Checkered Blog by Checkered Flag is the automotive play place in Hampton Roads Virginia

Not a Football Fan? No Saturday Plans? Have I Got a Trip For You!

Realize it has been awhile since we featured any non-Checkered Flag related weekend activities and FlagRaiser recently sent me an email showcasing what has got to be one of the coolest things to do in Va Beach in the winter...take a whale watching trip from Rudee Inlet!

Humpback whales as well as Fin whales (second in size only to the Blue whale) embark on a long migration that takes them right past Virginia Beach in the winter.  The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center hosts whale watching cruises through March 16.  The boats leave the Virginia Beach Fishing Center, located at Rudee Inlet, 200 Winston Salem Ave. in Virginia Beach, and public trip times are as follows...

Jan. 3 - March 16, 2008

Thursdays & Fridays at 2:30

Saturdays, Sundays & Holiday Mondays at 9:00, 12:00 & 3:00.

Admission prices are $28.00 for adults and $24.00 for children ages 4-11.

Call 757-385-(FISH) for more information!

Checkered Flag Takes Important Step Toward Opening of smart center Virginia Beach

With the opening of smart center Virginia Beach fast approaching, Checkered Flag has announced that Gary Gullickson will assume the top post of Brand Manager at the new dealership! Gary has worked for Checkered Flag for over 6 years. He started out in sales at Checkered Flag Honda, then quickly moved to be Special Projects Facilitator at the Checkered Flag Executive Center. While in that position he managed several continuous improvement projects for BMW and Toyota, conducted employee training and gained an entirely different perspective of the company. In 2005, Gary took over recruiting duties and his title was officially changed to Corporate Career Consultant. "It’s been a great opportunity to see how things operate at different levels of the company. I couldn't be luckier to have the experience that I have going into my new position as Brand Manager," Gullickson said.

Gary brings with him to smart center Virginia Beach "a great staff". Paige Bias from the Executive Center will be the new Brand Executive Assistant; from BMW Greg Lee will be Brand Service Writer and Scott Kurtz will be Brand Technician. Gary tells me that there are a few more spots he will be filling to round out his new staff.

smart center Virginia Beach is expected to open at the end of February and Gary tells me he is already getting many phone calls from "anxious and excited" customers. He thinks that is going to be the most exciting part of his new gig, delivering smart cars to folks who have been waiting for months! Gary adds that he sees his biggest challenge as making sure that potential smart owners understand that, the first year especially, will see limited inventory available to the non-reservation holding public. Gary is really psyched about the high level of excitement that has been leading up to the introduction of smart to the US market. "The support, both internally and externally, has been so great up to this point, it’s just a real neat place to be right now."

The Checkered Blog would like to congratulate Gary and his staff on their new positions!

If you have questions or would like more information about smart center Virginia Beach please call Checkered Flag’s Customer Care Center at 757-687-3447 or click here to send them an email.  Gary told me that their support of smart center Virginia Beach has been indispensable!

CF Employee Recognition Event Honors Retiring Fixed Ops Director

The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center was rockin' (almost literally!) this morning when hundreds of Checkered Flag staff gathered for the company's annual employee recognition celebration.  It's the occasion when Checkered Flag honors outstanding individual and team performance, executives give a briefing on the company's achievements for the past year and plans for the coming year, and, very importantly, attendees enjoy a great breakfast and the opportunity to spend fun time together outside of the office. Win'sGal and I got to assist Checkered Flag's Tessa Schneider in planning and helping out at the event.

Mr. Ed Snyder (pictured here), Checkered Flag's founder and president, opened the occasion by welcoming the crowd and announcing that a key figure in Checkered Flag, fixed operations director Ray Carlile, is retiring at the end of Feburary. 

Ray has been with the company since the day it started in 1964, and "no one has done more to keep the Checkered Flag waving high and proud than Ray Carlile," Mr. Snyder said.  Speaker after speaker talked of Ray's impact  on the company as a whole and on themselves as individuals. He has clearly been a mentor and true friend to many. 

