auto buying tips

Its been a while since I’ve posted. Between running the lot and the recent NADA (National Automobile Dealer’s Association) convention in New Orleans, I’ve had very little time to devote to any writing except that I do for my main website.

The good news is the car business is still alive and kicking and NADA 2009 was fun, informative, and uplifting. After four days of speaking with other dealers, auto industry vendors, auto sales specialists, manufacturer representatives and prominent public figures I couldn’t help but leave with the feeling that, though times are tough, they will be getting better for the Auto Industry soon.

Well, anyway, I’m back and ready to continue trying to bring readers quality links to useful automotive information and fun, entertaining car related posts and videos.

Today I thought I might look around the internet to see what kind of car buying tips and advice were out there. What I found was a treasure trove of useful information available to any consumer who desires it. The number one best weapon the consumer has when it comes to getting the best possible deal on a new or used car or truck is information. And with these sites, there are volumes of information at every consumers fingertips. Check out these links and make sure the next time you are considering purchasing a new or used car or truck you know how to deal with the dealers.

First of are the automobile tips and advice at bradyourcarguy.com, of course, not just because its mine, but because I am a car dealer and it is my hope that the information I provide to consumers is useful to them in getting the best possible deal whether it is from me or from another dealer where ever the reader may live.

Another useful resource is the aptly named carbuyingtips.com. Though not set up for ease of navigation or any aesthetic value whatsoever, if you spend some time looking around there is a ton of information available on everything from hybrid car buying tips to links to government sites and used car history reports.

Next we have aol autos car buying advice. Everyone knows AOL but not everyone realizes that they have one of the better automotive information resources on the internet. From advice and tips to reviews and pricing information to used and new car listing aol autos is a great consumer resource as well as an entertaining place to read and see what is going on in the automotive world.

And finally we have the car buying tips at Tony Iorio’s Insidercarsecrets.com. Tony is a automotive professional who dispenses thirty seven years of acquired knowledge to anyone who wants to learn. His featured question and answer section is a highlight of the site and the answers he provides there are bound to be useful to anyone who is in the market for a new or used vehicle.

I hope you find all these resources useful. Drop a comment and let me know about any other sources of information you may think are deserving of a little recognition of their own. And most of all, make sure you arm yourself with all the information available before deciding on your next new or used car or truck purchase.

Yep, this time of year may mean Christmas is over and our new years resolutions have all been made and, most likely, already broken, but it also means something else. For the auto enthusiasts this time of year means NAIAS in Detroit, or as it is commonloy called, the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

This is the time of year car fans all over the US get let in on all the upcoming models and updates. We get peeks into the manufacturers development rooms through concept cars and learn all the new specs on the new year models. Yerp, for the car enthusisast an auto show is like a candy store and NAIAS Detroit is like Wonka’s factory.

Of course we can’t all travel to detroit for the show but in this age of the internet we don’t have to. Through modern technology the auto show is now at the tips of everyone’s fingers through hundreds of reports streaming in from media sources of all makes and models. Instant information on all the premiers and hoopla is no further away than your keyboard.

Here are a few sources of NAIAS information for you to check out. Also do your own searches and you should be able to find so much info, you won’t even realize you aren’t there yourself.

MLive is a great source of information for verything Michigan and The Detroit Auto Show gets lots of coverage.

Of course, you can always count on Road and Track to have great coverage of anything automotive.

And during these economic times you might find Business Week’s take on the show imteresting, as well.

When your all up to date make sure to stop by Autoblog and cast your vote for the Best in Show of the new premiers.

But most of all enjoy looking at and reading about all the new models. Cars are all about fun and this years auto show looks to have a lot of fun to offer.

top ten

So, after making this life altering decision, I sat wondering, “Car Hombre,” I thought (sometimes I like to pretend I’m Spanish), “what would be an appropriate top ten list for a car guy like you to write on your car related blog”. Then, suddenly, in a blinding flash of obviousness, it came to me. “A car related top ten list would be perfect”. Actually it was more along the lines of “A los automóviles de diez lista sería perfecto”, but you get the point.

Anyway.

When I went onto the internets and looked at current top ten lists, I noticed that auto related top ten lists were already all over the place. I then started to wonder what possible interest could the auto public have in another top ten list. And that’s when the real stroke of moderate creativity hit me. “I’ll make a top ten list of auto top ten lists,” I thought.

So to make a story that has become unduly long, and by no small measure odd, a little shorter and, well its too late to do anything about the odd. Once that cat gets out of the dryer as they say. Or maybe I’m the ony one who says that.

Where was I… Oh yeah. Here we are

Brad Your Car Guy’s Top Ten List of Auto Related Top Ten Lists

(or as it will be referred to forever more BYCGTTLARTTLs)

10. The Top 10 Worst Car Thief Cities in the US Does that mean the worst car thieves live in those cities, those are the worst cities for car theives to live in or those are the cities with the most theived (?) cars?

9. If you live in one of those cities and drive one of these Top Ten Least Stolen Vehicles for 2008 Then you shouldn’t have any worries about someone taking your car.

8. But you would still have to watch out for the Top Ten Car Dealer Scams because car theives aren’t the only people out to get you.

7. There are also lists for top cars from well established makers like The Top Ten Fords of All Time. (This guy is an awesome writer too.)

6. And lists of lesser known auto offerings like The Top Ten New Eco and Exotic Car Companies. As you might have gleaned from the title, these companies are both exotic and eco.

