Category Archives: Used Cars

Hallelujah! Ford Leads The American Car Revival

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Ford Motor Company is a big winner in the latest JD Power study.

 Ford had been making sound decisions about the direction of their company even before the Big Three went to Washington back in the fall of 2008.  The automaker’s current CEO, Alan Mulally, was pivotal in the transformation. Mulally focused on the balance sheet and was able to cut costs, put money in the bank and avoid taking government bailout money unlike the other two big American automakers. The move gave Ford the money needed to restructure the company and develop better automobiles.

 Ford is now the highest-ranked mass-market automaker in initial quality. It also jumped into the list of top five brands in overall quality for the first time ever, and has 12 models that rank within the top three in their respective IQS segments — more than any other carmaker in the study — including capturing top honors in three segments with the Focus, Mustang and Taurus.

 General Motors (often called “Government Motors” these days) also did well, with 10 models that rank within the top three in their segments. Chrysler didn’t fare as well.

 This is in sharp contrast to last year’s results, when much of the discussion about automotive quality centered on the difficulties U.S. automakers were facing, and the perceptions that these problems were largely caused by poor product quality.

 “I’m happy to see that Domestic automakers have worked diligently to improve the quality of their vehicles, particularly since 2007,” says Tracy Myers, owner of Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC. What is still lagging, however, is the consumer perception of domestic quality. “As much as I know it and other dealers know it, our customers just haven’t realized it yet” Myers says. “The folks that own a domestic car love them, but those that don’t still believe that foreign automakers build better automobiles. I can’t tell you how many times a customer will tell me that they would never buy a used Ford, Chevy or Dodge and they will only buy a Honda, Toyota or Nissan.”

 Unlike Ford, Toyota clearly is not having a good year. The once-shining example of quality and reliability fell from the sixth overall position in the manufacturer rankings in 2009 to 21st this year.

 “All of the recent recalls had quite an effect on the performance of Toyota,” Myers says. “Not surprisingly, we’ve seen an increase in concern over brakes, pedals and floor mats, all issues related to recalls.”

However, that doesn’t mean Toyota is down for the count. “This is the 24th consecutive year the study has been done, and Toyota was above average for 23 of those years,” Myers says.

– For more information on Tracy Myers or his used car dealership, Frank Myers Auto Maxx, please visit https://www.frankmyersauto.com

If Your Car Is On The Brink Of Being Repossessed, Frank Myers Auto Can Help

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If you are on the brink of having your car repoed, our CARS program may be right for you.

A Winston-Salem, NC used car dealer has created an easy program that could help prevent Triad residents from losing their vehicles due to repossession.

 The Carbuyers Affordability & Relief Solution, named CARS for short, is a loan modification solution designed to help people keep a vehicle without damaging their credit rating.  

 “The current economic hardships have made it difficult for a lot of people to keep making their car payments on time.  That’s why I created this program. It’s an easy, 2-step plan that could help reduce high monthly car payments and keep a persons credit from being destroyed,” says Tracy Myers, owner of Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC. “If the idea of your vehicle being repossessed terrifies you, this program can help you stop worrying and allow you to take action!”

 Myers said it’s become painfully clear to him and his team of Credit Miracle Workers that this type of loan modification program has become a required part of working with people to ensure that nobody has to have their vehicle repossessed.

 According to Myers, “If you have a car payment that you can’t afford…one that’s suffocating you, this may be your opportunity to start fresh. With the CARS program, you can trade in your current vehicle for something more affordable.”

 Myers added, “Before you allow your vehicle to be repossessed, make sure you talk with us about our CARS program. Don’t suffer a repossession. Call us today. We can help.”

For additional information about the CARS program, visit https://www.frankmyersauto.com

Frank Myers Auto Maxx Presents: 2010 Nissan Altima Review

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Frank Myers Auto Maxx, a used car dealer in Winston-Salem, presents a review of the 2010 Nissan Altima.

USA Today, one of the most read newspapers in the United States, just published their review of the 2010 Nissan Altima. The glowing results are a positive sign for things to come with Nissan.

James Healey, author of the review, noted that the new Nissan Altima had a “different hood, grille and wheels and tweaked interior. “

He also noted that the V-6 test car seemed as different from the four-cylinder tester as” fish from fowl.”

