Handy Toyota's Blog

2013 Toyota Avalon

2013-07-25T13:07:00.000-04:00

The all-new Toyota Avalon was designed to help bridge the gap between Toyota and their luxury brand, Lexus. The Avalon received the best score from Car and Driver in a comparison test between the 2014 Chevy Impala, 2013 Chrysler 300S, 2013 Dodge Charger, 2013 Hyundai Azera and the 2014 Kia Cadenza.

The Avalon is offered with the 3.5L V-6 or the 2.5L gas/electric hybrid. The V-6 makes 268hp at 6200RPM and 248 ft-lbs or torque at 4700RPM. The 2.5L hybrid makes 200 hybrid system net hp. Both engines come with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The base Avalon XLE comes standard with leather heated front seats, push button start and ten airbags. An upgrade to the XLE premium provides the same leather seats, but also a backup camera and a tilt/slide power moonroof. The top of the line Limited edition has heated and cooled front seats, power moonroof, blindspot monitors, rear heated seats and rear climate control.

At Handy Toyota, the Toyota Avalon starts at $36,000 with the XLE Touring edition. Prices also go up to $41,000 with the Avalon Limited. Come take a test drive today and see why Car and Driver liked it so much.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

2013 Toyota Highlander Limited

2013-07-23T13:03:00.001-04:00

The 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited is one of Toyota’s higher end crossover SUVs that are currently offered. The Highlander was first unveiled at the 2000 New York Auto Show and began showing up on showroom floors later that year. The car has gone through a couple model year changes, the first being in 2004, and then a new generation in 2007 with an update in 2010. The 3^rd generation Highlander will reach dealerships in 2014, which will be slightly longer and wider than the current generation.

The Highlander Limited comes with a 270hp 3.5L V6 engine with variable valve timing. With that engine package and a 5 speed automatic transmission gives a competitive fuel economy of 22mpg highway.

One of the added luxuries for the Highlander Limited is a rear seat DVD player comes as an option. It is a single screen unit that folds down from the roofline of the car. The rear of the car also has an independently operating air conditioning dials, so the people in the back can have the fan blow a faster speed or colder temperature if they want to. There is also a fold-down 3^rd row in the rear of the car. The Highlander Limited also comes with leather seats and heated seats in the front.

Other options featured in the Highlander are two wireless headphones, mudguards, wheel locks and a roof rack with cross bars. Come take a test drive in the 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited and be impressed with the car’s handling and features today at Handy Toyota.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Toyota Designs Robot heading for the International Space Station

2013-07-22T15:44:00.000-04:00

Contrary to popular belief, but the Toyota Corporation is much more than just an automaker. The Toyota Company invests itself into many research pursuits, as well as motor vehicles. One of which, will be place in the international space station soon. Meet Kirobo, the space robot:

The idea behind this radical project was to make a robot capable of human to robot conversation. The robot will have conversations with a commander Wakata in space. The robot will leave this August, and will meet up with the commander at the International Space Station. The two are scheduled to meet by December. Commander Wakata will return to Earth the following summer, leaving the robot to remain at the international space station.

A clone of Kirobo called Mirata was made to leave with ground control. The question will remain though, what is next for Toyota and their robot research? Well if their research in robotics has been as innovative as their research in the Auto Industry, then we will have much to look forward too.

Tyler Barnier

Handy Toyota

2014 Toyota Highlander

2013-07-22T15:28:00.000-04:00

As we roll out the remaining 2013 Toyota Highlanders, we prepare to make way for the next model generation, the 2014 Highlander. The Highlander has been a game changer since 2000 when it comes to how we know the crossover. While the previous short lived generation introduced the Highlander to a standard of style for crossovers, the 2014 has design to rival even the range rover, for a fraction of the price!

The next generation Highlander will offer two engine classes as well as a hybrid variant: a 2.7L i-4 engine or the 3.5L V6, each with the 6 speed automatic transmission. The hybrid variant will contain the 3.5L V6, except coupled with Toyota’s Signature CVT transmission. The 2014 Highlander will be 3 inches longer and half an inch wider, and as you can see will features molded plastic for the wheel arches.

The interior of the all new Highlander has been re-vamped as well. The 2014 Toyota Highlander will be able to comfortably seat eight passengers. Toyota has also worked to improve the ambiance inside the Highlander, by adding lights around the dash and the doors. The material has also been up-graded to be softer to the touch. The 2014 Highlander will also feature new standard safety features such as blind spot monitor, lane-departing warning and a rear cross traffic alert.

You can expect the 2014 Toyota Highlander is planned to be launched this fall. Be sure to periodically check in at HandyToyota.com to see when the 2014 Highlander is added to our inventory.

