Even though we’re approaching 2010 on the calendar, automobile manufacturers began their 2010 year during the past summer. Some of the earliest 2010 car and truck models were being rolled out as early as July. This means dealerships are at their max as far as inventory is concerned.

Due to the recession over the past years, it seems automaker may have overshot the 2009 year for the industry. This means dealerships are filled with the 2009 models and are having a difficult time trying to expand for the 2010 models. It’s a car buyer’s dream come true. As of January 1, 2010 the prices of the 2009 models will drop dramatically because they will officially bear the label of last year’s model. The dealerships are going to do whatever they can to move them out before the turn of the year.

Research has shown that the best deals on car buying usually fall on a Saturday. Also, dealerships may be more inclined to take a lower offer on a car towards the end of the month. That being said, shopping for a new or used Toyota at the end of the week, as well as, the end of the month, may prove to be the perfect recipe for the perfect car deal. It’s worth the year long planning and saving to cash in on a deal that only comes around once a year.

Safety? Not an issue with the 2010 Toyota Corolla.  The Corolla scored four out of five stars in front crashes and rear passengers’ protection in side crashes.  Four out of five stars means that the passengers involved in an accident in those areas will be completely unharmed up to ninety percent of the time.  The Corolla also scored five stars for driver’s protection in side crashes.  For vehicles in the Affordable Small Cars class, the class that the Corolla is in, this is a near perfect rating.  The most respected organization that offers a review on vehicle safety, the (IIHA) Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, gave the Corolla it’s highest rating.  Not too many cars obtain the IIHA’s highest rating, so that says a lot for the Corolla.

It doesn’t stop at Safety, dependability is another strong point for the Toyota Corolla.  J.D. Power and Associates gave the Toyota Corolla an 8 out 10 possible points in Reliability.  J.D. Power and Associates generate a score based on several studies performed on parts installed in the vehicle being rated and the vehicles reputation over the last three years.  The tests are pretty accurate, earning J.D. Power and Associates, the most respected organization in reliability ratings to date.  Toyota is proud to have vehicles known for their dependability, and they put a warranty behind it that you can feel comfortable with.  Toyota has a three-year or 36,000-basic warranty, and a five year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.

To experience the safety and dependability of the Toyota Corolla at a great price, visit your Missouri used Toyota dealer, Spirit Toyota today.  You won’t be disappointed.

Beginning at the dealership website is a great way to begin the process. If they have a good website, such as Jim Lynch’s Toyota dealer website, you can browse the inventory right from home. There is also a way to look into financing options and even converse with a salesmen if need be. Utilizing these tools via the internet will allow you to spend your time doing other things while at the dealership, such as, test driving the car or truck you’re considering.

When you take the vehicle out for the first time try to have a mental checklist of the features and options the vehicle has and the ones you need. First, make sure you fit in the vehicle. Make sure you are comfortable in the seats and feel comfortable with the visual angles of the vehicle. Some vehicles may have a much larger blind spot, when compared to others. Bear in mind any vehicle will take a bit of getting used to, but if there is an obvious feature that does not work with your driving style; you may to consider a different model.

Test-drive the vehicle with the radio off, at least at first. You need to be able to hear the engine of the car while it is in motion without unnecessary distraction. Also, make note of how the engine sounds during normal acceleration and deceleration. Make sure it doesn’t seem like it is pushing too hard to perform at a level that it should.

If you have a gut feeling about the vehicle being the perfect fit for you, then it may very well be. If you have a feeling it may not quite fit, it probably won’t, no matter how badly you want it to,

This Indiana plant, however, has had their fair share of economic struggles. In fact, in the recent past the auto industry faced record lows and this manufacturing plant was not spared. After taking a hit on the production line and having to consolidate with its Texas facility, the Indiana plant found itself manufacturing just two types of Toyota cars and SUVs; the Sienna minivan and the Sequoia full size SUV. As a result of the consolidation Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana found itself completely overstaffed for the needed production.

“Without a doubt, our team members were worried.  Layoffs were happening all over the auto industry,” said Wil James, senior vice president of TMMI.  “It would be many months before Highlander production began.  As a result, half of our team members were not building vehicles.”

This was an economic direct hit to the manufacturing company and the people of the communities of Southwestern Indiana.

During the months that followed Toyota made it priority to make necessary improvements to resume manufacturing as quickly as possible at a volume they had been used to. Toyota invested $450 million in plant upgrades including team member training. This resulted in a much more skilled and refined staff that was much less expendable. In fact, other North American plants were seeking their expertise.

“It’s difficult to roll out such comprehensive training when the line is moving,” James said.  “Our company spent a lot of time developing the best way to do every job in the plant, so the downturn was actually a great opportunity to complete this training in order to sharpen our skills.”

What has Toyota done about this issue?  When Toyota found out about their vehicle issue, they began to work with an intense desire to locate the cause of the problem and find a solution.  As they worked intensely and carefully, using the best minds in the car industry, the Toyota engineers, they were able to come up with a solution to the problem.  The solution they came up with has been tested rigorously under intense conditions to ensure the safety of vehicle owners and their families.  As soon as the testing was completed and proved to be 100% safe, Toyota immediately implemented an open recall.  Toyota is so serious about fixing this issue for their customers, that they have some facilities open 24/7 to deal with this issue.

What is Toyota doing to ensure that this does not happen again?  Toyota is expanding their network of technical offices in the U.S. to gather information quicker and respond more aggressively to incident reports.  On top of that, Toyota will be installing advanced brake override systems in all of their new models, making them the first full-line manufacturer to offer this feature as standard equipment.

So for the customer looking to buy a Toyota with confidence, you can do so without any worries.  For more information on what Toyota is doing for you, contact your local Toyota dealer, Spirit Toyota.  They can answer all of your questions.

