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Fall
2005 Edition Newsletter
Contents (select
one...)
Great Expections
Rare Surprises
$1,500 Cars
Cool News for Scorchers
Check Engine light
Success Stories
New Services Available
Increased Fuel Mileage
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| Past
Newsletters |
Would
you like to read some of Southwest Autos past newsletters? Select
the issue below:
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Fall 2005 |
Fall 2003 |
Fall 2002 |
Fall 2001 |
Fall 2000 |
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Back
To Contents
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| Rare
Surprises |
As
my friends approach 50, boredom seems to be the most common lament
these days. Are you bored with the cookie cutter cars out there?
Do you march to the beat of a just
slightly different drummer than most folks? Try taking a Saab for
a drive, I bet you'll be surprised at how much fun driving can be
again. The other day I was driving a Saab 9-5 and can't recall enjoying
the sporty handling, ice cold A/C with ventilated seats, and Harmon-Kardon
stereo as much as any car in recent memory. Add to this excellent
reliability, great crash worthiness, along with exceptional value
and you have a winning combination. Come check out some of the best
buys we have seen in a long time. Our inventory can be seen at www.southwestauto.com.of
the process.
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| $1,500
Cars |
I was
talking with a customer who had purchased a Volvo 240 from a private
seller for $1,500 and was upset that he had spent over $1,500 in
repairs the first year he had driven the car. Comparing this with
our experience, we have found it very difficult to locate cars that
can be bought for less than $3,000 and not require multi-thousands
in repairs to be a reasonably reliable daily driver. I didn't say
it, but I thought he had done very well to have bought and driven
a car for a year for this cost.
If we could all buy $1,500 cars and not have frequent repairs, why
would anyone buy a new car again? The fact is that vehicle components
wear due to mileage and age and have to be replaced. Your transportation
options are: buy a new car true there will be a short-lived new
car thrill, but then the reality of expenses to absorb, depreciation,
finance the purchase and insurance continue even when out of warranty
repairs pop-up.
By far the least expensive alternative is to maintain your existing
car until the cost of ownership exceeds approximately $500/month.
Preventive maintenance (e.g. 30,000 mile services) pays off from
100,000 miles and up as well as catching component wear and/or failures
before they cause a domino effect and lead to expensive repairs.
The purpose of maintenance services is to extend the usable life
of your vehicle to increase your return on investment. Two of our
customer come mind who both have 240's, one 1985 model is celebrating
it's 20th birthday this year still going strong. The other 1988
model having endured 3 high school kids and still soldiering on.
As these customers have found it's a lot more fun to keep your existing
car on the road longer. Invest half the savings and spend the other
half on vacations with your family that you kept safe instead.
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If you know
of a particular quote you find inspiring, please e-mail it to jkhowes@msn.com
and we'll put it in a future newsletter.
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| Cool
News for Scorchers |
With the escalating price of old-style Freon R-12 used in pre 1993
Volvos, it doesn't make sense to repair these systems any longer.
We have arranged special pricing using factory kits to update your
Volvo. We have tested these for a year and have had very good results.
The factory kit allows cold air to once again refrigerate the interior
of your Volvo for $398. For
240 models prior to 1991 the conversion is more extensive, but delivers
satisfactory results by replacing the hardware in the dash with
the correct components for the newer R-134 Freon. Past experiments
with Freon only conversion have yielded poor results. This updating
will take one day and runs $778.
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To Contents
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| Check
Engine Light Revisited |
Lighting up briefly at startup and going out
after it's self- check is completed, your check engine light can come
back on for any of several hundred different reasons. If this occurs
while driving and the car drives normally don't panic, the onboard
diagnostic system is doing exactly what it is designed to do in that
is it has detected a fault, attempted to adjust to accommodate it
and your car now requires attention to correct the cause. This is
not an emergency situation requiring parking the vehicle immediately,
but does provide enough time to arrange an appointment with our
service department to diagnose and correct the cause. If the check
engine light begins flashing, this indicates an engine misfire capable
of causing permanent damage to the catalytic converter. You should
reduce your speed, not drive long distances and bring your car in
as soon as possible to prevent expensive repairs. If these conditions
occur, schedule a diagnosis as soon as possible by calling (972) 488-2525
or go online www.southwestauto.com.
