Lease or Buy?

Lease? Or buy? These are the options for Quincy drivers. It's always a tough question for auto owners, but here is some info that'll help you make an informed decision.

If you buy, you'll pay the full cost of the vehicle, maybe an initial down payment, monthly payments on the balance that pays down the loan principal, and the finance charge.

Quincy drivers who lease finance the portion of the cost of the vehicle that's used up during the term of the lease. You'll pay some money up front: fees, security deposit, first month's payment and maybe a capital reduction. The monthly payments include a depreciation cost and a finance charge. When the lease is up, you return the vehicle to your local Quincy area dealership. 

So how do Quincy drivers decide?

First, how much do you have for a down payment? A lease usually requires a smaller down payment.

How much monthly payment can you afford? Again, lease payments will be much lower for any given down payment.

A lease needs requires better credit, so that's a factor.

How long will you keep the vehicle? Quincy drivers who keep their vehicles around for a while will pay less if they buy. But just two or three years? Then leasing is the way to go.

If your car might suffer a ding or two, like a work truck would, then buying's better. The auto leasing company will want their vehicle back at the lease end in tip top shape, and if repairs are needed, you'll pay.

How far do you drive in and around the Quincy area? Important to consider because leases have a mileage limit; if you go over, you pay a hefty charge per mile/kilometer when the lease is up. So high mileage IL drivers should definitely buy.

Will the car be used in your business? Check with your accountant, but both financing options have different tax benefits, depending on your circumstances.

Over the short term, leasing is much cheaper. Medium term, leasing and buying costs are about the same. Over the long haul, leasing always costs more.

Leases may sound a bit complicated, and the typical lease decision weighs more on the monthly payment rather than price. So sometimes Quincy leasers may pay on a higher purchase price than a buyer would.

Here is a tip: If the salesman asks if you'll be leasing or buying, say you're not sure yet. Make your best deal, then look at your financing options.

Here's another: With a buy or a lease, if you total the vehicle, you'll owe the full amount of the loan, or the balance of the lease payments. Usually, it's less than the vehicle's fair market value, and that's all your IL auto insurance company will pay. But ask your Quincy agent about gap insurance, which pays the difference between fair market value and what you owe. Big consideration for a lease.

Remember, you have to return your leased vehicle in excellent condition and may need to do all the vehicle manufacturer's recommended service and maintenance or face penalties. So see your local advisor at your Quincy auto repair shop  or Spring Street Automotive Inc on a regular basis, get the required work done and save the service records. It's well worth it.

Spring Street Automotive Inc
1701 Spring Street
Quincy, IL 62301
217-228-9141
http://www.springstreetauto.com

What Quincy Customers like About Us at Spring Street Automotive Inc

A big part of the service we provide at Spring Street Automotive Inc for our Quincy customers is education. We want you to feel confident with your service decisions.

And we're always open to questions from our valued Quincy area customers. Even though we try to be proactive in our Spring Street Automotive Inc automotive education, we sometimes get busy fixing vehicles and need a reminder. Please, just ask.

We've found our Quincy customers like the service reminders. They've grown to trust that our recommendations are based on the vehicle manufactures’ published maintenance schedules and that Spring Street Automotive Inc is not just pulling them out of the air.

We know that people in Quincy live a busy life with a lot more to think about than wondering if it's time to replace the PCV valve on their vehicle. Part of our Spring Street Automotive Inc service process is checking the vehicle manufacture's schedule to make sure we don't overlook service.

We hope IL drivers appreciate their courtesy inspection when they come into our Quincy facility for service. If we find something unexpected, it's good to know, and if we don't find anything wrong, you get a little peace of mind.

You know, customer satisfaction is very important to us at Spring Street Automotive Inc. We want to run a professional and friendly Quincy automotive service operation. If we do, you'll keep coming back and recommend us to your friends.

Give us a call at 217-228-9141.

