Automobile Retailers

If you haven’t heard of prepaid legal services for your car, you might be missing out on something that could give you a great advantage. Prepaid legal services are ideal for people who enjoy an added sense of peace of mind while they are on the roads. Here are some of the things that a good prepaid legal plan covers in relation to motorists.

Tickets
With a prepaid legal service plan, speeding tickets aren’t as scary as they used to be. A representative often represents you in traffic court or they can reduce the amount of the ticket under certain conditions.

Hit & Run
What if you just bought a new car at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer and somebody hit you on the way home? Without a legal service plan, you could end up paying a huge deductible to get your luxury car repaired. With a plan, however, a lawyer will often fight for you in court to get your out-of-pocket expenses reimbursed.

Family Members
With a prepaid legal plan, your family members are typically covered if they get a speeding ticket or some other moving violation.

DUI
If you get convicted of a DUI, you should be punished. But with representation, you can be assured that you’ll get treated fairly without undue or unnecessary punishment.

Property Damage
If you cause damage to someone else’s property, prepaid legal services will often pay for the damages so you don’t have any out-of-pocket expenses.

Although a prepaid legal plan isn’t a way to “get out of” tickets or protect you for reckless driving, it is ideal to ensure you get treated fairly. Try one today and see how much better you’ll feel with each mile you drive.

It’s not easy getting older. One of the hardest things to do as you age, though, is to reevaluate your driving skills. At times, this may mean giving up your keys completely. Other times, though, you may just need to look for ways to improve. Following are some tips for improving your driving skills if you feel you may be getting to the age where it’s becoming more difficult.

Driving Classes
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) offers a driver safety program in many areas of the country. Senior citizens can attend these classes and find ways improve their skills. The class urges seniors to take responsibility for their driving skills and realistically evaluate them. Upon completion, the senior drivers get a certificate that they can show their insurance company to receive a discount on their premiums.

Limit Yourself
If you feel your driving skills aren’t what they used to be, there’s nothing wrong with limiting your driving. Instead of going out at the busy times of the day, plan your errands for the times when fewer people are on the roads. Plan alternate routes so you can miss the most traveled areas. You’ll be surprised how much easier and less stressful your driving will be when you do this.

Physical Exercise
The Yale University of Medicine recently found that if you do 15 minutes of driving-related exercises each day at home, you can improve your driving skills. The reason for this is because you can improve your coordination, flexibility and reaction times.

Get a Buick
Your local Buick dealer has many luxury cars available for senior drivers and drivers of all ages. With the newest safety features and comfort, this is a great way to enjoy the road whether you’re over 70 or not. Visit one today and see their selection!

Have you ever wanted a new car but simply didn’t have enough money to buy one? If so, you’re in luck. Certified pre-owned programs are the newest and most popular way to get a great vehicle at a discount. Here are three reasons why so many people are flocking to their local Mercedes-Benz dealer to see the inventory of CPO vehicles.

Better Value
One of the best things about a CPO program is the value you get. When a used vehicle is certified, it’s been through a rigorous testing procedure that ensures it has a higher quality than a normal used car. If anything is wrong with it, the mechanics fix it. Also, if the car has too many miles on it, it’s disqualified from the CPO program.

Dealers Like CPO Programs
This might not sound like a reason for the consumer to enjoy the CPO autos, but it is. Since dealers often make more profit from certified vehicles, they are more likely to give you a great deal on these types of cars.

Peace of Mind
Certified pre-owned vehicles typically offer extended warranties, roadside assistance and other features that make them more attractive to consumers.

With all of these advantages, why not visit an MB dealer today and see for yourself why CPO programs are so popular? You may never buy a brand new car again!

Let’s say you just left your local Mercedes-Benz dealer with a brand new shiny luxury car. Your wife calls while you’re on the way home and asks you to stop at the store and get a gallon of milk. But you’re afraid that you’re going to get a dent in your sleek new car if you park any store’s parking lot. That’s quite a dilemma. Luckily, there are several parking spots to avoid if you want to lessen your risk of getting a dent.

