Buying a New/Used Car vs. Maintaining the One You Have - Which Costs More?

by Dennis Sweet, Cars for Keeps Customer Service Manager

Hello again!

I hope all of you are having a great summer. Here at the shop, we've noticed a change in our customers' auto repair trends over the last several months. It seems that more people are putting more of their financial resources into fixing the cars that they already own, rather than buying new (or used) cars.

New/used cars: to buy or not to buy.

Maybe it's just because we're an auto repair shop named "Cars for Keeps", but repairing and maintaining the vehicle you already own makes a lot of sense to us. By maintaining your current vehicle rather than buying a new/used car, you can be assured you know some or all of
the vehicle's service history. You know how it has been driven and where, and you also know what its "quirks" are.

Ideally, buying a brand new car would ensure there's "no service history", but you may also be signing up for system bugs and problems (did someone say Honda brakes?) the manufacturer hasn't yet found. If you by a used vehicle, its history and quirks will be known to you little - if at all.

Most used vehicles need anywhere from $2000 to $4000 worth of work to get them back
in the shape they should be in. Maintaining the vehicle that you already have, on the other hand, keeps the repairs down and no payments or interest. New vehicles often require you service your new car at dealerships, which are famous for being overpriced, to maintain vehicle warranties.

So if you've been thinking of getting rid of your vehicle in exchange for another one, we encourage you to weigh the decision carefully. Is it going to be more cost-effective in the long run to fix up the car you own, or to start all over on new or used car?

If you have any questions about how much it would cost to fix up your current vehicle - or what kind of repairs would be needed on a new-to-you used vehicle - we'd be happy to give you a free quote. Give us a call or stop by.

Your friendly neighbor Service Manager,
Dennis

A Woman’s Point of View: Back to School

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager

All you parents have probably noticed how your lives revolve around your kids. When they were born, you gave up sleep. When they were toddlers, you gave up any kind of social life. When they started school, you gave up your sporty car for that van. When they reached teen-hood, you gave up your schedule in favor of their schedule. When they started college, you gave up your life’s savings.

Oh but, what you have gotten back is priceless! All the back-talk, all the sass, all the temper tantrums are strangely forgotten when you see them in that cap and gown, or watch them perform in the orchestra, or watch them do what is right instead of what they have a right to do. You parents are truly heroes in this world.

So, once again the circle comes around and it is time to send the kiddies back to school. Whether you are bravely watching them let go of your hand and walk into school all by themselves, or more bravely watching them drive off to college by themselves, you hold panic back by going over the list of everything you have done to prepare them and seeing to their safety and welfare while they are out of your sight. Yes, a lot of it involves your car(s). Picking up, dropping off or sending off, you want that car to be in top condition.

We at Cars For Keeps can help you with that. If you are a Facebook Cars For Keeps Fan, you will see our coupons and specials as they are released, PLUS get Special deals for fans only! Savings on brakes, tires, maintenance, cooling and heating, and more are yours to be had with the touch of a Facebook button.

Welcome Back to School. Is your car ready?

A Woman’s Point of View: Tar a la mode

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps office Manager

One day last week I was innocently driving along, thinking everything was right with the world when, suddenly, there came a very loud ‘thunking’ from my rear tire. The sounds coming from the wheel well reminded me of rocks in a rock tumbler. All that racket simply shattered my peaceful afternoon drive. It’s amazing how quickly a person’s mood can go from contentment to irritated.

I arrived home to discover that I had picked up a rather large chunk of patching tar on my rear wheel. It was covering about a quarter of my tire and was firmly ground into all the little valleys and crevasses. Talk about Gunk! That stuff is worse than chewing gum. Which reminds me that I sat on some gum last weekend, but that's another story.

Anyway, I got out a screwdriver and some rags and patiently started to chip away at it. After ten minutes of scraping this incredibly sticky substance, I deduced that this stuff could hold the space shuttle together. After another ten minutes of strenuous scraping my mood plummeted from irritated to downright grumpy. I had cleaned a spot about the size of a quarter. OK, so physical labor is not going to do this job. It was time to use logic mixed with a healthy dose of slyness.

I found a can of something in my craft supplies called Oops. I read the directions with anticipation and, Yes, it says it removes tar. I squirted that whole can onto my tire. It softened that tar to the consistency of ---well, soft tar, which was enough to let me scrape the rest of it off in about an hour. By the time the job was done my mood had hit rock bottom. Only one remedy for that. You guessed it. Ice cream liberally covered with chocolate.

