Visit us this weekend as we continue to offer the lowest prices on our entire selection of vehicles and promise to BEAT any other advertiser's price in order to keep it that way!
Start by checking out our online inventory here.Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
There are only a few days left to take advantage of these exclusive coupons!
Don't put that much-needed service off any longer because there are only a few more days to take advantage of these exclusive coupons! Click here to print yours today.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Take Advantage of the Unbeatable Deals This Weekend At Hardin Buick GMC
Stop by this weekend to save thousands on a brand-new car or truck like this all-new 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 EXT CAB SLE with available total savings up to $12,540! We are your one-stop-shop because if you find a lower price somewhere else we'll BEAT it!
Get started by browsing our amazing selection of offers and online inventory here: http://www.hardinbuickgmc.com/Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Car Tip of the Week: Consider Saving With Car Sharing
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Would you let a perfect stranger drive your car? Would you do it if you could earn an average of $300 per month?
When Edmunds asked this question on Facebook, the answers ranged from "Absolutely not" to more colorful refutations that can't be reprinted here. It's an understandable reaction. Car sharing raises questions about insurance, vehicle security and personal safety, to say nothing of the queasy feeling that comes with letting someone else drive your four-wheeled baby.
And yet, following in the footsteps of people who rent out their homes to vacationers they've never met, hundreds of people are renting out their personal cars through car-sharing services like RelayRides, Getaround and Wheelz. Earning extra money is the primary motivation, but various owners who rent out their cars cite other reasons as well.
How Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Started
Jeremy Barton of San Francisco felt "a bit guilty" about how little he was driving his Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. "For the most part, I keep it just so I can drive to Tahoe," he says. "I can bike to work, so for five days out of most weeks, my car would just sit idle."
Since Barton joined RelayRides, he has rented out the car 61 times. Now it helps to earn its keep and assuages Barton's parked-car guilt.
The recognition that cars spend a lot of their time doing nothing is what led to the creation of RelayRides in the first place. Co-founder Shelby Clark was bicycling through inclement Massachusetts weather in order to get to the nearest Zipcar. The membership-based service has a national fleet of 9,300 cars that it rents out on a short-term basis.
As sleet blew in his face, he couldn't help but notice the countless cars just parked along the side of the road. If all those people could rent out their cars, he thought, he could save the bike ride to a Zipcar and instead rent a car from one of his nearest neighbors. It's an idea that has received corporate attention. RelayRides has received backing from General Motors and Google. The college-oriented Wheelz received capital from Zipcar.
The Appeal for Renter and Owner
Increased car availability is what makes "peer-to-peer" car sharing potentially more convenient and appealing to renters than the use of corporate-run car-sharing companies like Zipcar and Hertz on Demand. These services may have more locations than typical car-rental outlets, but not enough to be convenient for everyone.
The market for one-to-one car sharing is certainly there. People who don't own cars appreciate the flexibility it offers.
"I went and bought a bed with my roommate and tied it to the top of the car," says Shannon Malloy, who has rented through RelayRides four or five times per month. "It allows me to do things I couldn't do before and can now do on a whim."
Cost is another factor. Obviously, peer-to-peer car sharing is cheaper than owning a car, and the ability to rent cars on an hourly basis gives these businesses a leg up on traditional rental companies. The typical owner-set rates (between $6 and $12 hourly, $40 and $80 daily) are also lower than Zipcar, and unlike that service, there are no sign-up charges, annual membership dues or a minimum rental amount. Services are paid for by the 35 to 45 percent surcharge subtracted from the owner's rental fee.
So far, peer-to-peer car sharing is in its infancy. RelayRides has just a token presence in Washington, D.C., for instance, with only eight rentable cars to date. Contrast that to peer-to-peer hot spots like downtown San Francisco or Cambridge, Massachusetts, which each offer renters a variety of about 40 vehicles within a 2-mile radius.
Once peer-to-peer car sharing reaches critical mass, it's all good for the renters. But what about the owners?
Car sharing can certainly make better use of the underused car population, but money is the primary motivation for owners thinking about renting out their cars. The car-sharing services say the average owner brings in about $300 per month, though Barton earned $650 in March 2012 alone and others make even more. But car owners need to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks associated with lending out their cars to strangers.
The Insurance Issue
Insurance is the issue most people consider first, since an owner's personal insurance policy likely won't cover the damage caused by someone else driving their car. To address this, RelayRides and Wheelz protect a car owner with a $1 million insurance policy that covers liability and any damage to the car during the rental period. Getaround matches respective owners' personal policies up to $1 million. In the event of an accident, renters are responsible for paying a deductible, though RelayRides says it provides a discount if the renter immediately reports an incident.