Park on the side of the store. Most stores have a garden entrance or an entrance that few people use. You may have to walk a few extra steps, but it’s worth it to keep your Benz ding-free.

Don’t park near the shopping cart bin. This might seem like a safe area because somebody can only park on one side of you. That cuts your risk in half, right? But to save a few steps, some people aim their shopping carts at the bin and give it a good push. Do you want to risk it?

Park far out. There’s no rule that says you need the closest parking space to the store. Besides, the walk will do you good and there aren’t any cars around to bother you.

Find a spot where you can pull through. Parking in a spot where you can pull out facing forward is ideal for avoiding accidents when trying to back out of a spot.

Size does matter. If the parking spot seems too small, it probably is. Find another one just to be safe.

Keep these rules in mind every time you park in a parking lot and you’ll help keep your Mercedes ding-free for years!

If you’re like me, you’ve probably seen several “little old ladies” driving around in a huge boat of a car and wondered why she didn’t buy something smaller. But the reason they’re driving those cars is likely because their late husbands bought them and now it’s their only car to drive. They always look too small for the cars, though. It almost looks like they can’t even reach the pedal!

That’s where CarFit comes in. CarFit is a senior-advocacy program that helps seniors “fit” into their existing car better. In collaboration with other organizations like the American Society on Aging, AARP, AAA and the American Occupational Therapy Association, CarFit has a program that offers free “fittings” to make older drivers more comfortable in their car. The program involves a 12-point checklist that includes seatbelt fittings, mirrors, headrest and other controls.

Early tests showed that nearly 40 percent of senior drivers had at least one safety issue that they needed to deal with in the car. Many of them had too much space between their body and the steering wheel. Others couldn’t see properly over their steering wheel. Although it won’t help every driver, the program strives to give them as much freedom through custom fittings to help them stay safe on the roadways.

If you’re a senior driver that doesn’t “fit” in your car, why not just visit your local Buick dealer and trade that in for a more fuel-efficient new or used car? There are so many brands to choose from that it’s almost impossible to not find one that you’ll like for many years to come.

Road rage is becoming more common on the highways and roadways in the nation. But have you ever been involved in a parking lot rage incident? This is the same concept, but it takes place in a parking lot instead of the road. Here are some ways to avoid this awkward situation before it poses a problem.

Use your turn signal. One of the main reasons people get mad in parking lots is because they don’t know what the other person is planning to do. When you use your turn signal, they know what you’re going to do and they can go around you.

Don’t use two parking spots. Even if you just purchased a brand new car from your local Mercedes-Benz dealer, a car that takes up two spots is just asking for trouble.

Give enough space between you and the car next to you. That’s just asking for the person next to you to open their door really hard to dent your car.

Back out slowly. You usually can’t see if there are cars or people coming down the lane, so make sure you back out slow to avoid accidents.

Don’t park in a handicap spot if you’re not handicap. Not only is this annoying, it’s also illegal. You can get a hefty fine and sometimes even worse for doing this.

Don’t sweat it. If somebody is willing to fight for a space, let them have it. It’s not worth getting in a brawl or, worse yet, getting killed for (yes, it’s happened). Besides, who couldn’t benefit from getting a more distant space and walking a few extra steps?

There probably isn’t a person reading this that hasn’t used the convenience of a drive-thru window at their favorite restaurant. But those days may soon be over.

There is already a strong movement in Canada to ban drive-thru windows. The people aren’t trying to make existing drive-thru windows shut down, but they are trying to pass legislation that prevents new restaurants from installing these convenient devices. Now, the trend is starting to move into the United States.

Officials in Madison, Wisconsin are trying to prevent a new Starbucks from installing a drive-thru window. The reason for the new trend is “global warming.” Apparently, they think people are hurting the environment by allowing their cars to sit in a line for a couple minutes. That two minutes in line at Starbucks is really going to make the globe so hot that we won’t be able to stand it in a few years!

Actually, wouldn’t this be worse for the environment. Most people are adamant about staying in their cars when they go to Starbucks or any other establishment for something quick. Won’t they just drive a couple miles down the street to the next place that has a drive-thru window and get their favorite drink there instead?

