The Big Mistake People Make When Buying a Car

Posted by christiancarguy on 10 July, 2010
This post was filed in Car Business, Christian Living and has no comments yet

I see it every day people come in with a monthly budget, but the car they want is rarely within it.
The salesman does what he is supposed to do. The finance manager does the rest.
350 a month for 60 months becomes 425 for 72 months
15 years ago 250 a month for 48 became 299 for 60
25 years ago 150 for 36 became 180 for 48

Long Term Transportation Plan

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

On it goes; people don’t have a plan and stick with it.
By the way 72 x 425 you pay back $30,600.00
vs. 350 x 60 you pay back $21,000.00
You just upped your pay back $9,600.00 one third of the total price
seemed so easy just $75 a month.

Proverbs 11:14 Where [there is] no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors [there is] safety.

Solution:
Develop your own long term transportation plan

How many miles a year?
How many years of ownership?
Total of payments
Total maintenance over the life of the car
Total Insurance
Total fuel cost
Yearly investment . Example: #1

Vehicle: 2008 Chevrolet Impala program car original price $15,000 15Kmiles

How many miles a year? 15k miles a year 165,000 total miles with 15k originally

How many years of ownership? 10 years

Total of payments? 60×300 =                                          $18,000.00
Total maintenance over the life of the car

$900 in oil changes
$2,400 in major services
$1,200 in tires
$3,500 in repairs
Total maintenance =                                                       $8,000.00

Total Insurance for 10 Years =                                        $3,000.00
Total Fuel cost for 10 Years =                                        $25,000.00

Registration and Taxes for 10 Years =                              $3,000.00

Total Cost of Ownership for 10 years                             $57,000.00

Depreciated to Zero
Yearly investment =                                                                   $5,700.00

Example #2

Buy the Same Car New and Keep it only 5 years original price after discount and rebates $22,000

How many miles a year? 15k miles a year 75,000 total miles
How many years of ownership? 5 years

Total of payments? 72×400 =                                        $28,800.00
Total maintenance over the life of the car

$400 in oil changes
$800 in major services
$500 in tires
$900 in repairs
Total maintenance =                                                         $2,600.00

Total Insurance for 5 Years =                                            $1,500.00
Total Fuel cost for 10 Years =                                          $12,500.00

Registration and Taxes for 10 Years =                               $1,900.00

Total Cost of Ownership for 10 years                               $47,300.00

Equity to Trade                                                                $3,000.00

Loan Balance with one year left to pay                              $3,500.00

Current Market Value (selling it Yourself)                           $6,500.00

Total Investment less Current Equity                                $44,300.00

Yearly investment =                                               $8,860.00     

Savings in keeping the car for another 5 years=  $15,800.00   

Phil 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.   

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Have You Shod Your Feet Lately?

Posted by christiancarguy on 9 July, 2010
This post was filed in Christian Living and has no comments yet

I have long loved to study the full Armor of God; Ephesians 6:13-18, (if you know my record for bodily accidents you would understand my need for armor), but honestly the, “having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace”, part I found difficult to understand or apply.

Until I herd R.C. Sproul a few days ago talk about the ancient runners and how they would bring news of a battle.

I immediately recalled the strange happenings around the two messengers who brought the news to David about the final battle with Absalom in 2 Samuel 18:27 “So the watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and comes with good news.”

Further study of the passage even shows how undaunted Ahimaaz was to deliver the message and how he even out ran the other runner. 19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the LORD has avenged him of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran. 22 And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” So Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, since you have no news ready?” 23 “But whatever happens,” he said, “let me run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.”

 

It would appear from the passage that Ahimaaz was the good news messenger, while the Cushite was, at best, the not so good news messenger.

With all this in mind let’s have another look at all those good looking feet passages.

Isaiah 52:7 (New King James Version)

7 How beautiful upon the mountains
      Are the feet of him who brings good news,
      Who proclaims peace,
      Who brings glad tidings of good things,
      Who proclaims salvation,
      Who says to Zion,

      “ Your God reigns!”

Nahum 1:15 (New King James Version)

15 Behold, on the mountains
      The feet of him who brings good tidings,
      Who proclaims peace!
      O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
      Perform your vows.
      For the wicked one shall no more pass through you;
      He is utterly cut off.

Romans 10:15 (New King James Version)

15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
      “ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,[a]
      Who bring glad tidings of good things!”[b]

Ephesians 6:14-15 (New King James Version)

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The sad part is, that it’s too easy to see those who are running like the Cushite, sometimes me. I hate to think that someone watching from a long ways off would see the slow defeated gate of a bad news messenger with the way I bring the good news. Can you imagine having to run to tell the King his son was dead, how you might run with that message verses, “Good news not only is your son alive he will be for eternity with all of us in heaven”.

