Veterans Week 2010 Special!

November 8th through the 11th is Veterans Week at Regal Car Sales. If you know a Veteran personally or see one in passing, thank him or her for their sacrifice. The men and women who serve in our Armed Forces dedicate their lives completely to this great country.

As a BIG Thank You to our Veterans, Regal Car Sales is giving them $500.00 dollars off the sticker price of any vehicle we have in our inventory.

(posted by Art Flywheel)

Veterans Week 2010 Special!

November 8th through the 11th is Veterans Week at Regal Car Sales. If you know a Veteran personally or see one in passing, thank him or her for their sacrifice. The men and women who serve in our Armed Forces dedicate their lives completely to this great country.

As a BIG Thank You to our Veterans, Regal Car Sales is giving them $500.00 dollars off the sticker price of any vehicle we have in our inventory.

(posted by Art Flywheel)

Expect the Noble Treatment at Regal Car Sales in Grove

Chuck and Catherine Hamilton

Story and Photo
By Bart Montgomery (The Chronicle of Grand Lake)
Article written October 21st 2010


For more than two decades, Chuck Hamilton served in the United States Army. He was in the 101st Airborne Divisionand his last 11 years were spent in  recruitment. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the skills he was honing in this area would later help him excel in the civilian world. Value isn't always what you know it to be; it's what you perceive it to be.

"If you can sell an intangible, you can sell anything," said Chuck.

The proof is most definitely in the pudding. Since joining the Regal Car Sales team 20 years ago, Hamilton immediately began to make a name for himself, eventually specializing in the launching of new locations. It was in 1998 when this specialty got a shot in the arm of sorts. He met his wife and right-hand assistant Catherine.

"We knew each other for two months and then we got married," said Catherine with a smile.

Upon the first introduction to this dynamic duo, the chemistry between them is easily evident. They both share that rare combination of straightforwardness, reassurance and professionalism. It's a blend that's not only been favorable to their marriage, but to the business as well. Since Regal was established in 1985, the company has grown to 13 different locations. Chuck and Catherine have played key roles in the success stories, which in turn contributed to where they find themselves today.

With Catherine's continued support, Chuck became an area manager headquartered out of a brand new office, in Grove, that opened last May. His region also includes Joplin and Springfield. The two hit the ground running, developing new relationships and trying to get the word out about how much they might be able to help potential car buyers. Their message has been concise and for some, a real breath of fresh air.

"Everybody is entitled to a good car. One that someone is going to stand behind," said Chuck.

The business potential in Grove was unmistakable, especially since many clients from the Grand Lake area paid visits to their establishment in Joplin. One plus in choosing Regal, is that you not only have access to what's in front of you, but also to their entire inventory of more that 500 vehicles.They will get you in a car. It's simply a matter of what best fits your situation.

In moving to the area, Chuck and Catherine have made a personal investment, basically pledging to the public that they are in Grove to stay. The both of them are very sincere in their business transactions, but they do so without taking themselves too seriously. As it turns out, this effortless approach did seem to be the breath of fresh air people were looking for. Sales are on the rise and this Regal twosome couldn't ask for a better place to home that Grand Lake. It's a win-win for all concerned. Being treated like royalty isn't so bad after all.

(Posted by Art Flywheel)

Simple Maintenance Tips – Part 2

Ok, here is the second installment of our preventative maintenance series. In our last blog we covered basic engine oil monitoring. By now we should know that oil is the life blood of our cars, and checking it often will help us monitor our vehicle’s health.
Now we move on to tires.  There are roughly 45 tire companies world-wide with each carrying around 20-30 types of tires. Here in America, we have around 10 or so companies to choose from and 3-4 are the largest in the world. From a consumer point of view, there is one thing all of these companies collectively agree on.  Preventative Maintenance. Sure these companies might have different ways of maintaining their own tire, but I will list a few simple things you can do to check whatever tire may be on your car, truck or SUV.

Tip 1. Tire Pressure   

Your tire pressure should be check periodically usually when it is colder outside. To get more accurate tire pressure readings, the morning of evening is the best time. The heat outside can skew the tire pressure reading because pressure normally rises in the heat. Making sure your pressures are correct will reduce wear and also increase gas mileage.

