What Not

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.

• Buick (1993-2009, 2010)
• Mercedes-Benz (2000-2010)
• MINI Cooper (2002-2009)
• SAAB (2000-09)
• Volvo (1965-2011)

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.

I’ve had the privilege of driving some fun cars recently. The first was a Mercedes-Benz SLK280, which is a tiny car with a hard-top convertible. I took I-90 home from work with the top down and the side windows up and the noise wasn’t bad at all. Then today, I took the 2011 Volvo C30 R-Design to the Lake County Captains stadium to pick up our tickets. The parking space was perfect for a quick picture. Both were very nice rides (but probably better for someone without a family).

Click here to visit the show’s site.

P.S. Doesn’t the host remind you of Uncle Bob?

I’m taking an online class regarding the AMG performance group of Mercedes-Benz this evening. It has been an interesting class so far. For instance, AMG engines are hand-built by one technician. With the number of cars being produced by most car companies, you can imagine that there is only a small group of cars that have this advantage. The course lists only six other specific cars that can claim this.

• Maybach 5.5 bi-turbo V-12, 6.0 AMG bi-turbo V-12
• Corvette Z06 7.0 V-8, ZR-1 6.2 Supercharged V-8
• Nissan GTR 3.8 twin turbo V-6
• Pagani Zonda 7.3 AMG twin turbo V-12
• Bentley Arnage-Brooklands 6.75 turbo V-8
• Aston martin 4.7 V-8, 6.0 V-12

That’s definitely an advantage that sets these models apart from all other vehicles. Most engines are produced on an assembly line quickly in an efficient way. But knowing that an AMG engine is hand-built adds to the idea that you’re getting something special. It’s kind of like the difference between mopping the floor or getting down on your hands and knees and scrubbing it clean. The latter almost guarantees better results. But as nice as it is to know that these engines are hand-built, I have a lingering suspicion that the list above is not complete.

Q: What other brand hand-builds its engines?
A: ???