Going to Seattle.....

My grandmother passed away on Tuesday. We are headed over the mountains for the funeral. She was a fierce Christian so I'm happy to say that she's in a much better place with no pain and movement. Renee Park was a wise soul and she will be missed by many.

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Then don't take the stimulus $$!!!!

Ok...so when I first heard about this, I surely thought it would quiet down but the more I think about it, it's ridiculous. I think the GOP governors that have a fundamental issues with the stimulus package should not take the money. If they are going to complain about it that HUGE... then represent the people who voted you in, that probably agree with your fundamental stance, and reject the money. But, how BIG of you to take the money that is presented to your state in the WORST economic crisis since the Great Depression in the 30's!!! For example, Gov. Jindal from Louisiana won't take ALL the money allotted to his state, but he will take most of it. Sure, there are people who actually really need it. However, if you are a leader, then be one. I know he's not the only one out there. I think the Gov. of Mississippi and South Carolina are also voicing their displeasure.

They don't like the government taxing and borrowing more money for something that goes to the people in America. But is it fine to spend money on a war in Iraq and run up the deficit?

I'm just asking.

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Would you go to SpokaneChrysler.com on your phone?

So, our website provider can not make it possible to make our website mobile. However, I am not sure how many people would search our website via a cell phone. I would never think to go to a car dealership's website from my phone, so that might answer my own question. BUT, I am not a typical car shopper......so, anyone, if you could please, let me know....

Would you visit our website from your cell phone browser?

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Saturday parts and service starts TOMORROW!!!

Good news everyone! Our Five Star parts and service department will be open on Saturdays starting tomorrow. Our hours are 8am to 3pm!!!!

We couldn't be more excited to start this program to give you even better customer service. There are great money saving coupons in the newspaper....and if you ask nicely, I'm sure your service advisor will show you the coupons if you just come in...until they last!

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A Saab story....

Well, it looks like Saab has 3 months to restructure and find financing under bankruptcy protection. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29298152/ I guess I'm not surprised but I am. Maybe I'm just feeling terrible for the Saab dealerships and their employees. I know a good technician can always find a job and so can a good sales person but the stress of finding a new job, potential wage decrease at a new place, and just change in general is not fun.

I hope for the best. I guess GM does have a plan to get out of this tough time.

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New parking signs in Downtown Spokane

There has got to be a way for signs to be imformative and not confusing at the same time. The new signs downtown look like they notating spots for disabled motorists. I would think that on first glance. Then the "2 hour" on the parking meter itself would confuse me. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/feb/19/new-parking-signs-confuse-some-motorists/

But does this mean that if you have a disable parking permit, you can park at any other meter in Spokane for free for any amount of time?

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Changes for GM and Chrysler

I think the viability plans are good for these 2 companies. It forces them to have a plan that is more exact and detailed than they might have done on their own. Who knows what is going on at Ford. Hopefully, they are doing the same because if the car market doesn't improve, they could also be asking for money as well.

I found this on cnn.com today. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/autos/0902/gallery.chrysler_changes/index.html
This is an excellent little blurb on what is going and what is staying. It also has possible photos of the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chrysler 300. They both look very sleek. Also, the Chrysler 200c is mentioned and so is Fiat. I found it very informative but not too exhaustive.

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Get them before they are gone...3 models cut.

Well, we heard it today that the Dodge Durango, the Chrysler Aspen, and the PT Cruiser will be cut from the Chrysler line up. They haven't announced a date but I'm sure this 2009 will be the last model year for those 3 cars. I do not know why they would cut these cars but I'm sure there is something in the bigger picture of things to come.

I do know they asked for $5 billion more to keep afloat and I'm glad the unions and Chrysler have worked out their deal. With 24 models planned in the next 24 months.....I know the money is needed to keep things going. We shall see what happens.

Simply unprecedented times....

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Happy President's Day

What a great day to remember those people who have tried to help this country be better....for it's citizens and those around the world. Of course, some were better at it then others....let's just hope Obama is one of the good ones.

Here is an interesting article on why gas at the pump is more expensive when crude oil is dropping to it's lowest price in recent times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008747273_apgaspricesunhinged.html

I never knew.......

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Day 3 - Spokane Auto Show

I'm glad it's over but I'm glad I also got to be there for the past 3 days. The Spokane Auto Show was a success. Of course, we would have loved to sell more cars (we always do) but I know we will be seeing a lot of people in the next couple of days and months.

