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Couple of Links

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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If you are a member of Facebook, here are a few pages that might interest you:

  • AndyRupert.com
  • Leikin Mercedes-Benz News
  • Leikin Volvo News

We also have a Leikin Volvo blog with short articles and videos about Volvo happenings.

www.clevelandvolvo.leikinvolvo.com

The nice thing about “liking” these Facebook pages is that a summary of each short article is posted right into your news feed. That way you save time by visiting just one website. In any event, I hope the articles we post are helpful to you. Let me know if there are subjects you would like covered in the future.

Categories: Mercedes, Volvo

QOTD #20 : What brings you back to your car dealership?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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As we have been considering our marketing strategy for the future, this is the question that comes up. What brings you back to your car dealership? Any ideas would be appreciated.

When Shaker SAAB was still in Shaker Heights, I kept going back for a number of reasons: (1) the parts guy was very knowledgeable, (2) the service writer listened and seemed trustworthy, and (3) they had old collector SAABs parked in the service area (I’m a SAAB nut). The dealership had some negatives though. It was located in a poor neighborhood, the building was old and unimpressive, the lot next to the dealership was gravel, and they didn’t have free Cappuccinos or donuts. But something kept me returning to that dealership. I actually wanted my car to have a problem so I could visit as often as possible. They got me to drive from Painesville to Shaker Heights for repairs. I think that says something about their rapport with customers.

P.S. Another related question: What keeps you from returning to a car dealership?

Categories: Question of the Day, SAAB

Could the Volvo P1800 make a come back?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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As you may recall, the P1800 was a two seat coupe produced by Volvo from 1961-73. It was one of those cars that you can’t miss when it drives by. We’ve had several proud owners brings their P1800 to the dealership in original condition. But the most notable visit was from Irv Gordon who has now driven over 2.9 million miles in his 1966 Volvo 1800S! As a testimony to the longevity of Volvo cars, we still have this autographed picture of Irv and his car in our service department.

The P1800 was a great car way back when, but could it ever make a comeback? Some people at Volvo are asking the same question. Back in December, The Leikin Volvo blog reported that “Volvo’s chief designer at its Monitoring and Concept Center has drawn up … sketches of what the iconic sports car might look like if it were in production today.” It reminds me of the continuing desire to bring back the SAAB Sonnet. There’s no guarantee that it will ever happen. But if it did and was based on these sketches, would you buy one?

Categories: Volvo

What’s the Scoop? — 1/24/12

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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  • The entire SAAB museum in Trollhättan has been saved!
  • According to Forbes.com, five of the nine safest 2012 vehicles are sold at Leikin Motor Companies!
  • Is the Volvo S60 T6 R-Design a valid successor to the S60R? Andy Stonehouse thinks so.
  • National Geographic is writing winter car tips? Sure enough.
Categories: Mercedes, Volvo, What's the Scoop?

QOTD #19 : How can I get to a $300/mo car payment?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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After careful consideration, you have $300 per month to finance your next car. How much of a car can you afford? Quite often, customers contact us expecting to finance a $30,000 vehicle for $300/mo.  While that would be a very good deal, it just isn’t realistic. Do the math. Sixty payments of $300 per month totals $18,000 before taxes, interest, and fees. You would actually need more than $16,000 as a down payment to get to a $300 monthly payment on a $30,000 car. And most people are not prepared to put down that much money. While you may feel a bit disappointed or even cheated at the dealership, the truth is that a little homework will save you a some embarrassment.

For example, let’s say that you are looking for a $300 payment including all taxes, fees, discounts, etc. You have $2000 to put down and want a 60 month loan and a 4.99% interest rate. Assuming that your credit score is 730 or better, how much car can you afford to finance?

Using the USBank auto loan calculator, you’ll quickly find the answer.

SALE PRICE

16,565.06

DOC FEE

250.00

SALES TAX @ 6.25%

1,050.94

TITLE/FILING

35.00

TOTAL

17,901.00

DOWNPAYMENT

2,000.00

AMOUNT FINANCED

15,901.00

MONTHS

60

INTEREST RATE

4.99%

MONTHLY PAYMENT

300.00

Is that different than you were thinking? If so, you may want to use the calculator before giving the evil eye to your local car salesman.

Categories: Sales

Mystery Car 103

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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One of my sisters gave me a great book for Christmas, Car Emblems — The Ultimate Guide to Automotive Logos Worldwide by Giles Chapman. It’s a good bathroom reader as most brands are covered in two to four pages (and half of that is pictures). That book introduced me to this interesting car noted most for its interesting front end. Have any idea what it is?

Categories: Mystery Car

How to Fix Foggy Windows

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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In the late 1980′s my buddy and I went everywhere in his 1972 Ford Gran Torino. But one day the fan went out and the interior of the windshield iced up. After scraping for a while, the only thing to do was drive with the windows down. On that particular day, it was not an enjoyable experience. But there was nothing else to do until the fan motor could be repaired.

A far more common problem in northeast Ohio is foggy windows during the winter. You jump into the car with your family and the condensation on the windows keeps you from going anywhere fast. It’s not safe to drive that way but who wants to drive with the windows down mid-January? There’s got to be a better way, but is there? Josh Sadlier of Automotive Forums gives three simple tips to keeping the fog off the inside of your windows. Click here to read his article.

Categories: Maintenance

Mystery Car 102 Revealed

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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Mystery Car 102 is one of my favorite Swedish cars. Being that it’s a wagon makes it all the more desirable for someone with a family. And the fact that this family wagon has 300 hp, AWD, and a 6-speed manual transmission makes it even better! Mystery Car 102 is none other than a 2005 edition of the Volvo V70R — an awesome car by anyone’s standards.

This particular “R” has 145,000 miles but has been well maintained by the previous owner who claims he got 30+ mpg on highway trips. I believe it. Just driving it home one night convinced me that this was the ultimate sleeper. Under normal driving conditions, it feels like a sure-footed economy car but accelerates like a rocket when needed! Did I say that this was an awesome car yet?

Looking for something like this? Click here for more details.

_______________

I looked over the service records and the folder is about 2 inches thick! Every maintenance was done faithfully. The timing belt was changed at 120k miles and the brakes were recently replaced. The only thing that hasn’t been changed yet is the clutch. One of our mechanics told me that it doesn’t need to be done for another 100-150k miles. In other words, this clutch could last until 250-300k miles. So, this is a car that you could safely buy without any qualms.

Categories: Mystery Car, Volvo

Mystery Car 102

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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A customer of mine just traded in Mystery Car 102. It’s a fabulous car that I chose to drive home tonight. Unfortunately, my phone camera was not able to take a very good picture at night. So, the car may be more of a mystery than usual.

Categories: Mystery Car

Interesting Post about Ralph Nader and Auto Safety

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Andy Rupert
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With politics heating up in the US of A, I was reworking my joke about Ralph Nader promising to bring back the Corvair if elected.  But apparently, he’s not running for president this time. In any event, I came across an article about Nader and the Corvair that sheds a new light on his book, the car, and automotive safety. Perhaps he wasn’t such a bad guy afterall.

http://www.tnr.com/blog/timothy-noah/95749/nader-and-the-corvair

In the words of Volvo’s founding fathers, “Cars are driven by people. Therefore the guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo is – and must remain – safety.” I get that … but couldn’t somebody bring back the Corvair anyway?

Categories: Corvair
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