Watch out for Smoke & Mirrors

Posted on February 19, 2013 by brownbrosfordlincoln

What happens when you go to trade in your vehicle? You have found the new vehicle you want to own and are now looking at “trading in”. The old vehicle has been properly appraised and now you and the Salesperson are going over the numbers of how much the vehicle you don’t want any more is worth.

As I have said earlier we take a good look at your vehicle. We check all the market conditions for it, we deduct any reconditioning costs we will have to do to bring it up to lot ready condition. That is how we arrive at a value.

Let’s say you have been to another dealership and you tell us the amount they offered for the trade in is more than we are offering. Are they just nicer people? Not really, sometimes it’s just a matter of smoke and mirrors.

If you’re vehicle is say a 2007 Ford Focus in overall good condition, it has pretty much a set market value for it. For one dealership to show you more than another, sometimes it can come from the new car you will be buying. The dealership could take some of the profit from the vehicle you are buying and move it over to your trade to “show” you more money. But that just means there will be less, if any, room to negotiate on the price of the new vehicle.

We like to keep it honest. We always show the real value of the vehicle being traded in and if there is room to move on the price of the vehicle you are buying, we will.

It really is not a question of how much the vehicle you are trading in is worth and it is not really how much is the vehicle you are buying. What matters most is, how much is the difference between the two vehicles. That’s the amount you will be spending.

Please don’t fall for the smoke and mirrors, just take a look at the bottom line of how much you will pay.

Trading in? Keep it easy

Posted on January 4, 2013 by brownbrosfordlincoln

For a lot of people it seems one of the hardest (or scariest) parts about buying a new vehicle is when it comes to trading the old vehicle in. If you are prepared and realistic the process will go quite smoothly.

Before you get to the dealership, do a little homework. Research your current vehicle to find out what other people with similar cars or trucks are asking. All the information you need is close at hand these days. You can take a look at Auto Trader, Craigslist or even do a Google search. From there you will have an idea of what people are ASKING for theirs. Keep in mind though, that what people are asking and what they will actually get are different numbers. Also keep in mind that while their vehicle may be similar the condition may greatly vary, along with the level of equipment.

When you find the perfect replacement vehicle and it’s time to sit down and look at the costs, now the trade in comes into play. At a professional dealership a full trade appraisal will be filled out and generally the Used Vehicle Manager will be called to go and have a look. To do it properly will take upwards of 20-30 minutes. The manager will be doing everything you just did with the new vehicle. An appraisal means looking over the entire vehicle checking the paint for scratches and dings, the windshield for chips, tires for wear. A small test drive to check out the vehicle on the road as the manager does know what sounds to listen for and overall driving dynamics along with checking over the interior of the vehicle. All equipment like air conditioning, power windows, wipers, etc will be tested to make sure everything is in working condition. Don’t worry about a wash, we don’t look at the dirt

From there he is going to check recent sales of similar vehicles. That can be done by checking recent auctions, calling other dealerships if it is an off make, and also checking our famous “black book” along with the online resources I mentioned earlier. With all the information he will now have an idea of what the vehicle is worth and now any flaws that were found will be totaled as the dealership will have to bring the vehicle to a salable (it has to look and run like new) condition. You will get a complete breakdown on the overall value, less any re-conditioning costs which equals the final amount. This is the proper way it’s done. At Brown Bros Ford Lincoln our Used Car Manager has been in the business for 15+ years.

Now if you head to a dealership and ask the question to a Salesperson, “What’s my car worth?” and they actually quote you a number, I’d say you’re going to have some problems. I do not know of any reputable dealership where a Salesperson is qualified to give any figures, especially without doing a complete appraisal. It’s guaranteed the number they gave you on the lot will drop when it’s time to complete the paperwork.

Merry Christmas HO HO HO

Posted on December 13, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

It’s time to thank all of our customers, whether, Sales, Service or Parts. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas (or if you prefer, Happy Holidays). We can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate your continued patronage. We hope to see you in the new year!!

