Peruzzi Toyota Product Blog

If you’re driving your new or certified cars and using a cell phone at the same time, enjoy the luxury while you can. California has already made it a stoppable offense to talk on your cell phone while driving and New Hampshire is considering a similar piece of legislation.

The bill is currently at the state Legislature and includes a provision that makes it illegal to text on a cell phone, type on a laptop or use any other electronic device when driving. The legislation passed through the House earlier this year but stopped dead in the state Senate. However, Democrat David Campbell from Nashua is reintroducing the bill because people are more aware of the dangers.

The exceptions to the new law include emergency vehicles drivers, people requesting medical help or those reporting a crime. Drivers who drive for a living, such as delivery personnel, would also be exempt so they can talk to their dispatcher while en route.

Critics say the law is unnecessary because there is already a law on the books that allows distracted drivers to get ticketed.

Keep this in mind when driving your new and certified used cars. Driving while distracted is nearly as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Your Toyota certified dealers want you to stay safe on the road and we’ll pass along tips to accomplish this as often as we can.

Although it’s Christmas Eve, you still have enough time to visit your local Toyota certified dealer to search the inventory of certified pre-owned cars you can purchase for a loved one. Here are some advantages of certified pre-owned cars that you should know about.

1. Lower price for better quality. Since certified pre-owned cars are essentially used cars, they are a higher quality than your typical used cars. In addition to that, the previous owner has already suffered the depreciation costs. That means a better value for you!
2. The latest features. Certified pre-owned cars are usually only a couple years old. And since automakers typically add new features every few years, that means you have the latest features available in the industry.
3. The warranty is still good. Many new warranties last for years. This means that many certified pre-owned cars are still covered under their manufacturer’s warranty. That means peace of mind for you and for the person you give the car to.

With all of these advantages, certified pre-owned cars make the perfect Christmas gift. There is less than one shopping day left until Christmas, so check out the inventory at your local Toyota dealer today!

Are you driving your pre-certified cars to your relatives’ homes this holiday season? If so, here are some ways to adjust your driving habits to save gas. Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean you should be giving more money to the oil companies through careless driving! I mean, if you feel the need to give money away, I’ll give you my address where you can send the check! Anyways, here are those driving tips for your pre-certified cars.

1. Get a tune-up. Vehicle maintenance is the best way to make your pre-certified cars more efficient. If you haven’t had a tune-up in awhile, check your owner’s manual and see if you’re due for one.
2. Check your tire pressure. Before you go to grandma’s house, make sure your tires have the proper amount of pressure. If they don’t have enough, you could be burning gas money the entire way.
3. Tighten your gas cap. You may not know it, but gas can evaporate if your gas cap isn’t tight. Give it an extra quarter-turn and you’ll get the most from each gallon.
4. Get rid of the extra weight. You may not be able to throw your mother-in-law out of the car, but you can leave things at home that you don’t need. More weight equals less fuel economy. Just be sure to leave the spare tire in the car!

Your Toyota certified dealer wants you to enjoy this festive holiday season. We just know it’s more enjoyable when you can save money.

Do some of your friends own certified pre-owned cars? If so, have you thought of a Christmas gift for them yet? If you’re having trouble thinking of something, a satellite radio subscription is a great gift for owners of certified pre-owned cars.

There has never been a better time to get satellite radio, either. The two biggest names in the business – XM and Sirius – are doing a joint campaign to make things simpler for potential subscribers. They are also offering a discounted rate for the second subscription when you subscribe to one. As a result, you could get both services for as low as $20 a month! This is all part of the “Best of Both” campaign that the companies recently launched in an effort to get the attention of more subscribers.

But wait…that’s not all. As a special promotion this holiday season, the two companies are offering a free three-month trial that you can enjoy.

You can get more information about aftermarket supplies for Sirius XM at your local Toyota certified dealer. While you’re shopping for your friends, why not purchase a subscription for yourself, too?

With economic difficulties running rampant in today’s world, everybody is trying to get the biggest bang for their buck. When it comes to buying cars, choosing pre-certified cars is the best way to do this. Pre-certified cars have several advantages over new cars. Following are three reasons why pre-certified cars are better than used normal cars and new cars as well.

1. New car quality without the depreciation – The person that owned the pre-certified cars before you has already paid the bulk of the depreciation when they bought it new. That means a lower cost for you and a resale value closer to the price that you paid for it.
2. Up-to-date safety equipment - Since pre-certified cars are typically only a couple years old, they have up-to-date safety equipment. Most automakers only release new safety features every couple years so you can expect some of the latest safety features with your certified vehicles.
3. The warranty is still in effect – Even though you are buying a “used” car, the manufacturer’s warranty is still in effect. Most manufacturers even offer roadside assistance and other features to make the pre-certified cars more appealing.

These are just a few reasons why you should visit your Toyota certified dealer and consider a pre-certified vehicle. We’ll give you more advantages in the future.

How many times have you come out of the grocery store or shopping mall and felt lost because you couldn’t find your certified used car in the sea of vehicles? I’ll admit it. This has happened to me many times. There is even a Seinfeld episode in which the gang spends the better part of a few hours trolling the parking garage in search of their vehicle. There are, however, some things you can do to prevent this from happening with your certified used cars in the future.

