Filling our the Finance Application

Filling our our Finance Application is pretty easy. Here is a link to the page

http://www.eddiemercer.com/financing/application.htm

It is important that you fill out as much as you can on this application. That will give us a more accurate picture of what we can do for you and which banks or credit unions may work for you. If you don't feel comfortable filling it out online, you can always give us a call or come in to fill it out.

The first section is just simple contact information. Much of this is required including your name, date of birth, email, phone number, and Social Security number. The second section is address information. Required here is your address, time at this address, and rent/mortgage amount. The other questions on this list are Rent/Own, the name of your landlord, and previous address.

Next is Employment Information. Time at job and salary can affect what cars you can buy in some cases so it's important to fill this out accurately. There is also a spot to fill out previous employer. Fourth is the banking information tab.

The fifth and sixth tabs are not required unless you are considering a cosigner. Finally, is the Privacy statement. Here we explain the process and how we will safeguard your information.

It's pretty simple, isn't it?

Wish List : LaSalle Convertible

Today, we asked another salesman about his "dream car". It only took him about 30 seconds and he asked "One I just want to have, or a daily driver?" We told him anything he wants. He landed on the 1939 or 1940 LaSalle Convertible. 

While the LaSalle was made by Cadillac, it never actually had the Cadillac name. This allowed it to be priced lower than its counterparts who did have the brand name. A major reason it was released was to fill a "price gap" in General Motors's lines. It was designed by Harley Earl and this vehicle had a big effect on his life; he later became the overseer of all General Motor designs. The car was named after the French explorer, Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. 

First released in 1927, it was considered agile and stylish. Sales did not do so well, especially in the early years. Some of this had to do with the Great Depression but even when the economy began to pick up, the LaSalle did not. However, the similar Packard One Twenty introduced in 1935 did not suffer in the slightest. Packard sold 72% more than the LaSalle over 6 years. 

One suspicion for this huge gap in sales is that the LaSalle did not carry the Cadillac name! It was only $1,000 cheaper than the lower priced Cadillac in 1934, but sales continued to be lackluster. The idea is that maybe the LaSalle would have sold better if it was sold under the Cadillac brand as well.

This was attempted in 1937. It was advertised as completely Cadillac built and the price was lower. It did help sales quite a lot! But not enough. It seemed to late. Cadillac has prestige and it was too late with the ongoing depression to advertise the prestige of the LaSalle.

 

Even though sales were not as good as they wanted, between 1933 and 1940 sales did continue to rise. In 1939, 23,028 sold and in 1940, 24,133. In 1939, the LaSalle also became more "Cadillac" in design.

We managed to find a few for sale on the internet. The first one seemed to have some restoration parts but was a beautiful car for $74,900. There was also a 1940 50 series Convertible sedan on Ebay for $57,500 with only 21,127 miles. It has the V-8 with a 3 Speed column shift. Only 125 of these were made.

It's a beautiful car and at first, we weren't entirely sure why this one was his choice but then he explained. He had owned one when he was younger. He sold it in the 70s for $10,000 cash. However, he found it again in the 80s when it sold at auction for $280,000. Like Miss Daisy said, "I should have kept my LaSalle."

Sources: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaSalle_%28automobile%29 ; Ebay, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cadillac-Other-Convertible-1940-lasalle-series-50-sedan-convertible-original-cadillac-excellent-/321242888223?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4acb91781f&item=321242888223&pt=US_Cars_Trucks ; Hemmings, http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/lasalle ; Driving Miss Daisy movie

Has Craigslist Affected Your Car Search?

In December, Craigslist began requiring dealers to pay $5 an add to post in the "cars and trucks" section. Many dealers, of course, balked! It does seem a bit steep. Several of the people we talked to said they would consider it more if it was $1 or $2 an ad, but $5 seemed excessive to lots of dealerships. The major reason we say that is a lot of the car salesmen, post their OWN ads. It's not always a "big business" posting the ads for them.

One reason Craigslist did this was because dealers were posting multiple ads for the same car. One salesman would post the 2012 Toyota and then another would post the same car an hour later, often times not even aware it was originally posted by someone else. There used to be thousands in a city with this method.

Now, you're lucky to see 25 car postings in a single day. Actually, there are only TWO cars listed for Sunday! One issue we have with it is that if Craigslist deems your ad incorrect for some reason, they can close it without a way to receiving a refund.

Instead though, many dealers are simply posting in the Cars and Trucks by Owner to get their advertisements out. 

Plenty of people use Craigslist to start their research. Our question is, has this change affected your car search and the way you look for your new vehicle?

Featured Car of the Week - 2006 Jeep Wrangler

You might hear often that "It's a Jeep Thing" and nothing can be more true. You need to drive one to understand it's culture and find your own love for your Jeep. They're always fun and enjoyable, and the 2006 Wrangler is no exception. In Florida, one of the best selling vehicles are these babies.

