The Car Advizor

Yesterday I wrote a blog on a company called Global Green Car Inc., so today I’m going to give you some more information about this amazing car company.  I was privileged enough to take some time out of Brooks Agnew’s (President, GGCI) busy schedule and ask him some questions about his company and here are his answers.

How many Electric Vehicles(EV’s) do you plan on manufacturing in 2010?  “We plan to make 300 vehicles per month, perhaps up to 400 per month.  We are capable of making 3000 per month.  Two things limit us from doing that next year, funding is number one (Dept. of Energy gave ALL the money to major bankrupt car makers and none to electric car makers), and the speed with witch our equipment suppliers can build and install the line.  Best guess is 24-27 months out on 3000 per month.”

How many models do you have in the works?  “Currently we have 3 G-1,G-2,G-3  these cars are peoples cars and will sell better than any new car in history.  People want a simple, easy to drive electric vehicle that has a low sale price.  Our vehicles sell for around $25,000.  Unlike most car companies who want to make $10,000 profit per car, we seek only a fair profit and to proliferate these cars to as many consumers as possible.”

Part two of this question and answer session will be coming tomorrow.  Check out their website at www.globalgreencars.com

Roger Hocker, Senior Consumer Advice Editor

I think I’m speaking for a majority of us when I say that we have been hard pressed to be proud or happy about the current state of the U.S. Auto Industry, and their attempt at bringing us cars of the near future.  Well I’m glad to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it has a name, ” GLOBAL GREEN CARS INC.”

GGCI introduced their G-3 plug-in electric pick up truck by using it as the pace vehicle at Rocky Mountain Raceway on Saturday, August the 29th in West Valley City, Utah.  The truck has a payload of 1,000 pounds, can seat 2 adults, has a top speed of over 85 MPH.  Now the important part, it can run an average of 100 miles between charges which will cost you a whopping dollar bill to recharge the nickle based battery.

You might be asking yourself, well is this going to cost the same as those other EV’s I have been hearing about?  No.  The sticker price for the G-3 will be  at around $25,000, minus rebates from the Federal Government and Several State discounts, meaning you could be paying less than $20,000 when it is all said and done.  Another important fact is that 70% of the labor and materials are American, making the G-3 the most American made small pickup truck in the Country.

To learn more about GGCI and the rest of their product lineup visit their website at www.globalgreencars.com

This is an extremely exciting company and I look forward to writing many more blogs and news articles on this company.  I had the pleasure of talking to the President, Mr. Brooks Agnew and will be giving you some more information in the near future.

Roger Hocker, Senior Consumer Advice Editor

Think about you first, don’t buy a car at a certain time unless of course it’s the right time for you.  With that said there are good and better times to go to the dealership.

Let’s start with  Rebates, a manufacturer will offer rebates and financing packages that sound enticing.  Always read the fine print or call and ask for details.  Make sure you know if you qualify or not, before making the trip.  Rebates are advertised throughout the year especially holiday’s (4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc.). These can put you under cost on some vehicles.

Next is going to be End of the Month, dealerships have sales quota’s.  When they start falling short of expectations they offer deals.  You are not going to get as large of a discount as the one we are going to be talking about next but if you can wait the couple of weeks till the end of the month you will find yourself walking out with a much better deal.

Now it’s early December and because winter is a slow season for dealers, we have the Year End Clearance Sales.  During this period you will be able to find some HUGE discounts.

Last but certainly not least, the End of Model Year, left over inventory is not good for new inventory, so dealerships need to make room.  Buying now can mean substantial savings.  The draw back is that as soon as you drive it off the lot it’s a year old.  The good thing is you won’t be upside down on it.  Always look at the small print and details!!!!

Roger Hocker, Senior Consumer Advice Editor

Original warranties on vehicles always come to an end, some at 5 years 60,000 miles, up to 10 years 100,000 miles.  After those parameters have been breached, you will have to pay for all repairs out of your pocket.  So do you get an extended warranty?

The extended warranty is a service contract, between you and a warranty company.  Based on the contract the warranty company will pay for repairs during a specified time period.

So if your transmission goes out after the original was up and you don’t have an extended warranty you will end up paying the total repair.  If on the other hand you have a good extended warranty it would cover the repair cost, leaving you to pay an agreed upon deductible in most cases.

Keep in mind not all vehicles qualify for extended warranties, and not everything is covered.  If you do choose to get an extended warranty make sure that the very minimum coverage you get is the power train.  Remember you would be wise to maintain your car at regularly scheduled times and keep all the receipts, in case the warranty company needs proof of maintenance.

Roger Hocker, Senior Consumer Advice Editor

I am going to give you two different types of  Auto or Car Broker. 1. A paid corporate car broker usually works for specific dealerships and is paid by them, 2.  Pure, consumer driven car broker.

A lot of places call themselves Auto Brokerages, yet a majority of their profits come from dealerships, and sometimes work directly for a dealership.  Now this is not illegal, but it should make you question who’s interest they are looking out for.

The consumer driven Car Broker usually works out of a small office or home, charges a flat-fee buying service.  This fee can range from $200 to $1,000 depending on the type of car you are looking for.  Used and rare cars usually carry a higher fee since they require more leg work to find and negotiate.  I have personally saved people up to $2,600 on the purchase of a vehicle when I was Brokering, and never charged more than $350.

Whoever you chose to use as a broker, remember they should only charge the flat-fee agreed to before you purchase the vehicle.  This is so the broker can’t drive up the price for a more expensive vehicle.

If you can’t afford the upfront cash for a car broker, look for Internet Managers at dealerships and negotiate a price through them, after you have done all the homework explained in earlier posts.

Roger Hocker, Senior Consumer Advice Editor