But these measures don't solve every insurance issue. Insurance companies have declined to renew coverage for owners who use their vehicles as a business without disclosing that fact, and renting out your car would certainly qualify as such an enterprise. In response, California, Oregon and Washington have recently enacted laws to prevent insurance companies from dropping customers who utilize car sharing. RelayRides insists that its approximately 80 users in Massachusetts haven't lost their coverage, but the possibility of cancellation remains, according to several news articles on the issue.
Then there's the case of M.I.T. undergraduate Liz Fong-Jones, who rented out her Honda via RelayRides. The car was involved in an accident in which the renter died. Although the case is still ongoing, there is a good chance the total insurance claims will surpass the $1 million limit of the RelayRides policy. Although Fong-Jones did nothing wrong, there remains legal uncertainty over which among the three insurance companies that represent RelayRides, the driver of the second car and Fong-Jones will pay the claims. This is very much uncharted legal waters, but RelayRides says it believes that Fong-Jones will not be liable.
Yet, all of this hasn't soured Fong-Jones on car sharing. Her new Prius is already available for rent on RelayRides.
Background Checks and Lock Boxes
Another owner concern is that a renter will simply take off with a car. An early car-sharing company that specialized in high-end cars, HiGear, went out of business when cars were stolen by fraudulent renters with stolen identities.
Learning from this mistake, the current crop of car-sharing services uses fraud- and identity-theft technologies along with driving record checks. All the services require a clean driving record, while Getaround and Wheelz also require a Facebook account.
The Facebook account "provides a level of security because renters and car owners can check each other out if they wish," says Getaround co-founder Jessica Scorpio. "It also reduces the chances someone will run off with a car, since the car owner could post on Facebook that the renter is a thief."
Wheelz, which currently operates at four California universities, goes an extra step further by requiring that renters have an e-mail address ending in ".edu" from a participating school.
Car access is another concern. The simplest method, which RelayRides uses for some cars, is for owner and renter to meet for a key swap. That's hardly convenient, though, and for the Wheelz service, it raises serious personal-safety red flags for student renters and their parents.
As a result, Wheelz doesn't allow in-person key swaps. Instead, it outfits cars with free electronic locking devices. A proprietary Wheelz mobile app allows renters to unlock cars after making a reservation. They'll find the key hidden or secured in a separate lock box inside the car.
Getaround uses a similar system and adds an engine immobilizer to prevent the car from being driven without a reservation. RelayRides is developing an app to be used in conjunction with either its own in-car device or with GM vehicles that are equipped with OnStar. Early RelayRides adopters continue to use an older in-car device that's controlled by text messaging.
The Good, the Bad and the User Feedback
All the car-sharing services mentioned also provide a space for renters to leave feedback, as consumers do on eBay and other sites. Owners also have complete control over who they will and will not rent to. Of course, owners don't know what they'll encounter until they've rented to someone for the first time. Owner Jeremy Barton certainly hasn't gone without problems.
"I have been unpleasantly surprised with how irresponsibly some people have behaved with my car, such as leaving it smelling like smoke," he says. During the interview with Edmunds, Barton's Subaru was in the shop for repairs of "significant damage" it suffered during a rental. A borrower hit something — Barton doesn't know what — and didn't report the accident.
Barton says he also needs to put in some extra time, effort and money for vehicle upkeep. Yet he remains committed to car sharing.
"There have been some awesome moments," he says. "For example, one fantastic renter borrowed my car, then washed/vacuumed it before returning it. Then the person sent me a great note thanking me."
There have been other stories among car sharers of renters leaving behind small gifts like a bottle of wine purchased during a trip to a Napa Valley winery.
On the other side of the equation, renter Shannon Malloy notes that owners leave friendly notes about the car or finding parking. Many leave auxiliary audio jack cords in the car so Malloy can use her iPod.
Right for You?
Perhaps if all those polled on Facebook knew the whole story behind car sharing, they wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it. Owners can earn some money, renters can save some and the companies that put them together seem to have done their best to address many of the possible problems and concerns.
As for that queasy feeling that comes with seeing your car driven away by a perfect stranger, well, car sharing certainly won't be for everyone.
Source: Edmunds.com
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Buick Convertible Teased by GM’s Opel Brand
Two teaser images are floating around courtesy of the brand’s Vauxhall subsidiary in Europe. Recent reports are suggesting that Vauxhall could get it’s first convertible since the 1930s which could then be shared with Buick. Despite the teaser images, there doesn’t seem to be any plan for the car to appear during the Paris Motor Show later this month.
Bringing the car stateside would make sense for at least a couple reasons. First, Chrysler is selling the 200 as a hardtop convertible without any real competition from a domestic brand. The Opel Cascada would be slightly larger than a BMW 3 Series convertible, but realistically it wouldn’t compete with it.
