Automotive Guruz

With the rise of the internet, an increasing amount of car dealerships across North America are realizing the importance of increasing their online presence and awareness in the search engines. As a result, more and more dealerships are really investing into their websites in order to be the resource for people looking to buy both new and used cars.

Traditionally, people used to search through Autotraders and the classified sections of the local newspaper. But the internet and the rise of Google and the other search engines has changed the automotive industry permanently. People now want to search for used cars and car deals online before they even bother going into a dealership, they can find so much information online that they may never even need to step foot into a dealership other then to come and pick up their car.

A great example of a dealership that shifted it’s strategy to tackle the online market is DriveTime.  They are differentiating themselves as well by branding themselves as the “Go to Guys for Cars and Credit” so kind of like the one-stop shop for people with not the greatest credit to search for cars in the United States. The really cool part is that they have over 70 Drive Time locations in over 10 states, so there is a seriously wide selection and availability of cars to choose from. Considering a few years ago you would just browse through an Autotrader or two and visit a couple of dealerships and maybe used car shops, these new dealer websites offer a massive increase in the amount of cars you can browse through.

All these changes really benefit the consumer, as they can quickly search for the best deals for the specific car model of their choice. Alternatively, if they aren’t sure what kind of model or car they want, there is a myriad of search options on the car dealer’s websites so you can search my car brand, the year of production, by budget range and more. The options are really advanced and provide great value to the consumer.

As the trend in marketing continues to shift away from paper products, tv and radio towards online marketing, the automotive industry will continue to offer great searchability functions for consumers as they continue to expand their website services in an effort to boost their online presence and awareness.

When it comes to saving on car insurance, there are many ways in which one can try to save a few bucks. Here are two well known tips that both involve the named driver on the insurance policy, they are:

- Insuring the vehicle in your parent’s names and then having yourself as a  named driver

- Insuring the car in your name and then having one of your parents as a named driver

The only problem is if you aren’t actually the main driver on the policy for the first tip, because if the insurance company catches on you do risk getting your insurance policy voided. So it’s important to not abuse the first tip, but if you happen to be in a circumstance in which you can use one of these car insurance tips then you should definitely speak to your insurance agent about how you can get the best policy using your named driver insurance policy.

The second tip doesn’t actually have any legal issues with it, and sometimes you can even get a lower rate by adding an elder person on to the policy as a named driver, so that’s something you should definitely inquire about because it doesn’t go against the terms of the car insurance policy and it can sometimes save you a few hundred dollars a year on the payments.

Once again these tips can save you a few hundred dollars, but make sure you use the first tip with caution because you don’t want to run the risk of getting your car insurance policy and potentially getting flagged in their system.