Spring Street Automotive Inc
1701 Spring Street
Quincy, IL 62301
217-228-9141
http://www.springstreetauto.com

Cabin Air Filter From Spring Street Automotive Inc

Here is a questions for Quincy drivers: What is a cabin air filter?

Is it:

1. A filter for a house in the middle of the woods?
2. A fresh, piney scent?
3. A filter for the passenger compartment of your car?

Clever you, it's 3.

A cabin air filter cleans the outside air before it comes into the passenger compartment. It filters out dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, pollutants, sparrows, exhaust gas and odors.

These high tech filters can block particles larger than 3 microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns.

Now not all vehicles in the Quincy area have cabin filters. They are fairly new on the scene in IL. About 40 percent of new vehicles come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year.

Cabin air filters can make for a very nice driving environment for Quincy. Your car can be a haven during IL allergy season with very little dust and pollen getting into the cabin. However, like all filters, your cabin air filter eventually gets clogged. When this happens, your heating and air conditioning flow can become restricted. The filter can even get kind of smelly.

Check your vehicle's owner's manual for recommended replacement intervals. Often, the owner's manual forgets about the cabin air filter, so ask your friendly and knowledgeable Spring Street Automotive Inc service advisor for a recommendation. It's usually every year or 12,000 miles/19,000 kilometers. Change it sooner if you drive in dusty Quincy conditions or if you start to notice an odor from your ventilation system.

So, Quincy drivers, keep your cabin air filter clean. It may not help with your brother-in-law in the backseat, but it will make your driving experience more enjoyable.

Spring Street Automotive Inc
1701 Spring Street
Quincy, IL 62301
217-228-9141
http://www.springstreetauto.com

Cooling System Components

Today we want to talk about a system in our vehicles – the cooling system. It's one of those things that Quincy auto owners don't give much thought to until it fails and then they're stranded by the side of a road in IL.

Cooling systems fail more often than any other mechanical system – usually because of neglect. Don't you hate it when something breaks and you could have done something to prevent it?

The good news is that if Quincy drivers take care of their cooling systems, they can keep working for the life of their car.

Here at Spring Street Automotive Inc in Quincy, we emphasize preventive maintenance services like replacing your coolant according to the factory schedule. But the various parts that make up the cooling system need attention too. The major components of the cooling system are the water pump, freeze plugs, the thermostat, radiator, cooling fans, the heater core, the pressure cap, the overflow tank and the hoses.

It sounds complicated, but we Quincy residents don't have to be experts – we can leave that to our friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Spring Street Automotive Inc. But, having an overview will help us remember how to take care of your car's cooling system.

Most Quincy folks would be surprised to know that burning fuel in your engine produces up to 4,500 degrees F/2,500 degrees C of heat. And all that heat has to be dealt with. If the heat can't be drawn off the engine, the pistons will literally weld themselves to the inside of the cylinders – then you just have to throw the engine away and get a new one. That would cost thousands of dollars.

Now the water pump is what forces the coolant through passages in the vehicle engine to absorb heat. The pump is driven by a belt that needs replacement from time to time. And the water pump will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Spending some cash on replacing the belts and water pump is much less than the cost of repairing the extremely massive damage that can be done when an engine seizes.

There's another little known but important part of the coolant system that protects the engine. It's called a freeze plug. If you remember from high school chemistry, water expands when it freezes. In very cold areas, the coolant can actually freeze when the vehicle is left sitting.

It is hard to believe, but the expanding frozen coolant is enough to actually crack the engine block. The freeze plugs fit into the engine block. They fit tight enough to withstand the pressure of a running engine, but can expand or pop out if the coolant freezes. These little things save a lot of engine blocks.

The team at Spring Street Automotive Inc can check your cooling system and make any necessary adjustments or repairs. Give us a call.

Spring Street Automotive Inc
1701 Spring Street
Quincy, IL 62301
217-228-9141
http://www.springstreetauto.com