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“Keep it longer!” says Tim Jennings, the Internet sales manager of Tom Sparks Automobile of Dekalb Sycamore area. The number one reason people trade their car off is, they lose confidence in the car or truck after a few untimely repairs. Let’s face it, when we trade off our vehicle we usually make the second largest purchase our families make. So doesn’t it make sense that we can save the most on the largest purchases?

Most consumers are aware that vehicle sales continue to limp along, as the overall economy keeps struggling to climb out of its months-long doldrums. But, in the wake of slower vehicle sales, there is one segment of our store that is actually seeing an increase in business, auto maintenance and repair.
This figures, actually. With so many consumers worried about their jobs, or already laid off, most are still shy about handing over $10,000 or $20,000 for a car or truck. That means they need to extend the life of their current vehicle. Which in turn means that more of them are now spending more dollars on repairs and maintenance, to make sure that their current three, four- or five-year-old vehicle hangs on for another year or two? The challenge or gamble would be IF I have a repair that is greater than the value of your vehicle?

One way to overcome this is purchasing an extended warranty. We offer many options through our partner company, Protective Asset Protection Corporation. Or “The Protector“. Their Corporate headquarters are located in Northern Illinois too. Most customers don’t even realize that we offer an extended service contract at any time you own your vehicle!  So if you purchased a Buick Le Sabre, Lucerne, even a Lacrosse 3 or more years ago you qualify… If you purchased a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix last month you qualify. Toyota, Honda, Chevy, and heck they all are included. I can give a quote over the phone with just a few simple questions. You can reach me at 815-739-6054. Click Here to Email

What are extended warranties?

An Extended Warranty is a contract between you and a service provider. Many people purchase auto warranties to shield themselves against the costs resulting from mechanical breakdown and/or failure to their vehicle. It is important to know that when you purchase a car warranty you are not purchasing a form of insurance, but you are entering into a service contract between a company and yourself. The extent of coverage, benefits, and terms of payment are particular to each individual contract. An auto extended warranty does not necessarily replace the original manufacturer’s warranty, but is intended to make available a level of coverage right for you. Although the main advantage of attaining a car warranty is to avoid the high cost of automobile repairs, many plans also come with additional benefits. It is important that you not only understand the coverage being offered, but that you are also aware and comfortable with the company providing the plan.  

Do I need an extended warranty for my car?

To decide whether you need an extended warranty or not, you should look closely at your situation and your car. Here are some key questions you should ask yourself:
For how long are you going to keep your car after the original warranty expires? – You don’t need an extended warranty if you have a new car and you are planning to trade it in before, or right after the original warranty expires. But if you want to keep your vehicle for a few more years – an extended warranty is worth considering. It you need help with these questions Contact me!

Do you have any other warranty coverage? 
You don’t need duplicate coverage for your car. Find out what coverage you already have. For example, if you bought a used car from an authorized dealer under “Certified Pre-owned” program, you may already have some warranty coverage that comes with the car.

Are you prepared to handle any unexpected repairs? 

If you don’t know much about cars, if you don’t have a good trusted mechanic, if you prefer to pay ahead for a sense of security and don’t like unexpected expenses, a good extended warranty is what you need. When your car needs a repair, take it to a dealer or an authorized repair shop and show them your extended warranty contract – if the repair is covered, your extended warranty will take care of that.
How reliable is your car? – Research your car reliability history. Some cars are known for their reliability - Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic are two good examples. The more reliable your car is, the less likely it will have unexpected problems. For example, a friend of mine has spent only about 600 dollars over five years on his ten-year old Toyota Corolla for repairs other than regular maintenance. If your car is known for high reliability and you maintain it well, it’s less likely that you will benefit from an extended warranty, although it’s a fact that all cars break sometimes, even the most reliable ones.

What options does your car have?

The more options, the more can go wrong. Cars become more and more complex these days and use more and more sophisticated electronics. Things like power windows, central locking, ABS, heated seats, immobilizer, traction control are on the list of available equipment of nearly any new car now. Almost every minivan now offers options like power sliding doors, dual air conditioning, tire pressure monitoring and DVD entertainment system. SUVs are also stuffed with things like four-wheel drive system, vehicle stability control, navigation system, etc. Today’s luxury cars are more like spaceships with long list of high-tech gadgets. While it’s good to have more options in your car, they significantly increase the average cost of repair. A simple thing like a faulty seat heater can cost you several hundred dollars to fix. The point is, the more features your car has, the more chances something will break, making more sense to have good extended warranty coverage.

Our best seller at our DeKalb store is The Advantage:

Advantage is a popular vehicle service contract for dealers that are designed to accommodate new, pre-owned and high mileage vehicles. Coverage ranges from short-term power train coverage, to WRAP coverage, to long-term exclusionary coverage. Additional benefits coverage includes are towing, rental, trip interruption and emergency roadside assistance.

So, what do I need to do to get started?

Give Tim Jennings a call at our Dekalb Location. 815-739-6054 We are located at 216 South First St. Email: Click Here  With just a few simple questions we can determine if this would be a wise choice at this time. 

