Is leasing perfect for you?

What brought me to think of this post are the incredibly low leases that Toyota is running right now. About 7 years ago my brother called me up to look at his brand new car. After looking at it and thinking how nice the car was, he goes " It's perfect, and the lease payment is so low." Right there I was no longer interested.

Reason being, I used be the first person to stand up and say that anyone who is looking to lease a car was ignorant, when in fact I was the one who was ignorant. Now that I know all the options and benefits of leasing a vehicle, leasing a Toyota is absolutely perfect for someone like myself and for a lot of my customers.

Just to name some of the benefits; a significant lower payment, always having a vehicle covered under warranty, never having to worry about negative equity on a trade in, getting to drive a new vehicle every 3-4 years, etc. I was so impressed with the Toyota leases, I relayed all the information to my parents, who by the way never leased, always bought. Well, recently my parents are now leasing a new Toyota.

Now I do understand that there are still going to be people who prefer to own their vehicles, however leasing is perfect for them as well. At the end of a lease term, those customers have the first opportunity to buy the vehicle they have been leasing, and buy it at a price that is below market value. So..........


Is leasing perfect for you???

Enough Said

The Toyota Truck
And British People

Honda celebrates 30 years in our backyard

Less than a month ago American Honda Motor Co celebrated its 30th year of manufacturing here in the united states with a symbolic tree planting ceremony that was to represent the company's deep roots in America and its long standing relationships with the communities that have hosted their operations. This all took place right in our backyard at the Marysville, Ohio assembly plant pictured to the right.

"On behalf of the thousands of Honda associates in Ohio, past and present, I want to thank our local communities and the people of Ohio for their support and friendship during the past 30 years," said Honda of America President and CEO Hidenobu Iwata. "The significant growth we have experienced in Ohio would not have been possible without the trust and support of our community partners." During the tree-planting event, Iwata announced that Honda's auto plant in East Liberty, Ohio, will be the production site* for the new Honda Accord Crosstour crossover utility vehicle (CUV). The East Liberty Auto Plant recently earned the J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Gold Plant Award for having the highest quality of any auto plant in North America. Going on sale this fall, the Accord Crosstour will be positioned at the top of the Accord lineup.

This is especially encouraging to hear because not only has Honda made a major investment in the US economy, but business is thriving and growing. Their not closing plants down or eliminating shifts on the assembly line. They are flourishing. I found this information especially interesting due to the fact that almost all of my 6 years in the car business have been dealing with foreign cars and foreign car companies. Obviously this meant changing a lot of peoples perceptions about what a "foreign" car company was. When I saw that Honda was celebrating this landmark it was just another example of how much these companies have invested not only in the American economy, but our local economy.

Honda became the first Japanese automaker to manufacture products in America when it opened its first U.S. plant in Marysville, Ohio. On Sept. 10, 1979, 64 Honda associates began producing the CR250 Elsinore off-road motorcycle in Marysville. The startup was so successful that Honda quickly announced plans to build an adjacent auto plant. The first Japanese auto plant in America, the Marysville Auto Plant started producing four-door Honda Accords in November 1982.

Over the past 30 years, Honda plants in Ohio have produced more than 13 million automobiles, 17 million engines, 1 million motorcycles, 2 million all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and nearly 13 million automatic transmissions.

Over the next 30 years you can expect to see extremely exciting vehicles, Like the all new Honda Accord Crosstour pictured below, continue to be made right in your backyard. Keep your eyes open for more details on this ultra versatile vehicle. Expected to hit my lot soon!

Walt Kustra
Internet Sales Manager
Preston Honda
E-Mail: wkustra@prestonauto.com
Office#: 1(888) 839-7855
Cell#: 724-730-0257
Fax#: 724-658-2261
Instant Messenger: PrestonHondaNCPA
www.prestonhonda.com
www.prestonauto.com
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Have you driven a Taurus lately?

Let me ask a question. Can anyone have an argument without involving google or youtube? In the past, if you were in a heated debate over something it usually ended in agreeing, disagreeing, or agreeing to disagree! Now, a few simple punches on the keyboard or blackberry and.....BOOM there is an answer. I ran into this the other day while I was having a little argument with my mom. As we sat there talking about the new 2010 Taurus she asked if I had remembered the old Ford commercial "have you driven a Ford lately?". I said yes, but I recalled it being "have you driven a Taurus lately?". No need for an argument because within minutes youtube was up and running. Unfortunately, I had to watch the old and corny commercial in disappointment. Another loss in the youtube court of arguments. I was not sad for long because there is nothing old and corny about the new 2010 Taurus!!!! Please check this car out and be prepared to be amazed with brand new Microsoft SYNC system and 3.5L EcoBoost v6 engine. So let me ask you...have you driven a Taurus lately?
http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/taurus/?space=Cars

Toyota Floor Mat Recall

Recently, Toyota has issued a safety advisory for floor mats found in a number of different Toyota models, the cause of the recall was a major accident in California which took the lives of 4 people. To learn more about this horrific accident, I turned to the Internet,while researching, I found the news articles to be a little biased in some cases, but mostly informative. The blogs, being blogs were obviously biased. What I can`t seem to grasp, are all of the comments under each article. Some people, just commented on the fact that they`ve never had a problem before. Some people sympathize with the victims of the crash.What was shocking to me, was the bash fest on the Toyota brand.

