Mustang Fever: The Car That Won't Go Away (Hopefully)

For full disclosure, I have to confess to having a lot of history with the Ford Mustang in my driving life.

My parents had a 1967 yellow Mustang that I drove quite a lot! It carried Heidi, the 1984 Goddard High School Homecoming Queen, on the back in the parade down Main Street in my hometown of Roswell, NM (she may have looked like a California Princess but it was my car). I was also allowed to take it out of town with 2 friends my senior year for an uneventful weekend at Mustang Island in Texas (a gift from my mother when she felt sorry for me because I missed my Senior Spring Break when I had mono).

I remember when my parents found that car. We were driving from Roswell to Horseshoe Bay, Texas and while driving through Brady, Texas (the disputed "Heart of Texas if you ask my friend Kurt) and there it sat: all restored in a showroom window of a vintage brick car lot. This was the early '80's. I think my parents were making more money than they ever had in their whole life, deservably so. We'd had some pretty cool cars previously, mind you! But never an old one and never a convertible. There are funny things that I miss about the Mustang: the little pedal I could push with my left foot to make the windshield wipers pass when I drove through sprinklers, the air vent down in the floorboard where fresh air could come in while the top was up and listening to only AM radio music stations.

Oh! the 1980's! My friend Ruby flipped her Fastback one day with other friends in the car while skipping school to smoke. My dad's brother Raymond, one of my heroes, bought his own red convertible vintage Mustang which he proudly kept garaged until he died earlier this year. As my cousin Shawn said, "unless something changes some minds, dad's will be joining my two '65 hardtops after we get things sorted out."

The 1980's also saw an era of new Mustangs that honestly, were so ugly to me and I blocked them so much that I didn't even acknowledge their presence. That trend continued until 1994 but by that point, I guess, I became a non-believer and it wasn't even a viable car to consider wasting time thinking about.

In 2005 that all changed. The Mustang made a comeback and Ford had obviously had a re-think: pretty is as pretty does. When someone I know was looking for a new car I persuaded him to buy an '05 coupe (I still love his car & he doesn't love it as much because he can't carry his band's equipment in it so well).

Last night, despite the current pre-shock economic trembles affecting the manufacturer, Ford revealed the latest Mustang. The 2010 version still has that look and performance that made me fall in love again but this time the object of my affection has been in the gym, eating right and is ready for a new era of fans.

Is it the wrong time to introduce this car? I don't think so because we can't force muscle car lovers into hybrids or PZEVs or even 4-cylinders. It just ain't American to shame buyers for so many reasons. It isn't even like Ford should be chastised for the improved model: it isn't significantly different enough from the previous iteration that they wasted precious engineering hours to detract from their ability to develop extremely well executed hybrids, PZEVs and low MPG models. (Is it un-American to suggest that GM wasted hours/days/years on the new Camaro from SCRATCH when they should have pursued not making a muscle car to compete with the Mustang?)

Yes, I am sentimentally attached to the Mustang. I cried at the big Reveal last night for both its history and its future.

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FIND THE RIGHT CAR THAT WILL MAKE YOU GO “OH YEAH!” QUIZ

Pop quiz hotshot, how do you find that right car that’s going to make you get down on your knees and go, “Oh yeah!!” Take this little quiz in order to get on the road to driving!

QUESTION #1: What kind of car should you look into?

A) One that you need.
B) One that you want.
C) One that talks to you like in the Stephan King movie Christine and eliminates your enemies.
D) Both B&C

QUESTION #2: HOW MUCH YOU SPEND ON A CAR?
A) What you can afford determined by payments at 20% of your monthly take home pay.
B) On par with what you spend each month on crack.
C) On par what you spend on crack and hookers
D) All of the above

QUESTIONS #3: WHICH ISN’T ADVANTAGES OF LEASE YOUR NEXT CAR?
A) You can drive a better car for less money
B) No trade-in hassles
C) You can drive a new car few years.
D) You are not hassled with owning commodity

QUESTION #4: WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING OVER LEASING
A) It makes financial sense when interest rates are low over leasing.
B) No miles penality
C) You don’t have to worry about anyone spray-painting “Honky Lips” on the side of your vehicle.
D) Both A & B
QUESTION #5: WHAT ARE OTHER COSTS OF OWNERSHIP TO CONSIDER?

