Avoid the Cost, Keep your Car Maintained

                Most people’s knowledge of cars is turn the key and they work, well that make sure that they a have a full tank of gas. However, sometimes, your vehicle is going to need some maintenance and that can get costly if you haven’t planned ahead.

             

            Here are some tips to help keep those car maintenance costs low.

·         Pick the Most Reliable Car - The best way to save on auto maintenance is the simplest of all: Buy a car that’s going to require relatively little work. If you spend a few hours browsing the web you’ll quickly get a sense for which makes and models are most reliable. Some model years of otherwise-good cars can be problematic, so don’t assume you can skip the research if you’ve previously had a good experience with a particular model.

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            Shop Around for the Best Deal - If you’re in need of automotive maintenance, shop around. The dealership will always be your default choice for any maintenance or repairs that are covered by the car’s warranty. But if you’re footing the bill, it pays to check prices. The difference between different mechanics’ prices might surprise you. Some types of routine car maintenance recur frequently — like oil changes, brakes and mufflers — and prices on those tend to be fairly competitive.

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      Stick to a Schedule - If there’s a single piece of car maintenance advice you’ll hear more than any other, it’s probably that keeping up on your routine maintenance will save you money in the long run. Getting your car serviced regularly, the argument goes, keeps it in top condition and allows you — or your mechanic — to spot potential issues before they become serious. Kelley Blue Book, an authority on resale value, recommends regular maintenance to preserve your vehicle’s worth. Remember to document all of your auto maintenance and keep the receipts so you can prove you’ve taken good care of your ride to a potential buyer.

·         Watch for Coupons and Offers - This is the flip side of shopping around for a mechanic when you need work done, and it’s a side benefit of doing your car maintenance on a set schedule. If you know you’re going to need a brake job or an oil change soon, look for coupon offers or other specials ahead of time. Similarly, you might find that your local dealership offers some sort of loyalty package that includes discounted service as a way to keep bringing you back to the lot.

·         Learn How to DIY - One cost-saving measure is handling DIY car repairs or maintenance when it’s practical. At its simplest level, that can simply mean learning how — and how often — to check the various fluids in your car and top them off. Changing your wiper blades is another simple task — though you can often get them installed for free with your purchase — and so is checking the pressure in your tires and reinflating them at your gas station. You’ll find plenty of YouTube videos and online tutorials to guide you, including many from professional mechanics or auto parts suppliers.

·         Check for Secret Warranties - If your car is included in an actual safety recall, you’ll be notified to bring it in for a free repair at your nearest dealership. That’s reassuring — and sometimes lifesaving — but you might be wondering how to find out about problems that never reach the recall stage. If so, check for any “associated documents,” which often instruct the dealers to perform the repair for free or at a sharply discounted rate as a gesture of goodwill. These bulletins are often referred to as “secret warranties” because manufacturers generally don’t make a point of letting owners know about them.

And as always stop by Driver’s Choice and we can set you up with the best service in the Quad Cities. Check out our inventory of the area’s best selection of used cars and contact

use today to set up an appointment

Used Car Advice

The next time that you’re buying a car, it might be a wise decision to buy one that is “new” to you. And many drivers are following this philosophy. As used car sales are up 3.3% for the third quarter of 2016, according to Edmunds.com.

The average used car price has also risen recently as well to $19,232, as the market has had many almost-new cars added to the pool.

"Used is always, financially, the best thing to do, You're avoiding that steep depreciation that takes place on a new car."

- said Ron Montoya, senior consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com.

                What is a fair price to pay for a used car? Well it’s not as cut and dry as many would think. The same make and model year, used-car values vary based on the features, mileage, condition and local demand. Look to pricing sites and apps like Edmunds.com, Kelley Blue Book and others to get an estimate.

               

                Another tip is to buy from an individual seller, as individual sellers might be more open to negotiating. But that only works if you have the money or you can try and reach out to lenders on your own, and many times dealerships do that work for you. The main benefit of a dealership is the vehicle inspection and often they have already fixed any repairs that need to be done on the vehicle.

                But no matter what, before you buy, take a look at the vehicle history report through a service like Experian's AutoCheck or Carfax. All of our vehicles here at Drivers Choice have gone through a multipoint inspection and a vehicle check in the vehicle the first time you open the door.

               

                Check out the great pre-owned vehicles that Driver’s Choice has to offer and contactus today to test drive your next vehicle.

Think Small to Save Big!