According to a fuel test between regular grade and premium grade fuel there was little to no difference between the two in terms of quality. In fact, some experts agree there is no performance difference if you fill up any of the Toyota cars with a regular grade fuel rather than the pricier premium grade. Both, regular and premium grade fuel contains about 111,400 British Thermal Units, or BTUs.

Some drivers believe you should fill up with premium grade gasoline every so often to clean out the system. This is actually, an ineffective way to do so.  It holds true, that filling your vehicle with a low-octane, regular fuel is sufficient for optimum engine performance. The higher, premium grade fuel, offers a higher octane level. If your engine does not require a higher level of octane, then you reap no added benefit from using the higher grade fuel.

According to the American Petroleum Institute, if your car has no issues running on a low grade fuel, then you have no reason to switch to the higher grade. Many car owners, I’m sure, would be shocked to hear this, but it is true. Check your owner’s manual for your specific vehicle. If in the manual it recommends premium grade, then use premium grade. But keep in mind, it is merely a suggestion.

A new report from a non-profit research group have been doing research on what motorists have known for some time as that great “new car” smell, and found that when you inhale the smell of a new car, there may actually be some harmful chemicals being emitted from the plastic, fabric, leather, and other materials. Using an X-ray fluorescence scanner, the Ecology Center tested different components in 2008 and 2009 cars, trucks, and SUVs.

Examples of toxic substances used to build cars are bromines used as flame retardants, mercury is used in polymers,  fabrics are treated with arsenic,  leather is tanned with chromium,  chlorine and lead are used to make PVC plastic, and the list goes on and on.

Currently there are few governmental controls on air quality in cars and the EPA has not been concerned with toxicity levels in automobile interiors even though the reports indicate that the chemicals may be higher than what has been deemed healthy for your home.

The Ecology Center along with healthyCar.org have deemed some cars healthier than others, for example; Toyota’s Tacoma was the best in the truck category and the Prius was a winner with a problem score of 0.8 on a scale of 0 to 5.

If you consider all of the time that you (and your kids) spend in your vehicle every day, it may be well worth is to do some investigation and research on the quality of the air in the next new car that you buy, it seems Toyota cars and trucks tend to score as high on the quality of their air control as they notoriously have in reliability and safety ratings.

Once you have done your research and are ready to test drive a vehicle that has been found to have a high rating in air quality, see your local St. Louis Toyota dealer, Jim Lynch Spirit Toyota.

A full line up of Toyota models can be seen, everything from Hybrids to SUV’s and even the electric Toyota concept car.  If you find a car you would like to see more of, feel free to visit your local Toyota Dealer for a closer look and a test drive.

The Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA), which one of the most highly respected organizations in the car industry, is responsible for creating the car show.  The philosophy of the CATA is to “promote and maintain honesty and dependability; employ truth and accuracy in dealer advertising; strive to constantly improve business methods and ethics; and maintain fair competition to serve both dealer and customer.”

Throughout the week there are various special events such as Women’s Day which offers topics like child safety, there are celebrities and free music performances, autograph signings with Chicago athletes, car dealers and television personalities.

Tickets are available for $10, you can purchase them online at www.chicagoautoshow.com if you are unable to attend in person, and there will be plenty of news coverage from NBC 5 Chicago, WGN 9 CW and ESPN.

The first and most common sense step would be to purchase a fuel efficient car such as the hybrid Toyota Prius which gets the best gas mileage of any hybrid on the market today.

If you are planning to purchase a fuel efficient car, you may want to do your research, there are many resources online.  Consumer Report does a very thorough and consistent test for combined miles per gallon (MPG) and is a reliable source of the gas mileage a car gets in actually driving tests.  Sometimes the manufacturers report on a models’ gas mileage can be overinflated, it is best to depend on an outside neutral agency that is doing mileage comparisons.

• Use regular unleaded gas (it is cheaper) instead of a high grade of fuel if it is recommended in your owners’ manual
• Carpool if at all possible, or check to see if your area has a park and ride service
• If you know you are going to be stuck in stop and go traffic, plan to run errands close to the office after work so that by the time you get on the road traffic will have cleared
• Use a bike on the week-ends if possible, or if you have a big truck or SUV, you may want to consider buying an inexpensive, used second car to do your city driving and use your larger vehicle for road trips
• Shop on line instead of driving around to stores, many websites offer free shipping if you need to shop at local stores, call and make sure they have what you need before driving there
• Try to work from home if at all possible, even if you can do some projects a day or two a week from home, many employers are hiring work from home employees now days, it saves everyone money
• Don’t haul around unnecessary weight, the more your vehicles weighs, the more fuel it will use
• Avoid driving fast or revving the engine, driving 65 mph instead of 75 mph will save 13% in fuel costs
• Keep your car maintenance done regularly it will help your car to be more fuel efficient

Bugs come in all shapes and sizes, but it seems to be the gnats that are everywhere. You can find them on overripe fruit, around puddles, and yes, in the wind as you drive your certified Toyota. It’s all too easy to say that you should just keep your mouth closed as you drive. Sure, you could, but how would you speak to your passenger? How would you sing along with the radio? As you can see, keeping your lips shut is easier said than done.

If you don’t want to keep a toothpick on hand as you drive, it’s a good idea to make sure you are seated properly in your pre-owned certified Toyota. Your windshield should do a pretty good job of keeping the bugs out of your face, but it can only do so if you are in the right position. So, lower your seat if you need to, and the windshield can do its job to keep debris out of your face. You want to make sure you are still safe to drive, of course, but a little seat adjustment can go a long way towards getting you out of the stream of insects.

No one wants to think about getting an insect in their teeth as they drive, but it happens. Just be sure to stay properly seated in your certified Toyota, and you should be in the clear.