A) The deprecation rate of specific models.
B) The amount of investment needed for the upkeep of fuzzy dice to hang from the review mirror.
C) Insurance rates for the model.
D) Costs of hydrolic jacks for your tires
E) Both A & C

QUESTIONS #6:IS IT IMPORTANT TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT VIA PHONE BEFORE YOU GO FOR A TEST DRIVE?

A) Yes. This will give you an idea of the business atmosphere.
B) Hell no. Show up in last year’s Halloween costume and scream, “It’s party time.”
C) All of the above.
D) None of the above.

QUESTION #7: Should you let the salesman’s pitch distract you while you test drive.
A) Absolutely. Show the man some respect. He’s got some stories to tell.
B) No, so turn up the radio as loud as you can on the Spanish language station.
C) No. Listen for the sound of the car and try to drive on a terrain similar to your normal driving route.
D) ALL OF THE ABOVE

QUESTIONS: #8: WHERE ARE GOOD PLACES TO RESEARCH YOUR FUTURE VEHICLE?
A) The Internet
B) Newspapers
C) Dealerships
D) A meeting of the Ron Howard fan club.
E) All but D.

ANSWERS
1) A
2) A
3) D
4) D
5) E
6) A
7) C
8) E

CONGRATULATIONS! AND GOOD LUCK IN FINDING THE RIGHT CAR FOR YOU!

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Collectible Car Auctions: Are They What They Are Cracked Uo To Be?

Ah, car auctions. The thrill of the hunt, the crash of the gavel, the hub-bub of money and more money and even more money, the idea in the back of your mind that you might just come across a dream car for next to nothing and make out like a bandit.

It’s those trappings and that thought process that keeps the car auction business going.

It is, unfortunately, not the often harsh realities of finding and buying a car at auction.

Sure, there’s a lot of minor auctions around town. I’ve had more than one relative pick up some sort of vehicle at one of these and walk away reasonably satisfied, but these were mainly utilitarian vehicles. Pick ups, stake-bed trucks, farm gear, that sort of thing.

In this sort of situation, and actually for auctions in general, it really is “let the buyer beware”. You have to be pretty savvy, know what you’re looking for, know how much you’ve got to spend, keep your wits about you and know the potential mechanical problems of cars in general and the car you’re looking at specifically.

But those other auctions, the one’s you see on TV, the ones where they’re selling dream cars at un-dreamed of prices … well, those are something else entirely.

Hunter S. Thompson once said, “The collector car business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”

OK, he actually said that about the music business, but darned if it doesn’t apply to the car auction world too.

Really, if you’re just as much a student of humans and human nature as you are a car person, you should check out one of these high status car auctions the next time one is on your TV.

90% of the cars you’ll see are the ones that were in your High School parking lot (OK, they were in my High School parking lot, and I’m starting to give away my age), and restored to within an inch of their sheet-metal lives. Hemi ‘Cudas, Malibu SSs, muscle cars that were cool then and still cool now are going for half the cost of your house. Over-priced doesn’t begin to describe it.

And the people that are buying them?

They all seem to by middle aged drips on their 3rd heart bypass and their 2nd trophy wife. They all made obscene amounts of money as land developers or sewage contractors or drug salesmen in the upper mid-West, lower East-side sales region for Glixnarr Pharmaceuticals.

They’re they guys that got more money then sense and have suddenly developed a need to go out and start buying cars by the dozens.

Why? They couldn’t give you a clear answer if their toupee depended on it; they just know they want it. Sure-sure, some might tell you “I’ve wanted one since High School” or some such, but it all boils down to the same reason they’re spending equally profane amounts of do-re-me on “that Monet fella; I got a couple a’his fer the wife!”: status.

They want to be able to tell their friends that they just got a Co-Po Camaro, and there’s really not much more to it than that.

But here’s the real bottom line: It’s bad for normal car guys like you and me.