Born and raised in Youngstown Ohio, I totally understand the "Buy American" viewpoint that most people have. My father started working at GM when he was 20 and then Delphi, until recently when he took early retirement. We have always had GM cars. So, when I told my dad I was going to work for Toyota and Honda, I was a little nervous. We had a long talk about the brands, and, he obviously knew way more than me. He also told me that they were solid brands to work for. He told me to be open minded and I was. I learned alot about both companies, and I learn more everyday, but I really believe I`m selling a great product.


But, back to the bash fest, I couldn`t believe it! I really felt, like I was reading a lot of really uneducated responses. Some people were fighting through their messages, some people were making up facts,(which I know because I researched it). I just couldn`t believe what I was reading. I felt like they were using this as an excuse to say horrible things about Toyota, and losing sight of the fact that people had lost their lives. In the end, I think that we should learn from the things that happen in our lives, and if we can, work on making ourselves better through that. As a company, I feel that Toyota did the right thing. And my heart goes out to all the families affected by this terrible accident. To learn more more about the recall and how to proceed from here, please follow the link provided below.

http://www.prestonauto.com/floormatrecall.htm

Login Trouble?

Ever have trouble remembering things? Especially usernames and passwords?! Well, I do! And it bugs the heck out of me! - I have about a million different usernames and passwords for everything from espn.com to verizonwireless.com, and everything in between! Now why am I posting about this you may ask? Well, after a busy end of the week in car sales, I needed to post a little something on this blog here to finish up the week. So, as I was trying to log in to the blog, in order to post, I couldn't remember my login info! Man, was I frustrated! However, after about 45 minutes of incorrectly entering the wrong info, I finally figured it out. (Sigh of relief)

So now, after that frustration is out, let me tell you about a truck, that I hadn't known too much about until this week. The Toyota Tacoma! No, I don't own one, however, I sold two this week, and man are they nice! Honestly, it probably is one of the most convenient trucks out there, especially with the electrical outlet in the bed of the TRD package! (Great feature for tailgating, or any use, needing an outlet) This truck gives you the accessibility of an SUV, with the essential functions of a Pickup Truck; a bed and 4WD (in most models). The access cab gives you a nice feature in order to access the back seat, with the convenience of a regular size bed. And the 4 door gives you a nice, long cab, larger back seat, and although the bed is smaller, you still have one, versus an SUV not giving you that feature. I could honestly probably go on and on about this truck, but I don't want to take up too much of everyone's time. Still, this truck is amazing, and I think if you're in the market for a truck or SUV of any kind, you should definately check out the Toyota Tacoma!

Making the Soccer Mom or the young Playa' look good

We all know the typical stereo type for the modern day SUV driver, which is usually a Mom who is family oriented and somehow ends up driving all the neighbor kids to soccer practice. Now don't get me wrong, for many Americans the practicality of the vehicle they drive is all they really care about. So when Bobby told me that the 2009 Pilot was going to be my new demo to drive lets just say I was a little less than thrilled. I mean come on I have an image to uphold here?!?! Then I saw him pull around my Black on Black Honda Pilot EX-L and all my preconceived notions were thrown out the window....


The first thing I noticed was the amazing presence the vehicle had when pulling up to the curb. The front end was squared off and almost looked tough! This Pilot had a prominent grill which glistened silver under the sunlight and contrasted perfectly with the brilliant black paint. Going around to the back of the vehicle I noticed the dual chrome tipped exhaust that signified, dare I say...sporty?? I jumped in the driver seat eager to see if the Pilot could live up to its new rugged exterior.

I knew Honda was known for setting the standard for a high quality interior but this was really over the top. The electroluminescent gauges are a work of art and really need to be seen to appreciate. Heated front seats and leather upholstery everywhere made me feel like I was in an Acura. The 3.5L V6 performs extremely well in this vehicle and lives up to the fact that Honda makes the smoothest engines in the market.

Once I had the engine revving a little I hit the stereo system and tested out Honda's 7-speaker sound that comes standard with a subwoofer. This system was great. The bass hit hard enough to get noticed at a stop light and the clarity of the speakers makes listening to music a blast.

Add in the fact that this SUV comes standard with a third row of seating and we come to the conclusion that this is really is not just for the family oriented driver. It offers plenty of luxurious amenities that make it a true drivers crossover. Let's just say it was a sad day when I had to give my demo keys back.