Brown Bros Ford Lincoln has a nice tradition that is now into it’s second year. A Christmas party for employees children. A great time is had by all. I’m not sure if the kids or the parents have a better time. I am sure that it would not happen without the people we lovingly call the “girls in the back”. They are wonderful!

So Merry Christmas to those that came and a special thanks to Santa Claus for making the special trip down from the North Pole. We serviced his sleigh while he was here since we certainly wouldn’t want sleigh problems Christmas eve!

lots of games to be played

crafts to be enjoyed

mini bowling

lunch about to be served

“Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!”

Brown Bros & the Beat Cares at Christmas

Posted on November 29, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

The Holiday Season is upon us once again and we are very pleased to continue our involvement with The BEAT CARES. As our decorations go up and Christmas music is played on our radios and in the malls, it is a message of hope for children and families that are not as lucky as many of us.

Again, we thank local radio station The Beat 94.5 for a great idea that has Brown Bros Ford Lincoln fully on board. The Beat Cares, is a holiday toy and food drive that runs until Friday December 7th.

Brown Bros. employees will be donating new unwrapped toys along with non-perishable food items to help the many families in need this Christmas season. Contributions will go to The Salvation Army, The Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, and The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.

Brown Bros. challenges all other Greater Vancouver Ford and Lincoln Dealerships to get on board, along with every other car dealer in our city, because at Christmas there is no one more important than children and together our industry could make a real difference to bring moments of happiness to many families and children this Christmas.

Our goal is to fill a Ford F-150 pickup truck(s) full of toys and food for donation. The truck will be driven to The Real Canadian Superstore at 3185 Grandview Highway, in Vancouver on Friday December 7th.

Along with our employees here, we hope our many valued Service, Parts, and Sales customers will help us contribute as well. If you would like to help, come and see us in our new Sales showroom and drop off a gift or food item. It would be appreciated by us, the Beat 94.5 and more importantly those families that deeply need and deserve our help. We ask that you do it for the children.

We have an opportunity to give something back and bring a smile to a childs face Christmas morning. Please join us.

Driving Safely – Gone Forever?

Posted on November 22, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

As our streets get more and more crowded and technology keeps encroaching in our vehicles can we still be safe drivers?

Driving is a full time job when you are behind the wheel. It demands your full attention but what is our level of expectation as new drivers get the licence? According to ICBC, distracted driving is the third leading cause of fatal accidents in our province ( http://www.icbc.com/road-safety/safer-drivers/distractions ). Have you seen Canada’s Worst Driver? I mean really, the show is now in it’s seventh season and all these people over the seasons have valid drivers licence’s. Who is giving them one? The people that gave them a licence should be held accountable. It’s a funny show but in a rather pathetic way. I often wonder what the requirements are to become a Driving Instructor, it can’t be too demanding or stringent because I see a lot of instructors with very bad driving habits. I also see them almost daily with a student in the car giving the student poor advice. It’s all well and good for ICBC to have graduated licences but it seems the real problem is who is teaching new drivers and what they are teaching.

Then there is old fashioned common sense. I was reading a recent article that states almost 50% of young drivers are now accessing the Internet on their smart phones while they are driving ( http://www.leftlanenews.com/study-almost-half-of-drivers-under-30-surf-web-while-driving.html ). Why is it that people don’t understand that in a blink of an eye at 50kph (or more) your world can change and you can destroy some one else’s. Let’s give the young a break though since they are young and learning and we’ll move on.

What about so called “professional drivers”. Truck drivers behind the wheel of their “big rig, 18 wheelers”. At least twice a day I will see them on their phone while negotiating through traffic. I will see them with one hand holding the phone, the other hand is busy on the steering wheel trying to negotiate a 90 degree corner as they turn from one street to another. One little slip of the hand is all it takes and…..