To have the enthusiasm of Ahimaaz is how ‘I can shod my feet with the Gospel of Peace’. Running to tell of the ultimate peace with God that we can live with Him forever, what better message could make us want to run?

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God’s Curve Control

Posted by christiancarguy on 2 July, 2010
This post was filed in Christian Living and has no comments yet

“God not only slowed me down, He also taught me a number of things I have never forgotten. Such as; when a friend is in truly intense pain, be it physical or emotional, it is a great comfort to them for you to just be there, no words are necessary.”

I find it interesting that the first thing that Ford’s New ’Curve Control’ does in order to save you from crashing is; to slow the vehicle down .  Slowing you down up to ten miles per hour in one second, (braking in a curve was never advised when I took drivers Ed.). 

Fortunately with the Lord we have an even more advanced system He deploys when we are going too fast in a curve.

A number of years ago we had just Started our Chrysler store in a small town in North Carolina and we had gotten off to a great start and selling more cars than I thought we would, and sales were growing. It appeared we would be way ahead of all goals. We just had one full time sales person and I and my two partners were selling as well. Personally, at that point I suppose that I accounted for about half the sales. So when it appeared my Lymphoma had come back, (in my brain this time). Things slowed down very quickly from a sales stand point.

I had an unbelievable bad headache that when they did a CT scan found inflammation in the ménages of my brain. So I was set up for a brain biopsy, (something you don’t ever want to have if you can get out of). The good news was that they found no cancer and I was on my way back I thought in a few days. That’s when God deployed curve control in my life.

When the surgeon did the biopsy on me he put a titanium plate in my head to cover the hole. That plate carried a staff infection and within a few days I found myself back waiting on another surgery to remove the plate, with a new kind of headache, I now know was called a brain abscess. A pain more intense than any morphine or other pain medication they gave me would even make a dent in. Yet this is where God deployed one of his servants. Romona Seachrist, she was a neurosurgery nurse who was also in my Sunday school class at church. While they were waiting to rush me in for emergency surgery, Romona, simply was just there waiting by my side, but for me it was like God himself telling me, “I’m right here with you.” She never said a word, she was just there and I can’t even explain how comforting that was in the pain onslaught I was dealing with at the time.

When I came out of the surgery the real battle for my life ensued, day after day the infection spread, I would go and have an MRI across the hospital my only escape from the room. On my return another new bag of another anti-biotic each time with the hope that this would be the one that would work. Finally the day came when the nurse hung a bag of Vancomycin, a strong Annti-biotic, as she hung it she told me that this one was the last chance I had to stop the abscess. One chance was all God needed to save me again. Just as with the Lymphoma and the crushing between two cars, I was left with a few scars but no serious disability, basically whole again.

When it was over, the whole ordeal had taken about six months, while God had me in ‘Curve Control’. The dealership had gone from selling about forty cars a month to about twenty five. I couldn’t help but wonder, “what was God doing slowing me down just when we were staring to roll?” That answer came that August when by the end of the month having only sold about thirty five cars we started to run low on working capital. It became glaringly obvious that had we continued to sell cars at the rate we had during the months I was ill we would have run out of money. It takes a great deal of working capital to sell any volume of cars, and being new to this size of volume we would not have been prepared, The sales had to come more gradually as God helped us do with me being down for the eight count.

God not only slowed me down, He also taught me a number of things I have never forgotten. Such as; when a friend is in truly intense pain, be it physical or emotional, it is a great comfort to them for you to just be there, no words are necessary. Certainly I learned 2 Corinthians 12:10 (New King James Version) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  The most memorable of course is that, “with God all you need is one chance.”

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Straight Answers on Ford’s New Curve Control

Posted by christiancarguy on 1 July, 2010
This post was filed in Automotive, Engineering and has no comments yet

This Saturday on The Christian Car Guy

DEARBORN, Mich., June 28, 2010 – Ford Motor Company today introduced a new innovation – Curve Control – designed to help drivers maintain control of their vehicles when taking a curve too quickly. 

Tony Rendi, Ford's Manager of Brake Control.

Curve Control debuts as standard equipment on the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer going into production later this year, and will be offered on 90 percent of the company’s North American crossovers, sport utilities, trucks and vans by 2015.  

The technology senses when a driver is taking a curve too quickly – a situation found to contribute to about 50,000 crashes each year in the U.S. – and rapidly reduces engine torque and can apply four-wheel braking, slowing the vehicle by up to 10 mph in about one second.   

“Too many accidents stem from drivers misjudging their speed going into curves and freeway off- and on-ramps,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Ford’s Curve Control technology senses a potentially dangerous situation and reduces power and applies brakes more quickly than most drivers can react on their own.”      

