For many consumers, owning a car is not a luxury but a necessity. That doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy their car, but time and road miles tend to wreak all sorts of damage and wear on even the best-kept vehicle.  Sooner or later, the decision must be made whether to repair or replace your car.  So how do you decide?  Here are a few helpful tips.

When repairs or maintenance cost more than the car is worth. You’ll know it’s time to get rid of the car and get a new one when the dollars start adding up to the point where it’s going to cost you more I repairs or continual maintenance than the old car is actually worth.  And don’t forget to look at potential future repairs. Plunking down $1,500 or so for a repair job now may help you eke out a few more miles from your old car, but what’s likely to come next? This is the automotive equivalent of a home money pit.  The more the repair estimates or forecasts climb, the closer you may be to deciding to replace.

We always have to think about safety.  New cars today come equipped with a lot of standard safety equipment, things like advanced airbags, side airbags, better handling and brakes, electronic stability control, and even rearview cameras. Optional active safety technology includes blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning systems, forward collision alert, and automatic parking. Since your old car likely doesn’t have these safety features, when it starts to show its age, maybe it’s time to look at a new car as a replacement.

There’s also a lot to be said for getting out of your old car and into a new one just because you’re past being okay with what you have. You may have started a new job and want something more appropriate for business or you’ve yearned for a new car for the past few years and kept nursing the old one along as long as you could. In this case, if the financial picture makes sense and you can snag a good deal, go for the new car.

Our biggest tip – know what your car is worth. Before making the decision to go ahead and pay for repairs on your old car, you should take the time to find out what it’s worth.

Beach Auto Brokers has been in business since 1985, Driven by excellence and proudly serving the Hampton Roads community for over 25 years. The Beach Auto Brokers full inventory of vehicles is available for you to look at, test drive, and ask questions about.  And our knowledgeable staff is ready to help you.  And while you’re here, we’ll take a look at your current vehicle and tell you what its worth – on the retail market and the trade-in value.

At Beach Auto Brokers, we strive to make sure that our customers have the knowledge at hand to properly maintain their vehicle.  According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 660 highway fatalities are caused by under-inflated tires annually. Since this week is National Tire Awareness Week, we thought we’d take this opportunity to share some tips on how to properly maintain and care for you tires so that you get the most out of them.

• Tire Pressure – Don’t risk a blowout – you should check your tire pressure regularly as well as tire wear. You can usually find this information in your vehicle’s service manual, or on the vehicle information label found on the driver’s side door jamb. Also, don’t forget to check your spare tire as well.
• Tread Depth – You can check tire wear with the quick and easy penny trick. Put a penny into each of the tread grooves, with Lincoln’s head toward the inside. If you can see the top of Honest Abe’s head, your tires are worn. Be sure to check several grooves across the width of the tire. Tires are worn and unsafe with anything less than 2/32” of tread depth.
• Tire Rotation – Maintain consistent wear of your tires on your vehicle, this will allow you to control your car better.  To get the most out of your tires and the longest life to maximize your investment, rotate your tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
• Adjust for Loads – in the Hampton Roads area, we are constantly towing a boat, or loading down our vehicles for that trip to the beach, and packing up for vacation.  You may need to increase your tire pressure to accommodate the additional weight of your load.  Refer to your owner’s manual and/or the tire placard for recommended pressures.  And when you’re done, don’t forget to adjust back to the normal pressure your tires need.
• Avoid Potholes – Driving through just one large pothole, even in the summer, can weaken a tire, reducing its long-term durability and ride quality.  Potholes can also knock a vehicle out of alignment, reducing handling and tire life.  Drive around large puddles as well, they often hide deep, rain-filled potholes.

We encourage all of our customers to be aware of and follow-thru with ongoing maintenance.  This is why we offer all of our customers a lifetime of free oil changes and state inspections with their vehicle purchase!  We are happy to help our customers with any questions they have regarding tires, fluids, brakes, lights, wipers, and dashboard lights.  So if something comes up, don’t hesitate it call us!

You always test drive a car before you buy it right?  Of course!  Some drive it like they are in a Nascar Race and there’s one lap to go.  Some drive like they are afraid that touching the gas pedal will make the car go, and then what?  At Beach Auto Brokers, our Sales Team is always happy to accompany the customers on a test drive.  Here are a few tips that we recommend while test driving a car to see if it’s the right fit for you.

1 – Take your time, you’re not actually in the Daytona 500.  Pick a few different roads to drive on at different speeds, and drive like you would on a daily basis.  You will get a better idea of how the car will perform under normal driving conditions.

2 – Park the vehicle.  Can you parallel park it?  Do you feel comfortable pulling into a parking space?

3 – Play with the radio a little and see how the speakers sound.  Is there additional technology on the car?  Ask your sales representative (who is sitting right next to you at this point) how it all works.  Check out how the seats move and fold down.  You may not be thinking about these things today, but we guarantee you will soon.

4 – Drive, and then ride.  See how the car feels as the driver, then ask to see how the car feels as the passenger.  A vehicle can feel very different from these 2 perspectives.

5 – Turn off the radio, and just listen to the car for a few minutes.  You want to get to know how the car sounds.

6 – Be meticulous and ask questions.  Review the Auto-Check with your sales representative and make sure you understand the information that is provided.  Ask questions if it isn’t clear to you, we want them all answered so that you have a strong sense of security.

7 – If you are the type of person that likes to have a friend or family with you, please bring them!

The Beach Auto Brokers full inventory of vehicles is available for you to look at and test drive.  Quality Care is the difference between buying the car you love and loving the car you bought. It is the commitment of Beach Auto Brokers is to provide you with the highest level of service and support possible.  Stop by today and let us help you find your next vehicle.