While the four-cylinder Altima finished sixth among eight midsize rivals in a recent USA TODAY/Cars.com/MotorWeek contest, it should be noted that the vehicle still gets strong marks for drivability and a ride/handling blend that’s hard to achieve. In that sense, the four-cylinder and the V-6 are alike — a sweet mix of cornering confidence and ride comfort.

But while USA Today said that the four-cylinder is “just OK”, the Nissan V-6 engine is among the most satisfying and pleasant powertrains ever put under the hood of a production car. And the CVT (continuously variable automatic transmission) is tuned differently in the V-6, making it far more pleasant to drive. Nissan is among the best at executing CVTs. Theirs generally escape, or minimize, the slipping-clutch personality many CVTs have when you jump the gas pedal.

It should also be noted that, even thought the new Altima gets mostly high marks, there are a few things that need improvement. The cloth trim and upholstery in both interiors looked and felt cheap. The admirable attempt to make the dark dashboard treatment seem a deliberate, classy monochrome merely looked dreary. For some reason, the gauges’ characteristically Nissan orange illumination looked different and seemed a lot less unpleasant on the V-6 car.

The seats in both cars were lumpy and uncomfy. They were a deal-breaker in the four, which lacks excitement to outweigh the aggravation, but downgraded to an annoyance in the V-6 because of its oh-boy-this-is-fun persona.

Cubbies, nooks, knobs, controls — all the details that can make or break the daily drive — were handled smartly, pleasingly. And the parking brake was the step-on, step-off type that’s easier to use than the sort that force you to yank a lever under the dash to release the parking-brake.

If you don’t need the all-wheel drive that some midsize sedans offer (such as Subaru Legacy, Suzuki Kizashi, Volkswagen Passat and Ford Fusion) the updated Altima — at least the V-6 version — seems a commendable, even embraceable, way to have your family accommodations and your driving satisfaction, too.

So…how much for a car this nice? The four-cylinder starts at $20,620 including $720 shipping. V-6 starts at $25,240. V-6 test car was $27,785; four-cylinder tester, $24,985.

How potent? 2.5-liter four-cylinder is rated 175 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, 180 pounds-feet of torque at 3,900 rpm. 3.5-liter V-6 rated 270 hp at 6,000 rpm, 258 lbs.-ft. at 4,400.

How big? Approximately the same size as the Accord and Camry. Altima’s 190.7 inches long, 70.7 in. wide, 58 in. tall on a 109.3-in. wheelbase. Weighs 3,180 to 3,357 lbs.

How thirsty? The four-cylinder is rated 23 miles per gallon in town, 32 highway, 27 combined. The V-6 test car trip computer showed 18.1 mpg.

“I’m pleased that Nissan has stepped up to the pump and made a good car great,” said  Tracy Myers, owner of Winston-Salem used car dealership in North Carolina (Frank Myers Auto Maxx). “The 2009 Altima is a great vehicle that our customer’s seem to enjoy very much and we’re excited about being able to offer the 2010 model very soon.”

For updates on the arrival of a pre-owned 2010 Altima at Frank Myers Auto Maxx, visit https://www.frankmyersauto.com

Winston-Salem, NC Used Car Dealer Responds To Demise Of Mercury

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Frank Myers Auto Continues To Sell & Service Mercury Products

Ford Motor Company made it official yesterday, announcing that it will discontinue its 71-year-old Mercury brand by the end of the year and expand its Lincoln lineup with a new small car.

Ford’s board voted to cease production of all four Mercury models in the fourth quarter, said Mark Fields, the automaker’s president of the Americas. Ford will send letters to Mercury dealers this week offering them buyouts or the chance to merge with Ford showrooms.

“Given our improving financial situation, it really allows us to absorb the short-term cost of discontinuing Mercury,” Fields said, declining to reveal the expected expense. “We’re very proud of Mercury’s history, but we’re now looking forward.”

Mercury was the brainchild of Henry Ford’s son, Edsel and was launched in 1938 as a midmarket brand aimed at bridging the gap between the mass market Blue Oval brand and the luxury Lincoln marque. But Mercury vehicles often were little more than rebadged Fords, and sales have declined steadily since 1993.

