OK, you’ve finally gotten through the front end part of buying your car. You have worked hard done some tough negotiating and feel like you have negotiated a good and fair deal on your car purchase and trade-in. Now it’s time to head into the dealer’s F&I (finance and insurance) department and go through the formality of signing the financing paper work on the back end of the deal. You may have noticed a couple of terms: front end and back end. I used these terms to illustrate a point to you. From a car dealer perspective there are two distinct parts (profit centers) to each deal. The front end of the deal is the new car price, your trade in, any dealer add on’s that they got you to buy with your new car, etc. All of this, most everyone is indeed familiar with. The second part of the deal, the back end, is not a place to let your guard down. The back end is the F&I department. The F&I manager is every bit as responsible for making sales numbers and profit margins as everyone else at the dealership and they are sales people NOT financial advisers and their purpose is to help maximize the profit on the deal. Don’t assume that you are going to be offered the best possible interest rate you can get by the F&I manager. Quite the opposite! Adding a point or two (or more) to your contract interest rate above what you qualify for is a serious profit maker for the dealer. Also keep in mind that all of your hard work negotiating your deal on the front end has been by in large verbal and perhaps a handshake. True, as a result, you may have a signed buyers order or worksheet that the salesperson and or manager have signed off on, but it is in the F&I department where all of this gets put into contract form. Stay focused. Some dealers and salespeople may even imply that in order for the deal to get approved, you have to finance through their finance department. You don’t. In fact, if you have done your homework and found a better financing offer, you should take it. At the very least, you know what numbers you qualify for, and as such you should ask the car dealership to try to better what you already have. Read the contract. Sound so basic, but most people don’t. Don’t just assume that everything that you negotiated with the dealership on the front end will make its way to the back end of your car deal. If you’ve had a long day negotiating to get the price you want, don’t give it all back in the F&I department by getting lazy at this very crucial time. Without question, the single biggest mistake car buyers make is failing to prepare. That, and setting your expectation that car buying and the negotiating process within can take at best several hours to accomplish. Know that you are going to be at the dealership for a while can help you stay energized and focused. Do your homework. Know your credit score. Get your financing pre-approved and see if the dealer can beat what you already have. Be familiar with all the areas of potential sales and profit that the dealer can potentially land. Know what extras (if any) you will and will not pay for. Make sure the contract in the F&I department reflects all the negotiations that you have worked to accomplish before hand. Then, finally, remain on your toes and don’t drop your guard once in the F&I department. About The Author Jeff Neilan worked for many years in the automotive industry as a salesman, finance manager, new and used car manager, and general sales manager. With Jeff's working knowledge of car dealerships, car sales, and financing you'll find his articles on getting your best car deal insightful and rewarding when purchasing your next car. Please visit http://www.acarbuyersguide.com for the complete car buying process and more of Jeff's articles.
December 2, 2008
Car Financing – The F&I Department?
November 29, 2008
Touring the Cadillac CTS?
