200,000 Miles and Beyond

In a recent article from Fox News, the Civic, Accord and Odyssey have been ranked at the top of the list for cars from the model years 1981 to 2010 to achieve 200,000 miles.  The data was put together by iSeeCars.com, and was based on listings for 30 million vehicles advertised for sale during the last year.  They looked at the model years 1981 to 2010 that were listed for sale and ranked those vehicles based upon the percentage that reached 200,000 miles or more.  Out of the top ten cars on that list, Honda has more cars than any other manufacturer that are on the road with more than 200,000 miles.  In fact, the Honda Accord is at the top of the list, achieving the highest number of Accords with over 200,000 miles on the road.  The Odyssey came in fourth place, and is the only minivan in the top ten vehicles to reach 200,000 miles.  The Civic is number eight on the list, with a long track record of reliability.

Hondas are known to last long, in fact, American Honda has a club for Honda owners who have cars that have gone 100,000 miles or more.  The Honda Mile Makers Club is full of owner’s stories and pictures, along with awards for mileage milestones.  If you plan on racking up the miles, purchase a Honda, it won’t let you down.    

http://automobiles.honda.com/mile-makers/

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/03/03/10-cars-most-likely-to-go-200000-miles/

2014 Civic

“Honda has made another major round of improvements to the Civic for 2014. As a result, the 2014 Honda Civic is one of the best compact cars you can buy.” -Edmunds.com

The reviews are in, and the 2014 Honda Civic has come out on top of the competition.  Honda has redesigned the Civic for 2014, to include some exterior body updates, a new CVT transmission and all-new technology.  The 2014 Civic Sedan has also earned the highest possible score of “Good” across all five safety tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), making it a 2014 TOP SAFETY PICK.

The 2014 Honda Civic is a great car that combines reliability and fuel economy into a quality and sporty package. Very few compact cars can deliver a solid and sporty ride while rewarding the driver with an EPA estimated 30+ miles to the gallon.  The Honda Civic is priced competitively and utilizes high quality materials and superior construction that gives the Civic the look and feel of a much pricier vehicle.  With all the technology that comes standard, such as a rearview camera, USB audio interface, SMS text messaging, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, 7-inch Display Audio screen, Pandora Compatibility and much more, you won’t believe the price tag.

Check out http://automobiles.honda.com/civic/ for more information

IIHS Safety Ratings

Every year, the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) awards vehicles with safety ratings.  There are two different aspects of safety that they measure all vehicles by: 1.Crashworthiness, how well a vehicle protects its passengers in the event of a crash, and 2.Crash avoidance and mitigation, technology that can prevent a crash from occurring, or lessen the severity of the crash.  To determine crashworthiness, IIHS rates vehicles in the following categories: good, acceptable, marginal, or poor.  These categories are based on performance in five tests: moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints. To determine the success of crash avoidance and mitigation, IIHS assigns vehicles that are equipped with front crash prevention systems ratings of basic, advanced, or superior, which are based on the type of system and performance in track tests.

There are also two different levels of awards that vehicles can receive from the IIHS.  First is the “Top Safety Pick”, for a vehicle to qualify for this it must earn good ratings in the following categories: moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests.  The vehicle must also receive a good or acceptable rating in the small overlap front test.  The second level that a vehicle can achieve is “Top Safety Pick +”, and for a vehicle to qualify it must meet the criteria for the “Top Safety Pick” as well as earn a basic, advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.

With the qualifications, only a few select vehicles earned a safety award this year, compared to years before.  You will be happy to know that three Honda models have been given the “Top Safety Pick” award for 2014: the Civic, Accord, and Odyssey.  Check out the link below to see all the details.

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/TSP-List

Keeping your tires safe

Most people love getting maximum fuel efficiency and maximum life out of their tires.  But when you drive on a significantly under-inflated tire, the tire can overheat, which can lead to tire failure.  Under-inflation reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s handling and stopping ability. 