If you’re like me, you’re one of those people. But if you pass a Buick dealer on the way, why not stop in and see what’s new? With new fuel-efficient models arriving on the lot each day, you can still help the environment while enjoying your favorite drive-thru place, too!

If you’ve ever had to take a parents or grandparent’s car keys away because they were a danger to themselves or others, you know how heartbreaking that can be. My dad had to do it with his dad and it broke his heart. The worst part was that my grandpa had just purchased a new car from a local Buick dealer a few weeks before this happened. But it’s your responsibility if a loved one is no longer able to drive with caution or if they are losing their eyesight. If you’re considering doing that now with a parent or if you think you may need to in the future, here are some suggestions to make the process less complicated.

Know the right time. When an older driver gets into an accident, it isn’t necessarily their fault. Everybody gets into an accident at one time or another so don’t automatically assume it’s the best time to take their keys away after one accident. Wait until there is a pattern of traffic violations or other small accidents before making your decision.

Know the health issues. The National Motorists Association states that most accidents involving senior citizens are caused by memory loss or disorientation. This could include health issues like Alzheimer’s and others. Generally, seniors tend to adjust their driving habits accordingly with other health issues, including cataracts or arthritis. Keep this in mind before taking their keys.

Research the possibilities. Is the car their only mode of transportation? Are there any busses or taxi companies in the area that can take them where they need to go? Can a member of the family take them to their appointments? If a car is their only option, you’ve got a tough decision to make.

Be gentle. It’s difficult for a parent to take advice or even demands from their children regardless of their age. But if you be gentle and explain the situation to them and how they could endanger lives, they may be more willing to give up those keys. Whatever you do, don’t make it into an angry confrontation. That will just make things worse.

Regardless of how long you’ve been driving, it never hurts to reexamine some of your methods and habits. Parallel Parking is one of the most difficult things to do as a driver. In fact, some drivers find it so difficult that they avoid it at all costs. You might have your own methods, but are they the best methods? Here are the rules and steps to follow when parallel parking so you can tweak your own habits or learn how to parallel park yourself.

Use your turn signal. The first thing any parallel parker must do is turn their turn signal on as son as they are alongside the car in front of the available parking space. This alerts the drivers behind you as to what you are doing.

Check your positioning. Before you start to back into the spot, make sure you are about two feet away from the car next to you and your back bumpers are lined up.

Back up slowly. Only professionals can do this quickly, so don’t be in a rush. As you start backing up, turn the steering wheel as far as it will go towards the curb.

Straighten out. When your car door is even with the adjacent car’s bumper, start turning your wheel back to its original position. Do this while you’re slowly backing up the entire time.

Center yourself. Once you get into the space, carefully center yourself between the car in front of you and behind you. There should be at least six inches of space on either end.

This is just a little tip from your local Mercedes-Benz dealer. We want you to have the full driving experience and help you get over any fear you have of parallel parking. For more instruction on this topic, you can view a video here.

With more and more people living into their 80s and 90s, there is a growing concern of having senior citizens behind the wheel of a car. This age group is often the most misunderstood group and sometimes they are unjustly criticized. That’s why I’d like to dedicate the next few posts to them and discuss some of the issues that senior drivers endure each day.

The first topic I want to address is the fact that many cities and states are making their roads more senior-friendly. One of the first states to do anything about this is – you guessed it – Florida. With all the senior communities in the state, this is a refuge for older people who enjoy the warm weather. As far as roads go, the state is trying to make them safer and more navigable for its older population. Here are some things the state has been doing:

• Making signs larger and easier to read since 1991
• Increased the width of road stripes from four inches to six to make them easier to see
• Decreased the amount of space between reflective pavement markings by half
• Placing “advance” street signs about 1,000 feet before the street to make them easier to find
• “Refuge islands” in the middle of roads to give pedestrians more time and safety to cross

According to Kevin Dunn, a state official in Tampa Bay, these improvements have really helped the senior drivers in the state.

In addition to states making safety improvements for senior drivers, your local Buick dealer also has vehicles that seniors enjoy. With the luxury and safety features of the newest Buick brands, senior citizens will want to enjoy the road for many more years to come.