The Model Year is Ending! Nobody Panic!

As you might have noticed, the Model Year is on a considerably different schedule than the traditional Gregorian calendar.

The model year (often abbreviated as "MY" in car dealer jargon) begins in late summer, around August, and ends the following summer around July. As of yesterday, you probably realized that July has indeed arrived, and therefore the last of the 2010s will be rolling off the lot any day now.

You're probably thinking, what does that mean for me, the buyer? Is this a good or bad time to buy? Well, you would not be alone in being confused - those are tricky questions.

First of all, I will tell you that this is THE best time to buy if you are looking for a good deal. GM makes their rebates lower than ever, in an attempt to push everything possible off the lot to make way for the new vehicles. Dealers (like us) are also cutting deals, even slashing their own profits to ensure that these vehicles get taken to good homes in a timely manner (gee, I'm making it sound like these cars are puppies). You see, the best way for a dealer to get more inventory from GM is to sell the old inventory! So if you are in the market to get the best prices you can get on a new car, this is the time to strike.

However, the thrill of the unexpected lies ahead! And this is where people get tripped up, because the NEW model year sounds really, really good, and maybe we should just wait until those cars come out to buy? Of course, when that 2011 Silverado gets here, fresh from the factory, it's definitely NOT going to have the $5,000 rebate that the 2010 model has right now. Deals are not going to be cut so easy on the new babies, no matter where you go, because dealers want their new, buzzed-about product to make them some money! (And you can't fault them for that, you know? A guy - or gal - has gotta make a living!)

So here is my advice to you when deciding to buy a car in summertime, the limbo of car buying seasons: know what you want!

Research to see if your favorite model is changing considerably in the next model year - a quick Internet search could often tell you that while the 2011 Impala will not be altered greatly from previous years, the 2011 Malibu is changing. Also, decide whether the fancy new features on that 2011 Malibu are actually features you want to pay more for, or ones you can live without. If you can live without them, or you like the 2010 models better, than get yourself to our parking lot FAST - this is the time to buy, buy, buy! If you decide that the 2011 is the way to go, then you should still get yourself to the dealership soon, because you might find that a helpful salesman can order one for you, built to your exact specifications.

Also something to consider - are you looking for a Chevy Cobalt? If you are, drop what you are doing, NOW, and go get one, because this is your last chance! The Cobalt is being replaced next model year with the new Chevrolet Cruze. Fans of the Cobalt need not weep, though, because the Cruze looks amazing. The only issue with it that I have is that there is no 2-door option. If you were looking for a 2-door compact car, get the 2010 Cobalt 2-door while you still can.

The bottom line here is that you will find the best deals of the year if you shop right now. If you are not looking for a specific new feature or new model, then there is no reason for you to not take advantage of the savings you'll get from the last month of the model year. If you don't go now, you'll likely find yourself in this same position this time next year, because you waited too long for the "right deal" to come along. Newsflash - this IS the right deal, right now!

And if you are one of those people who cannot wait another day for the Cruze, then don't!! Come in TODAY and see what you can do to order one, built to your exact wishes. We're looking forward to that car just as much as you are!

Camaro Day!!

A couple of weeks ago, Payne Chevrolet hosted a Camaro Day. This is the second time they've done it - both were very successful.

Last year, I heard that they got a radio station up here broadcasting - of course they were mentioning the free hamburgers we were serving, so we were swamped with people.

This year was a lighter affair, because since we (wisely) didn't include the radio station this time, we got people coming over who were just interested in the Camaros we had on display.

And they were beautiful. We had really old ones that had been souped up and tickered with over years. We had a Camaro convertible from the 90s that was impeccably cared for. And we also had a couple of our most memorable sales from this year's new, 2010 Camaro.

One of those sales was the Bumblebee Camaro - a new coupe designed to resemble Bumblebee from the "Transformers" series (most of the "Transformers" characters are "played" by GM vehicles in the recent film series). The owner of this Bumblebee Camaro had the most adorable grandson who came with him, who told me how much he loved Bumblebee and how it was his favorite car. His grandfather even told me that the kid would sneak into the garage at night and tell his family, "Shhhh! Bumblebee is sleeping."

Just adorable. They were very nice to talk to and had a lot of fun.

