2nd Annual Food Drive

Well here we are again! After a very successful food drive in 2008, West Valley and Ogden Auto Plaza are at it again. For every pound of food donated we will match it so it’s like doubling whatever you contribute. Last year we donated over 800 pounds of food thanks to all of our employees and customers that stepped up and donated last year. All of us agreed it was one of the best and most fulfilling things we have ever done and we’d like to do it again this year except make it bigger and better than ever. Our goal is to receive 500 pounds of food per store for a total of 2000 pounds! We can do it folks. We don’t need much. Just a couple cans of food for every customer that comes in and we’ll meet our goal.
As I’m sure you can guess the need is a greater need than ever this year. The Utah Food Bank is reporting a 30% increase over last year of folks requesting their services. I’m sure we’ve all felt the effects of the downturn and the less privileged feel the brunt of the downturn. The most needed items are: Peanut Butter. Mac and Cheese, Canned Meats, Stews, Chili, Box prepared Meals, Canned Fruits and Vegetables (Low Sugar Preferred). You don’t need to bring in much to make a HUGE difference. Every little bit counts.
Last year along with KBER we gave away a minivan to the most deserving person. We had listeners and customers submit their stories to the KBER e-mail and had Mick and Allen of KBER decided who should win the van. A young man named Evan Sorensen won the van last year. He had been wheelchair bound since an accident about 12 years ago if I remember right. He was unable to secure a job because of no transportation. This vehicle changed Evans life and helped him secure a job and live a fulfilling life. Again it was one of the coolest things we’ve ever been a part of and we want to do it again this year. If you know of someone deserving of a reliable minivan please submit their story to mick@kber.com. Can you imagine how cool it would be if they won?
Folks, I know these are tough times for a lot of us. This is a time to count our blessings, be grateful for food on the table, a healthy family and a car in the garage. Let’s look at the holiday season as an opportunity to show our gratitude for the blessings in our lives by giving to the less fortunate.

Thank you in advance!

Clunker Hangover

Man has it been a crazy couple of months to be in the car business. We went from the worst month in 25 years of new cars sales (February of 2009) to one of the best (August 2009) back to the second worst month (September of 2009) back to who knows what’s next. It’s been a truly insane time for us because it’s been so hard to predict what’s next. We had the best day we’ve had in two years at our West Valley store selling 20 cars one day in August for our slasher sale event. We were all so excited thinking the market is coming back that we loaded up on a bunch of inventory and had the biggest labor day event in our history which brought okay result but not what we were hoping for. Then September. Sales dropped off a cliff. A pin was dropped on our showroom floor and it sounded like a bomb! We were so quiet. There simply were no car buyers to be found. We had never ever experienced anything like it and we were not alone. Our new car dealer friends were in the same boat. So what does this all mean? What did the cash for clunkers program accomplish? We’re hearing from all the politicians that the clunker program was a huge success. That it pumped life back into the car industry and put the folks at the factory’s back to work. Really?Here’s what I think it did: I believe it drove up prices on new cars so high that any credit customers got on their clunkers was mitigated by the surge in demand. I believe it took a huge amount of perfectly good running vehicles off the road and destroyed them, driving up prices on used motors and making cars that the average Joe (who can afford a new car these days?) can afford much higher. I heard of folks trading in the highly sought after “Grandma Car”, you know the original owner vehicle with low miles and lots of life left. These highly useful and sought after vehicles were crushed and the drive train was destroyed. The politician would argue that we greatly improved fuel consumption as a result of the program. Folks, the car people purchased only had to get 2 miles per gallon better than the car they traded in. Did this single month of car sales really change the overall fleet of vehicles fuel economy? I would argue yes but a minuscule amount. Certainly not enough to justify 3 billion in government money.Edmunds.com did an analysis saying that 60,000 to 70,000 “clunker like” deals happen every month anyway. In August 200,000 such transactions took place. Transactions that would have happened eventually anyway without government intervention and without destroying cars. The program was also touted as helping the Detroit companies i.e. Chrysler and GM, government owned companies. Did it? Only two of the top 10 vehicles sold under the clunker program were domestic and guess who makes those two? Ford! Not government motors. Chrysler sales fell 15% from August 2008 and GM’s sales plunged 20% from a year ago. What a joke!So who did the clunker program help? The only two industries this false surge helped were the new car dealers because they could substantially mark up otherwise hard to sell units. But based on our experience the horrible drop in sales in September cancelled out any gains from August. The other industry would be the junk yards. They loved getting all those scrap cars for free thanks to our government. So what’s the moral of this story? Government: bug off! You do more harm than good. You have your place in this world. Keep building roads, schools and protect our country. Stay out of the car business!