It was nice to see all of friends and long-time customers. I don't get to see these people as often as Jay does since I'm at home now, so it was great to catch up and chit-chat and that never gets old.

I can tell that the economy is different this year than last. It had nothing to do with the number of cars we sold but in conversation and that more customers were thinking about their purchases instead of committing right there at the show. I completely understand. We have many appointments set for the week because people wanted to test drive the car one more time, think about it, and take their time making such a decision. That is great...it's better than buying the car and then having complete buyer's remorse and unwinding the deal.

With this said....to those people that talked with me or my husband or a sales consultant for quite a while, took a test drive, and then walked away: Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you and share a bit of our lives (yes, this business is our lives) with you. We hope to earn your business in the future.

Now, to address those that did also come by and talk and test drive but then acted like you were offended when we asked if you would like to purchase the car if the numbers made sense and to those that just walked away and pretended not to know us: Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you and share a bit of our lives. My husband and I are not upset if you don't buy a car for us. We know it's business and it's not personal...however, on a human to human level, we are professionals. You don't have to walk past our area and say "Maybe" without stopping when we ask you if you want to buy a car, when just the other day we had spoken for over 30 minutes. You don't have to ignore us because if you are not interested in our car, we will not call you over and over. You don't have to hang up on us when we are calling to see if you are coming in for the appointment that you set and are an hour late for. I know other dealership out there might do things that deserve that kind of treatment...however, we honestly try every day to work hard and grow our business. That's all.....nothing more, nothing less.

So, overall, it was wonderful......but it was the few people that were very rude for no reason that made us scratch our head. Maybe the economy? Maybe the long winter? We're not sure, but we do know that tomorrow is a new day and we move on....knowing that you take and good and the bad when running your own business.

Thank you again to those that came by and saw you. We completely appreciate your business.

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Day 2 - Spokane Auto Show

Today was the long day. My feet are tired and my legs are exhausted. It was great talking about cars today...I find myself next to the minivan, the Aspen SUV, and the 300. It's because I have the most experience with these cars and I know the most information about them. Mostly, it's personal experience information rather than horsepower and towing capability but I am the most familiar with them. I like the Sebring and the PT Cruiser, it's just that they are too small for me now (with 2 kids) and so I don't know as much about them. I did have a great time meeting new people and hoping they do business with us.

Another interesting situation that I noticed today was that a dealership next to us have a car parked right next to our since space is tight. People like that car and we always get a salesperson for that dealership if they ask us for help first. I had one of our salesperson go over and ask a manager if he could help a gentleman that wanted to know about their current inventory on that specific model. The manager would not help the person but waiting until a sales consultant was available. The prospective buyer stood for 10 minutes just waiting. That would NEVER happen at our dealership.....maybe it's their policy to have the manager watch things and give their sales consultants a chance to make a deal happen but I was surprised. My husband would answer any question from a customer or even just a passer-by and not wait for a sales consultant to do that. He would also never watch a manager stand there while a customer waited. That is just bad customer service.

I'm glad that we are family owned and operated and we can offer a different level of customer service and commitment. I'm not saying we are perfect and we all make mistakes, but at least we sure try hard to earn someone's business.

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Day 1 - Spokane Auto Show

Today was the 1st day I have worked a full day since I had my 2nd baby. It felt great since it was at the car show and we were pretty busy. I enjoyed talking with current customers and maybe some new ones. We have some great deals going on with the Employee Pricing PLUS PLUS so there was a lot to talk about.

Something interesting happened today though.....a family was looking at our Town and Country Limited and we had a DVD playing in there. The dad of the family pushed a button and that made the system shut down. We couldn't get the DVD playing again and it took a little bit of button pushing to get it all going again. Since we didn't know what buttons the gentleman had pushed, it took a little bit of time to get it going again to undo what he had done. As my Internet manager and I were figuring things out, he walked past my husband and said "We're going to go look at a minivan that works." What? Huh? Did I miss something? Wasn't he the one that pushed the buttons and stopped the DVD player? It's not that it was broken...we just had to reset it from whatever he had done. I don't get it.

Well, Day 1 is done and I think tomorrow will be super busy. I hope we have a great day!

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We're so excited! Welcome to the Auto Show!!!

The Spokane Auto Show is here and Jay and I are really excited to be there. We enjoy working these shows together because we get to meet our customers and catch up while making new "family" members. I know it sounds cheesy but we really do get ready for this event each year. My in-laws have traveled a long distance (Seattle...but it's long for them) to be here to babysit and we can't thank them enough.....this is how much this weekend means to us.