—Higher insurance costs.
—Loss of liquidity. What if your job evaporates and you can't
sell your car for what you owe on it. This is frequently the case
if you put little or nothing down or finance for more than 48 months.
—The average new car buyer commits 30% of his net worth on a
new car purchase. Think about it, this is insane and guaranteed to
keep you in the poorhouse.
Read the “Millionaire Next Door” by Stanley and Danko
to discover the formula over one-third of millionaires apply when
buying a previously owned car. Buy a 2 or 3 year old car that is half
depreciated, less than one third worn out with a factory warranty.
If it's necessary to buy another car, now is a great time due to low
prices (frequently less than half the cost of new) and low interest
rates for loans (lately less than 4% at local credit unions). Check
our inventory at www.southwestauto.com as most of our cars qualify.
Nothing makes us happier than helping a customer make a smart buying
decision.
“Better shun the bait than struggle in the snare.” John
Dryden
Back To Contents
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| Success
Stories |
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One of our customers was experiencing second gear slipping on their
2000 Honda Accord. They had spent $564 at Pep Boys while out of
town with no improvement. We researched the symptoms on our information
network and found Honda had an extended warranty on this transmission.
The car went to a Honda dealer for a no charge fix under warranty.
Sometime it's not what you know, but asking the right questions
that can save buckets of money.
•An owner
of a 1995 850 called us about a horrible noise with the power steering
system of his 1995 Volvo 850. He had added fluid and the noise did
not go away. After having received a quote in excess of $1500 he
sought a second opinion. We found a power steering line loose at
the steering rack, tightened the connectors and cleaned up the mess
for $76. Savings: $1424 +.
•A new
customer called about a flashing up-shift arrow on his 1994 Volvo
850 wagon with a dealer quote of over $3000 in hand. He wisely called
for a second look. We ran the diagnostic procedure pinpointing a
malfunctioning solenoid #2 inside the transmission. We replaced
the solenoid for a total cost of $500. Savings: over $2500.
•A friend
asked us to take a look at the non-functioning air conditioner of
his low mileage Nissan Pathfinder after receiving a quote of $1200
for compressor replacement. After a quick look, we found that only
the compressor clutch had failed and after a few phone calls located
a replacement. The total fix cost $600. The more expensive route
would have solved the problem but wasn't necessary. Savings:
$600.
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To Contents
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| New
Volvo Services… |
850
We now stock and install the horn button repair kit for the Volvo
850. Repair cost $199 vs. $750 steering wheel replacement.
850-S/V/C70 The air guide behind the lower front spoiler serves two
functions. To direct cooler incoming air to the radiator and A/C condenser
and to direct water away from the emissions air pump which can suck
in water and fail. Cost of air guide $100, cost of air pump and repair
$650. We
love letters like this! Come see her pictures in our bulletin board
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To Contents
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| Increased
Fuel Mileage |
Moneysaving
tips from the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality.
—Keep your car well maintained. If you replace a dirty air filter,
your mileage can improve by up to 10%.
—Keep tires properly inflated and balanced. This can boost your
mileage by up to a mile per gallon.
—For each five miles per hour over 60 mph, you fork over an
extra dime per gallon. If you regularly fill your tank with 10 gallons,
routinely drive 65 mph instead 60 - you're paying an extra dollar
per fill-up.
—Fast starts, stops and aggressive driving are huge money wasters.
By maintaining stable speeds, you may save as much as 50 cents a gallon,
which amounts to a 25% discount these days.
—Drive less. Combine your errands and try walking or riding
a bicycle.
—Don't keep your engine running in drive-through lanes. This
eats more gas than simply shutting the engine off and restarting later.
Save even more by just parking and going in.
—Travel light. Heavy loads make your car work harder and use
more gas.
—Shifting your vehicle into overdrive gear as soon as your speed
is high enough will improve your mileage. With manual transmissions,
the lower the shift speed, the better your fuel economy.
Note: We have found quite a few 850s with clogged flame trap systems
causing poor fuel mileage complaints. If caught quickly enough we
can clean the system, relieve the crankcase pressure and restore
good fuel mileage as well as prolonging rear engine seal life. This
one is worth avoiding, as it is a $1000+ repair.
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