2010 Roush Mustang

Yesterday, the Roush team stopped in to train our sales in team in Lowell, Mi. Here is a walk around video of a 2010 Roush Mustang. It is a beautiful car and very fun to drive :)


Enjoy the video

Harold Zeigler

Dear valued customer,

We are pleased to inform you on May 14th, Chrysler designated our Sales and Service agreements to be assumed and assigned to a new company that is purchasing the primary operating assets of Chrysler. We are excited to move forward with this new company.

As part of the agreement 789 dealers nationwide will not have their dealer agreements assumed by the new Chrysler and will cease new dealer operations by mid-June. While we are extremely happy to be among the dealers selected to represent the “New Chrysler” moving forward, we are also sympathetic to these dealers that will be loosing their businesses.

We are very proud to have met all of the necessary criteria to be part of Chrysler’s future (customer satisfaction, facility, location, capitalization, sales volume). You can feel confident in the products and services we have during this transition and if you are in the market to replace your vehicle we would urge you to come visit us now; new vehicle incentives are very aggressive and demand for quality pre-owned vehicles is very high.

We look forward to being here for you for generations to come.

Sincerely,


Aaron Zeigler
President
Harold Zeigler Chrysler Dodge Jeep
www.haroldzeigler.com

Chrylser and Fiat Alliance

Down by four with :59 seconds to go, no time outs, on
your own 2 yard line and your starting quarterback just got
knocked out of the game; if you win you’re in the Super
Bowl, if you loose you’re all done. That’s exactly how
Chrysler executives, employees and dealers must have felt
thirty days ago. But what nobody new is that a young
hot shot quarterback from Italy was being put in the game
and he was going to play a major role in pulling out the
improbable victory.
Thirty days ago President Obama and his automotive
task force gave Chrysler and Fiat executives an almost
impossible set of objectives to accomplish in order to
receive any more government assistance to survive
and restructure the American icon. In the end they
accomplished those objectives. On Thursday President
Obama congratulated Chrysler on reaching a deal with
Fiat, receiving major concessions from the UAW and CAW,
reaching agreements with their major bond holders, and
on deciding to seek bankruptcy protection under the 363
debt reorganization, saying these moves will allow the
automaker to “not only survive, but thrive.” According to
Aaron Zeigler, President of the Harold Zeigler Auto Group,
“This has been a historic week for the auto industry. Thirty
years from now we will look back and remember this as
the week the auto industry changed forever.
What does chapter 11 bankruptcy protections mean? Well
for Continental airlines it let them fundamentally change
their policies and corporate culture to become an employee driven
customer-centered organization which now enjoys
the highest customer loyalty in the airline industry.
According to Zeigler, “As everyone’s heard Chrysler
announced a 363 bankruptcy today which will reduce their
debt to bond holders and allow them to reduce their dealer
ranks by approximately 1000 dealerships. Most of these
are dealerships that do not sell all 3 brands like we do.
This is also an important piece of the puzzle for Chrysler
to be able to thrive going forward. I’m very excited about
the things that have happened this week and believe that
we are setup very well for a prosperous future.
Howdoes bankruptcy affect warranties and vehicle values?
Chrysler warranties are completely valid and even backed
by the government for added security. All warranty work
at dealerships will be business as usual for dealers and
owners. According to Brad Dodge, General Sales Manager
at Harold Zeigler Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Grandville, “If the
brand or maker of a vehicle just goes away we certainly
see an additional loss of value in many of those vehicles,
however, Chrysler will be healthier around for a long time
so we actually expect an increase in future market value.”
What does a Chrysler Fiat Alliance mean? According
to NADA (National Automotive Dealers Association) is
means:
1. The alliance creates the 6th largest global automaker
which will retain Chrysler’s existing factory footprint to
continue producing cars in U.S factories.
2. Fiat contributes billions of dollars in advanced
technology and intellectual property, plus offers Chrysler
access to a global distribution network. This will allow
Chrysler to build new fuel efficient cars and engines in U.S
factories.
3. Fiat will acquire 20% of Chrysler immediately with
additional percentages being added as the government
loan is repaid and set accomplishments are achieved.
What does the combining of Chrysler Financial and GMAC
mean for auto loans? Both CFC and GMAC applied to
become for bank status last year. GMAC was granted
bank status and Chrysler was not, and all the benefits that
brings. Benefits like lower cost of funds and a much larger
pool of money to be able to lend from. This is a huge win
for Chrysler dealers and their customers, because loans
are going to be much more accessible.
What does this mean for local dealers? According to Scott
Comar, General Manager at Harold Zeigler in Grandville,
“It means we can be sure that Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep will
continue to be the product we sell and service for many
years to come.” Comar added, “A lot of tough decisions
have already been made, but some tough ones are still to
come - which dealers will stay and which will go are still to
come. We are fortunate to all ready be one of the biggest
Genesis dealers in the country, which means having all 3
brands under one roof in the best location, so we know
we are in great shape. But I would imagine small remote
dealers or dealers that don’t have all three franchises may
be nervous.” “The bottom line is successful dealers are
now going to be backed by a successful manufacture and
will be able to continue to provide top quality vehicles at
even prices on par with all the competition.”
What does this mean in the short term for potential
customers? Bob Seitz, New Car Manager at Zeigler,
“Chrysler will be shutting production down while they
go thru this process, we expect about 30 to 60 days, and
when the re-open plants they will be building a lot of 2010
models. Their goal is to aggressively market and put big
rebates on all the vehicles currently in stock so dealers
can clear out their existing stock and then we will be
able to order a lot of inventory under the New Chrysler.”
Seitz continued, “We expect that once people understand
that this is actually a good thing for Chrysler and that
the products we have today are some of the best in the
industry, that pent up demand will bring a lot of people in
to the showroom. We know we are going to have to prove
to everyone that comes in that Chrysler is a good decision
and that our dealership is going to be here for them. So
fortunately we have 32 years of Harold Zeigler tradition
behind us and a lot of information to back up what a solid
company Chrysler will now be.”
Bottom Line: The new Chrysler-Fiat alliance provided
the American Icon with the game winning drive it needed
to march on for generations to come. Chrysler and the
thousands of people they employ, the communities they
support and the thousands of small business that rely on
them are a big part of what makes this country great and
are worth investing in. This is an American company that
now has worldwide reach and is the kind of company that
puts money back into the country that supports it. Now is
the time for anyone in the market to get out and seriously
consider an American made Chrysler Dodge or Jeep sold
at solid local dealer like Harold Zeigler Chrysler Dodge
Jeep in Grandville