Curve Control is effective on dry or wet pavement, and is expected to be particularly useful when drivers are entering or exiting freeway on- or off-ramps with too much speed. When a vehicle enters a curve too fast, the system responds to the driver’s steering input by rapidly reducing torque and increasing brake pressure to help keep the vehicle under control.

The patent-pending system works by measuring how quickly the vehicle is turning and comparing that with how quickly the driver is trying to turn. When the vehicle is not turning as much as the driver is steering – also known as “pushing” – Curve Control activates. The system applies the precise amount of braking required on each wheel to enhance the individual wheel braking of the traditional stability control system. 

Based on Ford’s exclusive AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control), Curve Control uses sensors to measure roll rate, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, wheel speed and steering wheel angle, and runs calculations based on those inputs 100 times every second.

“Ford is developing technologies such as Curve Control and radar-based collision warning systems that can prevent crashes from happening in the first place,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president of Engineering for Global Product Development. “These new active systems designed to prevent accidents are the perfect complement for Ford’s leading passive safety systems – such as advanced airbags and high-strength vehicle structures – that protect occupants when a crash is inevitable.”

Curve Control is one of several new driver assist and safety technologies to be offered on the all-new Explorer. Other technologies include next-generation adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support, state-of-the-art pressure-based airbag technology, the industry’s first inflatable rear seat belts and intelligent four-wheel-drive terrain management system.

Real-world benefits

Ford safety researchers found through analysis of government crash data that approximately 50,000 crashes annually in the U.S. involve driving too fast on a curve.

According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, freeway ramps “are the sites of far more crashes per miles driven than other segments of interstate highways.” In that 2004 study of more than 1,100 urban freeway interchange crashes, vehicle speed was noted as a “primary crash contributor.” About half of those interchange crashes occurred when at-fault drivers were in the process of exiting interstates and another 36 percent occurred when drivers were entering interstates.

“While we strongly encourage our customers to drive at safe speeds, systems such as Curve Control can be useful in unexpected situations,” said Ali Jammoul, Ford chief engineer, Chassis Systems.

Ford’s safety leadership record continues to grow

Ford has been awarded more five-star U.S. government ratings and Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety than any other automaker. 

In 2009 Ford introduced radar-enabled adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support, and BLIS® (Blind Spot Information System) with cross-traffic alert. These technologies – introduced on the new Ford Taurus and Fusion – help drivers avoid potentially dangerous crash situations by using radar to detect the relative position of other vehicles and warning the driver with a combination of visual and audio alerts.

On the 2002 Explorer, Ford launched the industry’s first rollover-activated side curtain airbags – called Safety Canopy® – as well as Roll Stability Control technology that goes beyond traditional stability control systems by measuring the vehicle’s roll rate to enhance vehicle stability.

Ford also introduced some of the industry’s first pressure-based airbag technologies that help deploy side airbags up to 30 percent faster on the 2009 F-150 and 2010 Taurus.

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Love Like You Mean It This Valentines Day

Posted by christiancarguy on 26 June, 2010
This post was filed in Uncategorized and has no comments yet

Click On The Banner and Save $400 on your Love Like You Mean It Cruise by Mentioning The Christian Car Guy

 Dear Friends,

Dennis

Dennis Rainey

Close your eyes and try to picture this scene: blue skies, warm sun, the vast expanse of the ocean, holding your spouse’s hand as you slowly stroll the decks of the beautiful Monarch of the Seas cruise ship.  For the first time in history, FamilyLife is setting sail with Premier Christian Cruises, and Barbara and I want to invite you to join us February 14-18, 2011, for the “Love Like You Mean It™” Marriage Cruise.

But I’ve saved the best for last…Barbara and I will be joined by popular marriage experts Bob Lepine and Crawford Loritts.  Additionally, you’ll enjoy insights from Kirk Cameron and Shaunti Feldhahn.  Our speakers will show you exactly how to pursue a marriage that really works.  And if that’s not enough, there will be warm Christian fellowship and entertainment by musical guests Michael O’Brien, Big Daddy Weave, Point of Grace and more.

Barbara and I would love to welcome you aboard the “Love Like You Mean It™” Marriage Cruise.  Whether you’re feeling challenged in your marriage, or just want a better plan for the rest of your lives, I know this cruise will help you make real progress.  What better time, and what better place, to focus on the most important earthly relationship you have…your marriage.

Love like you mean it,

Dennis Rainey

The Christian Car Guy Robby Dilmore

Check out the Great plans that can make this trip affordable and not go in debt doing it. In this case you can make payments before you go and it’s all paid for by Valentines Day. Just click on the “Love Like You Mean it Banner at the top of this post.

Remember you can save $400 by mentioning The Christian Car Guy

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