Commercial Auto Dealers

Have you ever taken a tour of haunted attractions in your area in the back of a Cadillac hearse? If not, you’re missing a truly unique experience.

Debe Banning, the director of MVD Ghostchasers, recognized this novelty and jumped on it about nine years ago. Along with a friend, she spotted and purchased a 1972 Cadillac hearse in the back of a lot for $350. It was in great condition and “ran like a charm,” according to Banning. They quickly put together a tour of Tempe’s most haunted places, including Casey Moore’s Oyster House and several other spooky attractions. Tourists would ride along in the Cadillac hearse while visiting the places to give the tour an extra touch of spookiness.

This is just one story of how people have cashed in by using Cadillac hearses and funeral cars. Many people who own hearses rent them out for special events like Halloween, weddings, proms and even for people who want to make a scene when they go to a concert. Today, hearses are more than just a chariot for a person’s last ride. They have become a unique way for people to make money and get where they need to go.

Funeral homes all across the country are noticing a growing trend: More people are choosing to be cremated instead of buried. As a result, the need for Cadillac hearses and funeral cars are dwindling.

One story about an Ohio-based funeral car business is just one such story. Mike McKiernan, the general manager of Eagle Coach Company, said Cadillac hearses are great for funeral homes, but they are becoming less and less common as fewer people can afford traditional burials. Although there will always be a need for this type of business, McKiernan says his company and others like his are feeling the credit crunch.

The Eagle Coach Company is a subsidiary of the J.B. Poindexter and Company, which holds about 25 percent of the hearse market. Overall, the hearse industry makes between 1,000 and 1,200 funeral cars annually. “Going forward, it’s going to be tough, but I think we’re poised to hold our own,” McKiernan said. “We’re on our own in 2009; I don’t think the economy is going to help us out.”

Has the economy affected the way you have planned your funeral? Have you or a loved one decided to get cremated rather than go for the traditional burial? If so, let us know below. We’ like to hear your thoughts.

With the recent number of accidents occurring involving cars in funeral processions, many funeral directors are asking the public for some patience. When you see a Cadillac hearse or other funeral cars followed by a line of other cars, it only takes a minute out of your day to pull over and wait. Besides, it’s the polite thing to do and, in many places, it’s the law.

Ty Conklin, the owner of one funeral business in Missouri, reiterates the feeling that people are just too impolite these days. “They just don’t seem to care,” he said about drivers who interrupt processions. “I believe they did not have anybody teach them manners. Apparently nobody showed them to just take two minutes out of your life and have some respect.”

Because of these problems and other factors, funeral processions with Cadillac hearses may be becoming a thing of the past. Many people are choosing to just tell loved ones to meet at the cemetery at a certain time rather than paying for the services of a funeral procession and taking a chance on getting into an accident.

However, if you do see a procession, just take a couple minutes and pull over. It’s a sign of respect and it shows that you are a caring human being.

Earlier this week, a Cadillac hearse was used in a protest against abortion. At the Summit Women’s Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, protestors brought signs, passion and a Cadillac hearse to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade which occurred 36 years ago this week.

The landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court “overturned all federal and state laws outlawing or restricting abortion.”

Once the Cadillac hearse pulled up to the women’s center, several members pulled a small casket from the back of the funeral car. Then they took it to a nearby table that was decorated with flowers. It was a powerful sign of their cause.

“It’s a big, bad day,” said one of the protestors. Another protestor – Pastor Jim Miller of Gospel Light church – had this to say about the event and the 36-year-old decision: “Today more than 50 million children are dead and we say ‘no more will we sit by passively while we see these little boys and girls die.’”

Mounted police officers were at the protest to ensure it didn’t get out of control. Two women being served by the center and the director of the center refused to comment.

Watching a Cadillac hearse drive away with a child in the back is a somber sight for parents, loved ones and even strangers.

The recent funeral of Benjamin Kingan was an especially sad one. He was only 16 months old, but his mom said he already had a strong throwing arm and he could say “mama” earlier than his three older siblings. And even though he always had trouble sleeping, his mom is grateful for those times now because it gave her more time with him before he passed away.

“I feel cheated that we didn’t have more time together, but I will always cherish the 16 months we had,” said mother Amy Kingan. He died at such a young age last week at a Lincolnshire day care center as a result from allegedly being thrown to the floor by one of the teacher’s assistants. Apparently, the day care worker was so frustrated at the noise the young children were making that she threw Benjamin on the floor. He then struck his head and suffered massive trauma. Benjamin was able to pick up his blanket and sit in his bouncy seat, but he was unresponsive after that.