It’s not just bad because normal, middle-class schmos like me and you are getting priced out of the market, it’s bad because what is getting tagged as “cool” or “worthwhile” in the car world is being determined by guys who aren’t into cars, they’re just into the money that the cars represent.

It’s the same reason that letting guys just smart enough to make licentious amounts of money loose on the art market degrades what art is: pretty soon it’s not about van Gogh and what he was trying to get across, it’s how much you paid for it and how much you screwed over the next highest bidder.

Right now there are cars sitting in garages whose history is unknown and unknowable
to the dry cleaning magnates and furniture store owners. You could walk in and say, “Hey, just like Ed McCullough’s.” and they would stare at you blankly.

And that is a shame. For all of us.

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Could Car Makers Learn from Hot Wheels?

Now that Mattel is officially worth more than GM, could the car manufacturers have something to glean from the toymakers?

It is no mistake that the manufacturers of toys and cars share many steps of the design process but diverge very quickly when it comes to the actual manufacturing of their product. Where they also obviously split is with the marketing.

When the toy car is designed it will usually take under six months to get it onto the shelves. A real car will take about four years to get put on to the lots. The reality is that car manufacturers have to retool their plants and go through rigorous testing for safety and efficiencies so a bulk of that four years is understandable. There are exceptions to this industry standard of fermenting a car: the design to production process of the new Buick LaCrosse which will be released in the US at a record-breaking two year mark. How did they do that? Technically the car went through the same four-year design to production process but, like a Hot Wheel, had a significant amount of its development done by extremely talented Chinese designers and engineers. By the time the LaCrosse hit the shores of the US manufacturing plant that also makes the Malibu and the Aura was ready for its new addition.GM may have made a lot of mistakes in the last years but embracing their foreign teams for products like the LaCrosse and the G-8 (Australia) is a smart move.

Mattel introduces about 300 new designs every year. Car manufacturers, obviously and understandably, introduce far less new models. When Mattel begins the marketing process for new designs they do it in series; for example, the toy cars being released for the Christmas season exclusively through Wal-Mart will be paired instead of promoted individually. When a new model of a real car is introduced its costs the manufacturer approximately $100 million per model. If that manufacturer, say like Chrysler, has multiple brands and introduces the same platform model across a couple of different brands ( Chrysler and Dodge), the marketing expenses will be $200 million. Reducing the total number of models shared by the brands is one of the ways that Chrysler has more recently been trying to save money.

It has been said that Mattel employs a professional who serves as a marketing consultant to increase the "whine factor" in its advertising so that parents will get so tired of their children whining for the latest model that they will break down and buy the under $10 toy. Car manufacturers have really stubbed their toe on this concept by supporting the tradition of the most highly desirable cars being out of reach monetarily for most consumers and keeping affordable cars boring, lacking quality and nothing to whine for. Maybe the auto manufacturers could borrow the psychiatrist to help them out.

Miss Motor Mouth

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Is Daylight Savings A Danger To Drivers?

I always loved when Daylight Savings started in the autumn as a teenager.
Curfew was at midnight but on that last Saturday in October it meant that midnight was actually 1 AM.

Now the time change comes a week later ( which honestly, was so confusing this last week, I text messaged three friends in California to ask what time it was when I woke up).

As I've gotten older (and GASP! More responsible?) and sleep is no longer an optional all day recreation period and the clock rules my day as much as work, feeding that kid and being bone tired after running around all day, Daylight Savings has become a pain in the you know what!

Apparently, besides the grumbling that you hear from coworkers and friends, there are real statistics that point to Daylight Savings being more dangerous to us as drivers than I realized.

That the change in sleep patterns affects people will end their ability to drive safely. Some claim the accidents increase significantly twice a year directly after the time that the time changes. I'm not going to give sources-Google it yourself and you will see that most links are directly back to accident lawyers ( or ambulance chasers, as my father would call them).

What does make more sense to me is that the time change that happens for summertime increases the number of accidents that are related to alcohol.
The days longer, who doesn't want to embrace a beautiful summer day by going out with friends for a cool drink? Problem is? It is a bad idea!

