A few years back I began to focus my efforts in learning about and getting involved with the mysterious digital black magic that is Social Media and how I could help my dealership not only increase its online presence but actively engage with our customers in all the areas that THEY were spending time. To that end I have created and manage pages for our store in many different online areas such as Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest etc... and we have built quite a nice community of friends and followers online. Being knee deep in the efforts of our dealership it was easy for me to assume that many dealerships were doing much the same thing and yet, surprisingly most aren't! A writer for the website Edmunds.com contacted me recently because she had become aware of Raceway Fords level of online activity and was impressed enough to want to write an article about us! While speaking with Laura she shared with me how our store, while not exclusive to having a great presence online, is still somewhat unique and after an interview wrote a very nice piece about the things we are doing to keep us engaged with customers in many areas to share Ford knowledge, entertain and educate as much as we can. Its a great piece and can be read HERE. For me, the recognition that we are on the right path was pretty awesome! 

Famous horses have been featured in works of art for since the dawn of time, in the days of old a prize stallion would be immortalized in oil and the canvas hung proudly above its owners mantle for all to admire. Today your prize pony can also be immortalized and hung for admiration with an original print from the ‘Automotive Michelangelo’ himself, Mr Danny Whitfield. For a limited time with the purchase of a new Ford Mustang from Raceway Ford in Riverside, CA, you will receive a framed print signed by the artist of your new car purchased for you by me, Mike theCarGuy! Imagine having your co-workers admiration of your new Mustang when they see it hanging on your office wall or your friends and family being able to see your prized stallion as it hangs prominently on a wall in your home! I have been a huge fan of Mr Whitfields work for a long time and two of his prints myself, I wanted to offer my customers the chance to own one of these amazing works of art as well... and owning a new Mustang wont be all that bad either! The remaining 2014 Mustangs are moving briskly so time is critical, if you have your sights on a new Pony the time is now, and when you buy your new car you will get one to hang on the wall too!
You can see more of the amazing automotive artistry of Danny Whitfield HERE:

Imagine you are house hunting and you walk through a perfect house with all the bedrooms you could even want and every amenity you could desire. At the end of the tour the realtor asks you what you think about the $4 million dollar asking price and you reply; “if you could get the payments under $1500 per month we are ready to move right in…”
Ridiculous, yes however that same scenario plays out every day on dealership lots across the country.  One of the biggest causes of difficult negotiations and bad feeling about the car buying experience stems from the real lack of homework being done regarding monthly payments. There is no shortage of websites these days that will give out all kinds of advice on how to get the ‘best price’ when car shopping, some will even show you pricing right on their site however, most of them fail to mention that there is a connection between that great price and the monthly payment it takes to pay back the loan for that amount. When folks ask me what the best advice I have about car shopping is I always answer the same way, “know you own monthly budget and what the buys, then stay within that amount when you go out shopping.” Sounds simple right? Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to work that way a lot of the time! Many times car shopping is done on impulse or, sometimes folks do their homework and know how much car they SHOULD be looking at and then get caught up in the excitement of new cars and try to buy more car than they can afford in the hopes that somehow the dealer will be able to ‘make it work’.  The surest way to a long drawn out negotiation is to try to buy a vehicle that has a cost of more than the budget you have for yourself and think that ‘if the dealer REALLY wants to sell the car they will be able to make the math work’. I see it day in and day out, a customer will come in and pick out a car and sit down to work out the deal armed with all kinds of quotes from websites and other dealers. I agree to a price and then show the customer payment options and that’s when they freak! All the effort and time invested in getting a killer deal just to realize that the payments on that sweet price wont work….
To keep things basic I am just talking about a purchase here and yes, with enough down payment any monthly payment can be reached but for arguments sake let’s assume a no money down purchase just for a moment. Let’s say you like the new Fusion and pick one out that has an MSRP of $25995. It really doesn’t matter how much research you have done and how willing the dealer is to sell the car there is little hope of achieving a monthly payment of $350 per month without a whole lot of help! What often happens in a case like this is the customer gets frustrated and leaves, then pulls into another dealer ship with a better understanding of where his payment objective needs to be in order to get the car he wants and enters negotiations with a new target or, looks for a car that better fits his budget. Either way there is often a negative feeling about the first dealership and the car buying process in general.
There are many online calculators that will show auto financing payments and even without an exact idea of the rate you may qualify for its easy to get a general idea of a target payment will payback. For instance, to reach a target of $450 per month at 60 months the loan would payback somewhere between $18-27,000. Now keep in mind that might need to include tax, registration and any other fees that may be charged in your area. If you are looking for a car with a price in that range all should be good and negotiation may get you the deal you want however, if you had your sights on an SUV with an MSRP of say, $45,000 there is simply no amount of wheeling and dealing that will have you on the road and with a payment in that budget!

SAVE THE DATE!  THE 16TH ANNUAL KOMEN INLAND EMPIRE RACE FOR THE CURE® WILL BE HELD ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2014

Raceway Ford has once again accepted the challenge to help raise funds to support the Inland Empire  Affiliate of Susan G. Komen  in its efforts to END BREAST CANCER FOREVER. I have been elected Captain of Team Raceway and we are going to have a blast as we work to raise our goal of $1,500 for this awesome organization and get out there to 'Race For The Cure"!! 

You can help support this important project by becoming a member of Team Raceway! We are looking for friends and family to join us in supporting this very worthwhile cause. Becoming a team member is easy! Click on the link below and register for the Race for the Cure© through “Join a Team” and click Team Raceway! If you cant join us at this incredible even t you can still show your support for this worthwhile cause by donating at the site and help us reach our goal of raising $1500! The days events include;

6:30 a.m.      Expo/Kids Expo
7:00 a.m.     Survivor Activities/Ceremonies Begin
8:00 a.m.     5K Run/Walk-Teams
Competitive Event – Self Timed
9:00 a.m.     5K Run/Walk-Teams
Fun Run
10:15 a.m.   1.5 mile Family Fun Run/Walk
10:30 a.m.   Kids Only (10 and under) Run

Remember, one person can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Susan G. Komen was founded by one sister making a promise to another sister. You can be a part of this worthwhile effort! Our promise of a world without breast cancer does not just rest in the hands of Komen.  It is up to you, our community of survivors and co-survivors, to stand united with us until the promise is fulfilled and the cures are found.

Not only can you join our team, but you can help in raising funds for the cause. Once you register, visit your participant center. There is a wealth of content to help you in your fundraising efforts. We look forward seeing you on October 19th!

www.komenie.org