Another new Camaro we had was one purchased by a young local girl, who had us paint the hood, roof, and trunk of her black SS Camaro completely pink. At first, many here were skeptical about the procedure, but since the customer is always right (and hey, she was paying for it!), we sent it to the body shop to get done. And let me tell you, we were all completely wrong, because this Camaro looks AWESOME. If she had gotten it painted completely pink, it would have looked silly, but since she mixed the pink with the black, it ended up looking really cool. My favorite part was where the body shop painted the Chevy bowtie logo in the front pink, too! It tied the whole thing together.

It is wonderful that we have the opportunity to gather the local community and have events like these. Everyone involved had a lot of fun, and it was a great experience altogether, especially for me, since this was the first major event I've been involved with since I started here at Payne.

Hope to see you next year!!

**I'll be posting pictures and video of the event as they are available**

Time is Money!

The way a car sale comes together is really an amazing thing.

So recently, I was put into a conundrum - a customer had to get in and get out very quickly, and we just weren't able to put things together fast enough for what he needed. Everything worked out in the end, but it got me thinking about car sales and about making serious decisions in general: would you ever go into a car dealership to purchase a vehicle on a day when you had an important appointment?

We all say we wouldn't, but then I think about it, and realize that I've made plans before on days when I had important, time-consuming things to take care of (like the day I took the SATs!!).

Buying a car is a time-consuming process - even a simple, in-and-out cash deal takes a few minutes longer than one would expect. Here at Payne, we certainly don't want to waste your time for no reason; we take the steps necessary to make sure the deal gets worked the right way. After all, we'd hate to call you AFTER you've drove off the lot with your new Tahoe to tell you that there's something wrong! (That being said, we still try to get you out of here in a timely fashion.)

A car sale is actually an incredible thing. It's difficult to predict how long it will take to contact the bank that will be loaning you money, or the bank you owe money on your trade in, or for the clean-up department to wash your new car and clean the window stickers off, etc. A good salesman can get you to agree to buy a car, but a great salesman can make sure that all of these things all happen as quickly as they possibly can. It's almost like conducting an orchestra - you have so many people involved, and they all have to work together. You can't be sure that the Oboe Section is going to play their part exactly right, but you have to do your best to make sure that they do.

And even then, things can go wrong, so we always appreciate when customers are patient, and preferably, have made plans expecting that buying a car takes time, and we want to be careful so that you have the easiest experience possible.

Camaro Day is Almost Here!!

Payne Chevrolet's 2010 Camaro Day is only 2 days away! I wasn't at last year's, so I'm so excited to see what this will be like. I know there will be food, games, and Camaros of all different shapes and sizes, so it sounds like a party to me!




If you have any questions, you can always call us at 615-384-5573. We're looking forward to seeing you there!! Let's celebrate the past and the future of the Camaro together!

God Bless the State of Tennessee

We at Payne Chevrolet would like to extend our prayers to people of Nashville, Clarksville, Franklin, Lebanon, and every town in Tennessee that felt the effects of the recent flood. Our thoughts are with you all.

We've had folks here at Payne who have been touched by this disaster, too, and we want everyone to know that while our business has not been damaged, our hearts have been.

So many lost their cars, their homes, and in more tragic cases, their loved ones. A lot of residents didn't have flood insurance, so rebuilding will be a difficult process.

Also, many of us saw the waters of the mighty Cumberland wash through the landmarks of Nashville, a city we all hold so dear. To see the Grand Ole Opry house drenched underwater, unable to continue its 85th anniversary celebration this year, was just a heart breaking experience.

And yet, we do not dispair - God still provides. This tragedy could have been a lot worse - Gov. Bredesen recently pointed out that New Orleans lost thousands of lives in Hurricane Katrina, and we have been lucky enough to not have lost a fraction of that much. The State of Tennessee is here, in one piece, and we have the ability to rebuild!

And most importantly, we are Volunteers. Those who are in need are already getting help from their neighbors, and more relief will come.

Currently, Volunteers all across the state are getting involved. Here are some links if you want to help out!

Hands On Nashville - If you want to volunteer your time, this is the place.

Red Cross of Middle Tennessee - If you want to volunteer money, this is a good place.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee - If you want to volunteer money, this is another good place. It currently has a partnership with the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management.