So actually, in contrast to my teenage years when I thought daylight savings was about staying out and having fun, the time change that happens in Autumn is really the time when drivers stay home ( maybe have a glass of wine at
home) and the roads are a bit safer.

Probably better to remember at this time of year is that the holidays begin in earnest with Halloween and accidents do increase significantly due to holiday festivities through New Year's. My suggestion is: stay-at-home, save gas, burn candles responsibly, don't forget to vote next week and enjoy getting to stay up an our extra this Saturday night. You'll feel like a teenager.

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What Type of Car Buyer Are You?

Used car shoppers all agree that doing your research online is a must. Dealer websites, photos, videos, mileage figures, reviews, CARFAX history reports…they will seek all the major resources. Even turning to friends, family and even the guy down the hall at work who claims to know everything.

The major difference between all shoppers is how this information is processed and actually absorbed. Many buyers will tell you what they want and how much research they did. But did they?

Most car buyers eventually buy something that is closer to what they want rather than what they need. I've done it. I blame it on Maslow.

Shoppers need to use the resources available to make the best choice rather than just taking the easy route and selecting the familiar choices. I see a striking similarity in the the choices automotive shoppers make and the decisions voters make. And those choices tend to be based on comfort versus the decision that actually shares their current needs and situation.

Rational Buyers:

These are your car geeks. They know everything about the vehicle. Cubic square inches of the engine, drag coefficients and the entire family history of the founder of the company. Their knowledge overtakes their ability to clearly decide when comparing models side by side. Just like voting, they revert to a confused state and may even make the wrong choice.

Passive Buyers:

These buyers don't pay attention to a specific model or een their specs - aside from price. Their decisions are based more on what they remember from an emotional commercial, a memorable event from their youth or even the overbearing influence from an older Rational Buyer. Again, like voters, very little consideration is given to the alternatives. These are the buyers OEM's love; they like to call it brand loyalty. I call it lazy and close-minded

Frugal Buyers:

The Frugal consumer concentrates on one specific item they have justified as the most important item and becomes passionate about that fact. Any additional logical information that could influence their decision is disregarded as false, stupid or even as a conspiracy theory. These are emotional people. Rational thoughts are not an option as these buyers are operating on their own agenda. If the frugal buyer's hot button is purchasing the vehicle with highest safety rating, any other piece of information will be met with resistance. I also recommend not discussing anything about religion, politics or popular culture as it will not end peacefully.

Intuitive Buyers:

These are pleasant buyers who did what they consider to be sufficient enough research. They could sound like a Wikipedia page, but share only enough to appear as if they are being humble about their "knowledge." Their effort behind the actual research is minimal; they aren't overly committed to one particular brand - often flip-flopping and not paying attention to all of the information. They may be interested in the safety endorsement from the NHSTB. Or just the economy ratings from FuelEconomy.gov . Once the key information is found, their decision is made based on the perceived endorsement from that group.

What kind of used car buyer are you?

[I'm the 1st one.]

Eric Miltsch

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Confessions of a Car Salesman, Part 4

I've given you an honest look at the inner-workings of a car dealership and may have painted a slanted picture of the people in the industry. Do they deserve a bad rap? Definitely up for debate. So, I thought in this week’s installment I’d (try to) explain the pressure new & used car salespeople are under. This may remove (a bit) of the culpability for some in the automotive retail industry, but I can’t, in good conscience, defend all of them. Some are just plain old crooks who revel in their ability to deceive car shoppers.

The new & used car salesperson’s’ main pressure point: Financial. After one disappointing month (financially speaking) the General Manager wrote on my pay stub “Work your pay plan!” This was my instruction to work towards the sales and bonuses which paid the best. (Everyone in a dealership has a compensation plan based on commission and bonuses.)

As a rule of thumb, a Salesperson receives 25% of the sales profit, with a bonus for the total sales in a month. “Working my pay plan” means selling cars with the highest profit margins. New car profit margins are limited by law and the market, so the highest profit margins are usually found on used cars and truck. This is why you find the rally cry of “switch them to used” in most new car dealerships.

The shrewd salespeople of the bunch know exactly which used vehicles have the highest margins. These used cars suddenly become the vehicles of choice for their customers. Funny how that works.

