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.

Introducing John Morgan

John Morgan is one of the sales managers here at Custom Car Care. He joined us in December of 2008 after spending the previous 5 years selling new Fords and Lincolns.

Prior to selling cars John laid flooring. He loved it! He enjoyed the process of starting something, finishing it and looking at the results. He also enjoys selling cars because it gives him a chance to work with a variety of people every day.

He keeps busy spending time with his wife Kim and 4 children. His oldest daughter recently got married and he has twin 22 year old boys that he has to keep up with. He has another daughter who started the 1rst grade this year!

One of John’s pride possessions is his 1983 Jeep Wrangler CJ. He has put a lot of work into it to make it his own, unique Jeep. He loves taking it out especially in the summer with the top off!

John is originally from Decatur but eventually got tired of the winters and moved to Florida. He decided to trade in his beach towel for snow boots so he and his wife can be closer to their families and moved back to Decatur.

Saving Fuel Part 1

 

Everyone has the desire to save money. It doesn’t matter if you are driving a gas guzzler or a fuel efficient car you can do the following to reduce the amount of money spent on fuel

- The biggest fuel savers are from car pooling and public transportation. You might not live in a city where public transportation is available but you can find someone to car pool with. Car pooling can reduce the amount you spend on fuel by 50%! Even if you have to make a small sacrifice it is worth it when you can reduce your spending on fuel by 50%.

- Reduce unnecessary weight. Remove unnecessary items/weight can save you on fuel.

- Watch your speed. Going 80 MPH might get you to your destination quicker but it won’t save you on fuel consumption and while it can be fun to go from 0 to 60 in a matter of a few second it uses more fuel to do so. Accelerating slowly is the best way to go. Once you get up to speed use cruise to keep it steady.

 - Keep your tires inflated properly. This is often overlooked but if your tires are not inflated properly it will reduce your miles per gallon. To get the right inflation pressure look on the car’s doorjamb or the owner’s manual and not the tire’s sidewall.

There are a lot of things you can do to improve your fuel economy. Stay tuned for more tips in the near future!

This Takes Living In Your Car To A New Level!

Austrian architect Markus Voglreiter has taken his love for cars to another level! The design of his home is inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle. He loves his home so much he decided to build his restaurant to look like this same car.

Show Me The...Autocheck?

“Show Me The Car Fax!” We have all seen the commercials.  Almost everyone who is shopping for a pre owned vehicle asks for a Car Fax. Sometimes people are disappointed with the information that it shows or what it doesn’t show.

We prefer to use the alternative to Car Fax; Autocheck. It is the lesser known of the two but we believe it is the better report. It is more detailed and it is organized in a way that is easy to read.

We are not the only ones who believe Autocheck is the better of the two. EBay does too. They offer an Autocheck for all of the used vehicles listed on their site.

Autocheck uses over 150 sources to gather information on vehicles. They use state departments of motor vehicles, auto auctions, and insurance companies just to name a few.  

It’s important to remember that no vehicle history report can have the complete history on a car. The reports are only as good as the sources they use. We believe that Autocheck has better sources than Car Fax which is why we choose to use them.