Tip 2. Tread Wear

Checking your tread wear will give you a better idea of when you should change out those older tires. If you don’t have a tread depth gauge, raid your change jar for a penny. Place the penny within the tire’s grooves. Make sure that Abe Lincolns head faces downward. If the tire depth covers Abe Lincoln’s face, your tread of pretty good. However, if you can see his face clearly it might be time for some new tires.

Tip 3. Tire Balancing and Rotating

It is always good practice to have your tires rotated every 6-10 thousand miles. Doing this allows your tires to wear evenly instead of having all the wear on one side of a tire. Rotating and Balancing go hand in hand. You want to get your tires balanced when they are rotated so you will not have any unwanted vibrations as you are traveling at high speeds.

Tip 4. Alignment

Alignment goes along with Tire balancing and rotating. You can usually tell if your alignment is off, by driving at low speed and loosen your grip on the steering wheel. If your car shifts to one side it probably should be looked at.

Tip 5. Careful where you park

Avoid parking over oil slicks or solvents. These chemicals can drastically shorten your tire life by dissolving the tire itself over time.

Tip 6. Inspect for damage

It is good practice to give a good look at your tires once a month. When looking over your tires, check for any cracks or bulges in the sidewall. If you see any obstruction, take the tire in immediately as these problems never fix themselves.

Tip 7. Matched sets

 
Installing miss-matched tires can be extremely damaging to your alignment and the balancing of your tires. Always make sure your tires are bought in sets and not pieced together.

Tip 8. Environment

If you have to buy new or used tires, make sure you buy according to your environment. Road conditions are a tires worst enemy and they differ state to state. Roads in Oklahoma are much different than roads in Texas. If you are driving over bumpy roads, it might be good to invest in some tougher tires.

Tip 9. Speed Rating

Your tire has a code embedded in the side. All those numbers are not just the product id code, but also have a speed rating associated with it. A normal tire will show a number something like “P205-70R 15-95T” or something like that. The “T” at the end determines the speed rating of your tire. If you drive lots of high speed roads like interstates and highways, it’s a good idea to go with a higher letter rating. The ratings are listed from “A” being the lowest to “Z” being highest speed rating.

Keeping these tips in mind will help ensure that you can drive on your tires for a long time. Most of us overlook these simple things. If we kept up on these tips, it would save us loads of headaches down the road…(no pun intended)…

Simple Maintenance Tips - Part 1

We all want our new or used cars to perform forever right? At least until we are able to sell them. Unfortunately, so many people overlook the most basic maintenance to help preserve their vehicles health. Regal Car Sales sells cars, but we also want our buyers to stay in their vehicles for many  years after the sale. Our mechanics go through a rigorous 102 point checklist to make sure the vehicle you buy is in tip top shape when you drive off the lot.

Sure most cars have problems, but so many of them could have been handled when it was a simple issue, thus the term “Preventative Maintenance”. Before you rush off to your local mechanic or brand dealership to spend a lot of money, I’m going to list the basic items you should be taking care of to make sure your vehicle won’t fail. Over the next few weeks, I will list simple tips to make sure your car will run efficiently while extending the life of your vehicle.

Oil Maintenance in 5 minutes (or less)

Check your Oil! I can’t scream this loud enough. The oil in your car is like blood to humans. Your oil is responsible for reducing friction. For those of you who don’t know what friction is, take your hands and rub them together really fast. The heat you now feel on your hands is a result of friction. Now, apply that to car engine parts. Imagine the little metal parts inside your engine were rubbing together really fast. That would create a massive amount of heat, right? Ok, engine oil’s basic job is making sure those parts stay cool and rub together smoothly.

The experts usually say to have your oil changed in regular intervals of 3,000 miles or so. Well, that’s all well and good, but what if you own a 15 to 20 year old car? You might change it earlier. Cars are like people, and when people get older we need a little more TLC. It’s good to make a normal regimen of checking your oil level every other time your fill your gas tank or getting gas period.

The “Dipstick” is usually located right by your engine. Use the picture I’ve included to help you visually understand what the dipstick looks like. Once you pull the dipstick out, there will be oil on the tip of it. Now, depending on if you just shut your car off its usually best to wipe it clean and do it again to get a more accurate reading. At the bottom of the dipstick there are usually a few marks. Some have actually lines saying “Full” or “Low”. Some just have a couple holes marking the levels. If the oil level is half full, it might be good to slowly add a quart.