Tyler Barnier

Handy Toyota

Toyota Hits Sales Milestones with Prius and Camry

2013-07-22T11:44:00.000-04:00

In recent weeks, Toyota has hit several sales milestones with two of their vehicles, the Camry and the Prius. In the Camry’s 30^th year of production, Toyota sold their 10 millionth Camry in the United States. The first year the Camry was introduced to the United States was in 1983. That year, they only sold 52,651 Camry’s in the US. Since then, it has gone on to become the best-selling car in the United States for 11 years.

Toyota says that there are still nearly 800 first generation Camry’s from 1983 still in operation today. The first Camry production factory opened in Kentucky in 1988, which was Toyota’s first factory in North America.

Toyota states that “virtually all Camrys sold in the US are produced in the US.” They also go on to say that nearly 75% of the car is domestically sourced within the United States.

First introduced in 1997, the Toyota Prius hit the market as the world’s first mass produced hybrid car. The 2^nd generation Prius hit auto markets in 2003 and the 3^rd generation followed in 2009. In less than 20 years, Toyota has sold over 3,000,000 Prius’ worldwide. With this kind of success, the Prius is starting to become what Coke is to soda as the car is to hybrid technology.

How many more years will it take before Toyota sells another 10,000,000 Camry’s and 3,000,000 Priuses? It might take only half the time, especially with the constantly improving hybrid and electric

technology, with Toyota at the forefront of it.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

Toyota Prius Technology

2013-07-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

Many people know that the Toyota Prius has set the gold standard for hybrid technology all over the world. The name is so common now that it is starting to become what Coke is to soda. Not many people know just the amount of technology that goes into today’s Prius and what makes them as efficient as they are today.

The secret to today’s Toyota Prius hybrid is the Hybrid Synergy Drive. The system uses a blend of gasoline or electric motor to provide optimum efficiency for how the driver is using the car. Sometimes it will use only the electric motor for something such as city driving during stop and go traffic. Once you begin picking up speed the car will begin transferring use to the gasoline engine to provide extra power and give a longer range.

The Prius also has three drive modes. There is EV, ECO, and POWER. The EV mode will run on battery power alone, but only for up to one mile. ECO mode improves fuel economy by the car adjusting throttle and climate control for

getting optimum economy while still staying comfortable in the car. The reason why climate control is adjusted is because if the air conditioner is in use, the compressor puts out drag, which reduces engine efficiency and performance, which reduces fuel economy. The POWER driving mode has the car go all out and provide the best, most exciting driving experience the Prius can provide.

Another great piece of technology in the Toyota Prius that not many other cars possess is the solar roof. The solar roof provides power to a fan that circulates air throughout the interior of the car. This cools the interior so when you go to get back in the car, you won’t need to turn the air conditioner on, which reduces engine drag and then increases your fuel economy. You can also turn on the air conditioner within three minutes of you entering your Prius. The compressor will run on the hybrid battery power system so you can enter into a nice and refreshing temperature.

With industry leading technology such as the solar roof, and the forerunner of hybrid technology, the Prius will continue to be a leader of the pack for hybrid technology and fuel economy.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Real Life Drivers Test

2013-06-07T15:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was asked if I would like to drive to Syracuse to pick up a car and bring it back to Handy Toyota. I said without hesitation, “sure I would be glad to.” After 12 hours of driving through pouring rain, two different cars, I finally made it back to the dealership in one piece (and the car as well).

The day started with me driving a Toyota Rav4 to Romano Toyota. The route would take me across the top of the state on Route 11, and then interstate 81 down to Syracuse. I figured I would get a good opportunity to talk about these two Toyota’s like how they would be driven by a typical driver rather than magazines such as Car and Driver taking it out onto the track and measuring the center of gravity, ¼ mile distance and all the “stuff” that doesn’t particularly matter to the everyday driver.

The Rav4 I drove to Syracuse was a green XLE model. The steering and braking was much quicker

than what I was used to since I had been driving a 10 year old car for the past year. One feature I thought was pretty cool was when driving, a green light will show up on the dash that say, “eco” to show if you are driving economically or not. That light was on during the entire trip so I was driving economically and making the most of the gas mileage. Since it was raining, I made good use of the windshield wipers, which worked perfectly as I would expect of a new car.

One thing I noticed about the Rav4 was after three of four hours of driving; my back wasn’t getting stiff like it has on other long car rides. I think a lot of that had to do with the seat and the way it was designed. The seat resembled a bit of a racing style being so you were nestled right in the middle. It was very comfortable too.

