Commercial Auto Dealers

The Sutherlands Summer Days Classic Car Show in El Dorado, Kansas earlier this month brought out a large number of older cars that enthusiasts have restored. But that wasn’t the only types of cars that were showcased at the event.

Many funeral cars and Cadillac hearses also came out to the event to get some attention from curious attendees. Mark Adams, a car enthusiast in the area, brought two of his most prized automobiles to the event. One was a beautiful Lincoln. The other was a shiny black 1976 Cadillac hearse.

“When someone walks up and says, ‘it’s a hearse,’ I love seeing their faces,” he told a reporter for an article in the El Dorado Times. “It’s an expression worth a thousands [sic] words.”

His Cadillac hearse has all original features that he’s taken care of, but he admitted to replacing the hubcaps with more stylish ones. The back of the hearse is electrical and he can load a casket into the hearse either though the back or the side. “I like to be odd, you know, different,” he said about the Cadillac hearse that he’s owned for about six months. To top off his decorations for the hearse, he placed a stuffed zombie in the driver’s seat for a few laughs.

In another effort to cut back expenses, GM has announced that it “will not spend any money advertising during Super Bowl XLIII in February.” This is a huge announcement as General Motors has been one of the event’s “most loyal and biggest in-game advertisers.” The automaker has spent more than $77 billion in the last 15 years advertising during this event, which is one of the most watched sporting events every year.

The decision is part of a complete restructuring plan that is designed to help increase GM sales while cutting back on expenses. Another part of the reason for the decision was because “the automaker did not have a major vehicle launch coinciding with the game,” according to spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato.

General Motors continues to be a sponsor of the NFL, though. And having some level of involvement with next year’s Super Bowl has not been ruled out. So far, the automaker plans to “have a presence” on the site of the game on February 1. The company will have a variety of advertising banners and marketing strategies to get their name “out there.” The NFL is also using several GM vehicles during the game which will likely get the automaker some camera time that will make people think about their local GMC dealer hopefully boost sales in the days and weeks following the game.

The GMC 2008 Acadia recently made an important list in Forbes Magazine. The list was entitled, “Fifteen SUVs Worth Buying” and it discusses how these once-popular vehicles are making a comeback due to gas prices hitting a plateau and huge dealer incentives.

One incentive that is attracting people to the GMC 2008 Acadia in the last couple months is the Employee Pricing Promotion. With this incentive, consumers get the same prices as the employees on their favorite vehicles at their local GMC dealer. With this discount, consumers can expect to save up to 10 percent on select GMC 2008 and 2009 models.

With the 2008 Acadia selling at about $30,000 (give or take some change), that means anyone can get this popular SUV for about $28,000. The Acadia gets about 18 miles to the gallon and has several state-of-the-art safety features. One of those features is a detection system that predicts if the vehicle is going to rollover after a collision. If it makes that prediction, it deploys the side-curtain airbags immediately to keep all the passengers as safe as possible.

If you want to take advantage of the GMC 2008 Employee Pricing Event, you’d better hurry. The prices are only good through September 30. For those of you without a calendar nearby, that’s Monday! What are you waiting for?

Have you ever thought about taking your Cadillac hearse for your next picnic or tailgating party? With football season in full swing, this is a great way to enjoy a game without going inside the stadium.

Tailgating parties are fun events that are usually in the parking lot of a sporting event. The parties can take place before, after or even during the game. Many people do this because they don’t have tickets to get into the game. Many times, though, they can hear the announcements and excitement from the parking lot. Some people even have tailgating parties for other events, such as the opera and others.

In addition to your Cadillac hearse, you’ll want to bring along some food for the party. Popular foods for tailgating parties include hot dogs, hamburgers, macaroni salad and baked beans. Bring a small grill and some paper plates and utensils, too. Be sure to bring extras because you’ll likely make some new friends while you’re cooking all the great food at the back of a Cadillac hearse.

If you don’t have a Cadillac hearse, why not visit your local hearse dealership and get one? You might just enjoy it more than you think you would.

Next month, one hundred Cadillac hearses, funeral cars and other types of hearses will drive through Croydon in the UK in an effort to set a new world record.

All of these hearses and funeral coaches are going to gather at the Croydon Hilton to attend the annual conference of the British Institute of Funeral Directors (BIFD). Although it’s an annual event, the current president of the organization wanted to make this year’s event extra special. “I wanted to make this year’s conference something different,” said Adrian Pink. “We always have a bit of a trade show but we need to do more to open our doors to the public.

The range of participating hearses includes everything from horse-drawn carriages to Cadillac hearses from the 1950s and many modern funeral coaches. You might even see some lavish Rolls-Royce hearses in the mix.

In addition to the line of hearses, the Mayor of Croydon will be in attendance as a special guest. Judges from the Guinness World of Records will be on hand to make sure the line of hearses is enough to break the record and make everything official. The event takes place on October 25 at 2:15 PM.