We would love to see you all...please stop by and say hello.

Here are the details....http://www.spokaneautoshow.com/

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Instant Starbucks???

I could swallow the "value meals" at Starbucks (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29099087/) because I don't mind a break when I order 2 things I want at that store. But now I read that they will be launching an instant coffee. http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE51B6OC20090212

Wow.....I guess Howard Schultz is really trying to turn things around. I'm not sure how instant coffee will do it...but maybe it's a start. I do know that instant coffee is very popular in places like Asia.....much more than in the U.S....so, maybe the people at Starbucks are thinking globally.

Still...wow...I don't think I'll try it unless I'm camping....which I NEVER do.

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Spokane Auto Show 2009 - Sneak peak!!!

Here's a picture taken this morning of our set up so far....

Hope to see you all there!!!!!

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at least car dealerships are more up-front that online florist!!!

This article is interesting because I had extra fees and surcharges that companies are charging these days. http://redtape.msnbc.com/2009/02/companies-often.html I hate it when I go to a website and the product is WAY more than expected by the time I'm done. I guess flowers are no different. We only have one fee that we charge (the documentation fee) and that actually goes towards services that are required to get your vehicle registered, filed, etc. Nothing else. We don't charge for extras that I think should be just part of the package. Airlines charging for the 1st piece of luggage or pillows or snacks or the aisle seat. I mean, give me a break...am I supposed to travel with only a carry-on to avoid extra charges? Does the pillow count as a personal item if I bring my own so I don't get charged? Does it cost the airline any more or less if I sit in the aisle or the window seat???????

Car dealerships would get slaughtered for such behavior. The Attorney General would be down at Spokane Chrysler so fast. And they always say car dealerships are so bad...and maybe some are...but it gives the good ones, like ours, a bad name. My husband tries hard to keep ours respectable and full of integrity. Too bad we get all lumped into the same category...sigh....

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Detroit needs some sunshine.....

GM has announced cuts in salary jobs. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28977982/ I understand they need to do this and "cut the fat" since times are thin. I just feel terrible for the city of Detroit. It already has many problems and massive job cuts (factory and management) hurts even deeper.

I've been there only twice but you definitely get a feel of the different pulls and pushes from it's history. The jobs created by the car factories and how the roles of who works in the factory and who works in the main offices are obvious. You also feel the pride of the city and the history that the citizens cherish. I hope times get better for Detroit.

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Stimulus? Bank Bailout? What a busy day....

Not only is the nation busy wondering about the future of the economy, but I think maybe the world might be watching to see what our leaders are proposing to do since our economy is now globally integrated more than ever. While President Obama was answering questions about the stimulus bill and while Wall Street was doing downhill fast, Jay and I were busy at work getting things ready for the New Car Show this weekend at the Spokane Fairgrounds. We are excited to see our past customers and make new ones. We are also very excited to offer low prices and great specials in sales AND service. This is going to be a great weekend.....come out and see us.

Also, Jay is busy taking care of the things of the dealership. Our used car buyer, Shawn Bird, bought some great pre-owned inventory today. Both Shawn and Jay can't wait to save people money. We have some great new car ads that are getting ready for the weekend as well. He was busy with that today. AND he was busy talking to customers and making them happy. That he always has time for.....

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steroids....big deal?

Have I become numb to the ills of society? Am I just too hardened in my heart to big news? Do I need to have a reality check on my view of public figures?

So, A-Rod has announced that he used steroids from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Rangers. (I did think he was a lot bigger than when he played for the M's.) http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29068677/ And really, I have to tell you the truth that I wasn't too surprised or disappointed. MLB didn't test or have any accountability against performance enhancing drugs and I'm supposed to believe that players were to police themselves? When it's the difference between multi-million dollars in their contract to play better AND they aren't tested for the drug...I'm supposed to believe that ALL the hundreds of players would have the moral ethic NOT to use drugs? Are you kidding me????

Look what happened to the banks and the mortgages in this country. Alan Greenspan thought that the banks and institutions would do what was best for their shareholders and not do shady things. Sure. Right. Look where that has gotten us.

Mark McGuire. Barry Bonds. Jose Canseco. I mean the list must be so long of this mega baseball stars that used drugs. I'm not too surprised that A-Rod is on the list. Is it wrong? Of course. Does it send a wrong message to young kids? Sure. But I'm not blown away because A-Rod got caught. I'm sure there are many others out there.

