Business - Automotive

A Few Minutes With ... Billy Conyers

Car veteran heads new Hoover Pre-Owned Supercenter west of the Ashley

Customers this Halloween didn’t spirit away vehicles from the used car outlet at 2250 Savannah Highway, but they came close. Try autos for $5. A marketing move, Hoover Pre-Owned Supercenter attracted large crowds to the Oct. 31 event, where four motorists got the deals of a lifetime. Yet the dealership had another reason for the promotion: it’s a tough economy in the Charleston area and elsewhere, and this was a way for an established family-run business to lend a hand. Read More

Car Talk

How to avoid major auto offense – clutch homicide

Q. A friend of mine at work and I have a disagreement regarding using the clutch on a standard-shift car. He says that keeping the clutch pressed in will wear out the throw-out bearing, and I say it won’t. Read More

Blind spot, parking assist new features from Ford Motor for 2010

Although six weeks remain until the end of the this calendar year, automakers have been busily engaged introducing 2010 models for the past several months as they become available. Each year, various automotive enthusiast magazines offer readers a unique service in covering products for the coming year. Today we cover Motor Trend’s analysis of new offerings from Ford Motor Co., which includes the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury divisions. Read More

Car Show Calendar

The Rockin’ Charleston Open Car & Truck Show will be held in Adams Run and in North Charleston. Read More

Ready for Pickup

Sales of light-, mid and full-sized trucks could strengthen into 2010

Shoppers at Summerville Ford — or any Ford dealer for that matter — can view the largest selling pickup truck in America: the F-150. Yet for awhile this fall, the classic model wasn’t the most sought after at least at the Dorchester County dealership. That’s even after a major remodeling of the F-150 for 2009 that drew rave reviews. As it turns out, the dealership couldn’t stock enough of the Ford Ranger, general manager Louis Abidi said. Read More

All-Mustang show, BMW drive mark month's auto fests

Even with nightfall arriving earlier and a chill in the air, auto enthusiasts continue to host shows, festivals and drives across the Lowcountry. Read More

Car Talk

Recycled oil filters just one more fee garage owners charge

Q. I notice that car businesses that lube and change oil for passenger cars are now charging for recycling oil filters. Is this a scam, since I never see “recycled” oil filters for sale? Personally, I think oil filters would be too expensive to recycle. Thank you for your answer. Read More

A Few Minutes With ... Strom Altman

Suzuki switch sudden, yet positive, transition for veteran Dodge dealer

The first time Strom Altman sold cars as a Suzuki dealer was July. Yet by September, his dealership ranked 14th in sales out of 650 Suzuki outlets nationwide. The manufacturer has been so impressed with the store’s performance that Altman has been invited to drive the carmaker’s new Kizashi sedan at Firebird International Speedway in Phoenix on Monday, a privilege awarded only to the top 50 Suzuki dealers in the country. Read More

Highway fatalities declining nationwide, even with motorist distractions

Texting while driving, which President Barack Obama has banned for federal employees, is clearly hazardous. But other driving distractions — like putting on make-up and road rage — are even more dangerous. At least that is the opinion of most of the 3,000 respondents to a survey by LeaseTrader.com, which manages auto lease transfers. Read More

Car Show Calendar

The 15th annual All Ford & Mustang Show, hosted by the Low Country Mustang Club, will be held at Carolina Ice Palace, 7665 Northwoods Blvd. Event hours are noon to 4 p.m. with check-in from 9 a.m. to noon. Read More

2010 Triumph Daytona 675

Top-notch manufacturing design, effort mark luxurious new sportbike

When great care and precise craftsmanship are used to create a product, the outcome can be special. Sportbikes, for the most part, have two primary strong suits, exhilarating design and exhilarating performance. As you will soon read, English motorcycle manufacturer Triumph did not subscribe to this way of thinking when they created the Daytona 675 sportbike. Similar to another English manufacturer, Triumph also added an element of quality and a touch of luxury. Read More

2010 Audi A3 Turbodiesel

New crossover exudes performance while boasting 40-plus miles per gallon fuel totals

Those maximum miles per hour figures that show up on a car speedometer — routinely 100, 150 even 200 mph — are essentially advertising ploys. They make the plodding family runabout seem fast and the sleek roadster appear even faster. But the gauge that tops out at 160 mph on the new Audi A3 turbodiesel is more than a generic marketing tool; it sends a message to buyers. Read More

Car Talk

Note to husband: don’t substitute transmission for the brakes

Q. My husband actually said this: “If you ask Click and Clack, and they say I did something wrong, I’ll stop doing it.” So here we go: When my husband backs my new Toyota minivan out of our driveway (he’s backing it down a hill), he doesn’t use the brakes. He just shifts it from reverse into drive as the minivan is still rolling backward, and then goes forward. Read More

A Few Minutes With ... Steve Jacobs

Veteran auto manager cuts ownership teeth developing Marathon Chevrolet over past four years

The title of “car dealership owner” is not exactly what Steve Jacobs had in mind after graduating from Miami of Ohio in 1971. “I was going to law school,” he said. But in his first post-graduate job, Jacobs came to a career-shifting realization: “I found out in order to increase my pay, I had to work more years.” Recently married, Jacobs admittedly was disillusioned with his prospects. So he sought a job that was more performance driven: auto sales. Read More

Prevent tragedies: don’t let teens drive under the influence this Halloween – or any time

HALLOWEEN! How timely for today’s discussion: Watching over our children, no matter the age. Read More