Afterwards, Ray (pictured here) was swarmed by those who wanted to shake his hand and thank him.  I got the impression the only reason Ray is being allowed to leave Checkered Flag is that he has agreed to be available by phone and in person to all who need him. Ray said he feels good about leaving the fixed operations director post in the more-than-capable hands of Jim Huber, who has been with Checkered Flag for 17 years, most recently heading Checkered Flag BMW's service department.

Ray's wife Linda and his son and daughter-in-law, Keith and Teresa, were on hand for the occasion.  Here is a picture of Linda and Ray.

Best wishes in retirement, Ray!

Upside Down? Set Yourself Straight.

Here’s an interesting article from autos.aol.com on "upside down" vehicle financing.  Upside down refers to the peculiar situation that can happen late in the life of your auto loan when you are still making payments, but the value of your vehicle is less than what you owe. The article offers some helpful tips to avoid that scenario, such as making a larger down payment or taking advantage of low APR promotions that some manufacturers offer.

Meet Checkered Flag Body Shop's AJ Pfeiffer

CB:  What's your name?

AJ:  AJ Pfeiffer

CB:  What do you do at Checkered Flag?

AJ:  Body Shop Technician

CB:  How long?

AJ:  11 years

CB:  Wow!  That's a long time.  How long have you lived in Hampton Roads?

AJ:  28 years

CB:  Where in HR do you live?

AJ:  Norfolk

CB:  Tell us about your family...

AJ:  I'm married and have two teenage sons. (*Note from CB--AJ's wife Lisa works as a service writer at the Checkered Flag Body Shop!!)  I also have two cats and a mean dachshund named Marvin.

CB:  What do you do for fun?

AJ:  Work on cars...and fish...

CB:  So, basically your favorite hobby is the same as your job?

AJ:  Yes.

CB:  What's the one invention you couldn't live without?

AJ: (pondering) Cars...and (visible epiphany) refrigerators!  (*note from CB...Lisa walks by at this moment, laughs and tells me that she thinks this answer is accurate)

CB:  What's the best thing about working for Checkered Flag?

AJ:  The people...there is just great personnel here.

Reminder: Buy A Car From A Football Star Tomorrow at Checkered Flag Hyundai/VW

REMINDER!  Tomorrow Checkered Flag Hyundai/VW will be ready for gameday!  I know, I know...there are no football games on tomorrow.  All the more reason to head down to 3025 Virginia Beach Blvd. and see the staff pay tribute to gridiron legends.  Get there early and you'll have a chance to win the "Big Game Prize Package" which includes a big screen TV, sound system and grub for all your friends on gameday!

Car Buying 101

I was talking recently with some of the sales staff at Checkered Flag and one of them mentioned something that I hadn’t thought about before. They said that most people who come in to purchase don’t think about the fact that vehicles are the second largest investment that the average person makes in their life (the first being a home). It makes sense. It got me thinking about how much preparation goes into buying a home versus buying a car. When buying a home, people recognize that it’s a process and that there will be tons of paperwork. With a vehicle, not so much. So, what can a prospective car buyer do to make the experience easier? I asked around and here’s a few things that I found might make the process go more smoothly.

Know what you want. I mean, exactly what you want. Manufacturer websites have come a long way and now let you build out your vehicle exactly the way that you want. You can choose trim level, color, accessories, options, the works, with just a few simple clicks. Print out your choices and look them over to see which are really important to you. I especially like the build-out feature on the websites of Honda and BMW. Brett Shopsin, Client Advisor at Checkered Flag BMW, told me that when a client comes in with this printout, it’s very easy for him to look in the database to see if there is such a vehicle on the lot, and if there isn’t, where there is and how long it takes to get. Technology makes searches so much faster! Doing this can also give you a good idea of the price you can expect to pay. Additionally, if there are features that you have questions about, you can walk in knowing what to ask! Knowledge is power, indeed.