5. I would take any car on the Top Ten Most Expensive cars in the World list for the re-sale value alone.

4. Maybe then it would end up on theThe Top Ten Vehicles Owned by Billionaires (shouldn’t that actually be the Vehicles Owned by the Top Ten Billionaires) list and I could retire to spend my days skiing with a glass of wine in my hand. (Don’t try that at home)

3. I’m suprised more of those guys don’t shop from the Top Ten Fastest Cars in the World list. Although no sense putting yourself in unnecessary danger when you are worth gigabucks.

2. As cool as all those cars are I’m still more interested in The Top Ten SEMA Hot Rods because you just can’t have enough gold metallic paint, chrome or flames on a car.

1. Of course top ten lists are all about fun as are the Top Ten Craziest Concept Cars of All Time, and as was this list.

Have a great day and I’ll see you around the lot.

Yeah, I know, they are a pain to make and even more of a pain to keep. You spend all that time soul searching to try and find ways to improve yourself only to spend the next day smoking cigarettes and eating chocolate cake.

Well, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled a little resolution bank so that you now longer have to rack your brain to come up with good resolutions on your own. Give these resolutions a perusing and pick out a few thereby saving valuable time you could spend watching bowl games.

here is a list of the Top ten resolutions. Just pick a couple you think will be easy to keep and, tada, its football time.

Top 10 New Years Resolutions for 2009

Top 10 New Years Resolutions for 2009. … Top 10 New Years Resolutions for 2009 ·

Here’s a short snippet of one persons resolutions followed by many more people’s input. Just remember if you use the resolutions to personalize them. You wouldn’t want to visit someone else’s relatives in Indiana more often.

Resolved: Resolutions I Hope To Keep In 2009 | Secrets of the City

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, and when I do, I stay clear of the usual suspects (loose weight, go to gym more often). This New Year, I am resolved to make some resolutions. First, I plan on visiting my family in Indiana…

Then there are these (my personal favorites):

Brad-Your Car Guy-New Year’s Resolutions –

5 helpful auto related resolutions to make your new year safe, thrifty, and eco-friendly…

And least and last here a five ways to help you keep those resolutions. not overly important to most people but hey maybe if you make a resolution to keep your resolutions this will b.. but then you might need to resolve to keep the resolution to keep your resolutions and… I need to resolve to quit thinking. Anyway, here

5 Tips to Make Your Resolutions Stick! On Psych Central – Beyond Blue

My buddy John Grohol over at PsychCentral.com published my 5 tips to make your resolutions stick. You can visit them there, or review them here. I know what you’re thinking: another cheesy, goody-two-shoes article on how I can keep all.

I hope you find these tips helpful. And, even more, I hope you have a …

Happy New Year

Monet receiving Christmas present 2007

or this happy

Shannen’s Christmas Gift

Now that’s a great Christmas. I’ve heard someone else is having a great Christmas as well. Read Santa’s Magical Ford Christmas to see for yourself.

I recently wrote an article on what to look for when purchasing a used Ford Mustang and thought that I would use todays post as a sort of video tribute to this all American superstar sportscar. After scanning the web far and wide, looking from corner to corner of youtube I have come up with a few cool Mustang videos. If you have any cool videos of your own, or know of any, feel free to post a link in the comments. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy a little Mustang viewing.

I thought I’d start with a cool look at the Mustang Bullitt. Where do I sign up for this job?

Ford Mustang Bullitt Test Drive

Next, here is a look back with a commercial from 1967.

1967 Ford Mustang (commercial)

And here is a video on the Parnelli Jones Saleen. Awesome!

Ford Mustang Saleen BOSS 302

And finally I leave you with a little signature from the 2010 Mustang itself. Sweet.

2010 Ford Mustang – Burnout!

9. Ford F-150 ’2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle’.

8. Ford Fusion vs Chevy Malibu — Safety

7. Don’t remember learning about Henry Chevrolet in history class.

6. Reliability.

5.

Ford

Chevy

4. Ford Mustang – best selling sports car for 22 straight years.

3. Count the Chevys.

2. Ford to refuse federal loans — Ford planned its shift to smaller, more fuel efficient cars over two years ago, and the Blue Oval even organized its own line of credit with major financial institutions in 2006 to the tune of almost $24 billion. This early line of credit allowed the manufacturer to shift production to its smaller cars and promote research and development into fuel saving technologies..

1. There is no Doenges Chevrolet.

Feel free to leave a comment adding any reasons you think should have made the list and, if you are interested in another great top ten list, check out Top Ten Used Cars.

Also check out this video by NBC news. Its a look at the local auto dealerships and the way they affect the local community. Interesting.

But discontinued it is and the news of the Taurus’s departure has been spreading across the internet like wildfire. Today, I thought I might take a look around and see what people are saying about this news.

I actually have an article of my own posted about the Ford Taurus X which serves as both a review of the vehicle, for those interested in getting one before they are gone, and news of the crossover’s departure.

At carbuyersnotebook.com Chris says if you want a Taurus X you’d better get one now.

At kicking tires they mention that even with the news of the X’s demise the unveiling of the new Taurus is schedules for the Detroit Auto Show.
KickingTires: Ford Taurus X, Mercury Sable Cancellations Confirmed

Reports hit the web last week that not only was the Taurus X crossover expected to be terminated this spring, but that the long-running Mercury Sable sedan would cease production at the same time. This morning, Ford confirmed that news …

And a poster at carnewsarticles.com notes that this is sad news for many families who love their spacious Taurus X.

I agree. But with every departure there is an arrival and with this departure the new Ford Flex  is given more room to shine. Once families get familiar with Ford’s newest crossover I’m sure they will find it a worthy vehicle in its own right.