“Food vending truck burglarized outside Myrtle Beach hotel - The Sun News” plus 4 more |
- Food vending truck burglarized outside Myrtle Beach hotel - The Sun News
- 'Clunkers' are many auto dealers' bread and butter - Times Herald-Record
- George Michael Arrested Following Auto Accident - Starpulse.com
- Founder says mobile tire service is all about convenience - Boston Globe
- Cash for Clunkers moves cars at West Volusia lots - DeLand-Deltona Beacon
| Food vending truck burglarized outside Myrtle Beach hotel - The Sun News Posted: 15 Aug 2009 03:49 AM PDT |
| 'Clunkers' are many auto dealers' bread and butter - Times Herald-Record Posted: 15 Aug 2009 07:59 AM PDT
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RICHMOND, Va. — One man's clunker is another man's meal ticket. Mom and Pop used-car dealers are feeling the crunch as the old Caravans and Cherokees that provide their livelihood get traded in and banished to junkyards under Cash for Clunkers. By some estimates, three of every five of the used cars turned in for government rebates would have ended up on used car lots or resold for parts. While the Clunkers program helped push sales of new cars in July to the highest level in nearly a year, sales of used cars have taken a beating. Donations downCharities say "Cash for Clunkers" is hurting their income. Page 43 "We're struggling and a lot of us small guys are going out of business," said James Dameron, sales and finance manager at Chase Motors in suburban Richmond, where sales are down about 30 percent. Repercussions felt quicklyAbout 40 million used vehicles are sold a year, four times the number of new cars, said Keith Whann, an industry expert and chief executive of Columbus Fair Auto Auction in Columbus, Ohio. About a third of the used sales come from independent dealers. Mom and Pop dealers typically sell just 20 to 25 vehicles a month and keep 40 to 45 vehicles on their lots, a fraction of the inventory for bigger dealerships, Whann said. So when the owner of a 1995 Ford Explorer opts for a new car, and the old SUV goes away forever, the repercussions are felt quickly — especially for a majority of these dealers who have fewer than six employees. Even before the clunkers program, the market for used cars was the worst it's been in years. Fluctuation in gas prices and higher prices at car auctions, where used car dealers get most of their supply, made the market volatile. Customers held onto older cars longer, making it more difficult to get trade-ins to beef up inventory. Under the popular program, drivers get up to $4,500 for turning in a car or truck that got 18 miles per gallon or less when it was new. In exchange, they get a new ride with better mileage.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| George Michael Arrested Following Auto Accident - Starpulse.com Posted: 15 Aug 2009 05:57 AM PDT  George Michael was arrested on Friday after he was involved in a car crash with a truck - just two months after he got his license back following a two-year driving ban.The "Faith" hit-maker was reportedly quizzed by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after his Land Rover collided with the vehicle in Berkshire, England. According to a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police, he was released without charge after five hours. The rep says, "The driver of the Land Rover, a 46-year-old man, was arrested at the scene and taken into police custody. He was later released without charge." The incident comes just weeks after authorities handed the singer his license back in June. He was banned from driving for two years in 2007 when he was twice found slumped behind the wheel of his parked car in London. Michael subsequently pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs and later admitted an addiction to marijuana.
 Image © Solarpix / Photorazzi     
(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)
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| Founder says mobile tire service is all about convenience - Boston Globe Posted: 15 Aug 2009 03:41 AM PDT He bought the five-year-old truck from Penske, and outfitted it with a mix of new and used equipment. The tire-changing machine and wheel balancer would have each cost about $7,500 new, he explains. By purchasing them from a Dodge dealership that was being closed, he got them for less than half that. The entire rig, truck and all, cost about $40,000, Nugent estimates. He said each truck and driver can do about five jobs a day. Right now, the truck does a job or two on a typical day. "My goal is to have 20 trucks in five years,'' he says.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Cash for Clunkers moves cars at West Volusia lots - DeLand-Deltona Beacon Posted: 15 Aug 2009 06:33 AM PDT  BEACON PHOTO/PAT HATFIELD
 BEACON PHOTO/PAT HATFIELD
 BEACON PHOTO/PAT HATFIELD
By Pat Hatfield posted Aug 13, 2009 - 9:14:13am DeLand-area auto dealers and customers are putting the federal Car Allowance Rebate System, better known as "Cash for Clunkers," to work. The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) was designed to breathe a whiff of fresh life into the ailing auto industry, and stimulate the economy with auto sales. At the same time, it is supposed to remove emission-producing gas hogs from the road. It was such a hit, the $1 billion put into the program July 24 was gone in the first week. Also gone were around 245,000 gas-guzzlers, according to a Reuters report. Clunkers traded under CARS cannot be resold; they must be scrapped. On Aug. 6, the U.S. Senate voted to approve an additional $2 billion, which had already been approved by the U.S. House. President Barack Obama signed off on the second infusion of cash the next morning. In a White House press release, Obama stated, "'Cash for Clunkers' has been a proven success: the initial