Losing an infant is sad regardless of how it happens. But when you have to watch your baby be taken away in a Cadillac hearse because a day care worker lost her patience has to be especially difficult. Our prayers are with her and her family.

Have you ever tried to have a discussion with your family and friends about your final hearse ride? If so, you’ve probably been met with some weird looks and some may even get mad and walk away. But a new book by Sue Bailey and Carmen Flowers brings that discussion into the open so everybody can be on the same page when you die.

The book – “Grave Expectations” – is much like a journal in which you can write down your thoughts and plans for your final hearse ride. Do you want your final ride to occur in a Cadillac hearse or do you want something more personal? Do you want people to send flowers or make donations to your charity? These and many other aspects of your own funeral are covered in “Grave Expectations.”

In addition to writing down your thoughts, the book also gives you ideas about what to do with yoru remains. Chapter 7 gives “recipes” you can consider for your remains, including plastination, mummification and eternal reefs, just to name a few.

Pick up a copy of this book and you may be able to discuss your own mortality and the mortality of others in a comfortable fashion.

You may have never thought about it before, but did you know you could order a customized hearse or funeral car from hearse dealerships? If this is something you’d like to do but just don’t know where to start, here are some tips to consider that will make the process easier and so you can get exactly what you want.

1. Take some time to consider what you want. Do you want a red velvet interior or one of black leather? Do you want a customized dashboard or engine? If so, make a note of everything so you don’t forget something. Take a few weeks to think about it and research various options.
2. Know your budget. Customizations can cost thousands of dollars depending on the features and options you want. You may have to choose some options now with the possibility of adding more later.
3. Plan ahead. A customized hearse may take several weeks to build. That means you’ll need some form of transportation between the time you order it and the time you actually take delivery.

With these tips, you can realize your dream of owning a customized Cadillac hearse the way you’ve always wanted it. Check one out today!

Have you ever wanted to see how Cadillac hearses have changed over the years? Or have you ever wanted to see a half scale replica of the Titanic? If so, there are museums across the country that you will appreciate. Here are some of the more unique facilities to satisfy your taste for the unique and odd.

The Titanic Museum – Located in Branson, Missouri, this two-story attraction is shaped like the Titanic and is “anchored in water to create the illusion of being at sea.” There are more than 400 artifacts from the original Titanic and a self-guided tour of the grand staircase and other talked about areas of the cruise ship that was never supposed to sink.

The Museum of Funeral Customs – This Springfield, Illinois attraction allows visitors to see many customs associated with death and funerals in the United States. Exhibits include Cadillac hearses, funeral art, a replica of a 1920s embalming room and much more.

Leila’s Hair Museum – Located in Independence, Missouri, this unique facility has a collection of more than 2,000 items made from human hair. This is truly a unique museum and you won’t want to pass it up if you’re even in the area.

A driver in Covina, California was arrested this weekend when he crashed head-on with a hearse carrying a body to a funeral service.

The incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. when an officer pulled up behind the car that was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, the car failed to go so the officer went to investigate. He noticed that the driver seemed unconscious so he tapped on the window. When he did, the driver got freaked out and pushed the accelerator. That propelled him through the intersection and into oncoming traffic, which included a Cadillac hearse carrying a body in the back.

Spencer Brawner, 18, was the driver in the car. He was arrested, cited and released all in the same day, according to Covina police Sgt. Ray Marquez. Luckily, nobody was hurt in the accident. The hearse was not part of a funeral procession at the time. It was just transporting a body to a funeral home for a service. Another hearse was sent to the scene to carry the body the rest of the way. That hearse made it to the funeral home without incident.

All we’ve heard about lately is bailouts. It started with the insurance, banks and mortgage industry. After that, the auto industry wanted some money from the federal government. Yesterday, there was a story that the porn industry wanted a bailout, too. There are even rumors that the newspaper industry may need a bailout before long.

But if the auto industry gets bailout money from the feds, will hearse dealerships benefit from that, too? After all, there are fewer and fewer people opting for the traditional funerals complete with three-day services, flowers and Cadillac hearses. Instead, more families are choosing cremations, short memorial services and fewer accoutrements that used to be a common part of saying goodbye to a loved one. And as a result, funeral directors are not buying from hearse dealerships like they once did.

Of course, many hearse dealerships still get a large amount of business from people who want to ride around and “shock” their friends and neighbors.

Either way, if the auto industry gets some form of federal aid despite the unwillingness of the companies to change to fit changing needs, hearse dealerships should be included in that list, too. We’ll see what happens once everything gets all sorted out.