Lets start the blame game

Last weekend, I was in San Francisco and I had an "eye opening" experience. My husband and I were heading into the city and began to play "slug bug" to help the time pass as we waited in traffic. As I began to search for my "slug bugs" I noticed all the vehicles around us were foreign vehicles. I began to count for the next hour as a car passed us, 1 in every 25 cars were a make of the Big Three. As I counted I pondered the thought "California has one of the largest economy's in the US, I wonder what the outcome for the Big 3 would have been if the people driving all these foreign cars brought a Chrysler, GM or Ford vehicle." I started to get fired up about this topic because everyone is quick to blame the BIG three for our economy issues but no one looks at the decisions they make or their friends are making. Please don't misunderstand, I know the big three made several poor decisions but I think us as American's need a reality check because all of us have something to do with our economy and the problems we are having right now. Next, time you are ready to buy something, anything, find out where it is made and see if there is USA made alternative. Your choice will effect someone.

Warranties are Safe

Good news for all potential Chrysler and General Motors customers. In a bid to boost flagging auto sales, the federal government will pay for any warranty repairs on a General Motors or Chrysler vehicle if either company can't because of financial problems or a bankruptcy filing, President Barack Obama said today. "Let me say this as plainly as I can. If you buy a car from Chrysler or General Motors, you will be able to get your car serviced and repaired just like always," Obama said in a speech today. "Your warranty will be safe. In fact, it will be safer than it has ever been. Because starting today, the United States will stand behind your warranty."