I know for some people this seems like very elementary information, but you would be surprised at how many people really don’t know how to take care of their car. Hopefully this brief information will help those individuals that might not be very car savvy.

Next Article – Checking Tire Pressure

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Trust Is More Important Than Tracking

Most of us remember the controversy that ensued after the conception and passing of the Patriot Act back in 2001. People were (and still are) very outraged at the prospect of the Government being able to interfere, whether purposely or incidentally, in most of our outlets of communications. The advocates of the Act had some good points regarding the safety of the American people after 9/11. The bill was designed for counter-terrorism measures by intercepting and surveying the communications in and out of the USA. Conceptually, the Patriot Act holds merit. However, the Act is very intrusive in how it gathers its information. This Act almost certainly opened the door for private companies (and governmental) to design special GPS systems to help track and monitor the movement of persons in question. Terrorists are below humans, but should Buy Here Pay Here customers be treated the same way?

In theory, GPS and Auto-Shut off systems for Buy Here Pay Here cars are almost identical. It’s like a car dealership version of the Patriot Act. Think about it this way, these types of systems can shred repossession rates and increase loan payments, but we are not talking about numbers. We are talking about human beings. We are talking about the people with bad credit or no credit. We are talking about the kind of people who consistently get turned down for new car loans because they are too “High-Risk”.

In the Buy Here Pay Here industry, we deal with individuals may who lack any kind of trust or respect for someone trying to get to their money. Their demeanor is understandable considering the amount of targeting a lot of companies do to try and penetrate the market. Some of these customers have money problems, with others it may be laziness, but that is the type of information dealerships need to know, not their location. When you delve into the absolute private matters of an individual via Auto Shut off or GPS tracking, their trust in your dealership is compromised. If your company advertises that you cater to people with money problems, you will probably get a client base of people who can’t manage their money very well. So, if you expect those customers why do you go above the trust factor and install these devices? Don’t those customers keep you in business?

These systems can be abused. I’m sure most of these systems are used in the right way but what do you deem as being the right way when your dealership has all this private information at their disposal? When you sell a car to someone, you are essentially telling them “Hey, we don’t trust you. So in order to get this vehicle we have to be able to know the whereabouts of the vehicle at any given time”. But I’m sure that isn’t the typical conversation.

Regal Car Sales and Credit believes that when you initially make the connection between car and customer, you can gauge their level of commitment on the spot. Sure, we know that a lot of our customers will have problems paying, or ever paying for that matter. We are successful as a Buy Here Pay Here operation because we give them the benefit of the doubt. You have too. In order to build trust with someone you have to allow them to show you they can be responsible. We don’t want to know your personal life other than the standard questions about financial information.  Regal Car Sales gives you the opportunity to show us that you can manage a car payment. So instead of rewarding you with a GPS tracking device, we reward you with automatic credit reporting, every month! So not only do you get the car you want, you also rebuild your credit. Our Used car dealership has helped so many individuals with their credit we stopped counting a long time ago.

If you want a great used car with a great warranty, and NO TRACKING DEVICE, please let us help you on your way to rebuild your credit. You can browse our used car inventory and find the car that fits your needs, when you need it.


(Posted by Art Flywheel)

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Trust Is More Important Than Tracking

Most of us remember the controversy that ensued after the conception and passing of the Patriot Act back in 2001. People were (and still are) very outraged at the prospect of the Government being able to interfere, whether purposely or incidentally, in most of our outlets of communications. The advocates of the Act had some good points regarding the safety of the American people after 9/11. The bill was designed for counter-terrorism measures by intercepting and surveying the communications in and out of the USA. Conceptually, the Patriot Act holds merit. However, the Act is very intrusive in how it gathers its information. This Act almost certainly opened the door for private companies (and governmental) to design special GPS systems to help track and monitor the movement of persons in question. Terrorists are below humans, but should Buy Here Pay Here customers be treated the same way?

