Classic Cars Chevrolet

Rumors have been swirling around about the viability of General Motors and its role in the near future of the auto industry due to economic problems. But the most recognized domestic automaker responded to some of those rumors at this week’s International North American Auto Show in Detroit by displaying a sign at its exhibits that read: “Here to stay.”

One major victory for GM is the announcement that it’s going to assemble the battery packs for the upcoming Volt, one of the new Chevrolet cars on tap for the automaker. The Volt is an electric-drive vehicle and those battery packs are going to be built in Michigan, the home state of the auto industry. The announcement represents a “real opportunity” for the state and the region that has been hit hard in recent years by decreasing numbers of available manufacturing jobs.

The announcement combined with the recent money from the federal government seemed to give the automaker a renewed sense of encouragement and enthusiasm. Workers rallied around the stage at one time on Monday and chanted messages like, “Let’s go, GM” and “100 more years!”

Other new Chevrolet cars that engineers are working on include the Chevrolet Spark and the Chevrolet Orlando. Both vehicles are promising superior fuel efficiency and they are slated to hit the North American market in 2011.

Before you think your Chevrolet NJ dealers are sexist for suggesting female oil changers, this article (written by a female writer, mind you) applauds the idea. She even encourages more garages and service stations to employ women for working under the hood.

The writer tells how she and her family were driving around early on New Year’s Eve. She noticed her car had 3,000 miles on it since she last had the oil changed. Heeding her father’s advice, she pulled into the nearest oil change station she saw. But this station was different than any others she had seen before. This station had four women and no men at the place to do the oil change and other minor repairs that customers may need.

“Oh, my gosh, you’re all women!” she exclaimed out her window in surprise.

“Yeah,” said manager Jen Good. “We hear that a lot. We already know it.”

When asked about the reason there is only one man working at the station, Good said that men usually do not work out there. “We try to hire men,” she explained, “but they usually don’t work out.” She went on to say that men are typically “too messy” and they leave “too many fingerprints on the hood” and “too much oil dripping on the bumpers.” Unfortunately, she also said that many men pull into the station and leave in a huff once they see the workers are all women.

So if you’re one of those “macho” men that generally wouldn’t let a woman work on your Chevrolet cars, change your attitude. It’s 2009 and time to use some common sense.

Ever since I was a small boy, I can remember dreaming of buying my own Chevrolet. You see, I grew up in Michigan, not too far from one of the Chevrolet plants near Flint. For us, in those days before Toyotas and Hondas could be found on the streets in droves, owning your own Chevrolet was something of a status symbol. It meant you were an adult, that you had arrived.

Of course, I also remember struggling to figure out how I was going to pay for that first Chevrolet. Back then, only companies leased vehicles, so I didn’t really have that option. I’d just landed my first copywriting job, and I had a little bit of an advance to work with. So, I drove my old rusted out pickup to the Chevrolet dealer, plopped down the advance, and managed to convince the auto finance manager to let me have a loan for a 1992 Chevrolet Camaro.

Things may be different today. Auto financing is much harder to come by, and the Camaro is only just now returning to the Chevrolet lineup. Still, I’m proud to say that my kids talk about how, one day when they grow up and get a job, they’ll go down to one of our local NJ car dealers and buy their own Chevrolet.

Quite frankly, it makes me proud.

Despite the economic turmoil that has hit automakers like GM pretty hard, December was a success for your Chevrolet NJ dealer and others across the country.

The sales figures for Chevrolet hybrids were one bright spot for the domestic automaker. Overall, GM sold about 2,500 hybrids in December. That includes nearly 1,000 hybrid Chevrolet Tahoes and more than 450 Chevrolet Malibu hybrids. The overall sales figures for December include nearly 222,000 units sold and 2,980,688 for all of 2008.

When you break those numbers down, the report seems even more impressive. Here are some highlights from the GM press release:

• December sales were up about 30 percent when compared with October. When compared with November, December sales were up about 43 percent.
• December’s market share for December was about 24 percent, a four-point increase over November.
• GM’s market share for the second half of 2008 was about two points higher than the market share for the first half.

We could look at and analyze sales figures all day. The important thing to take away from this is that Chevrolet cars are still popular among today’s consumers despite the bad news that has been circulating in recent months. Visit your Chevrolet NJ dealer today and get a great deal on one of these cars while the bargains are still hot!

If you’re a huge fan of Eddie Van Halen, you may want to check out the two Chevrolet cars he has up for sale. He is letting them go to the highest bidder during the 38th annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona next week.

The first of the Chevrolet cars he has up for sale is his 1956 Chevy 210. It is maroon-colored and is also a “Pro Street hot rod built by customizer Jim Van Gordon.” It has a 454 big block engine and more than 600 horsepower. As such, it’s street legal AND ready for the drag strip.

He also has a 1956 Chevy Nomad station wagon. The exterior color is a classic “Cashmere Blue” with white and it once belonged to The Harrah Collection of Reno Nevada. Both cars are being auctioned with “matching, one-of-a-kind EVH Brand ‘Wolfgang’ guitars and a pair of red, white and black EVH striped sneakers.”