Instead, it would be going toe-to-toe with the 200, which currently sells in the top five cars for Chrysler including all of its subsidiaries. Granted, that number includes both the sedan and convertible models, but the fact remains that Chrysler is being allowed to sell it relatively unanswered.
Source: AutoGuide.com
Monday, September 17, 2012
Monday Maintenance Tip: Checking Your Drive Belts
What is this?
This is the inspection or replacement of the belt(s) in your engine compartment.
Every car has a water pump, a power-steering pump and various accessories — all of which are powered by rubber drive belts. On older cars, each of these components is driven by its own belt. On most modern cars, all of these components are driven by one belt, called a serpentine belt.
Should I do this service when it's recommended?
Definitely.
Why do I have to do this?
Belts in your car don't last forever. They wear out from use and eventually crack and decay from ozone that's in the air.
What happens if I don't do this?
If your car has individual belts and one of them breaks, then you'll lose the function of whatever part that belt was powering, such as the alternator, power-steering pump or water pump. If the serpentine belt breaks, all of these parts will stop functioning. Engine damage may result from overheating.
Is there any maintenance required between intervals?
Between service intervals, inspect your car's belts for cracks. If you hear a screeching noise coming from under the hood — especially when you start your car on a cold morning or when making a sharp turn — you might have a loose belt.
Car Talk Tip: If you're changing a serpentine belt, draw yourself a diagram of where the belt runs so you'll know exactly how to install the new one.
Courtesy: CarTalk.com
Friday, September 14, 2012
The prices at Hardin Buick GMC literally can't be beat!
We would like to invite everyone to stop by Hardin Buick GMC this weekend to visit our showroom where you’ll find the latest models of new cars and trucks selling for the lowest prices around! We are proud to say we always put the customer first so that means if you happen to find a lower price being advertised somewhere else, we’ll BEAT it.
Get started by browsing our online inventory and check out all of our deals here.Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
GMC Kicks Off NFL Season with Times Square Takeover
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The 2012 NFL regular season arrives this week and GMC will be at the ready as the “Official Vehicle of the NFL.” At the NFL Kick-off event in New York City today, the brand arrived in Times Square with a fleet of 33 GMC Sierra fullsize pickups, each featuring logos of the NFL and its 32 teams.
How much capability does that many Sierras represent? Using a Sierra 1500 extended cab with the popular 5.3L V-8 and a standard bed length as an example, 33 trucks equals:
- 62,964 pounds of payload, the weight of 67,162 footballs weighing 15 ounces each, as required by the NFL rulebook.
- 320,100 pounds of towing capacity, the weight of 1,067 NFL linemen at 300 pounds each.
Throughout the 2012 NFL season, GMC’s “Never Say Never” campaign will include weekly contests allowing fans to vote on their favorite plays, interact with football stars on social media, and have opportunities to win a GMC vehicle of their choice, or tickets to Monday Night Football games or even the big game in February. The NFL has an estimated fan base of more than 181 million.
Football fans can learn more and get involved at www.nfl.com/gmc.
“GMC and the NFL share an image founded on toughness and durability,” said Craig Bierley, GMC advertising and promotions director. “Just as the football season ahead will showcase players stretching the limits of athletic ability, GMC vehicles are engineered for performance and longevity.”
In addition to being the “Official Vehicle of the NFL,” GMC is the official vehicle of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.
Source: GMC News
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Hardin Buick GMC's "Car Tip of the Week"
Happy Monday fans! Your “Car Tip of the Week” is here and it'll help keep your vehicle looking brand-new while ensuring your safety while driving in all different types of lighting.
It’s important to use a soft damp cloth when cleaning dust from the clear plastic lenses that cover the gauges in your dash. Using too much pressure or an abrasive material will leave scratches in the plastic making it difficult to read your vehicle’s gauges while driving under certain lighting conditions.Friday, September 7, 2012
Hardin Buick GMC Will BEAT Any Other Advertiser's Price This Weekend!
Check out the unbeatable deals at Hardin Buick GMC as we continue to BEAT any other advertiser's price all weekend long! Stop by to receive the highest levels of customer service on top of these amazing deals before they expire.
Take a look at all of our specials and start your shopping here!Thursday, September 6, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Powertrain Innovation Comes Standard on 2013 Regal
“With eAssist, Buick is redefining what a ‘conventional powertrain’ means to customers,” said eAssist global chief engineer Stephen Poulos. “It changes the fuel economy – but not the experience – for the 97 percent of new car buyers who aren’t buying hybrids.”
Where a hybrid vehicle requires a complex system of large, heavy batteries and electric motors, Buick eAssist uses a compact lithium-ion battery and a small electric motor/generator in place of an alternator to achieve an EPA-estimated 36 highway mpg for both the Regal and the LaCrosse luxury sedans.