Come on...you have to inspect what you expect.

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Electric cars

I know Chrysler is furiously working on the ENVI line of cars that will have something for everyone. These electric/gas cars will be the next new thing and I really believe Chrysler has something good in what they are doing. They have no said what they will be making for 2010 (since 1 car is supposed to be released then) but I sure hope it's the minivan. It makes sense since right now the only hybrid vehicles that are NOT sedans are huge SUV's and not all people want that. I will keep my fingers crossed.

http://www.chrysler.com/en/experience/news/articles/?guid=2009_01_11_chrysler_town_cCountry_ev

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Used car buying tool

As the article says, the government is only 16 years late on getting this program working. I guess better late than never! And maybe it was a good thing to be so late because the program is now online and who knows what it would have been like 16 years ago. I'm just trying to see the bright side of this.....trying hard.

So, a consumer or even a dealership, like ours, can put in a vehicle's VIN number and receive information on the car like title and odometer numbers and if the car was ever reported stolen or totaled. Here is the article for more info: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29019423/

I like "big" government sometimes. It's nice for consumers and businesses.

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Heart-breaking story

This is such a tragic story. I know laws are in place to protect citizens and prevent things like this from happening. I understand that. As a mom though, I can't imagine what this mother is going through..

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/feb/04/car-seat-death-leads-to-charge/

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Sell your debt on Ebay????

Can you believe this story? A man in Boston has this debt listed on ebay and people can donate to help him get through these hard times! I'm not sure if I should applaud his ingenuity or be sad because our economy is hurting this bad! He's getting it paid off though....his plan is working!

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/18638155/detail.html

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New car bagains.....

Well on the back of dismal new car sales for January, Chrysler is trying to do something about it. If you want a new Chrysler, this is a great time to get one. Chrysler is offering employee pricing PLUS rebates...PLUS low financing as low as 0% (oac). http://www.chrysler.com/dma/820/index.html?zip=99212&family=null

So, if Chrysler is doing what it takes to make you a buyer, so are we. 110%. We're all in.

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Yikes...January sales for Ford plummet!

The headline was that Ford was down 40% in January on MSNBC.com so I quickly clicked on it to read what it was all about. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28996904/ It also mentions that Toyota is down 32% but still outsold Ford. Now, for me, I guess I'm just hardened to the fact that American car makers are going to have a tough year. So, it's more surprising that Toyota is down 32% than the number Ford posted. Of course the numbers are huge for decline if Toyota is even down that much.

It is a tough market out there for new cars. Good thing we have great pre-owned inventory. People still need cars for various reasons....so I am happy that we can still offer value and service in our cars. It's a hard time for many people out there and so it's nice when we can help people out for whatever reason....sales or service. I know most people thing dealerships are just out to gouge you....I can tell you that it's not true. Not all businesses are run the same nor do they have owners that actually care. You would be surprised about the concerns that my husband and I talk about when it comes to car deals or our service customers.

If you ever come and meet us...you will know we're different....in a good way!

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Chrysler is on the up and up!!!

Jim Press said that Chrysler should be viable by the spring. That is great news for everyone....dealers, consumers, the American tax payer. Not only are they planning new products to be launched in the next 2 years AND planning on launching smaller Fiat based cars after that, warranty claims are at an all time low for the company. This means they are building better cars. They are aware of the problems that kept their reliability ratings low in Consumer Reports and have worked hard to resolve them. Also, they have reduced inventory and are able to offer incentives to sell new cars. This article talks more about it.....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28842068/

Restructuring isn't easy and it takes time....but at least it's happening at Chrysler.

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February already...the month of LOVE....

It's everywhere....red and pink hearts, cupids, etc. Can't get away from it even if you wanted to. Oh well, what can we do since we live in America and consumerism is king. It's all a part of how we got to where we are. So, I decided that I want to put more links and things into my blog. However, I come to a blank since I want to do this. I will keep working on that for 2009.

Went to the doctors today for the annual check-up. I still have to lose weight and exercise some more. I know I should limit my portions. I know what to do..just a matter of putting my mind to it. Maybe start in 2010? Don't want to rush things....

What topics car or dealership topics would people like to read about this year? I'm curious.... need help for ideas. My brain is tired from trying to get my body to exercise, eat right, etc.

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