If after hearing President Obama's speech you are still concerned about buying a Chrysler or General Motors vehicle here is a few tips:

1) Check out the dealership history. If the dealership has been in business for several years and/or has mulitply locations, it is a safe bet they will stand behind what they sell no matter what.

2) Read consumer reviews about the vehicle you are interested in. It will give you piece of mind, if the vehicle has good reviews

3) Talk to other owners. If you see someone driving the vehicle ask them about it.

If you need a car and love a Chrysler or GM product, now really is the time to buy. When Chrysler and GM pull through these economy times, they will be strong and demand will be high. If demand is high for the vehicle you want price will be also. All the signs are pointing to buy!

Ford Work Solutions

Ford Sync
Voice-activated communications and entertainment systems help keeps you connected. Simple voice commands let you control most Bluetooth enabled mobile phones and popular digital media players.

Sirius Travel Link
Travel Link can find the nearest gas station (and prices), map your way around an accident, provide weather forecast, and keep you connected with the latest sport scores and movie listings.

Advance Navigation Radio:
Advanced Navigation Radio option takes your voice instructions and replies with turn by turn directions to get you where you want to go. Includes an 8" in dash screen, a Sony single CD/DVD player with MP3, DVD Audio and DVD video capabilities; a nearly 10GB music jukebox; and SIRIUS Satellite Radio with Travel Link capability

Sirius Satellite Radio:
130 Channels of digital programming. Six months of Service

Cable Lock:
A rugged, retractable, vinyl coated cable spools out of the case mounted in the cargo box. It snakes through tool handles and equipment frames to secure those items in the box. A heavy-duty locking shackle clips to any cargo box tie down or back onto the cable itself.
Tool Link from DeWALT Tool Link uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to tell you what's in your truck and what isn't. Tool link automatically checks the truck before you leave for a job to make sure you have the tools you need. If checks again at the end of the workday to see that all the gear you used on the job site is back on board.

Crew Chief:
With Crew Chief telematic devices on your trucks, you can tell where every truck in your fleet is 24/7 by pulling up the website on the Ford Work Solution in-dash computing system in your truck. Crew Cheif, offered by Microlise, shows which of your trucks in closest to the job you need done. It can also provide information that is vitual to the life of your trucks and your profit. Optional diagnotics and maintenance reports can help keep your maintenance up to date

The Auto Market and You

The Auto Market & YOU
As auto manufactures prepare to go back to the government are buyers the BIG winners?
By: Charlie Grooters, Grand Rapids, MI
Every month for years, car manufacturers and dealers have advertised if you don’t buy now,
you will miss the biggest savings in history. For people who were in the market to buy a new vehicle, those savings and deep discounts were a big reason why they chose to buy when they did and what they did. Today, the national media makes it sound like absolutely no one is coming into dealer showrooms to buy a new car. All we tend to report and hear about the unfortunate people who have lost jobs and make up the 10 to 18% unemployment in many areas. For those people, now is definitely a time to be conservative and save. But, should we really believe that the other 80% to 90% of the people, while they may be conserving, are completely out of the retail market and not spending money? Have you tried going out to eat on a Friday or Saturday night in West Michigan?Plan on an hour plus wait. Obviously people are out spending money, but what about big ticket items like cars? According to Brad Dodge, General Sales Manager at HaroldZeigler Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Grandville , “general floor traffic is certainly less than it was a year ago. However, yearly sales are off less than five percent. Almost every customer
that comes into the showroom to look at cars or that is having their car serviced comments
on how many people are here looking at cars. The perception the media has given them is that we have dust mites in the showroom not customers, but the reality is that during the week we are talking to an average of 15 customers plus receiving 10 sales calls and at least a dozen Internet leads; on the weekend we are seeing 35 to 50 customers.” Most dealers I spoke witharen’t seeing the kind of traffic that Dodge and his team at Harold Zeigler in Grandville are, but still are reporting that the people who do come in are more serious buyers. Dodge agreed. “The people that are coming in have made it through all the negativity in the media and have made the decision that if the deal is right they feel comfortable buying a new orpre -owned vehicle now,” he said. “A lot of our customers come in hoping to keep their payments the same and are surprised with all the incentives that they are actually lowering their payment. We
have had a lot of people that aren’t just buying one car, but once they see the deal, decide to replace two cars.”
Another rampant rumor is that loans just aren’t available, and if you can get a loan you
have to have perfect credit. According to Ross Todd, Finance Manager at Zeigler, “The banks are
certainly tighter than they were a year ago, but we are still getting loans for 95% of the customers that want to buy a car.” Anyone over the age of 30 remembers when you had to put down 20% and have good credit to buy a house or a car. At some point all that changed according
to Todd, “Loans went from short term with down payment, to longer term with down payment, to leasing with zero down and crazy low payments, to long term loans with zero down, and then to long term with zero down plus adding a bunch of negative equity from the previous car.,” he said. Not only was this happening on cars, but the banks did the same thing for people on homes. Unfortunately,many people assumed they could afford whatever the bank would approve for them. Not only did the days of putting money down disappear, but so did the basic requirement of needing good credit to get a loan. Nature burns a forest and leaves it black when the undergrowth gets to thick, but then it grows back richer and better than before. It seems like we are seeing the same things happen with the credit markets. Too many bad loans were
made, the banks are paying the price, but good lending will come back with the lessons learned
from these mistakes.

