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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. 

Tim Jennings has been selected to be a guest speaker at the 7th Digital Dealer Conference to be held on November 1-3 in Nashville TN. According to the Conference website, Tm will be presenting two seminars Entitled:

YouTube Video Walk-Around

Will Keep you Ahead of the Competition

 In the past year I have done over 350 video workarounds and 60 customer testimonials for my web site that I have hosted on You Tube. In the first year the videos have over 20,000 views. Nothing I have done in the 18 years of selling cars has had a faster return on my time and effort than this. Two days after posting my first five videos, a customer walked into the showroom and said: “Hey, you are the guy in the video!”

You will receive all the info you need to have video up and running in one hour. Also, let me show you some short cuts I have learned in the last year that will save you time and effort. By the way, did I mention this is free technology? Wow, I wish some would have gave me all this information. I had to figure it out on my own. You don’t have to!

The second presentation has been part of the 2007, 2008, 2009 Spring Conferences

The One-Man Internet Department

Are you a “Jack of all trades”? Do you need to be one when it comes to your Internet department? This is the seminar for you. We will discuss a little bit of everything. Included will be tips and tricks that I have learned from the past 10 years at one store, with one web site, and one guy – the Internet guy!

Topics to be discussed:

• Your relationship with your owner/manager
• Your relationship with your computer
• Your relationship with your customer
• Advertise for $5 a day or $50 a month
• Who, what, where, why, and how to spend your money
• Sew it up! Make sure you are in control of the leads
• Brand yourself

Free inventory, video, free video e-mail, free chat, free online listings

Tim Jennings has 18 years of automotive selling experience. The last 15 years have been at Tom Sparks Buick of DeKalb. Jennings welcomed the task of running the Internet department in 1999. At that time the rest of the staff wanted nothing to do with it. Often fellow employees would tease about the “Internet mooches.” Like picking a solid stock early he enjoys a good return on his investment of time. Jennings started the Internet department and has built it into one of the best returns on the dollar at his store. He spoke at the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Digital Dealer Spring Conferences. “I’m not here to sell you anything. I’m here to help you, so you will help me! Let me tell you what I have learned online since 1999.”

To register for the conference, visit the official website at: http://www.digitaldealerconference.com

If you are looking for knowledge in the field digital automotive marketing this is the conference for you. Join us!

How do you know you have a good deal? You shop, you shop and you shop some more. When buying a car, thousands of hard earned dollars are spent. Today’s family budget can not afford a mistake. So where do you shop when buying are car? Where the cars are found of course. Autotrader.com is the planets number one car site. Cars.com in my opinion would be number two. I encourage you to shop our cars on these two sites. I believe you’ll find we have some of the most competitive prices found on theses web sites. Lets not forget one important factor, Condition. When you come to Tom Sparks Automotive in Dekalb Illinois and see first hand the condition of our cars along with our competitive price I’m sure you too will become a satisfied customer of Tom Spark Automotive in Dekalb IL! In this short interview the local Autotrader.com representative describes in his own words the pricing and reasons to buy from “Tim Jennings the Internet Guy” see for yourself what he has to say!

Click over to our web site and see our cars with all the details and pricing information you need to make a good buying decision. After all David Lumkin can’t be wrong can he?

Tim Jennings

Tom Sparks Automotive

Dekalb Illinois 60115