If you drive a Honda, your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that comes on every time you start up the engine in your vehicle, which monitors the pressure in your tires while you drive.  Each of the tires on your vehicle has its own sensor.  If the air pressure in any of the tires gets low, the sensor sends a signal that causes the low tire pressure light to illuminate.  This warning light represents a flat tire, though it looks more like a horseshoe or a fishbowl with an exclamation point inside of it.

What should you do when this light illuminates on your dashboard?  Stop and check your tires as soon as possible, and if needed, inflate them to the proper pressure, which can be found in your owner’s manual.  Also, make sure to have your tires checked by a dealer, in case one of the tires has a leak, which may cause it to go flat if not repaired.

Because tire pressure is affected by temperature and other conditions, the low tire pressure indicator can come on unexpectedly.  For instance, in cold weather, your tire pressure can decrease overnight due to the air becoming denser with the sudden drop in temperature, thus causing the low tire pressure light to illuminate.

Remember to manually check your tire pressures often, including the spare, about once a month, to ensure that they are within the recommend inflation pressure.

2014 Harrisburg Auto Show

This past weekend, The Pennsylvania Auto Show featured more than 500 top of the line vehicles, all under one roof.  This gave people the opportunity to get a close-up look at the many vehicles on the market, and compare makes and models.  The show runs every year, hosted by Motor Trend, and is sponsored by the Harrisburg Automotive Trade Association, as well as The Patriot-News.  The Antique Automobile Club of America also displays classic and original cars from its museum.  

In 2010, the all-new certified pre-owned section was added.  Local dealers get to display a nice selection of their certified pre-owned vehicles inside for sale.  This year, the show had its first power sports hall that showcased ATV's, motorcycles, boats, personal watercraft and scooters. The section also had an ATV simulator that is designed to teach rider safety techniques.

There were also contests you could enter in to win a new car, plenty of materials on the various makes and models of vehicles, as well as a $500,000 Rolls-Royce that was showcased in the luxury hall.  Of course, we were there, showing off Honda’s line-up of vehicles, which included the all-new 2014 Civic. Overall, the show was well-done; you even got to leave with a free issue of Motor Trend magazine in your hand.  

If you are planning on attending next year for the 2015 Auto Show, check out their website, www.AutoShowHarrisburg.comfor discounts on E-Tickets, which save time at the door.

25 Years Already?

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of Bobby Rahal Honda.  You may not know how it all began, or how far it has come to be what it is today.  Rewinding back twenty five years ago, the average car salesman was not always what you would call honest or helpful.  Most people would describe the car buying experience as confusing and frustrating.  When Bobby Rahal met Ron Ferris, a Chicago area sales consultant at the time, he was so impressed by the service he received that he formed a business partnership with him.  The idea was to open a car dealership that operated solely on customer satisfaction.  

In January of 1989, Bobby Rahal (Chairman of Bobby Rahal Automotive Group), Ron Ferris (Chief Executive Officer), and Bob Vladem (Chief Financial Officer) made up the original founding partnership and opened Bobby Rahal Honda in Mechanicsburg, PA.  Since its opening, Bobby Rahal Honda has been known for its customer satisfaction, and it shows.  Bobby Rahal Honda has earned the “President’s Award” from Honda eleven times since 1994, when the program first began.  The company has also been voted “Simply the Best” by Harrisburg Magazine Reader’s Poll for ten consecutive years.  

Bobby Rahal Honda is also known for its conveyer-driven service line.  First operating in September of 2004, this line was designed by the company’s President, John Rickards.  The five-station line is made for speed.  Oil changes, wiper inserts, bulbs, and many other routine service repairs can be done on this line in as little as a half an hour.  The company also boasts a Car Wash that uses recycled water with a state-of-the-art system to wash cars, whether in for service, or for cars that come in off the street.

The importance of customer satisfaction is seen in everything that Bobby Rahal Honda does and how the company as a whole, as well as its employees treats clients.