In addition to the 25% commission, the dealership gives special bonuses on certain vehicles. Bonuses are paid on the oldest vehicles on the lot. (Aged Vehicles) Dealerships have a “floor plan” - a loan for each vehicle on the lot. They pay interest on each vehicle, so the longer is stays, the more it costs. I’ve seen bonuses as high as $1000 on these older used cars.

If you feel the Salesperson is steering you away from a vehicle you like, this is probably why. For new vehicles, this pressure usually comes from the manufacturer. They constantly throw contests and incentives at the dealerships, and individuals, to increase sales.

This takes me to the industry-favorite: the “Spiff”. No, this isn’t the sharp dressed guy on the floor. The spiff is an extra cash payout if the bonus is hit for a specific time period. Just about every car dealership has a daily spiff on Saturdays. They’ll have a morning “rah-rah” pep rally, and entice the Salespeople with a big wad of cash for even more motivation. Spiffs can be volume based (three sales today earn you $250) or activity based ($10 for every customer you introduce to your manager). I’ve even seen people paid to get their customers to climb into the trunk of a car. (I’ve mentioned this before)

If you want to see what I’m talking about, check out the classic car sales movie Suckers. The writers didn’t make this stuff up…

The bottom line for these new & used car salespeople: If they don’t sell enough cars, or even the right cars, they won’t have a job for long. Where I worked, if you didn’t have enough sales at the half-way point of the month, your days off were cancelled. Twelve hour days, seven days a week is a strong motivator to sell cars at any cost! Unfortunately, when Salespeople are under this kind of pressure, the consumer pays the price.

Add all of this up and you’ll have a plenty of reasons not to shop at commission-based car dealerships. The best interest of the customer doesn’t line up with the best interest of the Salesperson; it’s no wonder most people would rather have a root canal than buy a new car.

Do yourself a favor and shop for your next car at a one-price dealer. Do your homework to ensure it’s a good price. (Unless you live in a cave, you’re probably already familiar with the links within our Friendly Resources.) There’s no reason you can’t get a Salesperson who actually cares about your needs.

Going up against highly motivated and trained professional negotiators, intent upon convincing you which vehicle is right and talking you into paying the highest possible price, is probably not at the top of your list of fun things to do on a Saturday with your family.

Good luck out there, buying a used car doesn’t have to be so tough…

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Confessions of a Car Salesman, Part 3

Most new car dealerships have a very similar infrastructure. The Salesperson greets the customers, shows them the vehicles, takes them for a test drive and begins the paperwork. When the time comes to discuss price and payments, the Salesperson must go to the Desk Manager.

The Desk Manager’s sole function is to get as much as possible for the vehicle. Many times it appears as though the Customer and salesperson are combining forces to get a good deal out of the Desk Manager. This is by design; classic “Good cop, Bad cop” rouse.

Unfortunately, for newer Salespeople who don’t know any better, the Desk Manager deceives the Salesperson into thinking it’s the best deal he’s willing to give the customer. They do this to ensure the Salesperson is convincing enough when pitching the deal to the Customer. They call this tactic “loading the Salesperson’s lips.”

To get a price and payment quote from the Desk Manager, at this new car franchise, you needed three things: A properly filled out buyers order with the customer’s information, a written commitment of what the customer will do today, and a deposit.

They teach this from day one in the training. These three things give the saleperson total control over the customer. If the customer says they are not buying today, you still get a written commitment.

As the trainer said, “Any customer will buy today for some price. If it’s a dollar down and a dollar per month, at least that’s a starting point.” The car dealership is just trying to take you out of shopping-mode and into negotiating-mode.

The problem arose for me when a customer saw one of our many “zero-down” commercials. Every one of our ads promised “zero-down.” This customer obviously didn’t want to put any money down - he repeated it several times. I was presented with a conundrum; I had to go to the Desk Manager with a commitment and deposit in order to get a price quote for my customer. How do I ask for a deposit when the customer clearly wants to put zero down as advertised?