The Toyota Highlander that I was taking back from Romano Toyota drove very much like the Rav4. This one had leather seats and an eight-way adjustable seat, so it was a little more luxurious than the Rav4. The Highlander didn’t have the “eco” light that the Rav4 did, but other than those little differences, and the Highlander being a little bit bigger, there was essentially no difference in driving either car. I would be happy owning either one of them.

After almost 12 hours of driving, I finally made it back to Handy Toyota, and drove myself back home to eat dinner and get ready for another work day. This was a good tune-up for another 12 hour drive I’ll be embarking on this Sunday. The drive will put my grandfather and I in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania for one of the biggest model airplane contests in the country.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Real Life Simpsons Theme Park

2013-06-05T15:30:00.000-04:00

Ever dreamed of eating a whatchamacarass sandwich and washing it down with a Krusty-partially-gelatinized-non-dairy-gum-based-beverage? Well now you can thanks to Universal Studios opening up the

Simpsons theme park, you will have your chance to eat that same meal. All of the Springfield establishments from the Krusty Burger, Moe’s Tavern, the Frying Dutchman, and Android’s Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop will be present in “mini-Springfield.” Universal says that many Simpsons characters will be able to interact with guests of Springfield.

The animated TV series began in 1989 and was an instant hit. Since then, the series has won 27 Emmy awards, and has shattered TV records for being the longest running scripted television show on the planet. In 2007, the Simpsons movie was released into theaters. The premier was held in none other than Springfield, Vermont. Currently in it’s astounding 25^th season, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie are just as popular today as they were when the series’ first began.

The Springfield expansion began construction in November of 2012. Construction continued through the beginning of 2013 and officially opened up for Simpsons fan on June 1^st. It’s now the perfect time of year to take a vacation down to Florida and checking out Fast Food Blvd for a Krusty Burger.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Spy photos of the Gen IV Prius

2013-06-04T15:01:00.002-04:00

Recently spotted in the streets of Los Angeles was a covered up model of the next generation model Toyota Prius. Judging by the shape of the car, it looks to be almost exactly the same as the current generation Prius. Under all the covering might be different styled headlights, grille, and tires. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be much of a departure of the “standard” Prius shape. There’s no need to change the shape of the car since it has been synonymous with what a Prius is. And despite its facing growing competition from the rest of the auto industry, the Prius is still very much the car that everyone compares other hybrids to. The Prius may become what a Coke or a Kleenex is to soda and tissues, it is that popular a car. The interior of the Prius looks like it will be not much of a departure from the current one, although the pictures indicate that it is an incomplete interior.

Toyota seems to be going with the old adage, if it’s not broken don’t fix it with the Prius. Tell us what you would like to see in the next generation Prius.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, Vermont

Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals

2013-06-03T17:23:00.000-04:00

It all boils down to this, Game 7. In a year where they won 27 straight games, the Miami Heat dominated throughout the regular season. However, they have been struggling against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, leading to a decisive, winner take all trip to the NBA finals game seven.

Why have the Heat not taken care of the Pacers like they have against the other teams they faced in

the finals? The series has gone back and forth with each team winning every other game. Lebron James gave the Heat the win in game one with a game-winning layup in OT. Game two went to Indiana. The Heat went on to crush the Pacers in games three and five, but the Pacers took care of the Heat in games four and six.

What does the Heat need in order to advance to the NBA finals? They need support from the other two of the Big 3, Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh. D Wade has been struggling through the playoffs with a knee injury and his performance has hindered because of it. In game six, Chris Bosh only had FIVE points, four rebound and zero assists. That kind of performance won’t put them into the NBA finals. Also Lebron needs to stop acting like a child when he gets a call he doesn't like. In game six, he was called on a foul when going up for a shot. He didn't like it and ran across the court in a tirade. That got him a technical foul.

Game seven cannot be the Lebron show. He can’t carry an entire team further into the playoffs. The rest of the team needs to step it up, play with heart and passion in order to beat the Pacers. The Birdman, Chris Anderson will be back from his one game suspension, so he’ll bring some energy up off the bench. The Heat need to be the same team than won them 27 straight, not the one man show of Lebron James carrying them all the way through the playoffs.

It will be tough for the Indiana Pacers because they’re playing in south beach so the Heat will have home court advantage. If Indiana can hold off the Heat once more, like they have shown they can do, they’ll earn themselves a trip to the NBA finals. It will definitely be a great game to watch for any NBA fan out there.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Ville d’Este

2013-05-31T16:10:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, one of the most exclusive car shows in the world came to a close, with a 1938

Bugatti 57SC taking the best in show award. That car is owned by Ralph Lauren, the famous fashion designer. There were only four of the 57SC’s built in history, but two of them were destroyed over the course of time. The only other 57SC in existence sold at auction for over $30 million. The car is powered by a 3.3-liter twincam straight-8 engine producing approximately 200hp. Top speed is said to be 130 mph, but I don’t think anyone is going to test that theory.