Additionally, keep your eyes and ears open for local events that are popping up all over Middle TN that will support flood victims. Facebook, blogs, local news, The Tennessean, and The Nashville Scene will undoubtedly have plenty of information concerning fundraisers and benefits.

Patten Fuqua, a Nashville Predators blogger who wrote about the flood recently, wrote that the reason the national news hasn't given us more than 15 minutes of airtime was because we have handled it so marvelously - there hasn't been looting in the streets, those without places to go have often been taken in by friendly neighbors, there's been no politicizing a disaster that didn't need to be politicized - no bad behavior WHATSOEVER. We have been HELPING each other, and working together to deal with this on our own.

Keep those words in mind, Tennessee. It's something to be proud of.



**image courtesy of CMT.com**

What's the most important to you?

Performance?



Features?



Style?





Thankfully, all of Chevrolet's vehicles offer all of these! But each model obviously has one area that it specializes in. Which one are you looking for most?

Family Cars Through the Years

The Station Wagon. The Minivan. The SUV.

The "Family Car" has always been a staple of American life. It has fuzzy memories for many who grew up sitting in the backseat of a station wagon with their sister on a family road trip, and for the parents that bought them, so full of hope for their young children.

It also comes with some negative connotations: many modern women, for example, balk at the idea of being considered a "Minivan Mom." These ladies reached their peak of cultural dominance in the 1990's, when it seemed like half the cars on the road were french fry-filled family vans.

Those moms and dads of the 90's, of course, where switching to minivans because of their dislike of the station wagon, the family vehicle of choice for the previous thirty years. The station wagon is hardly seen anymore - despite attempts at revival over the years, in seems only Volvo is still seriously in the wagon market. (In all honesty, Volvo wagons are pretty sweet. Here's hoping they never go away.)

This author's childhood spanned the course of the 90's (ages 3 to 13), and I remember the last of the station wagons, a dying breed amongst the Minivan takeover. The family of a friend of mine exclusively bought the same Volvo station wagon, over and over - same color, same everything, just a newer year when it was time for a trade-in. We all thought the choice of a wagon was an odd one. Her mom would just shrug her shoulders - hey, they knew what they liked!

Then in the 2000's, the Minivan Moms all migrated to the SUV. This was especially popular for families with children who played sports, because all the football pads for Josh's football games and the catching gear for Caitlin's softball tournaments weren't going to haul themselves around. I remember this era, too, because I had a sports-playing sibling and my parents had a Tahoe for that exact purpose. I remember seeing Chevy Suburbans all over the place at those little league events, and realizing they call it a Suburban for a reason.

Now today, in the 2010's, there's already a marked change in Soccer Mom and NASCAR Dad's vehicle of choice. (Well, maybe Mom's vehicle of choice. Dad's always wanted a Silverado truck, but Mom usually wins that fight, doesn't she?) With gas prices on a rollercoster ride up and down (usually up) and a society that has become decidedly more eco-conscious, the Crossover SUV has taken the lead for the most requested family car.

The Crossover offers a lot of the best features of all of the previous family vehicles rolled into one. Let's look at the Chevy Traverse, for example, shall we? It's got power and towing capacity like an SUV. It has got the seating capacity of a Minivan. There's got room to haul equipment, just like an SUV or a station wagon (it can even create more room with the removeable third seat row). It's styled as a mix of a van and a SUV (with a little bit of Jeep-style thrown in), but it gets much better fuel economy than either one. The price is also considerably cheaper than an SUV. And, let's face it, the Crossover SUVs like Traverse just look cool.

(SIDENOTE: This is good news for folks with kids who are looking for a really cheap vehicle: very nice Minivans with good features and low miles are currently being sold for dirt cheap, just because they aren't the hottest product anymore. Something to keep in mind for families on a budget!)

With Traverse's little brother, Equinox, currently the hottest product GM has to offer (Traverse isn't doing so bad itself, either), it looks like these Crossover vehicles are here to stay.

At least until the next big thing for families comes around. If the current timing of consumer tastes continues, I would guess we'll know what that vehicle is in 2020. See you in ten years, Soccer Moms!


**The photo above is an advertisement for a 1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Estate station wagon. Ain't it adorable?