West Valley Auto Plaza Slasher Sales

Folks we had a great couple of sales during the month of August. I did a couple of goofy slasher adds, dressed up in a tuxedo and proceeded to give some great deals to the customers that were kind enough to come and check us out. Here’s how it worked: Our customers would pick out a car they would like to own. I’d go out on the lot and they would honk the horn like mad until I came to their car where I proceeded to cut or “slash” the price until the price was so low that the customer said they would take the vehicle. Everyone from myself to the customers to the salespeople had an awesome time and our customers really did get a great deal on their vehicle.You know folks this is how we always operate. We pride ourselves on trying harder than any other dealer out there to do what needs to be done to get our customer into vehicles that fit their needs at payments they can afford. We don’t care if we have to deliver the cars to your house even if your house is in New York City. We don’t care if the car you’re interested in is in New York City, we’re willing to do whatever’s necessary to get you the car you need at a price you can afford. That’s how we’ve been doing things for nearly 10 years now and that’s how we’re always going to do it for you. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned through this recession it’s that we have to be willing to work harder than anyone else or we’ll be out of business. If you look around Redwood Rd next to our car lot you’ll see sagebrush rolling along the lots of our old competitors. It hasn’t been easy but we’ve made it through the hard times and it’s just made us better.People wonder why I show my face on our buildings in our adds and use my voice on the radio and it’s not because I love myself! It’s because I want people to know that I passionately believe in what we do at our dealerships. I want folks to know who I am and that I care about how we do business. I have my e-mail address on all of our print adds and on all of our websites because I want our customers to know I’m readily available if there are ever questions or concerns.Thanks to everyone that does business with us and gives us the opportunity to earn their business. We’ll keep on keeping on!

Nick, does the cash-for–clunkers program work for used cars?

Well no but here are some issues to ponder while considering whether the cash- for-clunkers program makes sense for you. First of all, there are a lot of restrictions on which vehicles qualify for the program and what vehicles you’re eligible to purchase. The car you trade in must get less than 18 miles per gallon which automatically eliminates almost all small and mid-sized cars. So here’s what’s happening on countless new-car deals: The customer goes down to the dealership thinking they’re going to get $4500 for their car that in the marketplace might be worth say $1500. The customer finds out their car won’t qualify because it gets better than 18 miles per gallon but they become very excited about the prospect of a new car so they end up buying one anyway which is great for everyone right? Well, let me ask you this: In this scenario would it make more sense for that customer to buy a new 09 Chev Malibu for around $21000 or would it make more sense to buy a used 09 Malibu with 15000 miles for say $ 16000 saving that customer the initial depreciation that every new car takes? I’m a used car dealer so you can probably guess what my answer would be but I’ll bet a lot of folks get caught up in the moment and don’t necessarily make the most educated decision.Secondly, the vehicle you buy must get at least 2 miles per gallon better than the vehicle you trade in. So let’s say you currently have a ford focus and would like to get into a minivan for your growing family. Sorry, but you’re scenario would not work for the cash-for-clunkers program.Third, the vehicle you trade in must be a 2001 or older to qualify. I’m trying to think of who I know that drives a car that old and I’m coming up blank.Fourth, if you’re car is say a 2000 Chev Silverado 1500 Extended Cab with say 120,000 miles it’s probably worth more than $4500. If this is the case you would be much better off trading that truck in for a used truck and probably getting more for it off of a much better priced vehicle than you would using it in the clunkers program.Folks, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy when anything comes along that gets the wheels turning in terms of sales. It helps new and used dealers alike. You just want to go in making a good decision for you and your family and you should know whether your trade qualifies before shopping for a new car or that new car smell will put you under a spell and you’ll be forced into what may not be the best decision for you and your family.If you’re not sure whether your car qualifies for the cash-for-clunkers program check our www.cars.gov. All your questions will be answered on that website or feel free to contact us. We’ll be happy to fill you in.Here is our own cash-for-clunkers program: If you’re car is older than a 2002 and does not qualify for the cash-for-clunkers program we will guarantee you a minimum of $2000 for your trade or $1000 over fair market value up to $8000. You must trade your vehicle in for something worth at least $3000 more than the car you trade in. Give us a call and we’ll give you the details.