I despise the idea of “big brother” watching over us but I dislike the stupidity of people when they are driving even more. I say put in cameras at every intersection and ticket anyone that is caught on their cell phone. Currently there is a $167 fine if caught on your cell phone it should be raised to $500. Perhaps there should also be an exception, (haha) let us use our smartphone cameras to take pictures of the morons who insist on driving distracted and lets get them off the road or at least get them some common sense about how truly dangerous their actions are!

I’ve said it before. You are behind the wheel of an at least, 3,000 pound missile. Pay attention.

C-Max Hybrid Lands at Brown Bros

Posted on October 25, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

the all new C-MAX has arrived

How would you like to achieve 71 miles per gallon in the city & 69 miles per gallon on the highway? This is the vehicle that can do it! The all new C-Max has finally arrived. It’s a very big thing, in a very tidy package.

drivers side with huge panoramic glass moonroof

Hybrids have been a good idea but have always been on the pricey side. Enter the Ford C-Max Hybrid. This is an affordable way to pass gas stations. C-Max starts at $28,849 for the SE model and moves up to $31,849 for the SEL with more equipment. By the way, both prices INCLUDE freight.

The one we have pictured here is an SEL with Navigation, My Ford Touch, Leather, Panorama roof, Rearview camera, Reverse sensing, Power tailgate. So all the gear. List price is just $34, 849 for everything!!! This vehicle is going to be a hit. It’s on the mark for making hybrids affordable, the fuel economy is the best in class. Fit and finish is great. It has all the right standard features. Room to spare. Very comfortable with great seating. Very airy and open inside. When you are in automotive sales we tend to be more critical than customers and there isn’t anything we can find to be critical about. If you are in the market you really do need to check the C-Max out.

Standard equipment in the SE includes;

Dual zone front automatic air conditioning * speed control with steering wheel controls * power windows * front and rear 1-touch down * front and rear 1-touch up * remote power door locks with 2 stage unlock and illuminated entry * manual tilt/telescopic steering wheel * day-night rearview mirror * internet access * wireless connectivity * 3 1st row LCD monitors * front and rear cup holders * dual visor vanity mirrors * full floor console * covered console storage * driver and passenger door bins * rear door bins

Seats and Trim

* 6-way driver seat adjustment * manual height adjustable driver seat * 4-way passenger seat adjustment * centre front armrest * 60-40 folding rear split-bench seat * floor mats

Entertainment Features

AM/FM stereo radio with radio data system * single CD player * MP3 decoder * steering wheel mounted radio controls * 6 speakers

Safety and Security

4-wheel ABS brakes * brake assist * 4-wheel disc brakes * Advance Trac w/Roll Stability Control * ABS and drive line traction control * dual front impact airbags * dual seat mounted side impact airbags * overhead airbags * knee airbag * airbag occupancy sensor * power remote door locks with 2 stage unlock and panic alarm * ignition disable * manually adjustable front head restraints with tilt * 3 manually adjustable rear head restraints

A little longer than a Focus & a couple of inches shorter than a Prius

Reverse sensing with power tailgate

Tidy aerodynamics to cheat the wind

All controls are within easy reach

Controls are well placed and easy to use

Brown Bros. Going Green

Posted on October 5, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

How would like to achieve approximately 166 miles per gallon?

Welcome to the 2012 Focus Electric. It has arrived and is now available to you.

Some ”cool” stats.

–If electricity was gas, this car would cost (at todays’s rates) $3.75 to fill and drive 160 kilometres.

–fuel ratings of: 1.7L per 100 km in the city, and 2.0L per 100 km’s on the highway (since it’s electric its the equivilant taking into consideration electricty costs)

–100% of power is available as soon as you touch the accelerator, it’s quick.

Inside and outside it is a Focus, no weird quirky looks. Fit, finish comfort remains the same. It looks pretty much the same to most people, except a different front grille, no gas door at back and no exhaust pipe. Same interior as well which means it’s roomy.