Just when you thought all was lost, August proved to be a month in which new truck dealers made a comeback. With falling gas prices, great incentives and people getting accustomed to paying more per gallon, consumers are going back to their favorite new truck dealers to get a great deal on full-size trucks.

The comeback was so great, in fact, that the Chevrolet Silverado was the best-selling vehicle in the entire country for the month of August. Sales for this full-size pickup truck were up nearly 70 percent over the July sales figures. The sales figures for the Sierra truck also increased by about 75 percent in August. Those are impressive numbers considering the fact that hybrids have been taking over the market recently.

Of course, it’s going to be difficult for new truck dealers to attain the popularity they once had. The fear of $4 for a gallon of gas is still in the minds of many consumers. We’ve seen what can happen at the pumps. However, people are always going to want trucks regardless of the cost of gas. And with the improvements the automakers are making on fuel efficiency and in other areas, trucks will continue to be on the roads.

Why not join the crowd and visit your local GMC dealer today and get the truck you’ve always wanted?

These two stories about funeral cars and hearses caught my attention over the last couple weeks. The stories aren’t related in any way except for the fact that they are interesting.

The first story is about a funeral director who got fired for speeding while driving one of the funeral cars in the procession. He was going about 65 mph. Oh wait, that’s not right. He was only going seven miles per hour. Scott Ralston, a senior funeral director at a mortuary in Glasgow, Scotland was dismissed last year for “reckless driving.” However, the story is making news because he was awarded a large cash compensation for his dismissal by an employment tribunal.

The other story that caught my attention was about the MTV Video Music Awards. The hip-hop artist T-Pain was looking for a way to make a grand entrance to this year’s event. One of the first ideas he had was to drive up in a Cadillac hearse with a coffin in the back of the coach. He actually owns a “pimped out” hearse with speakers installed in an empty coffin in the back.

I didn’t see the VMAs this year, but I don’t think he chose the hearse. It’s probably a good idea that he didn’t. Using the hearse thing to shock people has bee done to death.

Any company that has been in business for a whole century knows that sales go up and down over the years. GM sales are no exception.

Roger Ezell, a factory worker at General Motors for more than 40 years, has seen the automaker go through it all. He witnessed the gas crisis in the late 70s, several recessions and other GM sales slumps during his time with the company. “We’ve seen them down further than what they are, and they got back up,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press. “I believe in GM. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he went on to explain.

Even so, GM sales are less than ideal in the North American market. Luckily, the manufacturing giant sells millions of vehicles in overseas markets. In fact, GM has sold about a 500 million vehicles worldwide in recent years, including more than 14 million Chevrolet Impalas, 12 million Oldsmobile Cutlasses, more than 6 million Chevrolet Cavaliers and nearly 5 million Chevrolet Camaros.

Why not visit your local GMC dealer and support the automaker’s efforts here? There are many hybrids, full-size trucks and other cars available to meet your needs. Check them out today!

If you haven’t tried driving the GMC 2008 Arcadia, there’s never been a better opportunity than right now. With 2009 models coming to the dealers, you can get a great price on one of these SUVs. Here are some things you can expect from the GMC 2008 Arcadia:

Passenger Comfort – The GMC 2008 Arcadia has enough interior room and seating to allow seven passengers to ride along comfortably.

Gas Mileage – This popular SUV gets decent gas mileage with 18 mpg in the city and about 23 mpg on the highway.

Interior Design – Your passengers won’t need to worry about staying cool. The vents and layout of the interior is designed to provide plentiful flow of air to the back seating area so everybody can stay comfortable.

Sporty Exterior – As is typical of GMC exterior designs, the mesh-like grill and the oversized headlights give the 2008 Arcadia a sporty look.

Safety Features – Airbags located throughout the GMC 2008 Arcadia and the anti-lock brakes helped the vehicle receive a five-star rating from the NHSTA. Safety is as important to GMC as it is to you and your family.

Price – The 2008 Arcadia isn’t overpriced at $31,000. This even includes some features. It’s much less expensive than many other comparable models on the market today.

There you have it. Why not visit a local GMC dealer today and test drive an Arcadia today?

A recent story in The Catholic News online publication explored the recent popularity of “heavy metal” funerals and non-traditional practices for these ceremonies. These types of changes make one wonder: Will hearse dealerships follow the trend and go heavy metal, too?

A funeral director in Perth, Australia told the publication the he has noticed an increase in “more unusual” songs for the ceremony. Some of the unique choices he’s noticed include “Long Way to the Top” and “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC. People are also choosing to hold their funerals in backyards and other non-traditional venues.

So far, the local hearse dealerships haven’t made any changes to their Cadillac hearses or other funeral coaches to follow the trend. There aren’t any funeral cars with KISS and Gene Simmons airbrushed on the side. You probably won’t see any hearse dealerships with funeral cars covered in blazes or the pentagram, two common things used in the heavy metal industry.

But in an effort to provide people with what they want after they die, do you think it will only be a matter of time before hearse dealerships find a way to cater to these wishes? If so, what types of things could they do? We’d love to hear your thoughts below!