I didn’t believe it to be very customer friendly to ask for a cash deposit just to get a price quote. So, I jotted down the customer’s commitment “Customer will take delivery today for zero down and $379 per month”. I trotted back to the Desk Manager with the paperwork and laid it down in front of him.

“Where’s your deposit, Head?” The Desk Manager called everybody Head; this was not a reference to my particular anatomy. “He wants to do the deal on TV, no money down”, I replied. “Still need a deposit to work a deal”, he said gruffly. So I returned to the customer. We had a fairly positive relationship up to his point, but me asking for a cash deposit to get a price quote didn’t go over well. Besides, he didn’t have any cash on him.

I returned to the “tower” (the raised platform in the showroom where the Desk Managers sit). “He doesn’t have any cash, and just wants a payment quote with no money down”. The Desk Manager looked at me for a second, and immediately paged my Manager.

Once my Manager arrived, he said, “This weak sister can’t get me a deposit, will you take a turn and show him how it’s done?” He was half-joking, but obviously trying to make a point.

The floor Manager’s role is what they call, in the car business, a “closer”. They go to the customer to get the deal done. They are trained negotiators and practice this skill constantly. What happened next was one of the most shocking things I witnessed in my short tenure.

The closer came out of the office with my customer’s watch. He actually took his watch as a deposit!

When I asked how he did that, he casually replied he always gets something. Cell phones, wedding rings, even shoes! He entered the tower like a conquering hero as he presented the watch and revised commitment.

They looked at me and said “Now that’s how it’s done, Head!”

I thought to myself…Not in my world it isn’t.

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Confessions of a Car Salesman, Part 2

Saturdays are the big days at a new or used car dealership. This is the day which makes or breaks your entire week. It’s not uncommon for a car salesperson to sell three or four cars on a Saturday.

At this particular dealership, they had a lovely invention entitled “Midnight Madness” every Saturday. As you may have guessed, this means the car dealership is open until midnight on Saturday all throughout the summer months.

Midnight Madness rules were simple: Sell a car and you get to go home at your regularly scheduled time. This was either 6pm or 9pm. If you didn’t sell a car, you were subjected to not only working the midnight shift, but also the shame and ridicule of your peers.

And, if you have ever worked outside, on black-top, during the summer months in North Carolina…you know that a 16 hour shift is no prize.

As you can imagine; fifty car sales people with type “A” personality aggressively pursuing a limited number of customers, in the hot summer sun, does not make for the best of customer experiences. Haven’t you ever noticed that you felt like prey when you pull into a car dealership?

So, with this enourmous threat looming over our heads, we sit in the Saturday morning sales meeting. In this particular meeting they review the newspaper ad for this week. The sales manager went into specific detail about the vehicles advertised for the super low prices. He said they were ordered special for the advertisements (car dealership lingo for price leaders), and customers will not want them.

These vehicles are the ultimate base units available; without the options most of us would consider standard. One was a Ford Explorer without power windows, door locks, or air conditioning. The sales manager said these vehicles usually only sell to fleet companies, so whatever we do: “Don’t sell them because they are hard to get!”

I didn’t have the nerve to speak up in the sales meetings - afterwards I asked my manager: “So what do we do if someone wants to buy the Ford Explorer in the newspaper?” To which he responded: “Switch them to something else.” I inquired, “Isn’t that bait and switch?”

His profound retort: “Yeah, but everyone does it.” I asked myself again “What have I gotten myself into?”

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Confessions of a Car Salesman, Part 1

When my intensive car dealership training commenced (about 2 days), I was paired with a veteran used car sales person whom they introduced as my “Mentor”.

This gentleman enjoyed two hobbies: chewing tobacco and collecting the business cards of Sales People who either quit or were fired. His first action as my professional mentor: Showing me his “Wall of Shame”. Under his desk was a cork board, upon which he tacked the business cards of departed Sales People.

He went on to tell me most people don’t make it past the first month in this business. He also showed me the spot reserved for my business card.

Competition can be fierce in the automotive sales field. I didn’t know it then; this was the first overt attempt to “get into my head” by a veteran sales person. They like to keep the ranks thinned out so there were more sales for them. A young intelligent new sales person represented the biggest threat to their sales pipeline and comfortable work life.