Where do I even begin when shopping for a car?

I have never personally bought a car from a car dealership because I’ve been in this business since I was 17 years old but I can only imagine what it must be like. There are endless car lots out there, endless TV and radio ads and so many makes and models it’s overwhelming to even think about! So where do you begin?I’ve bloged in the past on car buying tips and who you should be and shouldn’t be buying a car from but I’ve never really talked about just getting started. Here are some thoughts and suggestions if you’re in the market.First of all, it’s a good idea to know what kind of credit situation you’re in. Car dealers love to charge good folks with good credit too much interest because they can get away with it. It would be a shame for you to have to pay thousands more than you need to just because you’re not sure if you have good credit or not. What I’d suggest is if you have a relationship with a bank or credit union, talk to them about pulling your credit to see just what you’re dealing with. Most banks and credit unions will pre-qualify you right on the spot so you have a starting point when shopping for a car. If the dealer can beat what your bank has to offer then great. They earned your finance business. If not, you know you have a way to go. Another suggestion is to ask the dealer what your credit score is. If it’s below 550chances are you’re going to have to pay a bit of a higher interest rate. If it’s 580to 620 that’s about middle of the road and 620 and higher generally should earn you and interest rate of under 10%. Hopefully this gives you an idea of where you should be.Second, I would suggest knowing where you want to be budget wise. There is nothing worse than telling a dealer you want to be at $200 a month and they show you car’s at $400 a month. It’s as if they are heart of hearing or block out things they just don’t want to hear. If you’re getting jerked around on budget just leave. I’ll bet you anything there’s another car dealer within a few hundred feet that won’t jerk you around and will show you cars at the payments you want. Believe me, there’s a lot of competition out there so you don’t have to settle for a car, a salesperson or a dealership that you don’t like.Third, I think it’s important to have an idea of what you want but to be flexible as well when searching for a used car. There are so many great cars out there. It’s almost impossible to pick a bad car these days. Let’s say you have your heart set on a Toyota 4-runner but you can only afford one with say 80,000 miles. Well you might run across a super nice trailblazer with 20,000 miles that’s the same price and trailblazers are great vehicles. Know what you want but be flexible enough to take advantage of a great deal if one should come your way.Finally, I’ve seen so many dealers go out of business lately! I would strongly suggest doing business with a dealer that’s been around for a while with a great reputation that’s not going anywhere. If you buy a warranty or trade your car in you want to know that the dealership’s going to be around and cares about their reputation. The economy’s been tough but it has weeded out the dealers that didn’t care. Every cloud has a silver lining.Folks most car dealerships are good places to do business. Most work hard and want to do right by you. I know what kind of reputation car dealers have but I can tell you it’s just no longer the case. The bad dealers have either gone or are on their way out of business. The rest of us just want to find you a nice car at a fair price.Happy shopping and don’t get jerked around!

Nick, I've thought about trying out auto sales, but I don't know if it's for me...

Folks, we are looking for some salespeople! We are growing and getting busier at both locations and need some new team members to help us get to the next level. We have great health benefits, a huge pay plan with a $1500 monthly guarantee & performance bonuses. Our top guys will make over $100,000 this year!I have a passion for this business. I’ve been selling cars since I was 18 years old and have absolutely loved it. It is so satisfying and rewarding to help folks get into one of the most important purchases they’ll ever make. Some people might equate selling cars to being sleazy or high pressure with a polyester suit wearing requirement. I can tell you that if that were what it was all about at our stores, we would have been out of business years ago. We are a low-pressure environment. We train our people to be kind and courteous and give them the tools necessary to help folks find the perfect car. We will teach you how to be super star salespeople that have customer after customer who love you.Maybe you feel like you need to love cars or know a lot about cars in order to be in this business. Although it never hurts to know about what you’re selling it’s not even close to the most important aspect of being able to sell cars. Don’t worry! We’ll teach you what you need to know.Maybe you’re concerned about not making enough money. Well that’s the best part about commission sales. If you don’t want to work hard you’re not going to get paid a whole heck of a lot but if you do work hard and your customers love you the sky is the limit! We will make sure that if you have a good attitude you will get paid.Folks, perhaps you’ve never thought of the car business but have a great personality and ability to connect with people. If this in any way describes you I would encourage you to get in contact with us today. I think you’d be surprised at just how much fun this business is. We have a super fun warm and friendly environment and we won’t jerk you around!

