Commercial Auto Dealers

This article about the common sight of funeral cars in Philadelphia was written nearly a year ago. Unfortunately, things in “The City of Brotherly Love” aren’t much different today.

Last December, a group of funeral directors got together to create a site that nobody could miss. They gathered 29 funeral cars and Cadillac hearses in a row and drove through some busy streets of Philadelphia. Their purpose was to raise awareness of the high homicide rate throughout the city. At the time, those 29 funeral cars only represented about seven percent of the 391 murder victims in the city of Philadelphia alone.

Unfortunately, the display of funeral cars and hearses didn’t elicit the response the organizers were hoping for. Few people gave the procession a second look. Others just turned their heads as if it was a common site for them to see. The directors even noticed some small children giggling at the display while other Philly residents merely shook their heads and went on about their day.

Have we become so desensitized to death that even the site of nearly 30 funeral cars driving through the city doesn’t elicit much of a response? I’m sorry to say, but I think this type of display would elicit the same casual response in just about every big city in the nation.

It’s no secret that the United States economy has had its share of problems in recent months. But if you’re in the funeral industry, there’s no need to worry. That could mean that hearse dealerships are also in for a sales boom as funeral directors many need a variety of Cadillac hearses and other funeral cars to serve grieving families in their time of need.

Analysts predict that mortality rates will increase by 8.1 people for every 1,000 each year to about 11 per 1,000 each year. That’s going to increase the funeral industry’s current bottom line of about $11 billion annually by a couple billion at least.

However, there is one concern in the industry. A new trend is for families to hire an event planner to take care of all of the arrangements and details while funeral directors will simply take care of embalming and transportation to the burial grounds. One thing that could offset that, however, is the more personalized items available for funerals. You can get a casket decorated with logos from some of your favorite baseball teams and there’s even a special one covered with the rock band KISS. These will add to the funeral industry’s bottom line as well.

Although you may see fewer and fewer GMC 2008 SUVs on the dealer lots these days, there is a good reason for it. Dealers are selling the GMC 2008 SUVs with great incentives and bargains to make way for the new GMC Traverse, the automaker’s newest crossover.

One of the interesting and attractive qualities of the GMC Traverse is its car-like appearance. The front-end styling makes it look almost like a Malibu, but the rest of the vehicle has a mini-SUV style. Dale Aaron, an assistant sales manager at American Chevrolet Cadillac in Muncie, Indiana is delighted by the new crossover. He is pleased with the amount of room and cargo space that the Traverse has in addition to its fuel efficiency. He says most of the other competing models wither have one or the other – lots of interior space and bad gas mileage or good gas mileage combined with very little interior space.

The Traverse comes standard with four-wheel drive capabilities and gets about 24 miles to the gallon on the highway. The crossover has a six-speed automatic transmission, too. You can pick one of these 2009 models up at your local GMC dealer for prices starting out at about $29,000 for basic front-wheel drive versions. More “souped up” versions with more bells and whistles can cost up to $40,000 or even more depending on the features that you’re looking for.

Have you ever visited the Museum of Funeral Customs (MFC) in Springfield, Illinois, you’re missing out on some great pieces of history. Few things fascinate us in this life more than death and death-related customs and industries. The Museum of Funeral Customs is a tasteful and educational facility that can answer nearly any question you may have about the history of the funeral industry in the United States and abroad. Here are some exhibits and things you will find at the MFC:

• Horse-drawn carriages and old Cadillac hearses used to transport bodies to burial sites.
• A variety of caskets and how they have changed throughout the last several decades.
• A life-sized reproduction of the coffin in which Abraham Lincoln was buried.
• Various clothes and adornments that grieving people have worn over the years.
• Embalming books and resources that date all the way back to the 16th century.
• From time to time, the museum has temporary exhibits that showcase various themes and items that aren’t available regularly.

So if you enjoy seeing Cadillac hearses, caskets and other funeral-related stuff, make plans to visit the Museum of Funeral Customs. You’ll never forget it!

I read an article yesterday that discussed the future of General Motors in the United States. With the slumping sales throughout the auto industry and the recent economic crisis, some “doom and gloom” analysts do not have much hope for the nation’s largest automaker. However, the writer of this article gives several reasons why GM is good for America and why it will likely be here for many, many more years. Following are some highlights of that article:

• During World War II, GM was the automaker that was successful in building most of the war machines used during the battles. As a result, General Motors helped save America from its enemies.
• Within weeks after 9/11, General Motors began offering “no interest” car loans to customers to help stimulate the economy and “keep America rolling” through one of the most devastating events of our lifetime.
• General Motors has given millions of workers some of the most generous paychecks, pensions and health care benefits over the years.
• GM has offered some of the best vehicles in the world through its new truck dealers. The automaker still makes some of the best SUVs and full-size trucks in the world that are available at your local GMC dealer.

Come back tomorrow and we’ll have some highlights that show why GMC is here to stay.