“Rock ‘n’ roll and collector cars go hand in hand,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “And Eddie’s cars, although from the same year, represent the diversity of the collector car hobby.”

“I hope the new owners enjoy these cars as much as I have and keep the guitars and cars in their families for a long time, because they are all one-of-a-kind,” said Eddie Van Halen about the sale.

It’s no secret that California has some of the strictest emissions laws in the country. But did you know some of those same laws went into effect yesterday for New Jersey, too? Your Chevrolet NJ dealers want to alert you to these new guidelines and let you know what to expect as a result.

The new guidelines call for every vehicle in the state of New Jersey to “achieve average fuel economy of 40.5 miles per gallon by 2016.” That’s all well and good, but some people are complaining because the state’s officials are not leading by example. In fact, the state’s Department of Purchasing is “accepting bids next week to buy a fleet that includes big SUVs with fuel economy that barely escapes single digits.”

If they want to use the big SUVs and save the world at the same time, they should just go to a Chevrolet NJ dealer and bid on hybrid Chevrolet cars and SUVs. The new Chevrolet hybrid SUVs meet the strictest of emissions standards and they are even cost-effective. Even if the state won’t lead by example, you can still do something good for yourself and the earth by investing in a Chevrolet hybrid. Check one out today!

If you’re in a pinch when it comes to your credit rating, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. Many people have been there. One statistic recently published suggested that at least 25% of all Americans have credit difficulties.

The good news here is that there’s credit available for auto financing, even if your credit report has some challenges. On top of that, there are things you can do to help make sure you do get the best credit you can.

Here are some things I’ve done over the years when getting ready to finance a car that might be able to help you:

• Review your credit history. Get a copy of your credit report. Just because you don’t have perfect credit doesn’t mean your report doesn’t have errors. It could be your credit report makes it look worse than it actually is.
• Know how much you can pay. Go into the car financing situation knowing how much you can afford, both in terms of monthly payments as well as the down payment. Stick to that number once you’re at the dealership, too.
• Keep your documents together. Have proof of employment or income at hand. If you’re self employed or run a small business like I do, keep copies of a couple years worth of tax returns handy.

When looking back at the news in the auto industry in 2008, you might not think there were many positive stories. But one Chevrolet car provides the bright side for the US auto market for 2008.

The Chevrolet Malibu is becoming one of GM’s most recognized vehicles. In fact, this Chevrolet car won the North American International Auto Show’s Car of the Year Award for both its appearance and its body structure. Here are some of the reasons more people are checking out these Chevrolet cars at local dealers:

• The safety cage construction helps protect the car’s occupants in the event of an accident or rollover. The crush zones are also helpful in protecting occupants in a collision.
• A specially-designed latch system makes it easier to install and take out child safety seats.
• Redesigned safety belts help keep occupants (even children) comfortable while being safely restrained in case of an accident.
• The OnStar system is ideal for emergencies, driving directions and vehicle maintenance. Anything you need while you’re on the road is right at your fingertips.
• A new look makes this Chevrolet car more attractive to young and old buyers alike.

The new Chevrolet Equinox that is being perfected by General Motors has already reached a major milestone in the game of eco-friendly vehicles. More than 100 of these new Chevrolet models are on the roads right now and according to Ed Peper, the General Manager of Chevrolet, those cars will have logged more than a half million miles last week. “We have done what no other competitor has done…driven a half-million miles with zero petroleum and leaving a carbon footprint of zero,” said Peper regarding the new Chevrolet fuel cell technology. No other company has been able to put more than 100 fuel cell vehicles on the road prior to this program.

This whole process is part of the automaker’s Project Driveway, a program in which automakers are trying to make fuel cell vehicles available to the general public. The program began in October of last year and officials plan to continue it until 2010. “The vehicles are performing very well and we are learning a great deal about fuel cell robustness and how to make this program work for real customers,” said GM’s director of fuel cell commercialization. So far, more than 3,400 people have driven these efficient Chevrolet cars as part of media events or other occasions. Could you be next?

While many Americans may not be familiar with the cranky English auto journalist, Jeremy Clarkson, he has for the first time named and American car as the best car of this year. It may not surprise Corvette enthusiasts to find that he named the 2009 Corvette ZR1 the best car of the year.

Clarkson declares this about the Corvette:

“There is simply no other car that looks this good, goes this fast – in a straight line and around corners – and that most of the time bumbles about like a forgetful uncle. And when you throw in the price tag of just £106,690 – lots for a Corvette but modest next to a similarly powerful Ferrari – the case for the defence can sit down and put up its feet knowing that the prosecutor simply has nowhere to go.”

Clarkson celebrates the ZR1′s supercharged V8, which he describes as “both docile and extraordinarily savage all at the same time.” While he isn’t impressed with the build quality, claiming problems with the remote starter after just three days, he suggests that these sorts of problems are minor compared to the sheer quality of the Corvette.

Come see what it is that Clarkson is talking about. Take a test drive in your new Corvette at your Marlton area Corvette dealer today.