Some of the other prizes at this car show include most sensitive restoration, most elegant Rolls-Royce, best preserved pre-war car, best preserved post-war car, most iconic car, best interior design, most exciting design, and the driven from the farthest away. The iconic brands of the times like Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Bugatti were all present at the event with their owners. All in all 50 cars were entered into the concorso, along with 35 motorcycles. Within those 50 cars, six were concept vehicles

Words can’t describe the sheer beauty of some of these cars, so I felt the only way to convey it would be through pictures. Maybe these will inspire someone to brush the dust off of their Mustang or Camaro and take it for a spin.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

Indianapolis 500 Milk Preference

2013-05-29T15:14:00.000-04:00

This past weekend the 97^th Indy 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With

over 68 lead changes, a new record, it is considered to be one of the most competitive Indy 500’s in the colorful history of the race. The victor, Tony Kanaan, continued the tradition of drinking milk choosing 2 percent in his first Indy 500 win of his career. The milk tradition dates all the way back to 1936 when Victor Louis Meyer drank buttermilk after a victory because his mother had told him it was good for hot days. The tradition has been broken 1

time in the race history; in 1993 Emmerson Fitzpaldi chose orange juice over the beloved Indy milk. Every driver is asked a Milk preference before the race, this year 2 percent was the overall favorite among drivers with 16 choosing it as there choice. If you were a driver what would be your celebratory milk choice?

Colt Smelstor

handycars.com

St. Albans, VT 05478

Toyota Entune

2013-05-29T14:44:00.000-04:00

Toyota has introduced a new in-car technology. It is Toyota’s own infotainment system call Entune. Entune is a collection of popular apps and other services that are now installed in your own car. Some of the apps that are pre-installed when you receive your new Toyota include Bing, iHeartRadio, Pandora, MovieTickets.com and more! Entune also comes with data services so you check fuel prices on the way to vacation, check stocks, see how your favorite sports team is doing, traffic and weather.

All of these services and apps come with a three year trial period where all apps and data services are complimentary from the sale of the car. After the three years, you will have to pay $5 a month to access Apps. Depending on which version of Entune you have, Display Audio and Display Navigation or Premium HDD Navigation, you will have to pay $5 a month for data services or $8.99 a month. The $5 per month package is for the display audio and display navigation version of Entune. The $8.99 package is for the Premium HDD navigation. Also, XM satellite radio is available with Entune and costs $14.49 per month. However, to access the latest cost for XM, visit their website to see if prices have changed at all.

Entune has a Bluetooth capability so you can pair it with your smartphone. You can also download the Entune mobile app on your phone through the App store, Blackberry App World or the Android marketplace.

Toyota offers some form of Entune in nearly every vehicle. Check www.toyota.com/entune to see which version of Entune is offered in the car you might currently be looking at.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

The Toyota Tacoma Baja Edition

2013-05-28T16:11:00.000-04:00

In 2012, Toyota Racing Development developed the Baja edition of the popular Tacoma. Toyota named this special edition the Baja because of Toyota’s success at the Baja 500 and 1000. The Baja 500 and 1000 are off road races in Mexico. Because of their success at those races, Toyota developed an off road edition to the Tacoma. It would be only natural to call it the Baja edition.

The Toyota Tacoma Baja edition shows up at the dealership ready for off-roading. It comes standard with TRD’s off-road package, which includes hill start and downhill assist, traction control and rear locking differential. While this package is available on other Toyota trucks, what sets the Baja edition away from the rest are the other features only this Tacoma possesses. The Baja comes standard with BF Goodrich 16” beadlock-style wheels. The truck also bolsters 60mm Bilstein race shocks, and a 50mm remote-resevoir in the rear. The suspension of the truck also has TRD coil springs in the front. The Tacoma was risen nearly two inches, and has a wheel travel has gone up by one inch in the front and 1.5 in the rear. The only performance upgrade that Toyota gave to the Baja is a TRD cat-back exhaust. The last items that were added to the Tacoma are flat-black graphics placed on the rear of the truck. These are only to be seen on the Baja series truck.

The Baja edition Tacoma will be available with either a six-speed manual, or a five-speed automatic as an Access or Double cab. Under the hood will be the standard 4.0L V-6, which produces 236 horsepower and 266ft/lbs of torque at 4000 RPM. The interior of the Baja is the standard Toyota interior, which is also equipped with the Entune infotainment system.

For those who may have never heard of bilstein equipment, here’s a brief rundown on what they have accomplished recently. At the 24 hour race at the challenging Nurburgring racetrack, a Mercedes SLS equipped with a Bilstein race suspension took first place. In fact, five of the top 10 cars in the race featured Bilstein suspensions.