1. Look for recognizable structures or landmarks. One thing I do to keep track of my car in a busy parking lot is to look for something that sticks out. Parking next to the cart corral is one way to pick out your car. If you park along one of the edges of the lot, it’s easier to remember then, too.

2. Put a flag on the top of your antenna to spot it from afar. Also, add bumper stickers or decals so you can tell which one is your car since so may of them look alike these days.
3. Push your panic button. Most keyless remotes have a panic button that you can push to make your car’s horn start honking. If you listen closely, you can find your car quicker.

It would be a sad thing to lose your Toyota certified vehicle. Follow these tips and you will almost always know where it is at.

Have you been wanting to sell your car so you can start looking for the certified pre-owned cars of your dreams? If so, selling your car can be a tricky process. You want to make sure you get as much money for it as you can but you also want to be sure you’re not charging too much for it so that nobody wants to buy it. Here are a few tips to remember when selling your car so you can start shopping through certified pre-owned cars now.

Know the value of your car. Realistically evaluate your car’s value with Kelley Blue Book or other resources. Make the sale price of your used car at or near the recommended resale value so you have some room to negotiate with potential buyers.

Sell it instead of trading it in. You can get more for your car to put towards the certified pre-owned cars that you are considering by doing a private sale. You will usually get less money for it if you trade it in.

Have the required paperwork. You’ll be able to get more money for your car if you have any repair records, registration documents and other important paperwork ready for potential buyers to look at. This way, they know the sale is legitimate.

Once you get your car sold, visit your local Toyota certified dealer and see the certified pre-owned cars they have available.

Financially speaking, times are tough. There’s no getting around that. That’s why you have to take special care of your certified used vehicle so it will last through these tough times and even longer. But what you don’t want to do is spend precious money on unnecessary repairs. Unfortunately, some mechanics will try to talk you into things you don’t need for your certified used car.

Consumer Reports recently did an investigation into several repair shops. What they found wasn’t pretty.

One repair shop technician tried to tell one investigator that his car needed hundreds of dollars of unnecessary repairs. The investigator knew he didn’t need those repairs. When he brought it to the service manager’s attention, the service manager told him he would not have authorized those repairs and they would not have been done. I’m not going to say he was a liar, but his pants were probably about to catch on fire.

Stories like this abound even for certified used vehicles. That’s why many car owners are so hesitant about going to mechanics. The best thing to do is to ask a friend or family member that knows something about cars before you agree to any repairs. In addition, get a second opinion and do some things yourself. You don’t need to pay a high-priced mechanic to replace a brake light for you since it’s so easy to do yourself. Also, you can visit your Toyota certified dealer for trustworthy and honest mechanics. Either way, be sure you take care of your certified used vehicle and you will enjoy it for many years to come.

As promised on Wednesday, we are going to give you some more tips on how to spot a lemon before you spend your hard-earned money on a car. But like we also said on Wednesday, investing in new or pre-certified cars is the ideal way to avoid getting a lemon. Just keep that in mind as you read these tips.

4. Get inside the vehicle. The wear and tear on the inside should give you an indication about how well the car was taken care of before it hit the used car dealer’s lot. Worn pedals, cigarette burns in the seat and a sagging headliner are all clues that the previous owner didn’t really care for the car.

5. Look under the hood. If you’re like me, you have no idea what to look for when you’re looking under the hood. But I’ve learned. Look for rust, corrosion and other signs of a car that has seen better days. Also, check the oil, coolant and transmission fluid to see if it looks healthy while you’re at it.

6. Check the steering. With the engine on, turn the steering wheel to see if it is tight. If there is too much slack or “play” when turning the wheel, the steering system could be worn or on the verge of needing repairs. When driving straight, the car should not veer either way, too.

7. Notice the smoke from the tailpipe. After the car has warmed up, make sure there is no discolored smoke coming out of the tailpipe. Black smoke usually means something minor like a dirty air filter or oxygen sensor. Blue smoke means the car is burning oil, which could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to fix. White smoke also means engine problems that should deter you from buying the car.

You can forget about checking all of this when you invest in a car at your local Toyota certified dealer. Their pre-certified cars are ready to go without any problems…and they come with a warranty that will fix almost anything that goes wrong.

If you’re like us at your PA car dealers, you were both thrilled and disappointed in Game 5 of the World Series. Your PA car dealers were thrilled at the thought of the Philadelphia Phillies bringing home the World Championship. However, we were disappointed when the game was suspended due to inclement weather.

Before the game, though, Game 5 between the Phillies and the Devil Rays was one of the hottest tickets in town. One man – Greg Daylor – drove all the way from Hershey, Pennsylvania to Philadelphia in hopes of scoring some tickets at the venue. “We were offered two tickets, 16 rows behind home plate,” he said. Any idea how much the price was? They were $2,000 EACH! That’s not even for front row seats! You could’ve visited the Toyota dealer near Langhorne and put a nice down payment on a new or used car for that price.

Others were more willing to pay the high price for this once in a lifetime opportunity. “I’ve got the title to my 2006 Camry for a seat right now,” said one 20-something who drove all the way from Sewell, New Jersey.

Even last week, “standing room only” tickets were $500 each online.

There are dozens of stories like this. Despite the bad economy, Philadelphia fans are hardcore and willing to go the extra mile to see their favorite team bring home the World Championship. Unfortunately, the rain made that impossible on Monday night.

Go Phillies!