 44 mpg is the mileage for the Honda Civic Hybrid. More info on this below. Looking forward to updating this in the few months ahead for Fuller Honda.

http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-hybrid/price.aspx

How many vehicles are sold every year?

Are you curious to know how many cars are on the road with you? Wouldn’t that information be of interest?
For car dealers, it’s their very basic knowledge of industry and a planning tool that helps them decide how many cars they will sell individually.
In the United States, that information is called a SAR Report. And that report is predicting that 14 million new cars will be sold in 2012. That is based on vehicle registrations. That number is 2010 was less than 10 million new cars. The number in 2011 has risen and it will continue to rise over the next 12 months.
Car leaderships are busy this year, and at this time of year. People who have had their cars for a long time and really find the need to buy one are flocking to dealerships because that’s where the cars are.
Maybe you have had your car for a long time and want to check out what’s new at the dealerships. You are not alone. Foot traffic as well as online traffic has increased at car dealerships, whose numbers have dropped by nearly 25% overall since many closed in the past few years. So you probably want to make an appointment before you go to the dealer (see previous post on this) if you want to get the most value out of your visit and save yourself time and frustration.
Happy Shopping!

Why make an appointment to shop for a car?

Cars at Fuller Honda

When you think of the word appointment, you may think of the DMV, the doctor, getting a passport, or seeing a banker. You may even make appointments to get your car serviced, which means they will be expecting you and have your paperwork on hand, thus improving your efficiency as well as theirs.
Why wouldn’t you want to make an appointment to shop for a car as well? Maybe it’s not something you’ve done before, but consider this. If someone knows that you have taken the time to make an appointment, they will be prepared and give you better service, consideration, and attention. They will be ready for your questions, and more prepared to make your visit pleasant, informative and worthwhile.
If I was going to shop for a car, a house, or any other major purchase, my time would be well spent to make an appointment with the salesperson in advance. What I’ll do is contact them via e-mail or phone, and tell them my problems, inquire as to the best available time, and then set the appointment. If I have an unexpected incident that prohibits me making that appointment, I let them know, and re-schedule.
In the past, I used to think that it was better to just show up at a car dealer and look at the cars myself. I would end up with the “rookie” sales guy who really didn’t know much at all. My time was much better off by researching the best sales people at the best retail outlets. You can do this by just asking friends about where they bought their last car and who was their sales person. They should be able to give you the name and address quickly, plus a recommendation or not.
So, if you, like millions of others who will soon be looking to replace their automobiles within the next few months, go looking for a car, here’s my advice. Make an appointment. How to do this is simple. Call the dealership and ask for the specific salesperson by name. Speak to them directly. Get their e-mail address. Send them your contact information and a best time to meet. You may also include what you’re looking for and your budget specs. By putting it in writing, they now have time to research, prepare the vehicles and respond to your appointed time request. That will save you time and effort down the road.
Save time now to make time for yourself in better negotiating the deal on your terms, too. That’s the best use of your time, wouldn’t you agree?

It’s like going to the dentist…really….

Going to buy a car was described to me the other day like that.
So, I thought I’d make some comparisons. First, how are they similar? They are both active choices made by adults to accomplish specific things. Both are “necessary evils” it was said. The person who said that was at Fuller Honda, and it was the General Manager, Marty Meador. Who in their right mind really wants to go to the dentist? The same thing goes for cars. Who really wants to do that? Other similarities are that you go in and tell them your problems and they try to help you out. You try to go to a place that’s pretty close by your house or your job, so it will be convenient and if you need to go back, will be so. At the dentist and the dealership, you give out a lot of private information, some that’s personal, and some that you’d rather not disclose, but need to. For example, my dentist takes a full medical history each time I visit, and asks what medications I’m taking and what has changed with my health. At the dealership, they take a history of your current vehicle, your driving needs and what kind of services you are looking for regarding transportation, i.e., lease or purchase, new or used, warrantee or not, extras or not.
Here’s where the differences end, I believe. The dentist is in your mouth, and the dealer is in your wallet. The dentist has formal hours and you need to come at that time or you lose your appointment, even months in advance. The car dealership is open just about any day (except Thanksgiving) and open late. So you come at your convenience. The dentist is used to inflicting pain on the patients. The car salesperson is used to making the customer very happy and does not inflict pain.
So what are you waiting for? Check out Fuller Honda and yes, it’s a neccessary evil, you’ll not be put through the pain like you do at the dentist.

DMV for Teenagers

In California, there is a “Driver Handbook” in many flavors. I got the English 2011 version, but I also got the California Parent-Teen Training Guide from 2009 when I went to the DMV in San Diego recently. If you have not been to the DMV lately, it may be time for you to go again. So, prepare yourself for a long line if you don’t have an appointment. And if it’s your first time, you will need to get a photo id, take the eye and written test. You’ll also have to pay $31 for the license fee.
Did you know there are Four different levels for Practice sessions? If you are a teenager, you want to get started. If you are a parent, you want to give directions in a clear, calm voice well in advance. You need to allow your teen enough time to follow the instructions. Instead of saying right, you may want to say “correct.” And the DMV suggests you avoid using the word “stop” and instead say, “bring your car to a stop” so the new driver does not panic.
Here are a few sample questions that you will find in the driver’s test.
1. U-turns in residential districts are legal
a. On a one-way street on a green arrow
b. When there are no vehicles approaching nearby
c. Across two sets of solid double, yellow lines

2. On a green arrow, you must:
a. Yield to any vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian in the intersection
b. Yield to pedestrians only in the intersection
c. Wait four seconds before proceeding

3. When you enter traffic from a stop (away from the curb), you:
a. Should drive slower than other traffic for 200 feet.
b. Need a large enought gap to get up to the speed of traffic.
c. Should wait for the first two vehicles to pass, then drive into the lane.

How did you test? Answers are below. Did you know that you can pass the written test if you get 8 or less wrong? Very generous.
Did we mention that the handbook is 94 pages long? Some of the pages are ads for insurance companies. Good luck on the road. Let us know some of your DMV experiences.
Answers: 1. b 2. a 3. b