       

          Trying to find a car for your teenager?  Or trying to find that new ride to make your way back and forth to work? If your trying to do it without breaking the bank, the best deals are amongst the smaller passenger cars, while pick-up trucks and SUVs are some of the worst deals.

         Subcompact cars are the best overall deals on used cars right now, and prices overall have dropped by 6.3% percent over the last year to an average of $11,461. These cars include the Chevy Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent and Toyota Yaris. Prices like that really help out in the long run if you’re trying to get a dependable car at a reasonable price.  And compact cars, including the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla, dropped by 2.0% in value to a still-affordable average $12,153.

Edmunds.com Sr. Analyst Ivan Drury says

“Prices are down for these vehicles because there is so much more demand for used trucks and SUVs. There are also lots of smaller cars coming back to the used car market as people trade up into larger vehicles.”

        Trucks and SUV’s on the other end have been steadily gaining in price over the last few years due to their increased demand. Smaller pickup trucks Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon have rose by 10.1% averaging about $18,978. While the large SUV market is up 8.9% and prices raising to an Average of $26,852.

Edmunds.com put together a list of vehicles that are the best value:

Best Used Car Values

      Subcompact Cars: -6.3%; average $11,461

·         Compact Cars: -2.0%; average $12,153

·         Midsize Cars: -1.0%; average $13,892

·         Large Crossover SUVs: -0.6%; average $22,182

·         Premium Luxury Cars: +0.3%; average $45,442

Worst Used-Car Deals

·         Compact Pickups: +10.1%; average $18,978

·         Large SUVs: +8.9%; average $26,852

·         Luxury SUVs: +7.7%; average $40,531

·         Midsize SUVs: +7.6%; average $22,477

·         Large Cars: +2.7%; average $15,315

Hope that this helps you in picking out your next new-to-you car! Check out our Inventory and Contact us now to test drive your future can today!

Whats that Liquid Under My Car??

If you drive an older vehicle, you should know that it’s not uncommon to find some different fluids leaking underneath you vehicle. It’s one of the problems of driving an older car.

And those puddles can sometime be hard to identify. But there are clues that can help you determine just what is slowly dripping from under car. Once you discover what is leaking you and discover where its leaking, and then you can fix it.

There are three key things to look at when trying to determine where leak is coming from: Location, color, and consistency. Here a liquids to look for under your car.

Engine Oil: Engine oil leaks are the most common and are found under the engine. The oil is either black or dark brown and is slick to the touch.

Anti-Freeze: Either green or red in color, anti-freeze usually leaks from the very front under the radiator or under the engine. Anti-freeze has a very sweet smell and is slippery to the touch.

Transmission Fluid: Transmission fluid is typically red and has a slicker touch than engine oil and has a distinctive petroleum smell. Usually found under the engine towards the middle of the car.

Power Steering or Brake Fluid: These two fluids look very similar, with power steering being shade darker. Both feel slick with a consistency of thin oil. Power steering leaks tend to happen under power steering pump and hoses, where brake fluid leaks can occur anywhere on the car along the brake lines.

Washer Fluid: Washer fluid comes in a variety of colors, typically blue. Is the consistency of water and leaks from the reservoir of hoses.

Fuel: Fuel is most recognizable by its smell. Leaks occur near the fuel door, anywhere along the fuel lines or on the engine near the injectors.

Rear Differential Oil: This thick, black oil will be found under the rear end of the car under the axel. 

We hope that these explanations help you determine the liquid underneath your car. Here at Driver’s Choice of Quad Cities, we can help you fix that leak. Schedule a service appointment now or contact us today to find a new car now!

Modern-day Classics

Everyone wants a classic car. And with the quality of cars that have been produced, classics no longer take 50 years to become classics. Thirty years from now, these are the cars you'll wish you still owned. In fact, you may want to own them right now -- not just because they're great drives, but because many of them are appreciating in value.  

Here are your soon-to-be modern-day classics.

·        Toyota Supra (1992-2002)- Road racers are no strangers to the Toyota Supra line. After all, versions of the coupe had starring roles in four different "Fast & Furious" films, and the final A80 generation is particularly sought after, especially in twin-turbo form.

·        GMC Syclone- There's a reason why the GMC Syclone is so sought after -- this high-performance pickup went from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds, quicker than any Ferrari available in the US at the time.

·        BMW E30 M3 (1987-1992)- Simply put, the E30-generation BMW M3 was built to win races. Today, the values of these homologation specials are exploding, making them one of the hottest collector cars of its era.