Funeral directors are trained to be compassionate and accommodating to the families of deceased loved ones. As such, there are certain things they should say and some things they should never say in order to comfort you. Here are a few of the things they should never say to you.

1. It’s time to end the visitation. Visitation times are usually more of a guideline rather than a strict time frame. Funeral directors generally understand that you may have family and friends coming from other parts of the country that you haven’t seen in years. As a result, they typically aren’t “sticklers” if you tend to stay after the scheduled time.

2. We have other funerals occurring on those days and cannot accommodate your service. Funeral directors will make every attempt to accommodate your needs. If that means having three services on the same day, they will often do that. However, they may need to schedule it for a certain time so they have the funeral cars, employees and other resources to accommodate your needs.

3. We will have to charge you extra for that. Most funeral directors have packages that you can choose from instead of providing services individually. For instance, one package may include three funeral cars for immediate family, pallbearers and the casket while another package may include a Cadillac hearse for an extra charge. However, funeral directors usually will not discuss prices unless you ask for more explanation.

It isn’t a secret that domestic automakers have had their problems in recent months. GM sales have fallen, but so have the sales of the other automakers from Detroit. This article writer for Forbes Magazine offers some reasons for flailing GM sales (as well as sales for other domestic automakers) besides the economy.

The article suggests that American car dealers are not doing as well as foreign dealers simply because there are more outlets to choose from. At the beginning of 2008, there were more than 21,500 dealerships in the nation. More than two-thirds of that number is dedicated to selling American brands.

The writer of the article suggests that we are in different times than we were 50 years ago. At that time, it made sense to have so many dealers selling American automobiles. Vehicles made in Detroit dominated the auto industry and dealers didn’t have the same business model back then. For instance, it made sense in those days for dealers to be close together because they didn’t have interstates or Internet where people could shop and compare.

Luckily, analysts and officials at the company expect GM sales to experience an upswing before long. You can help contribute to that upswing by visiting your local GMC dealer today and buying the car or truck you’ve always wanted.

If you wanted to take advantage of the Employee Pricing Event in September but didn’t have a chance, don’t worry. The automaker is offering another great program to help get rid of the GMC 2008 models and make room for the 2009 models.

The new program offers zero percent financing on many GMC 2008 model-year vehicles. But there’s even more to it than that. For some models, you can get the zero percent financing for up to six years! Now that’s something to get excited about!

The six-year financing deals are mainly reserved for GM’s larger SUVs, including the Yukon and Suburban. GM is also offering up to $7,000 cash back on many of its vehicles to help bring customers to the lots.

“You need to keep changing the offers to give buyers the opportunity to find the most value,” said John McDonald, a spokesperson for General Motors.

The new incentive began last week and you can take advantage of it at your local GMC dealer through November 3. Don’t wait, though. With deals like this, the GMC 2008 models are going to fly off the dealer lots in no time!

You’ve probably seen a growing number of Cadillac hearses on the roads these days. That’s because people are going to their local hearse dealerships and buying these types of cars. Many people buy them simply to “stand out” and get attention. Others, however, enjoy the many benefits they get from buying a hearse from their hearse dealerships. Following are four main benefits to owning a driving a hearse.
1. Cadillac hearses are typically reinforced. Since they carry heavier loads than normal cars, hearses need to have reinforced structures, suspension systems and shocks. This makes for a smoother ride for the driver on a day-to-day basis.
2. Hearses have more storage space than normal cars. If you don’t want to buy a truck, van or SUV, a hearse is a great way to enjoy a large amount of cargo space without buying a larger vehicle.
3. Cadillac hearses are classy and elegant. Hearses are typically black and shiny and they exude class and style.
4. You can rent it out for special occasions. When you own a Cadillac hearse, you can rent your vehicle out on Halloween, for proms and other special occasions. If you want to go a step further, you can even be a chauffeur for these events and earn a few extra bucks.

With all of these benefits, why not visit your local hearse dealerships today and find one for yourself?

The GMC Traverse, which you can find at your new truck dealers this season, is shaping up to be another ace for the automaker. In addition, it’s the fourth consecutive winner for Anna Kretz, the engineer who oversaw the Traverse’s development. Here are some things you should know about the Traverse so you can find one that meets your needs at your local new truck dealers.

• The Chevrolet Traverse is the “fourth and final model” from the automaker’s “Lambda family of midsize crossovers.” The other models include the Acadia, Saturn Outlook and the Buick Enclave.
• Expectations for the Traverse are greater than the Acadia, Outlook and the Enclave. It has an “exceptionally clean and attractive design, appealing features, good fuel economy and a competitive price,” according to an article in the Detroit Free Press.
• You can find the Traverse at your new truck dealers with either seven or eight seats with front or all-wheel drive. Under the hood, the Traverse has a 288 horsepower V6 engine.
• The starting price for a new Chevrolet Traverse is right around $28,500. For a top-of-the-line model with a bunch of bells and whistles, you can expect to pay a little more than $41,000.

Visit your local GMC dealer this season and see what the Traverse is all about.