I gave up being a pre-school teacher for this? Yes. Yes, I did.

I have always worked with children. Anyone 4 years and under is fun to teach, and hang out with! 2 year olds were my specialty. I am not embarrassed to say I was a truly exceptional, excellent, superb (and any other word used to describe awesomeness) pre-school teacher.

Teaching young minds new things always brought me joy. The words that kids would say always cracked me up and made me smile. Not to mention their honesty! No getting around the little ones honesty. If you looked rough, they let you know it. If you smelled funny, get ready to have your feelings hurt. Those of you that work with kids or have kids know exactly what I mean.

So is the way with car sales professionals. I have learned a lot when I began selling cars at Leith VW of Cary. I mean the words! Not just the swear ones either. But what the heck is a spiff or a spin? I still don’t get the gist of what they mean. But I can tell you that words like “dust” and “cheddar” for some odd reason, mean money to sales professionals. How can something that is a pain in the behind to clean reference money. Or a form of cheese? Cheese is orange, white, marbled, but if it’s green, you better stay away!

I can tell you it has been a pure pleasure working with the people at Leith VW of Cary. I realized that I didn’t step too far out of my 2 year old classroom…and I care about these people just as much as I did my favorite little people.

Want to work with some honest, fun, and sometimes immature people? Of course you do! Come down to Leith VW of Cary and meet with any one of our sales professionals. They wear tie dye and are laid back, but they are PROFESSIONAL. I have said it before and I will say it again, we do things differently…not perfectly. Das Auto.

PLEASE NOTE!

The photo above is a .jpg you see everywhere now. It’s amazing how much apart of our lives Facebook and other social media is. Key word being “social” you know what I mean? So I am going to go on a personal rant. And since this is a blog, I am entitled.

I believe in getting what you pay for, being treated with respect, and treating others with respect. So when it comes to getting what you want, say in a purchase…what happened to the good old-fashioned way of picking up a phone and asking for the manager? Or writing a letter to the manager? We have gotten bratty in this digital age of fast emails (hey! that’s an idea…emailing a manager) and high-speed internet access.

Soooooo, if we use social media for fun and to catch up with family and friends…why do people want to use it as an avenue to get what they want by slamming the business they made a purchase from or received a service they weren’t happy about on Facebook and any other social media site? Whew! That took a lot of air, and is a run on sentence! Once again, allowable since this is a blog and not an English paper due Sophomore year at your favorite College or University.

Anyway, Facebook is NOT the place to go off and get your way. Even though it works. Sometimes. But someone has to put a stop to it. Otherwise, review sites will go out of business. Not. My point is, social media is for socializing…not complaining. Therefore, I ask…if you have a problem, don’t use social media to get your way. Contact the management team of the business you have a problem with or write a review.

Not all businesses are out to get you. There are plenty of businesses out there (us) that will work to find a resolution for you that is fair. So I am making a declaration now…I’m keeping our social media page what it is supposed to be: social media. If you have a gripe, contact management.  Because our social media page, and the people that participate on our social media page don’t deserve to read about your unhappiness. That’s what review pages are about.

Let me clarify: I will delete any complaints targeted at our dealership. Because as many people that you want to read your complaint, to cause us to suffer or buckle down and get your way…there are more people that contact us to let us know they don’t appreciate your comments and want them deleted. And I am only to happy to comply.

Thank you for reading and understanding that our social media is just that. Das Auto.

You do the Math…bleck!

With gas prices the way they are, why would anyone want to drive 2-4 hours to buy a new car? As I type these very words…gas in the Triangle is about $3.70/gal for regular gas…(not irregular as my manager just commented because he is reading over my shoulder.)

But if you do the math…and I hate to even say the formula: rate = distance over time. Because I am not a math enthusiast so this doesn’t seem to be the equation I would need to figure it out. Anyhoo! Take the price of gas  and the amount of mileage you would drive to another dealer…you would need to know how many miles per gallon your vehicle gets to figure this out. So everyone is going to have a different answer because we all drive at different rates of speed and we just drive differently.

Let’s take my SUV…I drive a bit above the speed limit (just being honest), and I put Premium gas in my baby (always have and always will). My truck gets about 21 MPG HWY. (Maybe.) I have deduced that saving a couple of hundred dollars on a car purchase isn’t worth driving hours, because my time is worth more. (No, no no. I am not going to go into how much our earnings can affect this. I will save it for another time. Ha! Ha! Ha!)

Yes, you heard it here folks! I’d rather spend a little more on a purchase, and save my time, then try to save a little and lose something I can never regain. Forget the gas $$$ spent on driving hours and hours to then spend hours and hours (and no, I do NOT make a lot of money or have any $$$) in a showroom haggling with someone to get into a new car.