Here at Handy Toyota, we are one of the only dealerships in the area that has three Baja edition Tacomas for sale. Come take one for a test drive today and come see what you think.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

Tesla: The Wave of the Future?

2013-05-24T15:51:00.000-04:00

Let’s face it, gas prices are getting more and more expensive by the day. Eventually, we will also be running out of oil, which is the key ingredient for gasoline. Many automakers today are beginning to install electric motors in their cars in addition to the normal internal combustion engines. Even Ferrari, the top of the line supercar maker is beginning to install electric motors in their cars. Their newest car from the skunkworks at Maranello, the LaFerrari, has, in addition to an 800hp internal combustion engine, a 163hp electric motor. This system, according to Ferrari reduces the CO2 footprint from the Enzo to LaFerrari 50%.

The problem is, LaFerrari is still consuming gasoline and emitting CO2 when it’s rounding tight corners at Leguna Seca and accelerating out of them. To get rid of all CO2 emissions would mean either going back to the horse and buggy days or relying on electric power. The problem with the electric cars of today is their range. For example, the Nissan Leaf has a range of only 73 miles on one tank of electrons. Tesla motors have now developed their own design model S. The model S is completely powered by electricity and has a range of 265 miles. That is over three times the distance covered by the Leaf on a battery charge. Also, the Model S is a full size car with the option to seat five adults and two small children. How has Tesla gone above and beyond and developed a car that is this far ahead of the competition?

Tesla got their start in 2003 by a group of engineers looking to prove electric vehicles could be made and could be “awesome.” In 2008, their first car, the Roadster hit the streets. Now Tesla has two cars in production, the model S and Model X. The size of the battery in the model S is astronomical! To put it into perspective, the Tesla battery is over 7000 cells. The Nissan Leaf has only 192. The battery in the Tesla measures roughly, five feet wide, eight feet long, four inches thick, and weighs over 1300 pounds. This size battery along with an 85 kW motor gives the model S a range of 265 miles. It is also a fairly sporty car with 0-60mph coming in under five seconds. The electric motor provides 416 horsepower and 443 ft/lbs of torque. The starting price is still a little steep for most buyers at $62,400. However, Tesla has hinted at an under $40,000 car in the near future.

Stock in Tesla has soared in recent months from approximately $27 per share all the way up to $92.73 following favorable reviews from Consumer Reports and Car and Driver. Stocks also went up after Tesla paid back its entire loan to the government, three years ahead of schedule.

Now that Tesla has proven the electric car is feasible, will Nissan and other car companies start developing better electric cars filling the needs of the everyday driver? Or will they continue to develop hybrid cars letting Tesla continue to lead the way in electric car development.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

January 2013 Employee Spotlight - Casey Toof, Photographer and PR Manager

2013-02-01T17:29:00.000-05:00

Though not all Toyota dealers in Vermont play by the same rules, we are all playing the same game. This being the case, it's the job of the Handy Toyota dealership staff to find new and intriguing ways to get you to do business here; why buy cars at Handy Toyota versus a Burlington, VT Toyota dealer when we all have Camry L sedans, Tundra Grade trucks, Venza Limited CUVs, and so forth? Beyond our sterling reputation, one thing that has always set us apart is photos.

While you may be scratching your head wondering what's the big deal, keep in mind that to the untrained buyer a Camry is a Camry is a Camry. What better way to show you, the prospective buyer, why a Camry L is $23,000 and a Camry XLE is $30,000 than with a slew of pictures: Entune infotainment systems and touchscreen monitors, backup cameras, V6 versus 4-cylinder engines, and even AWD tags are so easily conveyed via photos that it makes both our job of selling the car and your job of researching the purchase so much easier, but without the right character behind the camera a Toyota dealer like us can, instead of helping you find your car, scare you, ending with you running away from our lot and instead buying a (*gasp!*) Ford!

Well no more, thanks to this month's employee spotlight focal point: photographer and public relations manager Casey Toof, Handy Toyota of St. Albans, VT's newest employee. Click Read More to learn a bit about what makes Casey not only tick but an
~~excellent~~integral part of the handycars.com family and team in Handy Toyota's January 2013 Employee Spotlight segment.

eTeam
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT 05478

Handy Toyota wins 7th consecutive Toyota President's Award

2012-06-07T14:11:00.000-04:00

Those of you who know anything about the Handy Family of Dealerships (e.g. handycars.com), Handy Toyota, and Toyota Motors know that customer satisfaction is paramount. In our neck of the woods and even across the nation, the stigma of the dishonest car sales consultant still persists today; with legitimate legislation in place against, for example, dropping the residual value set forth during the leased vehicle's contract signing it's not what it used to be, but the ideology still remains. Further, with online review sites such as DealerRater.com, customers now have an unbiased and most importantly anonymous arena in which to gripe, praise, or otherwise write about their new and used car sales, service and parts, or even rental experiences without fear of repercussion.

