Blackstocks.com: In the Know

Buy a Car and Save $3,000

Three Steps to Save You $3,000

According to credit.com you can save up to $3,00 when you buy a car by using these three steps:

1. Credit Check

Not checking your credit before you start shopping for a car is a huge mistake. Because your auto loan rates are directly tied to your credit scores, even a small inaccuracy on your credit report could cost you. Before you start shopping for your dream car, take an hour to check all three of your credit reports and credit scores online. You need to check all three credit bureaus because you don’t know which one a lender will use for your application. If you have a credit score above 750, you can probably qualify for the best rates available and negotiate an excellent deal on your car. If your credit score is lower, see if you can’t give it a boost before you apply for a loan.

2. Shop Online

Unless you have a perfect credit score in the 800’s and can qualify for a 0% offer, you are probably not going to get a good deal on a loan directly from the dealership. Auto loan rates and fees offered by online auto lenders are usually a lot lower than the rates offered by a dealership’s financing program.

Popular Mechanics Green is the Thing

Green is the thing

New hybrd electirc car going for a spin in New York City.....

The New Lexus Hybryd Experience

A look at the new Lexus Hybryd Experience - video

 

Lexus world first hybryd equipde with a V8 - engine.

Click to see Video

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Should I Pay for Rental Car Insurance?

Q: When renting a car, is it wise to pay for extra insurance from the rental company, or should a consumer have sufficient coverage through personal auto insurance and credit cards?

A: Most car rental companies sell several types of insurance to protect against financial liability from injuries and property damage that may arise while using a rented vehicle.

The rental companies are eager to rake in the extra fees, ranging from less than $10 per day to more than $30. But it may not be necessary for you to take on the added expense, especially if you already have personal auto insurance that includes supplemental coverage for rentals or if the car is rented with a charge card that provides some liability protection.

While insurance laws vary widely from state to state, rental companies usually are required to carry some level of insurance — a point they generally don't share with their paying customers.

The capability to travel 40 miles on electricity alone

The capability to travel 40 miles on electricity alone, at first glance, the concept could easily be mistaken as simply a design statement. The Volt conveys an immediate message of agility and sophistication, with exterior proportions more commonly associated with classic sports cars. Twenty-one-inch wheels and sheer, taut surface relationships reiterate the statement.

Click to see video on GM Concept Car

 

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The BMW 3 Series Coupé

The BMW 3 Series Coupé- Video

Individual style now comes in a new expression: the BMW 3 Series Coupé. Offering a brand-new look of all-round elegance, BMW¿s two-door Coupé sets a new benchmark in terms of sporting elegant looks. And at the same time it significantly raises the standard of driving dynamics, the new BMW 3 Series Coupé.

 

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2008 Pontiac (Commodore) G8 Commitment to Style

Confirming its commitment to style and performance, Pontiac introduced a show car version of an all-new, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan at the Chicago Auto Show. The 2008 Pontiac (Commodore) G8 will be available in dealerships.

Take a look at the Video

 

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Be Confident and Bold

USA: One out of three businesses in this country is owned by a woman (approximately 9 million businesses); yet only one out of ten of those businesses does more than $1 million in annual sales (about 900,000 businesses). These two statistics prompted the production of this episode. When we researched women who do many millions in annual sales, we found most of their businesses to be in male-dominated industries.

Click to see one of a very few woman in the world who own a car dealership in her own right.- Video

There are many, many resources to help women start the right kind of business and to help grow them. Government agencies like the US SBA and their Small Business Development Centers have many programs. There are programs promoted by women-friendly banks, economic development offices, trade associations and industry groups, and women's associations in every state.

We will begin listing some of these resources by state and do a compilation of the best of these resources with links to those pages below. With so much help and information around, why do women so often migrate to tiny ideas? Do they need more inspiration? ... better role models? All of the women studied here on Small Business School are both inspirational and wonderful role models. One of these women asked rhetorically, "Why should I polish nails when I could be polishing steel?" Another, who has become a leader in the Hispanic advertising industry, reflected on her life and on women in general, and commented, "You've come a long way, baby!" All business owners can learn valuable lessons from these women.

They are the small minority who are making a huge difference in their industry and in their communities. By moving to the top of the game where there are mostly men, a woman's influence can make the greatest difference.

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Luxury Car Secrets

What the auto makers don't want you to know

 

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Pamela Rodgers of Rodgers Chevrolet Shows that when you fall down ..you can get up.

Woodhaven, MI: In this week's episode, we go inside an American icon -- the car dealership -- to witness a "can-do" attitude in action. We meet a woman whose love affair with the car is as real and palpable as any romance going. And at her Chevrolet dealership located in a very quiet Detroit suburb, driving people to act upon that passion is her business. Pamela Rodgers is the owner of Rodgers Chevrolet.

We learn that key to her repeat business success is service. From her originally designed, colorful waiting area featuring a speedway theme to a team of highly skilled service advisors, Rodgers Chevrolet is a company that never misfires when it comes to building long-term relationships with customers. This is a team that's as well trained in the mechanics of human dynamics as they are the electronics of today's automobile engine. Keeping that relationship running smoothly is a matter of individualized communications where customer satisfaction is not an optional service.

Click to see Video

Pamela's story is all the more unique in that she is one of the few women in the world to own a dealership in her own right. It wasn't passed on to her by her father or a husband, and she took a failing location and turned it around. Today, with a team of 85 employees Rodgers Chevrolet generates $73 million in revenue annually by selling nearly 200 and servicing as many as 1,200 cars per month. In an industry defined by steel, rubber and oil, Pamela Rodgers is a woman in a man's world where it's more common to see grease under the fingernails than a French manicure.