Scott Comar, General Manager/Vice President Harold Zeiglers in Grandville, believes we
are in the ultimate buyer’s market and that right now is the perfect time for people to take advantage of the perfect storm of incentives. “Normally when you see incentives increase, other incentives decrease, but right now every pipeline is open from Chrysler for incentives,” he
said. Comar believes this is because Chrysler has a point to prove before going back in front of Congress. “When Cerberus bought Chrysler two years ago, they immediately started anoverhaul of the company and were well ahead of schedule before the bottom fell out of lending, gas prices soared, consumer confidence fell, and the big 3 execs were bashed in front of Congress,”
he said. “The reality is they wouldn’t have been asking for a loan if the entire economy didn’t tank. What nobody has heard is that Chrysler already had a complete written plan when they first visited Congress; they went with a plan, not for a handout. The piece the
government asked for that wasn’t in that original plan were union concessions.”
Since the public bashing of the big 3 execs in Congress, we have now seen major import manufacturers report double digit sales declines, losses and shut downs of plants. It would be wrong to say that the domestic manufactures have not made plenty of mistakes, but what about the once invincible imports that are dealing with recallsand massive losses?
So are the buyers really BIG winners today?According to Comar, you should look at what you
are getting for your money. “It’s not just about the deal, it is what you get for your money,” he said. “Chrysler had less than half as many recalls in 2008 than Toyota did – so I think people should be confident that they are getting a quality vehicle when they buy a Chrysler product.”Comar goes on to clarify what is available right now. “When you look at the incentives you get today every pipeline is wide open,” he said. You don’t have to choose what you get,
you get them all:
1. Employee Pricing (typical savings from retail of $3,500 - $5,000)
2. Factory Rebate (ranging from $1,000 -$4,000)
3. Regional Bonus cash (up to $1,000)
4. Chrysler Financial bonus cash ($1,000 on most vehicles)
5. 0% Financing for 48 months (additional savings vs. standard rates averages $4,000)
6. Owner loyalty (up to an additional $2,000 for current Chrysler owners)
7. Lease loyalty (another $750 for current Chrysler lease customers)
8. Plus congress just passed tax deductions for buying a new car
Add them all up and in February of the 2009 you are saving $8,000 to $15,000 off a 2009
model plus you get a lifetime warranty. Comar believes that “Because all manufacturers have
drastically cut production for the remainder of the year, when supplies come back into line with today’s demand, that will allow the manufacturers to step back from these over inflated incentives and start to keep some of their profits again.” Obviously, it is impossible to predict what will happen in the future, but this reporter and the folks at HaroldZeigler in Grandville are convinced the deals available right now are truly the“Deal of a Lifetime”