All this aside, Toyota and Handy Toyota are and have been build upon a solid foundation of customer support. Point in case: the so-called (and clearly disproved) "sudden" acceleration recall of 2010. During this time, NASA, the United States government via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Toyota's own engineers pulled apart several Toyota vehicles and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no malfunction in the systems within. But still, Toyota recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles and replaced components and in some cases bought back vehicles to ease the worried consumer.
The Toyota Business Pyramid is something that forms the notions behind the recall. The pyramid, which is a visual of what you think when the word is heard, forms a hierarchy of how to do business - responsibly. From the top down, Toyota's business philosophy is aimed at improving customer happiness and/or satisfaction above all else, innovating products, and keeping drivers - the folks paying to keep them in business (and by them I mean US, too) - safe.

Again: Handy Toyota, regardless of the brand we sell, whether it's a new Land Cruiser or base Yaris, or a used car of another make and model, fully buy into and believe this theory and its why we've grown to where we are over the past 60 years and why we've earned honors such as the VT Toyota Dealer of the Year for DealerRater... and of course the point of today's blog, the 7th consecutive Toyota President's Award.

With all that said, thank you all out there who view our blogs, come in for service, and browse our virtual and/or actual dealership for new and used Toyota vehicles. It's because of you and the answers you've given Toyota Motors about your experiences here that got us this and the previous six awards, so this is as much for you as it for us. It's great to know that we're doing a good job, but it's better to know that OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SATISFIED.

Thanks again for your continued support across the board.

Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT 05478

May 2012 Moving Sale at Handy Toyota of St. Albans, VT

2012-05-19T13:53:00.000-04:00

Those of you reading today's blog are likely familiar with the idea that Handy Toyota of St. Albans, VT 05478, currently located at 39 South Main Street (where we've been located for decades now), is soon to move to a new location featuring a state of the art dealership, a more comfortable and customer-centric lounge; service area; and showroom, and over 500 new and pre-owned vehicles when we finally relocate next door to our sister store, Handy Chevrolet.

While our entire staff is eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new store (and, truth be told, some of us will probably miss the old location for various reasons - our owner Dan Luneau has worked here for over four decades!), one problems remains: what do we do with all of our competitively priced new and used Toyota vehicles?

The answer: have a HUGE moving sale and let our loyal Burlington, VT Toyota customers do some of the moving for us!

You may think I jest, but realistically this is kind of the case. While we would never have our customers work for us perse, you can help us unload the 300-plus new Toyota vehicles and used Toyota cars, trucks, and SUVs on our tiny lot on Main Street in St. Albans, VT and get the most unprecedented deals in Handy Toyota history! (Think of it as our payment of sorts for you "moving" our excess units to your house.)

For more on the Handy Toyota Moving Sale running from May 19, 2012 through May 26, 2012, email our eTeam today or check out our specials page for stock-specific deals on virtually every new Toyota model in stock.

One more thing: Bob's Meat Market, St. Albans, VT's premier local butcher, is providing all the hotdogs and hamburgers, cold drinks and potato chips you can handle! Come see us today before we move into our all new facility and help us out, get some food, and get a great deal on a new 2012 Toyota vehicle.

Chris Dugan
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT 05478

The new Handy Toyota in St. Albans, VT continues to build

2011-10-21T14:07:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed in the world of Handy Toyota of St. Albans and as you can see from the picture above the steel frame is taking shape for the new Handy Toyota facility. The weather has been challenging but I must say the crew working on this element is the best. Pete Conroy is the foreman and we could not ask for better. The frame may be pre-engineered but is it no simple task putting it all together. We are so excited to witness the day to day progress. Pete and his crew are working feverishly knowing what lies ahead weather wise. Next week I am hoping to have a picture for you of a completely framed structure ready for roof and sidewall covering. If the weather cooperates, I am quite confident they will be successful in achieving this time line.

Last evening our sister store, Handy Chevrolet, played host to a Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce mixer. Based on the number of folks who attended I would rate the mixer a big success. As I was looking around the room it felt good to see the many people that share working in our business community here in the greater Saint Albans, Vermont area. We all have a lot in common and in the final analysis we are all in business together. Each merchant, restaurateur, banker, real estate broker/salesperson, manufacturer, health care provider, professional person, etc. work with the same folks in the same general area and in our own unique ways in an attempt to reach out to drive our businesses in a successful manner. What these mixers are all about is to put us all in contact in a social setting with the goal that we will have the opportunity to network to our mutual benefit. That said, I would agree that it worked for me and my opinion would be that it worked for most of the folks that attended. In the future I will attempt to attend more of these functions.