The Jeep name is steeped in American history so its no wonder why its so loved. The Wrangler's design still has the rough and tumble image it is so well known for. It has the superior off road ability you expect and remains unstoppable. The one we're featuring today is stock number #91,864.

It's a two door with a black exterior and grey interior. It's a manual with the 4.0L I-6 cyl engine and 4WD. AutoCheck lists it as a one owner, no accident Wrangler with a high score of 94. This one was also well maintained!

It also makes for a fun city drive though! The quirky character and rugged styling of this SUV will keep you smiling. Safe and reliable, the Wrangler comes with plenty of cargo room.

Jeep Wranglers are known for the experience and adventure they provide. Once you go Jeep, you don't go back! It may still be cold out, but Jeep season is approaching fast! Check out this one of a kind vehicle on our lot today.

See it here or call 850-479-2272 for more information

http://www.eddiemercer.com/used/Jeep/2006-Jeep-Wrangler-a2d0049b0a0a0065000b5cd89911ac9b.htm

Going to be one of those Saturdays

Using our Carfinder Tool

Did you know we have a Carfinder tool on our website? If we don't have the car you're looking for, just fill it out and when we get one in matching what you need, you'll receive an email! Maybe we don't have the manual 2005 Mustang GT you want, so don't miss out when it drives up on our lot. This easy to use tool really does come in handy for plenty of our customers.

It's no obligation, so don't worry. You won't be forced the buy the Mustang if it did arrive. It will just be a friendly reminder saying "Hey! we have what you were looking for!" This prevents you from having to constantly check our website.

You can also submit multiple requests!

Filling Out The Form To Get the Best Results

You might not know the answer right now to every question below but you should fill out as much as you can. If you only pick "Pre-owned" and nothing else, you'll receive an email for every vehicle in our inventory!!!

Type: We only deal with pre-owned vehicles, so this part is easy enough.

Make: Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Mercedes, etc? Right now, this part is required. But we are working on having it not be. We're making this change because maybe you're torn between a Chevy and Ford truck. We don't want you to feel restricted by being forced to choose one and make the search harder!

The next parts aren't required, but you might want to fill them out to narrow down your search. For example, if you picked "Ford" in "Make", currently you would receive an email for every Ford we have and will have on the lot. If it's ONLY Mustang you want, just select that!

Body Style: Maybe you know you want a Ford SUV, but not sure which SUV you want. This way you'd get notified for every SUV we get under the Ford brand!

Transmission: If you can only drive an automatic, you don't want to receive emails on our manual vehicles!

Sliders: Looking for only a high gas mileage cars? Specific years? Move the sliders around the match what you're looking for.

Contact Info: Your first and last names are required as are your phone number and email. We will try our best to help you along on your search.

Comments: This is where you'd write if there is anything you MUST have. Leather? Only red cars? Navigation? Just put it in the comment section and we'll take that into account!

Finally, Search Period: How long? It ranges from 2-16 weeks. You'll be notified when your search expires.

But remember! You can put in multiple requests for vehicles. And you can always give us a call at 850-479-2272 for further help.

Wish List : 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo with a Whale Tail!

This week we asked Jeremy what his "dream car" was. There was no debate; he knew right away what he wanted: a 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo S. He actually wanted the RUF but he wanted to make it easier for the research! Oh, and can't forget he wanted the whale tail.

The 911 was first introduced in 1963. It's a Grand Tourer from Germany and over the years they have been used in a ton of automobile competitions. They were actually one of the most successful in the races. In 1999, it came in 5th for the Car of the Century. It was voted #2 on Automobile Magazine's list of "100 Coolest Cars". Currently, the Porsche 911 is one of the oldest sports coupes still in production.

The 1994 Porsche 911 was under the number 964 when released. The first one was in 1989 and the Turbo version in 1990. Only 2,282 were made of the version Jeremy wanted. It has a top speed of 163 MPH and hits 60 MPH in 5.5 seconds. It still had the aircooled engine in '94. There is only 76 of the Slant nose version and only 17 Package cars. There is actually one featured in the 1995 movie Bad Boys.

Searching for how much the 94 Porsche goes for was a bit difficult. We found one with 105,864 miles that sold for $60,000. Most others shown have much less miles but request that you call for the price. It's estimated that a 20,000 mile 911 would still fetch 6 figures though! It had an original MSRP of $99,000.

Would you like to see your dream car featured? Leave it in the comments below!

Sources: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_964 , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_911#911_GT1 , Complex Rides http://www.complex.com/rides/2012/05/the-50-coolest-movie-cars-new/bad-boys-1994-porsche-911-964-turbo-36 , Thomas Classics , Sloan Cars http://sloancars.com/inventory/ , Cars on Line http://www.cars-on-line.com/porsche.html , Motor Car Group http://www.motorcargroup.com/web/used/Porsche-911-Turbo-S-Slant-Nose-1994-Solon-Ohio/1305861/