See, because of the economy (and the economic hellfire/brimstone/flood/famine/pests preached by the media), people are afraid to spend money. That means they aren't following their usual trade-in-two-years ritual and that means there are fewer used cars out there for us used car dealers to buy. OR, new car dealers have to keep those trades to "retail out of 'em" (i.e. they valued the trades too high to make the deal on the new car and can't sell them on the wholesale market)...so we don't see them, yet they are still priced high. The vehicles we do see that become available to us are going further and further up in price - there just aren't as many of them out there these days. And we're paying through the nose for nice, clean cars. (There are still cheap junkers out there, but they're not at Georgetown Motors.)
Unfortunately, if we used car dealers have to pay more for them, the price will go up on this end, as well, because, of course you already know, used car dealers are millionaires and we want to keep it that way. (That was a JOKE.)
Another 9/11 would drive prices down 'cause the market would again become flooded with used cars due to major manufacturer incentives (high-ranking administration officials have a bit of pull with big corporations to 're-stimulate the economy.'). The other factor that would drive prices down is the price of oil. Right now, the price of a gallon of gas is affecting everything else you and I spend money on (food, goods, services) so we're a bit leery of forking out money for the new gas range or the new gas- guzzling Range Rover. (Can you blame us consumers?? Even my ditzy 15-year old average-student-because-socializing-is-more-important-than-books daughter noticed everything went up by 30 cents in the grocery store...)
The solution? I don't know. (Surprising for me, I always have an answer!)
While looking for articles to link having to do with the latest car news, hands down, news about so-called "green" cars abound. While I am all in favor of saving the planet in a realistic, scientifically-proven way, this "bandwagon" of tiny tin can cars that are about to be pushed down our throats gives "green" a new meaning....it's what it'll be over us when we're pushing up daisies because these things simply are not safe.
As long as there are 18-Wheelers, Tri-Axle dump trucks, Ford Excursions and deer on our roads, I just can't jump on this bandwagon of agreeing with putting "green" cars on the road that get ONLY 33mpg city, yet are similar in size to a golf cart and are built with a steel cage, not a frame.
For a measly increase in fuel economy, the true cost of these 'Smart' cars is potentially deadly. Are you going to put your kids in a car that having a run-in with a deer could possibly be fatal? (That's if you can even get your family into one of these things.) How about getting rear-ended by a Chevy Trailblazer? (run over is more like it.) Sorry, but saving a few extra bucks at the pumps and saving a few extra carbon molecules is not worth the price.
What we're going to see happen is a "softening" of our AMAZING U.S. Automobile Safety Standards in order to accommodate the influx of cheap Asian cars that come equipped with safety belts and air bags, but that are showing to have horrible crash test results (it's for the children, you know). No amount of bubble plastic is going to save you from a lifetime of paralysis after getting hit by the drunk in a Monte Carlo or Ford Taurus. At least if you were in a REAL car that gets 27 mpg (like a nice big, safe Nissan Altima)., you'd definitely have a fighting chance. So would your kids.
Detroit (and other manufacturers) will catch up in a few years by making vehicles that are more fuel economic without sacrificing safety - we, and OUR GOVERNMENT, need to give them a little time to develop and design for it. The Planet isn't suddenly going to blow up and die. Trust me.
In the mean time, what can you do with the price at the pumps? Use your Fuel Perks cards (offered through local grocery stores), ease off on the accelerator, coast down the hills, don't give in to your whims or your kids' whims to 'just run out' to the mall or whatever, coordinate errands to be done all at one time, keep your vehicle tuned up, don't 'fall' for buying one of these tiny unsafe 'green' cars AND....
...Write/call/fax your congress critters and BEG them to ease up on developing OUR OWN oil resources and refineries until automotive engineering progress and development can catch up. It will - over the next 20 or so years as mandated by Congress. Yet, the price of other people's oil keeps going up and our ability to turn it into usable fuel keeps going down. Those 'horrible' Big Oil companies are chomping at the bit to develop drilling and build more refineries in the U.S. which would bring down the cost of our gasoline, our heating oil, our food and just about EVERYTHING else we buy - in turn, we could take those savings and spend 'em at Wal-Mart, thereby 'fueling' the economy.
It's win-win all around. And we can 'ease' into 'Green' safely.
Friday, January 18, 2007
International
Shipping
We've had many inquiries lately regarding international shipping and
what it costs. Look, it ain't cheap - BUT the falling US Dollar and rate
exchanges should be taken into consideration (not to mention the price
of the car and what you'd really be paying based on your country's
currency.) The US Dollar will rise again, so if you are looking to take
advantage of the exchange rate, do it soon.
Let me throw this out there: I just obtained a quote to Dubai, UAE and
the cost - which includes transport from our dealership in Pittsburgh to
Port Elizabeth, New Jersey and then transport via ship in what's called
'open transport' (the car is not in its own container) came in at $2,300
USD. Transport in a closed container came in at $4,500 USD.
Sound expensive? It is. But Georgetown Motors is the
messenger
in this instance, not the company setting the prices. In fact, when we
help coordinate international shipping, it is a royal pain in the rear.
We help simply as an added-value service and charge nothing additional
for the time and aggravation that goes into getting a car 'across the
pond.' We have no control over shipping costs.
We deal with one company for international shipping: Lazy Days
Export & Towing 484-459-0168. The contact's name is Butch.
Website Changes
We've made a ton of changes to the website and we
need your feedback - really. With the availability of all kinds of cool
web-development tools out there, I've been playing around with a few
things. . .but I need to know if they work for you and what you think
about them.
One of the changes you'll notice is to our Home Page...a little
restructuring with some added features. The Showroom page is a little
different with some additional information and some of the actual car
pages are enhanced with slideshows (to music!) as well as links to a
huge photo page.
Let us know what you think...either by
e-mail or by calling us at
412-220-8020. THANKS!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Drop the Top and Leaf Peep in Style
Did you know that fall is typically the time of year that convertible
owners drop the top to enjoy their convertibles? The temperatures are
still warm, but not blistering hot. It's the best way to absorb to
explosion of color and experience the drive and the world around you.
Oh, and I've found that the moment the top comes off, I immediately feel
ten years younger and ten pounds lighter. (Don't read into that!)
There's nothing like the wind in your hair, a favorite CD in the player
and the sun radiating on the soul.
We have a couple of rag tops coming in that will be sure to please: a
2000 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet and
2003 Lexus SC430 Hard-top...two
gorgeous automobiles that'll you'll want to be on the lookout for when
we get them up on the site.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Feel of Fall is in
the Air...
With the kids heading back to school, the sun
noticeably lower in the sky and mums & pumpkins for sale in markets, it
can only mean one thing: summer is over and fall is on its way in. So I
decided to do a little "fall cleaning" with the site to turn this area
into more of a blog than a place for articles.
Since I'm an "old lady" (according to one of our detailers who shall
remain nameless) I'm a little techno-challenged as far as making this an
actual blog with feeds and comments. If you wish to view the "feed"
simply bookmark the page. If you wish to "make a comment," we'll have to
do it the old fashioned way and do it through e-mail
here. Sure, it's a
bit antiquated, but it'll work :)
A lot goes on at Georgetown Motors so my hope is to give you updates on the great cars we get in or that will soon be in and give you a little insight into the life of a small car dealership in a small town.
Saturday, September 1, 2007