I just have the realization that my time is valuable. There is no price tag on my time. And I don’t want to spend my time that way. Time, you can never get back. Money you can always earn.

Think about what you could do with the time you have lost. Is it really worth the drive? Das auto.

Converted

Convertible is defined as: that can be converted, change in form, use, function, or character. Isn’t that interesting? I mean when we think of convertible…we usually think of a car. At least I do.

And I never thought I would be a “convertible” personality. I mean, when we think of people who drive convertibles, we usually think of tan, blonde bombshells cruising around without a care in the world. At least I do. How cliché! And I hate being a cliché and stereotyping! Don’t you?

But dog gone it! I have been converted! The 2013 Beetle convertible’s driving platform has made a convert out of me. Das Auto.

Smart cars not Smart Car

Smart phones…you probably love yours. I miss my old flip phone and hard-line. A phone is for conversation, dialing 911, playing jokes by looking through the phone book (it’s like a contact list in book form) and finding some poor victim that answers the question to ,”Is your fridge running?”  That is still a classic. And funny! You know the rest…

But as smart as phones now are…what about cars? Holy smokes! The technology now in new cars is almost Jetson like. (The Jetsons are…what am I doing? Google it on your smart phone!) I mean cars that can parallel park themselves! And can talk to you…sort of…WOW!

It’s really amazing how far cars have come…modes of transportation to go from point A to B…to having enough room in the backseat to seat a 6’3″  person comfortably (2012 &2013 Passat).  Yes, we have come a long way in the “smart” car industry. And I’m not talking about the “Smart” car. The new metals that construct the car are stronger and lighter for better fuel efficiency, advanced dual stage weight loader air bags, seat belts that pull you away from air bag deployment to prevent you from more injury, and the ICRS Intelligent Crash Response System that only VW has. (Yes, your V Dub has this!)

But sometimes, don’t you just wish for the good old days when cars and phones were just dumb? Nah, me neither! Das Auto.

Literacy Week: Read Across America

Last week was literacy week, a.k.a. Read Across America. Whoot! Whoot! And Leith VW of Cary, who proudly supports the local community, participated. Members of our sales team read at local elementary schools; as did our GSM, Jerame Jones. (Remember him? In my first blog I said he would from this point on be called…blah blah blah? Good, you remember!)

Well, our GSM went to Olive Chapel Elementary School on the last day of the month. FEBRUARY 28TH!!! Many of you know that the last day of the month is the busiest time of the month at a car dealership, right? Right! So he took time out of his very busy schedule of GSM-ing,  and went to read to some 5th graders.

So, you’ve heard a picture is worth a 1000 words?

Das Auto.

Options

In the Leith VW of Cary showroom, there is an old VW Minibus…pardon me…did I say old? I meant vintage! Ah hem! Ah hem! Anyway, we have this great VW Minibus that is painted in the Leith VW of Cary way…laid back, colorful, fun, hip…you get the idea. And everyone wants to buy it!

With all the models VW has to offer for 2013, people come in and ask how much the VW Minibus is! It’s kind of our mascot, so it’s not for sale. But you have the choices of the 2013 Beetle Convertible (with 3 engine options), Beetle (with 3 engine options), Jetta (with 5 engine options), Jetta Sportswagen (with 2 engine options), Passat (with 3 engine options), CC (with Mercedes-Benz CLS look-alike option), Golf (with diesel engine option), GTI (with hotness option), Golf R (with hotness option and all wheel drive), Routan (minivan option) Tiguan (no diesel option in the USA), and Touareg (with 3 engine options, I know, it comes in a hybrid! Hard to believe in a large SUV!) Why would you want our sweet old…I mean…antique VW Minibus?

There is talk that VW is bringing the minibus back in  2014, called the VW Microbus. Check this article out: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-volkswagen-microbus-illustrations-vw-microbus-news. (You may have to copy and paste this link into your browser.)

So, VW has listened and now, you don’t have to ask to buy our beloved bus! You can come in and get your own! Plus, we have plans for it…it will give you something to smile about…and make it fun when you come to Leith VW of Cary.

You’ll have to drop in and see what the GSM (remember from my first blog what I wrote about our General Sales Manager) has planned for our minibus/Mascot/antique…Das Auto.

10,000 Likes on Facebook: Grassroots style…begging

The other night I thought I would do something…ambitious…or crazy, whichever you prefer. In case you didn’t know, I also do the Facebook page for Leith VW of Cary, applause applause, thank you, thank you. Ha! Ha! Ha! Well, I’m really proud of what I’m doing on both of these sites. Anyway, I decided to try and get 10,000 LIKES for Leith VW of Cary’s Facebook page. Why? I don’t know. What was I thinking? I have no idea. What was I smoking? Nothing. I don’t smoke or do drugs. But I do eat and lately I have been eating a lot of cinnamon bread, it is so good! Especially when you toast…Sorry, that was random!