West Valley Auto Plaza on the front page of the Sunday Deseret News!

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705290958,00.htmlI did a quick interview for a reporter with the deseret news about increasing demand for used cars and next thing I know our dealership’s featured on the front page of the Sunday edition of the Deseret News. It’s not every day that a used car salesman finds himself in the paper without handcuffs on so I’m kind of excited about it and wanted to share it with web site visitors.Yes the demand for used cars have increased since the beginning of the year I think because when times get tough we go from what we would like to what makes the most economic sense and there’s no doubt about it: buying a one or two year vehicle with low miles for thousands and thousands less than a comparable new vehicle makes a ton of sense.Who in the world can afford to spend over $20,000 (which is the average price of a new car) with the economy the way it is? Nobody I know. At West Valley and Ogden Auto Plaza 70% of our inventory are 2007 or newer with less than 50,000 miles and most are priced below $13000. We understand that now’s not the time to be splurging on big ticket items and our customers seem to feel the same way. Some examples of great buys on newer vehicles would be 07 Cobalt LS’s with under 40,000 miles for $9999 or 07 PT Cruisers with under 50,000 miles for only $10999. I could go on all day with more examples but you get the idea. You can buy a lot of car in this economy for not a whole lot of dough. It’s just a great time to take advantage of the down turn.So join the over 140 customers we sold cars to last month and get a great buy on a newer vehicle for not a whole lot of dough and come to West Valley or Ogden Auto Plaza. We can and will get you approved on a great new car and we won’t jerk you around!

“The bad times expose the sins of the good times”

Man is that statement ever true! So many of us thought the good times would never end and as a result put ourselves in a real bind when the good times did come to an end. I’ve personally had to change my lifestyle to deal with the new environment. Our company has had to revamp all our expenses, eliminate anything frivolous and get lean and mean to cope with the new realities facing all of us. I’m sure you too have had to face the fact that perhaps you had over extended during the good times and thus have had to cut back or change your priorities a bit. I’m seeing a change every day at work. No longer are our customers adding the 22 inch wheels, the dvd’s or the subwoofers. I don’t think we’ve sold a single set of wheels in six months! Rather than stretching and going for the absolute most vehicle our customers can afford we’re seeing more prudence in their buying decisions and I would argue this shift in how we think is a positive shift. There are those that say we need to spend to get our economy going. I have no problem with all of us spending money on whatever we like as long as we live within our means. The problem is for too long we lived beyond our means and now it’s time to pay the piper for those of us who went too far. The price paid for buying something we can’t afford far outweighs any enjoyment we may get out of it and I think this fact is setting in for every one of us. At our dealerships, we encourage our customers to look at vehicles that will fit their needs and are affordable. If we show our customers a more expensive car than they can afford then we are doing no favors to anyone. I believe it’s time for all of us to live within our means and enjoy the comfort once again of having a little dough in the bank. This is where I’m at and based on the choices our customers are making I don’t think I’m alone.

Bypass the rest and deal with the best!!

If you’ve listened to our recent adds you’ve heard me say “bypass the rest and deal with the best” I’d like to elaborate on this a bit. We all know there are a ton of dealers out there many of which have claimed over the years to be able to help folks with less than perfect credit. You’ll see little banners on their lot’s from time to time saying 100% credit approval or credit repair or whatever. You may have noticed less and less of these banners around lately. The fact is it is now more difficult to get folks with less than perfect credit into the right car at the right price. So what happens when something becomes more difficult? It flushes out the people that can’t or aren’t willing to do the work it takes to get the job done. It separates the men from the boys. It shows to the world who’s committed to what they do no matter what verses the people who are in it as long as it’s easy and takes no real know how or skill.For over nine years our organization has specialized in helping folks with less than perfect credit get into cars they like at payments they can afford. We did it from the first day we opened our doors and we do it today. You can go have your credit pulled by dealers that really don’t know what they’re doing. You can have them show you cars that you don’t like, can’t afford or won’t be able to get approved on or you can work with experts in the field that will simply accomplish what you need accomplished. This is what we do folks. We have a process that’s simply the best around. We have developed relationships with our lenders that have stood the test of good times and bad and I can assure you no other dealer will work harder to get you into the vehicle you need at payments you can afford. So bypass the rest and deal with the best! Get in touch with us today. I hope you’ve tried to work with other dealers because when you work with us, you’ll see an immediate difference.