“It is a storied brand,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s global product development chief. “But what’s really important today is not the past. What’s important today is the future: the future of Ford and the future of Lincoln.”

Mercury, with 20 million vehicles sold over its lifetime, will join the scrap heap of other domestic brands killed by General Motors and Chrysler in their attempts to streamline operations to meet increasingly aggressive and popular foreign brands.

The Ford brand has performed well over the past 18 months, benefiting from a new product lineup, as well as the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler and quality gaffes besetting Toyota Motor Corp.

But Lincoln has struggled to find its place in an increasingly crowded and competitive luxury market. Ford will redirect to Lincoln the resources it was investing in Mercury.

“We’ve made a lot of progress with the Ford brand,” said Ford Americas President Mark Fields. “Now’s the time to do that with Lincoln.”

Over the next four years, Lincoln will get seven all-new or entirely refreshed products — including a small car that had been designed for Mercury. Lincoln also will get brand-exclusive powertrains and other technologies to further distinguish it from Ford’s namesake Blue Oval brand and make its vehicles more competitive with offerings from rival automakers.

“It’s sad that a brand that a nameplate as important as Mercury is leaving the marketplace,” said Tracy Myers, owner of Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC. “However, as usual, we (Frank Myers Auto) are making the best out of a bad situation. We are committed to our Mercury driving friends and will continue to sell and service the brand as long as there is a demand for us to do so.”

Mercury now claims just eight-tenths of a percent of the U.S. car and truck market, Fields said. The Ford brand, by comparison, has gained more than twice that much share in the first four months of the year.

Fields said Ford’s recent success enabled the automaker to retire Mercury, providing the financial resources needed to wind down the brand without undermining Ford’s goal of being “solidly profitable” this year. Ford made $2.1 billion in the first quarter.

“It really allows the company to absorb the short-term cost of discontinuing Mercury,” he said.

Ford will continue to honor warranty agreements and support Mercury owners with parts and service.

“Regardless of what Ford Motor Company is doing with Mercury, one of our best selling cars is the Mariner,” Myers said. “We are proud of our history of selling quality pre-owned Mercurys to the folks in Winston-Salem and will continue to do so.” 

For more information about Mercury service at Frank Myers Auto Maxx, call (336) 831-0656 or visit https://www.frankmyersauto.com

Frank Myers Auto Will Facilitate Chrysler Recall

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Winston-Salem, NC Used Car Dealer Assists Chrysler Owners With Recall

Nearly 35,000 Dodge Calibers are being recalled in the United States by Chrysler to fix a potential problem with sticky gas pedals, the same issue that has affected millions of Toyotas.

Chrysler Group said it will recall about 25,000 Calibers in the U.S. from the 2007 model year and a limited number of 2007 Jeep Compass SUVs to inspect vehicles built between March and May of 2006. The remaining vehicles are in Mexico, Canada and elsewhere.

The pedals were made by CTS Corp., the Elkhart, Ind., company that manufactured pedals involved in the recall of more than 2 million Toyotas earlier this year. Chrysler told NHTSA the pedals were “a completely different design” and made “with different tooling” than the pedals involved in Toyota’s recall.

An investigation into the Chrysler pedals was opened by NHTSA in April. The auto company noted that the small SUVs have “smart brake” technology allowing the brake to override the gas pedal and safely bring the vehicle to a stop. Chrysler said it did not consider the problem a safety defect but decided to conduct a safety recall anyway.

The automaker said it was unaware of any reports of accidents, injuries or property damage related to the pedals. In documents filed with NHTSA, Chrysler estimated that 30 percent of the vehicles covered by the recall may need to have the pedal assembly replaced.

Robert Thomas, the Automotive Service Director at Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, said that they are ready to handle the consumer demand. “Frank Myers Auto Maxx is, as usual, ready to handle this unfortunate situation. We are offering to facilitate the recall at no charge to anyone who owns any of the Chrysler products mentioned.”

To see if your car is included in the recall, call the service department at Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC as soon as possible. The number is (336) 831-0656 or you can visit the dealership website at https://www.frankmyersauto.com