Most of these demoralizing head games took place on the “point”. The point is outside of the dealership, closest to the entrance where customers pull in. If you have ever pulled into a dealership and had the feeling that you were raw steak being lowered into the lion cage, then you have visited the point.

For traditional Sales People, this represents their “turf” and the best chance they have to sell a vehicle. The more aggressive they are, the better their chances of landing a customer.

My first trip out to the point began harmlessly enough. Not too long after staking my claim near the front entrance, I was approached by one of the top Sales People. He was an ex-professional pool player and quite slick in a “country” type of way.

He began the conversation normally enough, commenting on the weather and such. Not long into it, he began his spiel about how terrible business was, and how he heard they would be letting several Sales People go at the end of the month. His technique became quite transparent as he continued talking; eventually he walked past me to grab the customer who just parked in the point..

I filed that little maneuver under the title “Chat and Swoop”, a technique he obviously perfected. I was starting to catch on…rather quickly.

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Getting the Most from AAA

Did you know that an early form of an automotive social network took root in 1902? A bunch of car fanatics got together in Cleveland, OH to create some maps and directions for drivers because they simply didn't have enough roads available.

The club quickly rose to over 1000 members and was called the American Automobile Association; demand escalated from there. Over the years they began creating hotel guides, driver safety programs and even acted as an official backer of professional automobile racing, including the Indianapolis 500 up until the 1950's.

Everyone is familiar with the typical AAA services such as unlocking your doors and helping with a tow to the garage.

However, there's a entire batch of value added services available to AAA club members that most people are not even aware of.

• Automotive Financial Services: Need help with credit cards, personal loans, certificates of deposit, money market accounts and IRAs?
• Automotive Scheduling Service: AAA's AutoManager will keep you current with your oil changes, tire rotation and engine tune-ups. This is a great service that will help keep your automotive housekeeping items in check.
• Bail Bond Service: Yes - AAA will actually provide a Guaranteed Arrest Bond Certificate. If you have a fine less than 1k, in some states you can use the certificate instead of cash. Additionally, up to a $5,000 bail bond for covered traffic violations may also be available.
• Body Shops/Repair Service: AAA has done the dirty work of scrutinizing public reviews, consumer reviews and even financial checks to find you the most reputable body shops and repair services in the country. Check out their Diamond Ratings and pick the best from the list.
• Driver Education & Training Service: This is an extremely valuable service - one that I will look into for my own kids when they start driving: Driver's Ed classes. Upon passing, your teen driver will get a free one-year Auto Club Dependent Associate Membership. Just as impressive is the Senior Driving courses available to those 55 and older. This is an incredible value as our nations largest demographic group ages.
• Jump Start Service: Need a jump? No problem. and they don't stop there. They don't want to just send you on your way; AAA tests, diagnoses and replaces batteries regardless of your location.
• Map/Trip Services: I remember using this service when I had to make my first solo road trip and being so impressed with the advances in technology as a 19 year old driver. AAA's mapping services are similar to other online services. Creating a TripTik allows you to pinpoint gas stations, restaurants, hotels and important travel elements. AAA's Diamond Rating is at work in the TripTik; showing you ratings for motels, hotels and restaurants to name a few.
• Prescription Services: On the road and need some drugs? AAA has more than 57,000 pharmacies that participate in it discount programs. Save wherever you can: 15 percent discounts for brand names, 35 percent for generic and for those traveling with pets, the discounts may even apply for them as well. (Be sure to check your club membership to ensure you qualify)
• Retail Discount Services: Who doesn't love a discount when shopping? Books, clothes, hotels, amusement parks. AAA can help. Just show them your card and start saving. (You'll need it for gas.)
• Travel Services: AAA doesn't limit you to automotive travel services. Did you know that you can book a cruise with AAA? Do your smart shopping and save more than just on automotive services.

Check out AAA's site for all the facts on the services as some of these are location specific and may depend on your membership status.

Have an interesting travel or AAA story? Share yours…

Eric Miltsch

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Diesel Vs. Hybrid: When Will Diesels Hit Our Shores?