transactions are generating a more than 50% increase in fuel economy; they are generating $700 to $1000 in annual savings for consumers in reduced gas costs alone; and they are getting the oldest, dirtiest and most air polluting trucks and SUVs off the road for good." Happy dealers DeLand Nissan General Manager Kurt Dye is happy with the program. "It's doing phenomenally," Dye said. As of Aug. 10, DeLand Nissan had moved almost 50 cars off the lot using Cash for Clunkers incentives. In July, Dye made sure he had a good inventory of fuel-efficient vehicles. This month, Dye expects to sell another 155 new cars under Cash for Clunkers. That's compared to an average of 65 or 70 new cars sold per month in recent months. He hopes the funding will last until Labor Day. Program officials believe it will last into September. Only 10 percent of the population owns cars that qualify for Cash for Clunkers, Dye said. He's offering other incentives to people who can't qualify. The second infusion of CARS cash came not a moment too soon for Kaiser Pontiac-Buick-GMC Truck in DeLand. President Fred "Rocky" Kaiser said the dealership approached the program cautiously. The dealership sold two vehicles; then came the July 31 announcement that the $1 billion had already been spent. Kaiser suspended Cash-for-Clunkers sales, not wanting customers to get caught without the assistance they were expecting. On Aug. 7, as soon as the extension went into effect, "We started calling people that had been waiting," he said. By noon Aug. 10, five new cars had been picked up. GMC has targeted Kaiser as one of the dealerships it will close, in October 2010. Kaiser will become a Mahindra dealer, selling vehicles made in India. Farther south on Woodland Boulevard, a newcomer to DeLand's motor mile is also happy with Cash for Clunkers. The Starling family, which already owned a dealership in St. Cloud, took a big gamble last year, buying DeLand's Chevrolet dealership at 2800 S. Woodland Blvd., then spending millions and building a new showroom for Starling Chevrolet-Cadillac. This was when the economy and car sales were both in a decline. "This is a tough business, and always has been," General Manager Jack Starling said. On Aug. 7, Starling was satisfied with the 20-30 cars that had already been sold under CARS, between the two locations. "It benefits everybody," he said. "It enables people to drive new cars and spend less money for gas. For consumers, it's been a very good program." At Hurley Chrysler-Jeep in DeLand, sales manager Tom Bowes said, "We've sold nine under the program. It's definitely drawing in traffic. We're selling cars." Customers have been excited about the program, Bowes said. General Sales Manager Chuck Golden at DeLand Toyota/Scion reported the dealership had sold 24 Cash for Clunkers vehicles. Like Bowes, Golden said the program has spurred other kinds of sales, as well. "When people come on the showroom and there's activity going on, it's contagious," he said. Goodbye, gas-guzzlers According to the U.S. Transportation Department, the top three vehicles turned in under the program were 1996, 1997 and 1998 Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Eight of the Top 10 were SUVs. The other two were minivans. The top seller under the program? The Ford Focus. Coggin DeLand Ford-Lincoln Sales Manager Jeff Barnett confirmed the popularity of the Focus at the local dealership. Barnett said DeLand Coggin Ford has been "swamped" with CARS deals. Other top-selling clunker replacements are the Honda Civic and Fit; Toyota models, including the Corolla, Prius and Camry; the Dodge Caliber; and the Chevy Cobalt. How it works According to the government's Web site, www.cars.gov, these are the rules: • The amount of the credit is $3,500 when the new vehicle gets four to 10 more miles per gallon (mpg) than the old car. The credit goes up to $4,500 if the difference is 10 miles per gallon or better. • Domestic and foreign vehicles can be purchased. • Different requirements apply for work trucks. Vehicles purchased July 1 or later are eligible, though the program didn't formally begin until the last week in July. Check with the dealer if you purchased a vehicle that might be eligible for the credit. Your trade must: • have been manufactured less than 25 years before the date you trade it • have a "new" combined city/highway fuel economy of 18 miles per gallon or less (find your vehicle's rating at www.cars.gov) • be drivable • have been continuously insured and registered to the same owner for the full year preceding the trade-in.
The new vehicle must: • have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $45,000 or less, whether new or leased • be new, not used • get a combined mileage of at least 22 mpg for passenger vehicles, and 18 mpg for most pickups and SUVs. See the Web site for more information on trucks. No voucher is required. The dealer will deduct the credit from the purchase price and get reimbursed by the government. The law requires the traded vehicle to be scrapped, so it cannot be resold and end up back on the streets. That means the trade-in value for your old vehicle probably won't be more than its scrap value, which the dealer is obliged to disclose to you.     Reader CommentsThe comments posted below are posted by readers, not by The Beacon staff. These comments express the views and opinions of the authors, and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster. The comments forum is governed by these rules. Please use the report abuse link if you find offensive comments. Comment on this articleFields marked with a * are required Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The DeLand-Deltona Beacon to read more stories by Pat Hatfield, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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