Other key features about the Focus Electric: It can be charged in as little as 3 – 4 hours at 240 volts, 18 – 20 hours at 110V. Along with fuel costs being cut substanially, maintenance costs also take a BIG drop. There are way less moving parts and no oil changes, air filters, fuel filters, spark plugs, mufflers, you get the idea. Over the life of the vehicle you are expected to save up to $2,200 in maintenance costs. Over 5 years based on $1.30 per litre of gas you will save $6,673 in fuel costs.

It also has a very smooth transmission since it only has one forward gear. Regenerative braking also helps extend the range of the Focus Electric as it re-captured the energy from braking and stores it in the battery pack for future use. You can set up the dash display to just about anything you want, including butterflies to promote efficient driving. It can tell you the range of the vehicle, any surplus energy along with the usual entertainment and navigation screens.

No Tailpipe!

There’s an “app” for that! The Ford EV (electric vehicle) app for your smartphone allows you to monitor the vehicle. You can:

Receive an instant vehicle status report.

Remotely perform key functions , like precondition the battery pack.

Monitor the state of charge and current range.

Receive alerts when it has finished charging or requires charging.

Locate a charge station and program the route.

Remotely program charge settings and download vehicle data.

Also on the horizon will be the Transit Electric, Fusion plug in hybrid, and the C-Max Hybrid and Energi. Ford can really do cool and efficient!

“Track Day” with Brown Bros Ford Lincoln

Posted on September 13, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

It’s nice to give back, to show your thanks. Once a year Brown Bros gets the opportunity to do that for our customers that have purchased a high performance SVT product. Now it’s Shelby’s and Raptors. In earlier days it was Cobra’s, Focus, Lightning and Contour SVT products.

Since 1996 we have been holding “Track Day” out at Mission Raceway. Our customers get a day of instruction, with in car track time to learn about their vehicles and how to handle them. Oh yeah and to have one heck of a lot of fun. We hold it in conjunction with Morrissport Advanced Driving which specializes in a variety of automotive-based services. Again, it’s our way of saying thank you and we’re the only ones that do it. That combined with our own High Performance Centre with on site Dyno is some of what makes Brown Bros. the largest Ford Lincoln dealership in BC.

Here’s a pictorial of our latest event this past Monday September 10th. Great weather, great company, great food and most of all a great time. Thanks to all who participated!!

Getting our early morning instruction of the do’s and don’ts on the track. Below, taking to the track!

Tim Brown taking to the track in his Ford GT (geez that thing is fast). Some people got rides, I missed out

During the lunch break, while we were enjoying some excellent food, Tim did some hot laps in his Boss 302 “S” .

Again, it was great for us and we hope our customers had as much fun. We look forward to seeing everyone next year!

Going Further with Ford

Posted on August 16, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

Ford has just recently changed it’s motto to: “Go Further”. After my experience with them this week I now understand the new motto and it certainly fits. My problem though is so much to say and to few words to say it.

We spent a day at Pitt Meadows airport for what Ford calls a “ride & drive”. On a closed test track we got to experience new models about to be introduced along with the competition in it’s class. This time we were looking at and driving the 2013 Fusion and Fusion hybrid along with the C-Max Energi and the Focus ST.

In every category Ford has raised the bar!

We tested Fusion (the #1 seller in it’s class) against the new Camry, Sonata, & Optima.

We tested Fusion hybrid and C-Max Energi against Camry hybrid, Volt and Prius.

In fuel economy, technology, handling, safety, convenience Ford wins. If you are in the market, please wait. The Fusion and C-Max are only a month away. The Fusion hybrid is capable of 105 kph on electric power alone! No one else is even close. The C-Max achieves 47 mpg 3 better than Prius, has much better acceleration and a way more refined everything else.

The more you learn, the more fascinating it is.