The arrival of the 2008 & 2009 Hyundai Sonata has got the employees of a premier Dekalb-Sycamore, Il used car dealership excited. The internet sales manager, Tim Jennings, of Tom Sparks Auto, has already seen the success of the 2007 Hyundai Sonata and is thrilled about the upcoming Sonata which has already hit the store. “Already one of our better sellers, the Hyundai Sonata is a great car with great quality. I can only imagine how well the 2008 Sonata will sell once we get it in our showroom. Over the past several years Hyundai has really transformed their company into a global competitor.”

Jennings also spoke about the extremely rare financing opportunity that has recently become available. “For the first time in a long time, we are able to offer our good credit friends interest rates as low as they have been in a while on our pre-owned vehicles. And even if you’ve had a problem or two with your credit, or perhaps you’ve got no credit at all, we can still help.” Jennings and his team of Credit Miracle Workers encourage anyone wanting pre-approval to visit:

https://www.carthink.net/secure_applications/finance/financing.asp?company_name=TomSparksBuickofDekalb

In other Hyundai news, the manufacturer unveiled its newly designed 2011 Sonata on Sept. 17th, 2009. Hyundai says the new design will be key to its goal in reestablishing its image. Hyundai, currently a top automotive manufacturer from South Korea, is looking to continue to climb the overall image ladder until it becomes number 1 in the world.

A recent study by Business Week and Interbrand scored Hyundai as the 8th best global brand, scoring higher than Porsche, Ferrari, and Lexus. Hyundai Motor Corporation believes that the redesigned 2011 Sonata will help gain more momentum in reestablishing their image. The new Sonata sports a longish nose, panoramic sunroof, and a coupe-style design. Hyundai’s Vice Chairman Chung Eui Sun said, “The Sonata will set a new standard for world class mid-size sedans with state of the art technology, superior quality, and emotional design.”

Hyundai plans to sell 450,000 Sonatas per year globally when it enters full production on the model year 2011 Sonata. Sparks Automotive will try to have one of the largest selections on the ever growing popular Sonata model in Northern Illinois.

Tom Sparks Auto is the premier Used Car Dealership in Dekalb-Sycamore IL. They are located in Dekalb, Illinois but they serve all of Northern IL. We even offer FREE transportation to and from Chicago Airports. The cities we serve include Hinckley, Rochelle, Rockford, St Charles, Elgin, Waterman, Shabbona, Malta and anyone looking for Worry-Free Car Buying in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin! At Tom Sparks Automotive we have many Used Cars to choose from including Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Hyundai and Kia. For more information about Tom Sparks, please visit https://www.tomsparks.com

Earlier this week a spokesman for General Motors officially announced what had been expected for some time: Saturn will cease its operations in Canada on or before December 31, 2009.

“This is very disappointing news and comes after months of hard work by hundreds of dedicated employees and Saturn retailers who tried to make the new Saturn a reality,” said CEO Fritz Henderson in a statement, commenting that the issue was that Penske Automotive Group could not solidify a deal with another automaker to supply vehicles after the contract with GM was scheduled to run out.

At Tom Sparks Auto we are not surprised at all with this announcement. GM has been pushing ahead with a predetermined plan using the government’s money and their blessing for some time. So with one big sweep General Motors will have it their way.  We will adapt as we continue to sell cars the way we always have: priced right with the highest quality cars that we can find.

We would like the fine folks of Northern Illinois and the surrounding area of Dekalb to know that with Pontiac closing and now Saturn in tow, that we will still service the cars that we have sold in the past. We will also continue to have them available for sale. We have already gone through this once with Oldsmobile. The value of Old’s did NOT fall off one, two, even three years after the closing of Oldsmobile. Three years after the Old’s closer, the Achiva’s value was that of it’s cousin the Grand Am. Therefore, the person that bought an Achiva didn’t lose any trade-in value.

Just because the makers of these fine automobiles are no longer in business doesn’t mean the cars already in service go bad over night. They were made by hard working American men and women who did a quality job for a quality product. At Tom Sparks Auto we will continue to stock parts to service the cars we have sold in the past.

Saturn was meant to be a warm and fuzzy car company, one that invited customers to annual events at its plants and sent buyers birthday cards on the anniversaries of their purchases. It featured low-key showrooms and no-haggle prices, part of its “a different kind of car company” slogan. But the brand struggled to make money, and receded into the background as GM focused on higher profit SUVs and trucks.

Anyone that has done business in the past will tell you that we try to make it a warm and fuzzy experience here at our location at 216 S. First Street in Dekalb, IL. We are the little store with low overhead and a low price. Stop by today and let us give you a hand with your automotive needs.

Tom Sparks Auto  in Dekalb, Il – Tom Sparks Auto Sales is the premier Used Car Dealership in Northern Illinois!
Tom Sparks  Locations – Tom Sparks Automotive in Dekalb, IL but serves all of Illinois. We even serve the states of Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan. The cities we serve include Sycamore, Rochelle, Rockford, Shabbona, Waterman, Malta, Kaneland, Genoa, Cortland and anyone looking for Worry-Free Car Buying in the county!!
Car Models at Tom Sparks: We have many Used Cars to choose from including Buick, Pontiac, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Hyundai and Kia.