Cadillac’s luxury sports sedan, the Cadillac CTS has been bringing fame to its brand as well as unforgettable experiences for its drivers and passengers. The Cadillac CTS actually stands for “Catera Touring Sedan”. It holds four doors and has the capacity to take in a maximum of five passengers in its spacious cabin. This vehicle has also been made available in two trims which comprise of the 2.8 L Sedan, and the 3.6 L Sedan. This vehicle rolled off the Cadillac manufacturing plants using the General Motors’ new Sigma rear wheel drive architecture. To give credit to its brand name, this vehicle was nominated in 2002 for the North American Car of the Year award. Trivia has it that the Cadillac CTS was seen extensively in one of the car chase sequences in the 2003 movie, The Matrix Reloaded. Because of that stint, the first photographs of this vehicle were from that movie. The Cadillac CTS comes in a package of features. For exterior colors, this luxury sports sedan could come in painted with light platinum, black raven, blackberry, blue chip, infrared, radiant bronze, sand storm, silver smoke, stealth gray, or white diamond. As per the interior, it could be ebony, light gray/ebony, or cashmere. Standard equipment for this includes driver and front passenger frontal air bags, head curtain side impact air bags, an AM/FM stereo with CD player, a digital clock, an auto tone control, an automatic volume, a Radio Data System, four wheel anti lock brakes, a dual-zone automatic climate controls, a cruise control system, power door locks, fog lamps, daytime running lamps, halogen headlamps, a wood trim for the interior, power adjustable and heated mirrors, the OnStar system, a remote keyless entry system, seat controls, and the XM Satellite Radio. About The Author Shane Morgay is a 34-year-old native of Ohio. She love cars and knows detailed information about them. She has a collection of miniature car collectibles and would love to have these collectibles become real ones. She works for a car part supplier most days of the week. Auto Accessories Giant http://www.accessoriesgiant.com/cadillac.html shane@accessoriesgiant.com
Upon its introduction, the Cadillac CTS 2.8 L Sedan comes equipped with the standard 2.8 liter V6 engine that is very much capable of providing some 210 units of horsepower. It also gives the Cadillac CTS the chance to achieve 17 mpg for city driving and 27 mpg on the highway. As per the Cadillac CTS 3.6 L Sedan, this vehicle comes with a standard 3.6 liter V6 engine capable of making 255 horsepower. It can give the Cadillac CTS a chance to roll along with 17 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Standard for both of these trim levels is a six speed manual transmission system with overdrive. Given as an option is a five speed automatic transmission system with overdrive.
Auto Accessories Giant’s high quality Cadillac accessories can maintain all of the impressive qualities of the Cadillac CTS and Cadillac vehicles. Years of delivering superior product lines have made Auto Accessories a favorite among car enthusiasts. Like Cadillac, this online store does its best among competitors and provides quality products. http://www.accessoriesgiant.com has an exceptional array of finely crafted Cadillac accessories and these are found online 24 hours a day.
October 6, 2008
keyless entry systems?
Hey, could anyone go for a new car with all the trimmings and perks? Heck yeah; of course you could. Who in the world would ever refuse a brand spanking new ride of their choice? Personally I would like a Porsche 911 turbo with all leather interior, an amazing sound system, moon roof, and one of those contemporary keyless entry systems. Yeah, that sounds pretty darn ideal to me. I think we all have a perfect vehicle in mind. I don't care if it's an H2, 2006 Mustang, Infinity SUV, or a Lotus Esprit turbo. There is something out there you would love to own. Now, what are the crucial accessories or bonuses you would want on this car? I'm talking keyless entry systems, V-8 engines, and custom paint jobs. These are features we all love to hear about. keyless entry systems on a daily basis. It's a simple way to unlock your car door before you actually get to it. Now, do you think it was designed simply because folks all over the globe are lazy? Well, this may be one of the reasons keyless entry systems came about. However, I believe a great deal of it relates back to the safety issue. Why would you need to enter your vehicle more quickly? There is one plain and obvious reason. You want to be safe from the environment. This is perfectly understandable in this day and age. Our surroundings can often be dangerous, or become dangerous when the sun drops. This is a primary reason why you may want that car door unlocked before you reach the vehicle. Then you can quickly leap inside. The wonderful thing about new-age keyless entry systems is that many of them only open the driver's door first. You have to press the button twice to unlock the rest. This way no predators can be crawling in on the other side of the vehicle.
What is your take on keyless entry systems? This is basically becoming a standard now days. In fact, you probably have a small keypad of your key chain. Therefore you probably take advantage of
If you would like to acquire keyless entry systems for your older vehicles, it is totally feasible. Hop online and see what I'm talking about. With contemporary keyless entry systems you can enter your vehicle in a safer and more expedient fashion. You've got to love that technology! Now we need standard keyless entry systems for our homes.