As I was saying…I wanted to tackle getting 10,000 LIKES, without paying for the LIKES. Nuts, I know! But I like challenges I guess, because I’m not crazy, as Dr. Sheldon Cooper (you know…from “The Big Bang Theory”) always say, “I’m not crazy, I’ve been tested.”  But I do like to do my best in everything I attempt. And 10,000 LIKES sounded so attainable! (Must have been the cinnamon toast.) But it does sound easy when you think about all of your friends that have friends, and they have friends, and they have friends, and they have friends, and so on and so on…you get me, right? But for some reason, it’s not snowballing as quickly as I would have hoped.

Now, I calculated my average today, and if I were to get 9 LIKES a day…it would take me 3 years to get 10,000 LIKES! 3 YEARS!!! OMG!!! Then I thought, what if I did the promote thingy on Facebook where you pay $10/day…do you realize that they give you a range of 8-75 LIKES a day…that isn’t a great guarantee to me at $10/day!

So 3 years, folks. THREE YEARS!!! to get 10,000 LIKES…and that is if I average 9 a day. Am I crazy? No. Am I nuts. No. But I love nuts, almonds are so good, then there are the cashews, and pecans in my salad. Divine! Ooops, rambling again! 10,000 LIKES on Facebook for Leith VW of Cary is doable. I just need you to all go LIKE it! You don’t have to receive notifications or engage with me…just LIKE the darn page. Okay?

See…I’m not crazy…just fun-ny! Das Auto.

Wrong Song Perhaps

It seems like everyone has been talking about the “racist” bent on the new VW Super Bowl ad. Really. Really? I mean REALLY?!?!?! Come on now! Everything does not have to be PC people!

Using the iconic Beetle, in a commercial, with a song from a 70′s iconic show, using a Jamaican accent,  which people associate with the song: “Be Happy” is just cute. It makes you smile…or laugh, whichever way you lean.

I won’t sit here and type that I love the commercial, because I really hoped we’d see more of Little Darth…but have you driven the 2013 Beetle Convertible? It does make you happy! It made me so happy I’m going to get one. Seriously. Mine will be…wait! Why should I share that info with you? I don’t want everyone to have the same Beetle Convertible I plan to get. Uh, sorry…focus…focus. Okay, so go drive one and see if it makes you feel happy or racist.

I mean this has been a long awaited convertible for VW lovers missing the rag top bug. It is so fun, fast, smooth, and the top goes down in 9 seconds then back up in 11 seconds! You can even drive less than 30mph and put the top up or down. (Not recommended, but you can.)

So really think about this folks…do you truly in your heart of hearts think VW would try to imply racism with the 2013 Beetle Convertible Super Bowl ad and hurt new car sales? Or is it more likely they meant to use the song, “Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin from 1988? I mean, dang,  if you listen to the lyrics…driving a 2013 Beetle Convertible would make you happy if you’re living the life in the lyrics. Check them out:

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Performed by Bobby McFerrin

Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy……

Ain’t got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don’t worry, be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don’t worry, be happy
Look at me I am happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style
Ain’t got not girl to make you smile
But don’t worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy (now)…..

There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don’t worry, be happy
Listen to what I say
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry
You make it double
Don’t worry, be happy……
Don’t worry don’t do it, be happy
Put a smile on your face
Don’t bring everybody down like this
Don’t worry, it will soon past
Whatever it is
Don’t worry, be happy

Don’t worry, be happy…driving a 2013 Beetle Convertible.  Das Auto.

Think About This…

Every year, guys and gals gather in groups, wearing their favorite football team jerseys, colors, or painted chests to cheer their team to victory. They party (ironically, the word party is a synonym for the word group…think about this for a second…la dee da, la dee da…finished pondering?) eat, sing, dance, whatever the ritual they feel will get their team the BIG win. All of that is great! Fun even! (Especially, the part about eating.)

But I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials! I mean, to spend millions for 30 seconds of advertising—we really do live in the land of plenty! (Think about this for a second, 1 Mississippi.) Years past there have been great commercials! How can you forget the frogs? Frogs advertising beer! Ha! Ha! Ha! In my top 3, I have to say VW’s “Little Darth”  was terrific! How can you go wrong with a cute little kid, Star Wars, and a quality German engineered Passat?

So I sit here with bated breath, awaiting some very expensive entertainment. And I do mean entertainment, because these manufacturers want to entertain us into buying their products. Right? Well, I am working on my own Super Bowl commercial…and I hope to have something for you that will make you think, maybe laugh, or come into Leith VW of Cary and buy!

No matter who you are cheering for this year (because my team isn’t in it this year, I won’t even waste my time thinking about that), we really just can’t wait to critique the halftime show. Am I right? I mean think about it…Das Auto.