Bill Ford is an environmentalist. Ford has managed to increase it’s fuel efficiency across the brand by 20% since 2007 with the goal being at least 5% improvement per year. Tailpipe emmisions have decreased by 15%. 4.5 million metric tonnes of carbon are gone. Ford has recycled 4.1 million tonnes of old carpeting used in new vehicles in various ways. The company has committed to reducing water consumption in engine testing by 25%, a world leader. The two largest living green roofs are on Ford manufacturing plants. Ford paint technology has won awards for 3 straight years as the cleanest by turning the paint fumes into energy. Ford is currently looking at using shredded money, dandelions, coconuts and corn and sugar cane.

Ford has been producing Hybrids since 2004 in the Escape and millions of batteries have been used for those hybrids. If you are unsure of the reliability of a Hybrid, the battery failure rate out of millions is .02%. Ford is going to give customers choice with normal gas engines, the Ecoboost lineup with smaller displacement motors that are turbocharged ie F-150 and Escape. Full hybrids, plug in hybrids and all electric vehicles. They will all be at Brown Bros Ford Lincoln in a couple of months. Again, since 2008 Ford has introduced more than 14 fuel saving technologies.

The new Fusion and pretty much all of Fords lineup is 85% recyclable and used 85% recycled materials to be built including old carpeting, old blue jeans, soybeans, plastic pop bottles and recycled tires.

When you’ve been in the business for many many years, it’s very hard to be wowed, not because you don’t want to be, but you’ve seen so much. These new products, the Fusion, Fusion hybrid and the C-Max, they really wowed me. I couldn’t believe the fit and finish and the level of comfort combined with performance all at a Ford price. The list of features even on the entry level car is surprising. I’ve included the link.

http://www.ford.ca/app/en/fo/year/2013/vehicle/fusion.html

The biggest WOW factor though was the Focus ST.

If you like to DRIVE a car, this is the car you have been waiting for, again at an affordable price. The most fun I’ve had driving a car in years. We’ll get into it next time.

Rebuilt Brown Bros History

Posted on July 11, 2012 by brownbrosfordlincoln

You’ve heard me talk in the past about history and how Brown Bros Ford Lincoln has a long one in the area (66 years now). Part of that history is the many vehicles that come and go through our doors. One of the vehicles though came 42 years ago and stayed. A Grabber Blue 1970 Bronco.

From the day this vehicle arrived it was used as our Service truck. We ran out with it to do minor maintenance for our customers. As time went on though it kind of got forgotten though it was still occasionally put to use.

In 1996 two Brown Bros employees decided to take on a project. The restoration of the Bronco. I don’t think Mark Korst or Chris O’Neill knew what they were getting into, but the 2 year journey began.

Years of sitting outside left the box rusty as was the engine!

Rusted floorboards, another sign of sitting in the rain. The vehicle beginning to be stripped.

Chris O’Neill & Mark Korst (when they had hair) beginning the two year restoration journey.

Frame off and just down to engine. Then the bare frame. Every nut and bolt and every piece disassembled.

Then it was time to bring the Bronco back to a new life. Everything was powder coated, everything was essentially done in house by Brown Bros.

Paint booth ready to go. Time to reassemble body to frame.

Back to being “better” than new. All original including the paint colour & the hand painted lettering. Chris & Mark tried to find the original painter for the lettering.

1970′s simplicity. A “3 in the tree” tranny. The floor shifter is for the 4 wheel drive.

Facts about the 1970 Bronco & Mark Korst even managed to keep the original build sheet!

The Bronco has become part of our dealerships history. It sits in a place of pride in our Ford showroom. It’s something special, that two employees took on the task and got other employees involved, all on their own time, because they cared. It’s also something special that the group of people that worked on the vehicle 16 years ago, still work at Brown Bros Ford Lincoln today.

Brown Bros Ford Lincoln

The House of Ford, 66 years strong

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