I've been curious to see a test comparing the real-world mileage of a modern Diesel and a hybrid. Fortunately, the team at Popular Mechanics just published a head-to-head comparison of the new VW Jetta TDi and a Prius. The results aren't totally surprising (spoiler alert): The Prius did better around town where the electric-only propulsion was used to maximum effect and the Jetta eaked out an advantage on the freeway. The Jetta also wins when it comes to driving dynamics. They do a few calculations about purchase price vs. higher Diesel fuel cost but forget to add in the apparently common dealer markup on the rare new Jetta oil-burner.

I haven't driven the new U.S.-bound TDi but did spend some quality time with an Audi A4 2.0 TDi rental in England last summer. I was handily impressed by the quiet and torque-happy nature of this engine. I'll admit that I'm a fan of modern Diesel engines and am swayed by the promise of an available manual transmission, a wagon body-style, the reported longevity and low maintenance requirements of Diesels, and the simpler nature of a car with a single propulsion system rather than two plus an expensive battery pack. Then again, the Prius is an amazing piece of engineering and the rumored 2010 plug-in hybrid Prius promises to expand the car's dominance in around-town driving efficiency. Watch this space... we definitely live in interesting times when it comes to automotive technology.

I also just stumbled upon an interesting article in Winding Road's latest online edition that outlines in detail the new Diesel-powered vehicles which are confirmed or rumored to be coming to the U.S. Market in the next couple of years. It's an interesting read, particularly given the lack of interest in the technology by most of the American manufacturers, at least when it comes to passenger cars rather than light-duty trucks. Since it was GM who is often blamed for single-handedly destroying the reputation of Diesel engines in the U.S. with their poorly executed engines during the last big fuel crunch of the 1970s and 1980s, I guess one can't blame them for being too gun-shy.

Steve Haas

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Mota's Blog Nominated for an Award! Please Vote For Us!

We are all very proud to announce that Mota's blog has been nominated for the Divine Caroline Love! This Site Award in the Careers and Money category.

Please consider following the Divine Caroline badge on the right (below the archives) and vote for us or you can vote here. All of the Mota writers have been working very hard to bring expert advice and opinions and this could mean us buying the rest of the Mota Team $250 in snacks! Anyone who knows web developers knows that they can be very hungry from all of the late nights that they work!

Thanks for your continuing support!

XOO,M

Michelle Naranjo

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The Strange Case of the Stolen Ferrari

Those of you following the world of classic cars this week may have heard of the recent recovery of a rare Ferrari 250 PF, reportedly worth $4-5 million, which was stolen 15 years ago. The car was reported stolen in Spain and recently "found" in the garage of a wealthy collector in the U.S. The law in situations like this is interesting, and in this case potentially complicated by the international travels the car has completed since its disappearance.

Typically, the owner of a stolen car is reimbursed by his or her insurance company for the market value of the car when it's stolen. In this case, the car would have been worth about $500,000 at the time. The new owner of the car, whether or not he was aware of the stolen status of the car, is basically out of luck and would need to pursue civil damages with the dealer or individual from whom he bought it. In such a case, the insurance company would actually own the car.

In this case, however, the owner from whom it was stolen reports that he did NOT accept payment by his insurance company because he felt that due to the rarity of the vehicle it would eventually be found. Granted, as a very expensive Ferrari and one of only 50 made, this was a likely scenario which has proven true. Most regular stolen cars would likely have been broken down for parts but one doesn't just sell a Ferrari 250 engine without a bit of explaining.

Making matters more curious, however, is that the folks at Sports Car Market Magazine who follow the market for collector cars closely, have created a detailed history of the car. It helps that one of their own writers is a classic car dealer who once sold this very car (before it's theft). Since it was stolen, it was not exactly hidden away in secret storage... it had been shown publicly at numerous concours d'elegance, restored by noted shops in the U.S., openly advertised for sale, and changed hands four times (!) before ending up in the collection of the most recent unlucky owner. The excruciating details of the car's history can be found online along with a legal analysis here. This should be interesting to watch.

Steve Haas

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Recycled Seat Belts from Cars Are Great for Sitting On