PS: I heard, but did not try, that WD40 works pretty well for tar removal too.

Cars, Kids & College: the Benefits of AAA Approved Auto Repair Shops

by Rob Hopp, Cars for Keeps Owner

Sending your child off to college hundreds of miles from home is always an emotional experience.

Sending them with a car adds another level of anxiety.

You get that dreaded phone call. Later than you'd like to hear from them. The wipers don't work. The oil light came on & they kept driving till it stopped. The possibilities are endless.

When your kid and their car are hundreds of miles from home, you don’t have nearly the options that you do with your home shop. The distance factor and not being familiar with the repair facilities in the town where your youngster is going to school puts you (and your child) at a big disadvantage. Hopefully having a game plan for a garage you can feel confident in can help put you at ease.

This is one of the reasons we have taken the steps to become a AAA and Bosch approved auto repair shop. The standards required to get AAA approval help make sure our clients get consistently ethical and qualified service. The internet makes it easy to pare down the choices in a given community. Simply search for AAA Approved auto repair or Bosch service with the zip code or city and you'll find only one or a few in any given locale.

The better shops we’ve dealt with over the years don’t play games on the phone. They don’t toss out a lowball quote they know is not realistic as bait so they can set the hook and reel an unsuspecting client in. They give them a precise quote for parts and labor (if what needs to be replaced is known ), or if they don’t know what’s causing a problem, give some ballpark figures as to what it might cost based on best-case and worst-case scenarios. As a consumer, that’s very reassuring because it empowers you to make a more informed and intelligent repair decision.

A Woman’s Point of View: The Dog Days of Summer

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager

Summers fly by and winters drag. Why is that? I have a theory about that from a woman’s point of view. Winters are cold and silent with the exception of howling winter winds and those pesky ice pellets hitting the window. Then summer comes flowing into our lives with warmth, like embracing arms. The silence of winter turns into bird song, water rippling, leaves rustling and rain whispering on rooftops. The days are long and languid, inviting us outside to read, have picnics, ride our bikes, jog, swim, tend our gardens and to just listen to the sounds of life being created all around us. Summer lifts our spirits and renews our minds.

It can also be really, really hot and muggy, leaving us with delicious problems like how to get that watermelon cold in a hurry, or which bathing suit do I feel like wearing today, or should I go to the beach or the air conditioned mall for the afternoon? Hhhmmmm! Whatever you decide to do, you are going to end up in your car. More decisions. Air conditioning? Windows open, or the top down?

In this age of instant gratification you expect your decision to be carried out with the touch of a button. It would surely spoil your day if you hit that A/C button and get a blast of more hot air in your face, or worse, nothing happens at all. Hopefully this horrible fate never happens to you, but if it does there is a support group to see you through this trauma. Cars For Keeps will correct your unfortunate malfunction quickly and efficiently.

Better yet, at your next oil change, ask us to check your A/C, the windows and make sure that convertible top is performing as it should. Yes, the dog days of summer are upon us and we are so relaxed and laid back that any upset in our lazy days will not be tolerated. So just enjoy.

A Women’s Point of View: A Mid-Summer’s Dream

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager

Sitting at my computer and not feeling a bit inspired to write this weeks’ blog, I find my mind wandering further and further from the task at hand. Waiting for inspiration, I admire my new pedicure with a flower painted on each big toenail, I look out the window and watch a harvest moon rising in the east, I listen to the crickets chirping their little hearts out and dream of a big bowl of popcorn washed down with an ice cold glass of pomegranate juice. Aaahhhh!

Summer has a way of slowing us down and forcing us to take a look at what is important in our lives. A time to dream. A time to wish. A time to feel the sun and enjoy ourselves. As my cat turns circles on my lap and sticks her tail in my face, I sometimes envy her the freedom she has by just being a cat.

But, let’s face it, after a day or two of living a cat’s freedom, I would be bored to tears. I would miss the social interaction with my co-workers and our customers. I would miss the satisfaction every day of feeling that I had really helped someone. We are creatures of action and creativity and we need the stimulation of helping someone solve a problem, or accomplish a task, or just doing something nice for someone simply because we can. Something as common as a smile at the right time has a wonderful healing power, so flash that smile today and feel the zap of optimism rise up within you. As I read over this blog, I realize it describes the atmosphere at Cars For Keeps, so stop by for a smile and/or a hug. They are both free!