Have all pertinent information with you when you come to buy. This sounds like common sense, but more than one salesperson that I spoke with told me that customers have come in to the dealership looking to trade-in their current vehicle and not brought the vehicle! The only way to accurately determine trade-in value is to have the car present. Have the vehicle’s title with you along with current pay-off information.

Lastly, accept that buying a car is a process, but not a chore. It can, and should, be FUN! Brett at BMW was very clear that buying a vehicle is different for everyone. Some folks like to come in with printouts, some like to come in a dozen times before they buy, some want a lot of input from the staff and some want none at all. Whatever your preference, the exchange should always make you feel comfortable.

CF Jaguar XF Unveiling Bash a Blast

When Checkered Flag throws a party, it's REALLY a PARTY!  And that was the case yesterday evening when Checkered Flag Jaguar held a bash to unveil the new 2009 Jaguar XF.  Win'sGal and I got to help out (actually, Win'sGal did all the heavy lifting, both literally and figuratively ... I had the "job" of reporting on the occasion for the Checkered Blog, which means I got to socialize and snap pix.)  Both the car and the party itself drew raves.

A little background: As we reported here on the Checkered Blog recently, the XF is big for Jaguar and Jag fans.  Not only does it replace the S-series, it's a new design direction for the marque.  The car on show at Checkered Flag Jaguar yesterday is owned by Jaguar, which is taking it around the country as a preview for when the vehicle officially arrives in dealerships this March.  Checkered Flag Jaguar staff spent much of the day training on the vehicle, so they can answer all and any questions about it.  Then, the party got underway at 5:30 (well, that was the official start time, but people began arriving around 5 p.m.) and lasted a little past the dealership's official close time of 9 p.m. 

I got this photo of sales manager John Page with the car before the crowd came.   John told me that this particular car had absolutely all available XF features, except one - the heated steering wheel.  You can see that it is a very different look for Jaguar, and very stylish.

And it wasn't long before the car was surrounded by a crowd of guests -- as you can see here.

Of course, an important aspect of any car is how it feels to get behind the wheel.  Petrina Young was among the many who got inside to find out.

But, the car, while the star of this soiree, was not the only attraction.  Skip Hancock and Anna Gunn with the Skylark swing jazz band provided entertainment. Skip tinkled the ivories on his electronic keyboard and Anna supplied the vocals.  Everyone was talking about how great they were -- I felt like I was in some sophisticated big city club.

 

And then there was the food ... provided by Cuisine & Company and absolutely superb.  Below are some pictures of the "crispy asparagus straws" (asparagus spears surrounded by gruyere cheese, rolled in phyllo, sprinkled with parmesan and baked) and "tenderloin on horseback" (thinly sliced marinated beef tenderloin served on a garlic crouton with a creamy horseradish sauce.") Yumm ...

To sum it all up: About the car, the general consensus was "surprising and stunning."  About the party -- well, let's put it this way:  more than one person suggested that "Checkered Flag should do this every night."  BTW, Checkered Flag is currently taking pre-orders for the XF, which is scheduled to be available this March.  If you'd like to pre-order or simply learn more about the car, please call (757) 490-1111 and ask for the Jaguar sales team ... they will be more than happy to assist you!

Look Sharp -- Your Car Could Be Watching

If you have the feeling someone is watching you ... well, it may not be the case now, but in the not-so-distant future, it could be ... and that someone, or something, rather, could be your car ... check out this news about Toyota in PC World.

Pictures from North American International Auto Show

So, I am through sulking about not going to Detroit last week.  Checkered Flag was well represented and I have the pics to prove it!  Here are some wheels that might be coming to a Checkered Flag showroom near you soon...

In order of appearance:  Audi V12 TDI R8, BMW 135i Convertible, Volkswagen Passat CC, Honda Pilot Prototype, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Toyota Venza, MINI Clubman, VW Tiguan, BMW X6.