July 13, 2008
Car Window?
Car Window If there is one thing that drives me nuts is when I can’t see through my car window. My husband smokes, so there is always some sort of gook on the window, and because he always has the car, it builds up by the time I get to it. It is almost impossible to get the windows clean like I want them, and there is never enough time to get them cleaned anyway. If I go on a trip with my car, I have to set aside an entire afternoon just to clean the car. If you are going away, don’t skip cleaning your windows. I tend to make that mistake when going on shorter trips. Perhaps it’s just me, but smudges on a car window in my car are enough to drive me mad. I can’t even stand rain on the windshield. I have a friend who will drive for ten minutes after it starts raining before she starts her wiper blades, and even then, there are so many dead bugs on her car window that it just makes a mess and I can’t see. I don’t know how she drives like that.
On my last car trip, the car window in the back had a haze on it, and I didn’t know it until I was in a strange city in the middle of the night. Not only did I not know where I was going, I couldn’t see out the back. The little bit of gunk on the car window diffused the light to the point where I couldn’t see. The side windows were a little better, but the front window was the worst. The headlights seemed twice as bright and I ended having to pull over and wash the windows. It took me an hour.
Perhaps I am just a freak, but this is how I go. I might be more scared of driving than I think I am, and that might be why I can so weird about having a clean car window no matter which direction I have to look. I’m not so picky about my home windows, and there are times when I laugh when I see how dirty they have gotten. I chalk it up to one of those weird things about me that my husband just has to live with. I guess there could be worse things that wanting to have a clean car window.
May 15, 2008
Toyota Hoods: Made for Protection and Customization?
Toyota is currently the leading and largest Japanese automobile manufacturer. It assures all Toyota owners the best parts for their cars. Through time, they have acquired expertise in the employment of auto technology, design, and engineering since they had been in the industry for more than sixty golden years. Thus, it has allowed them to come up with notable and outstanding vehicles. Two of the world’s top-selling cars were crafted by this company, which are the Toyota Corolla and the Toyota Corona. Another feather in their cap is that Toyota also was the creator of the first mass-produced hybrid vehicles – the Toyota Prius and the Toyota Highlander. At present, it has 12 manufacturing plants in North America. In the year 2004, Toyota has been able to produce more than 1.44 million vehicles and automobiles, and is still counting. Toyota predicts that by the year 2008, they will have the annual capacity to be able to manufacture 1.81 million cars and trucks. gone through and passed testing to provide Toyota owners great satisfaction. The Toyota hood is certainly an essential part of the vehicle for it has the function of serving as a “door” or a shield to the automobile parts underneath it. Providing strength is its inner panel for they have braces crisscrossing in the underbelly making the hood strong and rigid. And, on the other hand, the outer panel of the Toyota hood is a metal cover which provides covering – it serves and is used to shield the engine from rain and other foreign materials. The underside of the hood is most of time covered with a sound-absorbing material so as to minimize the roar of the engine. Some of the hoods created have openings which are called as hood scoops. This kind of hood enhances the Toyota engine’s efficiency by allowing air to pass through directly to the filter. Some people consider the Toyota hood as another door of a vehicle for the reason that it serves as an entry point to gain access to the vehicle’s engine. About The Author Mark Clarkson is a 35 year old marketing consultant for a leading auto parts store. This native of Denver is also an offroad enthusiast. Toyota Parts Online http://www.tpartswarehouse.com/toyota-parts.html Mark@tpartswarehouse.com
One of the leading automobile parts produced and crafted by Toyota is the Toyota hood. http://www.tpartswarehouse.com holds an extensive collection of these. These Toyota parts have
Toyota hoods have also been accessorized and customized. Some of these accessories are for protection and performance enhancement while others are just for personalization and aesthetic purposes. Whatever purpose these Toyota hoods have been crafted for, Toyota has certainly kept in mind to make them the best kind of hood that only a Toyota would be worthy of.