Nick I was at your dealership today and noticed you guys are busy! What’s your secret?

You know we have been busy. Things were quiet for us in October and November but they’ve really picked up in December and January and I think there are several reasons for the increase in business and traffic.First of all, not to blow our own horn but we are very good at what we do. We really are better than anyone at figuring out which vehicles work best for you the customer and structuring the loans so they work for the lenders and for your budget. We’ve been doing this for nine years and you’ll immediately see when you start the car buying process with us we are professionals we are experts and we get things done very efficiently. Word travels fast and if you have a good reputation people are inevitably going to check it out for themselves. It’s nice to do business with people that know what they’re doing and we’re pretty dang good at what we do!Secondly, there’s a lot of doom and gloom out there. Not a day goes by where you hear don’t some kind of negativity in the news and it can certainly get a person down if you buy into it. Unfortunately I believe many of our competitors have bought into the idea that folks with less than perfect credit can no longer get approved on cars and as a result they’ve given up. They honestly don’t even try to work with those customers. Now I’m not going to fluff you: It is tougher to get folks approved than it was say in the height of the mortgage and banking frenzy where anyone and I mean anyone could get approved but it’s certainly not even close to as difficult as some would have you believe. There are some excellent programs out there for folks with limited or no down and credit difficulties and we have access to them all. Don’t believe for one second that if you have less than perfect credit we can’t get you approved. We’re doing it every single day and we can do it for you.And finally, no matter how bad it is out there (or how bad people THINK it is) we all depend on our cars to conduct our daily lives. It’s simply impossible to function in today’s society without reliable transportation and I think we’re seeing some pent up demand for cars. People woke up one day and said you know what yes it’s tough out there but I still have a job, there’s still money in the bank and I’m still driving a car that’s no longer fitting my needs so it’s time to do some car shopping.Folks, I’m under no delusions here. Times are tough for many of us but the fact of the matter is if you need a car or if your current car situation’s not working for you don’t let the tough times stop you from seeing what we can do for you and what we’re all about. We appreciate everyone who’s bought from us and shops with us and we’ll continue to not jerk people around!

Hey Nick, are you doing any holiday promotions?

Great question. We have so many exciting promotions going on right now I don’t know where to begin. In our service department we have a special to get your vehicle ready for the winter season. Bring your car into our service department, and for only $19.95 we will change your oil, inspect and rotate your tires, check your coolant, service your battery, inspect your belts and hoses, top off all your fluids, and wash your car! This is a smoking deal folks! Call 886-1700 and schedule your appointment today. In our sales department, we will be giving gifts certificates worth up to $200 at Sears just for taking a test drive and every Saturday night we will be giving away a free shopping spree worth $1000.00 just in time for the Christmas season. So come on down today folks! There’s no purchase necessary. It’s our way of saying thanks to you.Also, if you bring in a can of food, West Valley Auto Plaza will match that can of food and donate it to the Utah Food Bank. With all the turmoil going on out there this is an especially needy year so bring down some food!Finally, I have personally never seen prices on cars so low. I know it’s said all the time everywhere but this is an especially good time to be shopping for a car. Take a look at some of our prices and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s just a great time to be in the market. Here is just one example. We have a great selection of 2007 Dodge Durangos. These SUV’s would have sold for $17000 to $19000 just a few months ago. They’re starting at $12999. Those kinds of prices are just unheard of. Give our awesome sales staff a call right away to schedule your appointment.Folks, we realize times are tough right now. What that means to me is we’ve got to work harder than ever to make sure you’re 100% satisfied with our services. I appreciate you taking the time to check out what we have to offer. We will work harder than anyone to take care of you and we won’t jerk you around!