My plan is to work outside all weekend as we will not have many more weekends before snow and (I cannot wait!) ski season will start. Smuggler's Notch traditionally opens the day after Thanksgiving and that is only a few short weeks away. My gear is ready and it will be good to be on the mountain for another winter in beautiful Vermont.

My time is up for this morning. See you next week.

The best!

Dan Luneau
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT 05478

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My angels arrive!

2011-10-15T11:12:00.001-04:00

The girls arrived on schedule this past Wednesday and have been staying with Karen along with their parents Annie and Peter. Annie's brother Tommy is being married this afternoon so it is not a surprise when I say that everyone's schedule has been stretched a bit thin over the past few days. Annie and Faye are in the wedding party, and little Faye is so nervous with her role as one of the flower girls that one would think she is the bride. When she arrived home last evening from attending the rehearsal festivities all she talked about was being so nervous. Apparently the fact that she is the shortest of the flower girls places her first to walk down the aisle. My hunch is that she will handle her role just fine.

This coming Monday morning the framing crew will be on the job site preparing to erect the steel frame for the new Handy Toyota store. The crew foreman was on site yesterday taking final measurements and based on his demeanor all appeared to be satisfactory. With some cooperation from Mother Nature, by this time next week I am hoping to have a picture or two in my blog of the framing progress, but for now check out the image below to see the mostly completed foundation! It feels so good to have progressed to this point.

October is off to a reasonably good start here at Handy Toyota of St. Albans, VT. The Toyota service crew is starting to rev up to meet the demands of getting vehicles ready for the winter months ahead. New Toyota and pre-owned vehicle sales are on a normal October pace as well, so all and all unless something unexpected pops up, October is on the way to a good month.

I must be short this week. My job at the wedding this afternoon is to be in charge of our granddaughter Marie. She is the sweetest one year old that I have ever known. The joy that she brings to our family is incredible. We are so fortunate to have her.

The best to all and please have a laid back enjoyable week end.

Dan Luneau
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT 05478

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What is with this weather?

2011-10-11T09:28:00.000-04:00

While snow is not unusual in Vermont any time of the year (except maybe July) it has been a topsy-turvy couple of weeks for weather lately. Two weeks ago our worst and most damaging snow storm of the year, last week hail, and yesterday cold with snow showers. In between we've had some beautiful weather with some warm days and some cold, though, so it's not all bad. Oh well who knows what's in store - we will have to wait and see.

For all those basketball fans, the Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo put on a performance yesterday that will go down as one of the best of all time for the Celtics. With the exception of Paul Pierce everyone stepped up their game, and Rondo scored over 20 points, had 15 rebounds, and dished out 18 assists. What an incredible performance by a man who refuses to lose and who is, by the way, barely over six feet tall. Wow!

The other night Handy Toyota team was honored at the Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce's Annual Dinner and Silent Auction as the 2009 Large Business of the Year. To quote Jamie West I can think of no business that is more deserving for the continued work in the community while providing good jobs to those willing to work.

The New York Yankees beat up the Boston Red Sox again, but these things have a way of turning themselves around as the season progresses. I guess we will have to wait and see. The Yankees, while playing great ball, still find themselves behind the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the overall stats.

On the cooking front I continue to experiment with Chicken Florentine recipes. I will have something to report on the topic soon, but for now I'm finagling. I might use this one for the Hood Cook-Off in Maine this November if it turns out well, and I am also working on different egg roll combination which look promising as well.

Kudo's to Al's French Fries for the recent prestigious James Beard Award. They were voted one of America's Best Classic Restaurants. I guess they do represent that 1950s and '60s era burger joint well!

Oh well that's it for this go round, but I will be back in the blogosphere soon.

Tom "the Blogmeister" Young

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT 05478

Burnt Lawn, Happy Tom

2011-08-08T13:48:00.000-04:00

My lawn remains burnt so for me the living is easy. No snow and no lawn can life get any better? The truck pulls @ the Franklin County Field days went as expected with Jack Chamberlain winning in both ½ ton, and ¾ ton classes. Field days were a success and we look forward to participating again next year. The cook-off approaches and I will be submitting my two main recipes next week. This year if picked I will be fully armed and garnished as I try to advance to the finals.

The Haskell Contest concluded this past weekend @ Beautiful Monmouth Park and I finished in Mid Pack. My goal was to win so no bragging rights here. I will try to get to Saratoga this year @ some point but that is not looking promising. So it will just have to be contests from this point forward. If you have never been to Saratoga it would be worth the trip.

