Automotive Blog

When purchasing these products, it is strongly recommended to seek professional help prior to taking any action. Similar to what we do when we are not experts or unsure of some things that need accurate decisions, seeking help from professionals is always on the brighter side. Professionals can provide you with concrete ideas on the necessity and best alternative for an auto part you are trying to purchase. They sometimes would (continue reading…)

Hey wait a second a CRM solution suppose to make me money and keep my business organized and productive, how can it cost me money other than the monthly subscription fees. Plus I pay already a hefty amount per month to begin with for our system, it is suppose to be working well. If you are the general manager for your dealership, and what I just described above is something that just ran through your head then you should really, (continue reading…)

Tim Duke of Duke Automotive

Our dealership Duke Automotive is owned by Tim Duke, a third generation Duke family dealer here in Augusta. Tim is married to his college sweetheart Lisa and they have 2 children- Tyler a senior at (continue reading…)

I get asked this question quite often, but in some case not often enough. Seems some people have a “problem” with a $300 a month new car payment, but they are perfectly comfortable with paying the same if not more on monthly auto repair bills and accept the inconveniences that come with them. I don’t know what “drives” people to a high mileage goal? I hear customers comment “This car has to go another 20,000 miles” or brag about how many miles they are determined to put on their vehicles. “I am going to drive this vehicle 180,000 miles whether it likes it or not”. Now if this is a challenge for you, by all means take it, but I can think of many other challenges less costly. Granted, some cars will last a long time and do so with relatively low maintenance cost, but this is not the norm.

How does one know when to throw in the shop rag and get a new car? Well, I don’t have a crystal ball bearing, but I can provide some helpful guidelines to assist you in your evaluation process or your car or when buying a used car.

First: Perform an evaluation of your vehicle yourself using our used car check out list from our Website. The used car check out is self explaining and easy to use. If you have a concern or a potential problem you might uncover with an item on the list, have your auto mechanic inspect it during the next step. A great e-book about buying a used car and how to inspect the vehicle yourself is Inspect Before you buy! (continue reading…)

When most people shop for a new car, they focus on the price. Purchase price is an important factor but there are many other factors to consider insuring the best deal possible. New car dealerships may talk about selling at invoice price to entice the customer to purchase a new vehicle but other factors are involved that can have a dramatic affect on the value. Then there’s the question of which is better, to purchase or lease a new vehicle?

What’s better to Buy or Lease a New Car?

Determining what a better value to buy or lease largely is depends on driving habits and personal preference. If the vehicle is driven a minimal amount of miles per year, then a lease may be a better option. Some factors depend on how fast a particular model depreciates in value.

Vehicles that depreciate fast don’t lease as well as vehicles that have a slower rate of depreciation. (continue reading…)

There are different ways of going about this, and as such millions of vehicles are sold every year by the different ways. These include car auctions, direct and other methods detailed below.

Car Manufacturers
The most obvious and main-stream way of purchasing vehicles would be through the manufacturers themselves. Such a place will conist only of vehicles of the same company, and will generally have a much larger price tag than the same product brought from a different source, although the buyer will be safe in the knowledge that it is completely authentic, brand new, and 100% legal. A similar frame of mind will exist when purchasing from a licensed retailer, which also offers more variety and cheaper prices. (continue reading…)

The start of the hybrid technology was believed to be in 1665, when Ferdinand Verbiest and Jesuit priest began to work on a plan to create a simple four wheeled vehicle that could run by steam of pulled by a horse. Then in 1769 when steam-powered carriage was invented. Although this carriage does have the speed of six miles per hour, it is still hard to maintain enough steam for a long distance ride. It was then improved when British inventor Goldsworthy Gurney built a steam car that successfully completed an 85 mile round trip journey in ten-hour times. Then in 1893 Moritz Von Jacobi sailed an electric boat on the Neva, using an electromagnetic engine of one horse power. And in or about that year is when Robert Anderson of Aberdeen, Scotland built the first electric vehicle. However, the vehicle brought lots of problems like the limited range and a battery power that was difficult to recharge. It was later then improved by David Salomon in 1870 when he developed an electric car with a light electric motor, but still faced problems creating a battery that could easily be recharged. Then in 1879, the first electric railway was built by Dr. Werner Von Siemens. (continue reading…)

Decide on the type of service that will fit your needs. If you have limited budget, and want cheap service, then the best thing would to be hire someone to drive your car. If you don’t like this service, you can hire an auto transporter to move your car. Auto transporter provides two types of service – door to door and terminal to terminal. In door to door service, you will meet the truck driver at a nearby parking lot so that they have room to load and unload your car. With terminal to terminal you will often get a discounted rate for dropping off and picking up your car at large auto storing facility. (continue reading…)