Introducing Phil Zeeff

Phil Zeeff is the finance manager at Custom Car Care. He came here in May 2009. He has worked in the automotive industry nearly all of his life. Before joining us he worked for a couple of dealers in Fort Wayne.

Being the only finance manager can be stressful. He is the go-to-guy regarding financing, laws, and warranties related to automobiles. He handles all the paperwork making him the last person our customers see before they drive home in their new car! He works with multiple banks and credit unions to help people secure financing.  

He grew up around Grand Rapids Michigan and attended college there. He now resides in Van Wert OH with his wife and two children. Even though he lives in Ohio and works in Indiana his loyalty remains in Michigan…Go Blue and Lions! When he has free time he enjoys rooting on his home teams (which has been painful for him recently) fishing, golfing, and watching his kids play sports.

Pre-Owned vs. Brand New

Buying a new vehicle can be a very exciting yet stressful time for people. It’s exciting to get anything new, right? It’s also stressful because financially speaking it’s one of the biggest decisions we make and because of all the choices out there.

Technology and design advance every year. We all want to drive the latest and coolest car. We want to have the latest cell phone, etc. That’s human nature.

Unfortunately when we buy anything brand new it cost more. Since buying a vehicle is such as huge financial decision not everyone can afford to buy a brand new vehicle.

On average new cars lose 60% of their value within the first four years. Only those who are filthy rich can afford to take a hit like that in terms of depreciation.

Other than not paying nearly as much depreciation there are a lot of other advantages to buying pre-owned over new. You don’t pay as much in terms of financing costs and your insurance will cost you less.

So next time you are looking for a new vehicle resist the temptation to buy brand new. Save your money and buy a pre-owned vehicle.

Saving Fuel Part 2

A couple of weeks ago we posted some tips that can save you fuel. Here are some more useful tips that will help the cause!

Obviously the technology of the automotive manufactures has a lot to do with the fuel economy of our vehicles. We, the drivers, have a lot more power than we think. Our driving habits a lot to do with the fuel economy we get. Below are some tips that, little by little, can add up to substantial increase in miles per gallon.

Avoid idling. When your car idles you get 0 MPG. Unfortunately we can not control the traffic lights so there will be some idling. There are a lot of places we can avoid that would avoid idling thus increase our gas mileage.

America’s most chosen method of doing business is the drive thru. It doesn’t matter if it is at your local McDonalds or Chase Bank consumers prefer to use the drive thru. This wastes your gas thus wasting your money. Often times you will find that choosing to go inside these places will save you time as there are less people inside than there is in the drive thru.

In the winter a lot of people like to let their cars warm up before get in it and go. This is understandable but it does get you 0 MPG. Just like using the drive thru it wastes gas thus wasting your money.

 If you are someone who frequently eats fast food, goes to the bank, etc you want to go inside as opposed to using the drive thru. This will save you gas/money and often time.