Congress appears to have stopped behaving badly and maybe just in time. Now possibly they can focus on Business Leaders taking their money off the sidelines and putting it in play. Listening to temper tirades at the podium from both sides of the aisle makes me scratch my head and wonder out loud why seasoned politicians don't understand that the country is evenly divided with no real majority anymore. Compromise is the only way to move forward. While it makes no one happy not to get all their wishes, accept the fact that this is where we are at and work with it. Good to see Vladimir Putin calling us an Economic Parasite. He must have forgotten that the only wealth his country obtained was by robbing European countries after WWII. Maybe he should pay off the money they owe us from The Lend Lease Act from the 1940's.

Oh well another Blog comes to an end. Be back next week.

Tom "The Blogmeister" Young
Handy Toyota

Gearing up for the Great Weekend Ahead

2011-07-08T16:47:00.001-04:00

It’s Friday July 8th already, and according to the weather forecast from today this weekend is going to be spectacular. I for one am so excited to be able to get outside and enjoy working on my many projects.

The month of June is behind us and what a busy month it was for me. Fishing in Alaska and the annual Toyota business meeting in Las Vegas took up a big part of the month, and as much as I enjoyed both events I must admit it is great to be home. Vermont is still my favorite place to be, and we are so fortunate to have such a beautiful place to live.

The new Toyota store project is moving forward. We recently ordered the building which has an estimated time of arrival of the week after Labor Day. Our goal is to have the foundation and most, if not all, of the site work done prior to the arrival of the building. If that time goal is met, then our next goal would be to have the building framed and tight to the weather so the inside work can proceed through the winter months without having to work in cold conditions. When spring arrives our hope is to finish the outside elements and be able to move in during the early to middle part of May. I will keep you posted as we move ahead with the project.

Handy Toyota is off to a brisk start for the month of July. Toyota products are still very high on folks’ consideration list when they are out shopping for a new vehicle. I am fast approaching my 38th anniversary in this business and having represented a fair share of different brands over the years it is fair to say that Toyota ranks right up at the top as far as quality, reliability, residual value and low cost of ownership are concerned. Our goal is to achieve and maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction possible and having a product like Toyota helps us to do just that. Both we and Toyota are not perfect but to do what we do every day, week, month and year, one after another, I am very happy that a Toyota sign stands over the building that I work in.

I hope to see you folks at the store and please accept my best wishes for the beautiful weekend we are about to enjoy.

The best!

Dan Luneau
Handy Toyota

Preakness Day

2011-07-01T15:04:00.000-04:00

Lots going on this week. Work has been busy and that is always welcome. The Celtics are rolling on in their match-up against Cleveland, further proof of my theory they tanked the Regular Season to prepare for the Playoffs.

Toyota continues to amaze me. They have had everything thrown at them but the kitchen sink and they continue to roll. Their sales are up and their profit is as well. They are committing millions to safety and research and development. This week they announced the cost of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle is down to 50,000.00. I am happy to be part of this great Corporation. Maybe B.P. could take a lesson on how to take care of mistakes as Toyota has done with the Tacoma Truck.

The Celtics have looked impressive playing better than their record of the long season indicated. They are getting it from everybody except Paul Pierce at this point. Against Orlando, if they get by Cleveland, Pierce will have to step up.

Big Mike got sent home last night and it was overdue. He was operating on borrowed time and it finally caught up to him. I feel the final 3 are the best of this years bunch for different reasons and anyone of them can do well in the industry if they want to. A reminder to Mike Daughtry finished 4th and he has been the most successful of that group.

I woke up this morning to frost and we are halfway to June. Frost in the morning and cut the grass at night. You just have to love this weather. Lots of stuff coming up this summer @ Handy's so stay in touch by reading our Newsletter at our Web Page. You will also notice major improvements in our website so take a look.

Finally my favorite time of the year. It's Triple Crown time and after nailing the Derby on Face Book I will try to do the same for the Preakness. There is no evidence of pace in this race. Jackson Bend maybe as this is what Nick Zito usually tries to do in this race. That is to upset on the front end. Now if Jackson does not go than I look to Calvin Borel on Super Saver to try to go gate to wire and come home with the victory. Borel will sit second or third if Jackson Bend goes early. That leaves all the late action in the race to "Lookin @ Lucky". He should be closing stoutly and may collar Super Saver. The only others I see with the possibility of an upset are Dublin or Yawanna Twist. Oh well that's my thoughts on the Preakness and if you place a wager may the horse be with you.

Tom "The Blogmeister" Young

Handy Toyota

tyoung@handycars.com