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Archive for November, 2010

What is your greatest hurdle when starting an auto repair business on a shoe string? Beyond your tools, beyond your space, beyond the constant need to check and double check your books your biggest hurdle will be getting the word out.

How do I know this? Because I work with shops who have been in business for decades and they still have a problem keeping the car count up!

In this day and age word of mouth (WoM) is the most powerful tool you have. However, WoM has changed. We’re now seeing reports from shop owners, in the same place servicing the same customers for over 35 years who are seeing drop offs in their numbers.

Is this how you want to launch your new venture?

Starting An Auto Repair Business On A Shoe String – #1 Mistake You Must Avoid

Before I give you some information on what you should look into in order to be successful starting an auto repair business on a shoe string, there is one thing you must NOT do.

GET OUT OF THE PHONEBOOK!!!!

The phonebook is the #1 way you will dump scads of cash down the drain and never see any return. Frequently when we interview new clients we ask them what they do to get their names out there. We hear: direct mail, coupons, internet… but very infrequently will anyone mention the phonebook.

So we ask directly. And they say “Yes, of course we’re in the phonebook!”

The phonebook has become something most shop owners ‘just do’. I have to admit, that’s some amazing persuasive force those phonebook folks have on the auto repair industry! But like so many other rituals, it has simply become a costly and completely useless tradition.

You can live without it. Like they say with drugs: Just say no.

Here are some hard, cold facts about phonebook advertising: Read the rest of this entry »

It would be important to face the fact that many sport utility vehicles are gas gazzlers –but if as the buyer you choose carefully, you can find a compact or mid-size SUV that gets you a good gas mileage. A car will not consume as much as an SUV but most people will readily trade of their valued car with an SUV. The SUV are commonly regarded as the flamboyant vehicles that consume lots of fuel. The rise in SUV drivers has been instrumental in increasing the cost of fuels. These sport utility vehicles uses large amounts of gas as fuel. We can categorize them as the trucks; though they do appear to be passenger cars. SUVs have always been high maintenance vehicles. You should follow some tips to get the best gas mileage from your SUV.

If we look towards the estimates given by the SUV gas mileage, then we will observe the impact of gas mileage of SUV on the market. Making the automobile industries reconsider the designs of this luxury vehicle to facilitate best gas mileage in an SUV.

In the year of 2007, the best gas mileage of SUV was from Ford Escape. This best mileage Sport Utility Vehicle is the front wheel drive version of the Ford Escape, which runs around 31 cities and the mileage is 29 highway miles per gallon. Where as four wheel drive version gives result for 28 cities and around 27 highways.

Another version of Escape that is The Mariner, Mercury’s version, will give same mileage. All Ford and Mercury hybrid SUVs have four cylinder engines of around 2.3 liters, and are accompanied with CVT automatic transmission. This is a good start for the Ford as it is always searching to counterbalance estimates that are produced by the V-8s that are offered in journey and voyager.

Other vehicles that are tagging along with Ford are Lexus and Toyota. These two vehicle brands have a very high MPG pair of hybrid cousin. Lexus RX 400h with its two-wheel drive version and the version Toyota Highlander Hybrid both are having 3.3 liters of six cylinders engine to CVT automation will give result for 28 cities and 25 highway miles. Another version, which is 4WD of RX 400hand the highlander Hybrid is little less than this and claims to give the satisfaction of going around 27 cities and 25 highways using very little fuel.

All above mentioned estimates are of the Sports Utility Vehicles but some cars like Saturn Vue Hybrid shows these entire features in the general vehicles or motors which gives us a ride of about 23 cities and 29 highways. If we look towards the GMs history along with EV1 electric, we can expect lot more things in very short span of time. These all sport utilities vehicles described above are the best gas mileage sport utilities vehicles. These are made such as to consume less gas as fuel and hence they will give the high mileage. Best gas mileage you can get from an SUV will depend entirely on its manufacturer.

Car rentals are a great and safe way to travel. For a family who is always trying to save money they are very inexpensive. By using a rental car to do your traveling instead of flying, you could cut your trip costs in half! Perhaps even be able to afford two summer vacation trips instead of just one! So instead of flying to Florida, you could drive with one way car rentals. Drop the car off while in Florida, rent a new car when you want to come home and drop that car off when you get home at the nearest place. Then next month when normally you wouldn’t be able to afford a family trip to Vegas, you now can with one way car rentals! You could pick up your rental car at your nearest location, then drive it down to Vegas and drop it off by mapping out the closest location there to save money. Site see with the family and use the tour bus’ all week, then have another rental car waiting in Vegas to drive you and the family home with; then when you get home take the car you rented in Vegas and drop it off at the closest rental car place to where you live. It is that simple for a one way car rental!

Are you not planning a trip with the family? But you have a big date coming up? Well car rentals are so affordable that you could rent a car for that big date. Rent the car for the night, impress them, and then return the car in the morning and with one way car rentals if things go well and you stay over at their house if there is another car rental dealership closer to their home drop it off at that one instead! There are all kinds of rental cars for all occasions, so the hardest part about renting a car is picking out which one you want! I bet you never thought it could be that easy.

One way car rentals not only save you money, but they are more convenient too! Think about how easy it is to rent a car and drop it off at any of the several locations available instead of worrying about taking it back to rental place you originally got the car from. It is simple saves you time and effort and money! So next time you are thinking flying somewhere for a trip, think about a rental car instead! It is that easy!