The three main advantages of the eAssist system are its stop/start functionality, which turns the engine off when the vehicle is at rest; regenerative braking that gathers and stores energy that would otherwise be lost during braking, and an electric motor assist that reduces the gas engine’s work during acceleration or on inclines.
“It takes advantage of the best parts of a hybrid, and eAssist is now standard equipment for Regal,” said Poulos. “These new functions happen seamlessly, a requirement for Buick drivers who demand a refined driving experience. They’ll really only notice a difference at the pump.”
Buyers interested in more acceleration can choose from a no-cost option of a 220-horsepower, 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec engine or the 270-hp Regal GS, both with variable valve timing and direct injection. In addition to one of the most power-dense engines ever certified by the Society of Automotive Engineers, the GS offers high-performance Brembo brakes, HiPer strut suspension technology and unique design cues inside and out.
Both Regal Turbo and Regal GS are offered with automatic or manual transmissions; Regal with eAssist is available exclusively with a six-speed automatic.
The Buick Regal name, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2013, is a powertrain innovation pioneer. In 1975, it was the only mid-size vehicle in the United States to forego a standard V-8 engine for a more efficient V-6, while remaining competitive in performance. Three years later, the Regal employed a turbocharger.
“In 1978, Buick was the only mainstream brand offering a turbocharged engine,” said GM Heritage Center Manager Greg Wallace. “Only small, performance-oriented brands like Porsche and Saab were experimenting with the same technology at the time. It was very progressive of Buick to offer a turbocharged V-6 in a mid-size luxury coupe in the late ‘70s.”
Regal powertrain engineers continued that innovation 19 years later, when the 1997 Buick Regal GS debuted with the brand’s first supercharged V-6, rated at 240 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. It was among the most powerful and efficient vehicles in its segment and still achieved 28 highway mpg.
Today’s Buick Regal combines sport sedan handling with intelligent powertrain technologies. Regal with eAssist offers five more highway mpg than an Acura TSX and six more than a Volvo S60, while the Regal Turbo and Regal GS offer more power than turbocharged four-cylinder engines from Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen.
** Courtesy of GM Media
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Monday Maintenance Tip: Checking Your Coolant
What is it?
Coolant is the fluid that absorbs heat from the engine and then dissipates it through the radiator. It is also dissipated through the heat exchanger in the passenger compartment when you crank your heat in the winter.
Coolant, which is commonly called antifreeze, is a mixture of ethylene or propylene glycol and water, usually in a 50/50 ratio.
Servicing the coolant involves draining and/or flushing your car's cooling system and then replacing the old coolant with fresh coolant.
Should I do this service when it's recommended?
Yes. Draining out the coolant and refilling the system removes dirt and rust particles that can clog up the cooling system and cause problems in winter and summer.
Why do I have to do this?
Because it is operating in a hot, hostile environment, coolant will break down over time. Most importantly, the coolant's rust inhibitors get used up, leaving the small cooling passages in your engine and radiator vulnerable to corrosion. Even with these rust inhibitors, some corrosion will inevitably take place, contaminating the coolant with debris.
What happens if I don't do this?
If the rust inhibitors stop working, the cooling system will rust from the inside out. The biggest source of rust in a car's cooling system is the engine block.
In time, these bits of rust will also clog the tiny passages within the radiator and heater, causing your engine to overheat. When an engine overheats, the result is a bonus yacht payment to your mechanic that someone else should be making.
Is there any maintenance required between intervals?
Check your coolant level periodically. Your owner's manual will have a recommended interval in which to check the coolant level.
If you check your coolant level when the engine is cold, the coolant should be at or above the "minimum" or "fill" line on the transparent refill container. If you check your coolant level when the engine is hot, the coolant should be at or just below the "max" line.
Disappearance of coolant could be caused by either an external or internal leak, the latter being more expensive. Either one should be addressed quickly, since running low or out of coolant can lead to catastrophic engine failure and many boat payments to your mechanic.
If you live where the temperature dips below freezing, we suggest that you ask your mechanic to check the concentration of the coolant. Coolant that's diluted or weak can freeze when the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check your owner's manual to see if your car uses "long-life" coolant. For the first 100,000 miles, it is necessary to check the coolant level simply to be sure you're not leaking or burning coolant.
Car Talk Tip: Antifreeze has a sweet aroma and taste, which pets find particularly appealing. As little as a half teaspoon of the stuff can kill an average-size cat, and eight ounces will do in a 75-pound dog. There's no substance that you can add to antifreeze to make it less appealing to animals, but antifreeze made with propylene glycol instead of the usual ethylene glycol is about a third as toxic. Propylene glycol is sold under the brand names Sierra, Prestone Low Tox and Texaco PG.
Courtesy: CarTalk.com
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