You’ve always wanted to be different. You like to stand out in a crowd. So, you did it. And why not? Flames on a minivan are very cool. And don’t worry too much. Your wife will appreciate the extra attention as she carts kids to and from boy scout meetings. And if you’re worried just let the kids help. It’s all about quality time together, right?
Just do it.
After seeing my first Chevy Corvair, I became a fan of rear-engine vehicles. There’s just something “different” about having the engine in the rear of your car. Today, I found out that Mercedes-Benz was doing this long before Chevy. Mercedes-Benz actually produced several rear-engined production vehicles. You can read about them on page 18 of the July/August 2010 edition of THE STAR. They were the 1934 Type 130, 1935 Type 150, and 1936 Type 170H. Apparently, they were taken out of storage for a recent press event in Irvine, California.
Seeing those cars made me wonder if other brands have done the same. Can you think of any besides Volkswagen?
When we recently took in this 2005 Lotus Elise as a trade-in, one of the managers took me for a couple of laps around the building. Pretty cool. However, let me just say that this is the type of car you have to plan your entry and exit. The car sits only 3.6 feet off the ground and for someone of my size, it was a rather awkward experience. But, I have to admit, once I got inside, it was a comfortable fit … comfortable, that is, if you like go-karts!
While there’s not much to write home about comfort-wise, this dinky car excels at the race track. According to Motor Trend, the Elise held the speed record for slalom in 2005. It’s 73.2 mph record beat out the Porsche Boxster S and the Ferrari Challenge Stradale. That’s pretty good, especially when you consider that the Elise is powered by a 190 hp Toyota-sourced 4-cylinder.
I’m pretty sure we already have a buyer lined up for it. But if you are seriously interested, contact me and I’ll see what can be done.
For the summer Leikin Motor Companies was looking to hire an in-house photographer to take pictures of new and used vehicles. Our goal was to find someone who could take pictures and get them to our website as quickly as possible. Sound like a simple job, right? It’s not as easy as it seems. After all, photography is an art. And seeing that a picture can either make or break the deal, we had to have someone we could trust. Thankfully, we found a good photographer.
Brett Leikin is currently a college student at Ohio University. During his summer break he has been taking pictures of new and pre-owned vehicles for the dealership. Take a look at the website and you will notice the quality of pictures that he is providing for the dealership. I wouldn’t be surprised if he dropped out of school for this job. It’s that good! Actually, he will be returning to college at the end of the summer. But who knows? Maybe this could turn in to a career.
Our neighbors are moving away and that’s got us all reminiscing about our good memories together. My wife went through our neighborhood pics on my other blog and tonight I decided to look through a few from High Maintenance. Here’s what I found:
My Little Helper
The boys, the Jag, and the branch
Neighborhood Driving Lessons
Where's my owner's manual?
What happens if you have a question about your car and the owner’s manual is missing? Some people go to the dealership and purchase one for $50-80. Others visit eBay and save a few clams. But what happens if you only want to spend $20? Not going to happen, right? Until today, I would have agreed. Owner’s manuals just don’t grow on trees. But today I found that they can be downloaded free of charge.
Very nice.
I’ve been thinking about the emails we send out through our CRM for a while. We have communicated well, but I had the feeling that dressing up the emails with some graphics could set us apart from the other dealerships in the area. I didn’t want something that would look overwhelming, but knew that plain emails look … well … plain! So, in an attempt to dress up our online communications, I developed an email header that is simple but informative.
What do you think? Does it accomplish enough? Need more? less? Start over again? Let me know your thoughts!
Leikin Motor Companies is looking for professional salespeople with upscale sales experience to join their Mercedes-Benz sales team. We offer a small sales force, salary, commission, bonuses, demo, 401k, no Sundays, and healthcare. If you are hard working, computer literate, and dedicated to the customer and the store, you will not be disappointed with this opportunity.
Click here to fill out an application.