·        Toyota Land Crusiser J40 (1960-1984)- The two-door Toyota Land Cruiser J40 is one of the sturdiest off-roaders ever made. These workhorses continue to see regular use in some of the harshest environments on Earth, from the African desert to the jungles of South America.

·        DeLorean DMC-12 (1981-1983)- The DeLorean DMC-12 sports car, the only vehicle ever manufactured by the ill-fated DeLorean Motor Company, was not the most well-built car, nor was it the most comfortable or most powerful. But it was the car in Back to the Future, and that alone makes it awesome.

·        Acura Integra Type R (1997-2001)- Created as a racecar, the 195-horsepower Acura Integra Type R was sold in the US solely to meet homologation guidelines. As a result, this rare car was a hot commodity on both tracks and in the street racing scene, so it should come as no surprise it was heavily targeted by thieves and chop shops.

·        Ford GT (2005-2006)- Designed after the Ford GT40 racing cars of the 1960s, the limited-edition Ford GT was a huge hit with collectors when it was introduced in 2005. The 550-horsepower, two-seater sports car was so popular, in fact, that early versions sold for a $100,000

·        VW Vanagon Syncro Camper (1986-1991) The boxy Volkswagen Vanagon Camper has amassed quite the cult following, and it's no surprise why. Introduced in the US in 1986, the Westfalia Syncro was a four-wheel-drive camper variant of the VW Vanagon van.

·        Buick Regal Grand National GNX (1987) Shortly before discontinuing its Regal Grand National model, in 1987 Buick unveiled the one-year-only Grand National GNX as a send-off. It was built with a 276-horsepower engine and a larger turbocharger than the standard version.

·        BMW 1 Series M Coupe (2011) The BMW 1 Series M Coupe is a high-performance variant of the BMW 1 Series Coupe that went on sale in 2011.

·        Land Rover Defender 110 (1993) When Land Rover brought the popular Defender 110 to the US in 1993, it did so in incredibly limited numbers. Just 500 of the 110-inch-wheelbase off-roaders were sold.

·        BMW Z8 (1999-2003) Inspired by the BMW 507 roadster (1956-1959), the retro-styled BMW Z8 is an all-aluminum convertible with a 400-horsepower V-8 engine. Only 5,703 BMW Z8s were built, with the majority being sold in Europe.

Keep a look out for these Modern-Day Classics here at Driver’s Choice! Contact us today to find your future Modern-Day Classics!

7 most popular used cars amongst Gen Z buyers

Today’s 18-34 year olds are called Generation Z.  Gen Z is a group of people who prefer to spend their money on clothes and going out to eat, then spending it on a car. Sometimes it even seems they prefer to drive an old jalopy. In the first four months of 2016, Gen Z purchased 182,000 used cars compared to only 28,000 new cars.

The trend from last year continues into this year, where Gen Z typically are only willing to pay a maximum down payment of $2,999 on their purchase. And they are going for older cars. Not just 2 or 3 year old models, but many on the vehicles are 10 plus year old. Some of them are cool, older sports cars, but these are cars where you can get a good deal.

Here are the 7 most popular used cars amongst Gen Z buyers.

      

•  Daewoo Lanos- Daewoo was acquired by GM. Many Daewoo models were repurposed as GM models. The Lanos experienced a second wind after 2008’s movie “Pineapple Express”. KBB price $2,400.
• Eagle Talon- Eagle was a brand under Chrysler, until 1998 when Chrysler discontinued the brand.  KBB price $2,700.
• Nissan 240SX- This sports car ran from 1989-1999 as one of Nissan’s performance vehicles. The 240SX lost its sales luster as consumers turned toward practical sedans and SUVs. KBB price $4,050.
•  Acura Integra- The model that helped launched the Honda owned luxury brand Acura in 1986. KBB price $4,300.
•  Honda Prelude- the Prelude had one of the longest production runs the cars on this list, 1978-2001. The 2-door sports car is still strongly in circulation today. KBB price $4,300.
• Mitsubishi Lancer- The only car on this list still in production. The Lancer has gained popularity as a racing car at an affordable price. New 2016 Lancer starts below $18,000.
• Acura RSX- The RSX was the Integra’s successor. One of the more popular cars on this list. KBB price $8,200. 
• Honorable Mention: Pontiac Aztek- Oh, the Pontiac Aztek, a vehicle that was ridiculed from the time it was released, saw resurgence in the last few years due to the very popular AMC show “Breaking Bad”. KBB price$3,900.

Check out our fine Pre-owned vehicles here at Driver’s Choice or contact us to set up an appointment today!