In theory, GPS and Auto-Shut off systems for Buy Here Pay Here cars are almost identical. It’s like a car dealership version of the Patriot Act. Think about it this way, these types of systems can shred repossession rates and increase loan payments, but we are not talking about numbers. We are talking about human beings. We are talking about the people with bad credit or no credit. We are talking about the kind of people who consistently get turned down for new car loans because they are too “High-Risk”.

In the Buy Here Pay Here industry, we deal with individuals may who lack any kind of trust or respect for someone trying to get to their money. Their demeanor is understandable considering the amount of targeting a lot of companies do to try and penetrate the market. Some of these customers have money problems, with others it may be laziness, but that is the type of information dealerships need to know, not their location. When you delve into the absolute private matters of an individual via Auto Shut off or GPS tracking, their trust in your dealership is compromised. If your company advertises that you cater to people with money problems, you will probably get a client base of people who can’t manage their money very well. So, if you expect those customers why do you go above the trust factor and install these devices? Don’t those customers keep you in business?

These systems can be abused. I’m sure most of these systems are used in the right way but what do you deem as being the right way when your dealership has all this private information at their disposal? When you sell a car to someone, you are essentially telling them “Hey, we don’t trust you. So in order to get this vehicle we have to be able to know the whereabouts of the vehicle at any given time”. But I’m sure that isn’t the typical conversation.

Regal Car Sales and Credit believes that when you initially make the connection between car and customer, you can gauge their level of commitment on the spot. Sure, we know that a lot of our customers will have problems paying, or ever paying for that matter. We are successful as a Buy Here Pay Here operation because we give them the benefit of the doubt. You have too. In order to build trust with someone you have to allow them to show you they can be responsible. We don’t want to know your personal life other than the standard questions about financial information.  Regal Car Sales gives you the opportunity to show us that you can manage a car payment. So instead of rewarding you with a GPS tracking device, we reward you with automatic credit reporting, every month! So not only do you get the car you want, you also rebuild your credit. Our Used car dealership has helped so many individuals with their credit we stopped counting a long time ago.

If you want a great used car with a great warranty, and NO TRACKING DEVICE, please let us help you on your way to rebuild your credit. You can browse our used car inventory and find the car that fits your needs, when you need it.


(Posted by Art Flywheel)

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Ethics and Buy Here Pay Here Dealers

In what seems to be the era of Federal bailouts and handouts of all shapes and sizes, one man is trying to focus reform to the Buy Here Pay Here industry. Clifford L. Stanley, responsible for troop rediness at the Pentagon, is urging the Treasury department to pass legislation that would end shady car deals. As with most government initiatives, the reason or motivation is always broad. Stanley believes that bad auto loans or shady deals affects the rediness of our troops because it puts them in financial dispair. He bases these claims on the amount of check cashing businesses, liquor stores and car dealerships that are setting up shop outside many military bases. You can view some testimonials given by a few Armed Forces members here.


Now I'm not saying that no Buy Here Pay Here operations aren't trying to take advantage of EVERY customer base. But, apparently there are some dealerships who are crossing the "ethical" line. If those dealerships are potentially bird-dogging our Troops, imagine what they would do to civilians. It's dealerships like this, who give our business a bad or looked-down-upon name. When the average person thinks of a used car dealership there are a host of names they might conjour up. We, as a Buy Here Pay Here dealership, hold ourselves to a higher standard.

Enter the "Regal Difference".

Regal Car Sales has been in the used car business for over 20 years servicing people that need to get back on their feet financially. We try to convey this message to everyone through our No-Pressure Customer Service Representatives (CSR's). Our staff is not motivated through sales quotas and other forms or pressure oriented sales. We find, the less you pressure a customer the smarter of a decision they make. Regal Car Sales wants to help put people who need affordable vehicles into... guess? Affordable vehicles. By keeping everything as simple as possible it ensures that you know what you are getting. No hidden costs. A lot of dealers like to advertise they have the lowest prices...blah blah blah... With us, all the costs are right in front of your face. What you see, is definitely what you get.

Of course our inventory has to back up what we say right? Well, on our lots you can expect to find a multitude of makes, models in just about any price range.

If you come and visit us, expect to be greeted by CSR's that have your best interest in mind. They will go the extra mile to get what you need, when you need it.

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