Thank you so much for your help! It was the best car buying experience I have ever had! We are very happy with the car. It is exactly what we were looking for! Shalom, Michael
- Pastor Michael Walker; Church in the City, Denver, Co
May 2011
I have sold & purchased several automobiles through Charlotte. In a difficult economy, she was able to sell my sports car and get a fair market value. As a busy professional, I have limited flexibility in my schedule. On several occasions, Charlotte has met me at my home and work place to show me cars. She is professional, knowledgable, hard working and well connected int he industry. Thanks!
- Deborah Stegner
June 2011, Denver, Co
When I found out about Charlotte and Women’s Automotive Solutions, I had nearly decided to put off buying a car. At the age of 25 I had never owned a car before, so I did not know all the “ins and outs”. Initially, I was working with an auto broker at a large company, but felt a lot of pressure to purchase something that was over my budget and not entirely what I wanted. I spoke to a friend of mine about my frustrations and she recommended Charlotte, saying that she had a way of easing the fears of women in the process. This renewed my hope! I contacted Charlotte right away. Within 3 days, I drove home in my brand new car! It was EXACTLY what I wanted and with in my price budget. In addition, she secured a good auto insurance policy for me. I cannot speak highly enough of Charlotte and Women’s Automotive Solutions!
- Julia Marinozzi
Denver, Co.
3/2011
Feeling shook up, sore & broken after my Pathfinder was totaled, I was lucky to have discovered Women’s Automotive Solutions! Running my Pet Sitting business, I had to replace my car immediately! Charlotte snapped into action and arranged demo drives for my targeted “next car” within days! She not only helped me find the car, but helped me reason through decisions at a time I was not thinking clearly. She also arranged financing for me all in a 2 week period!
I plan to use Women’s Automotive Solutions again and highly recommend Charlotte to anyone who has neither the time or interest in haggling with auto sales people. It’s great to have someone on your side knowledgable, when you are vulnerable after an accident.
- Barbara Himmelein
Charlotte NC 3/2011
Working with Charlotte was a simple process that took all the stress off our shoulders. All you do is tell her what you want and that’s it!…….it’s that easy. I am very satisfied with the outcome that Charlotte provided us. I would definitely recommend her services.
- Shaunn Roark
Denver, Co. 3/2011
Highly recommend Charlotte Spraggins for any of your car leasing or purchasing interests! She puts herself into finding the vehicle of your dreams. 110%! I recently had a difficult request for her. I had been shopping over a year to get out from under an “upside down” loan of a 6 + year old Benz. I did not want to loose the investment I had in it and needed to get a lower interest rate and payment. She got me into a much newer Benz, with awesome extended warranty, much lower rate adn saved me $355 a month! It’s simply the car of my dreams and was hand delivered to me in just 2 days! I did not have to spend the hours and stress of shopping, meeting dealers or test drive cars. She found it, told me it was the one and I took possession of it totally on her highly respected “trusted word” site unsceen. Charlotte goes above and beyond with only YOUR interests in mind!
Thank you Charlotte!
- Pam Bourdo
2011 Parker, Co
The Car Chick, co-owner of Women’s Automotive Solutions and co-host of the America’s Garage radio show, talks with Fox News about holiday car shopping. Are YOU leaving money on the table?
The Car Chick talks with Fox News about Holiday Car Shopping
What’s wrong with this picture? I’m in an SUV, but the roof is missing. At the same time, I’m in a convertible, but I’m really high off the ground. Weird.
Indeed, the 2011 Nissan Murano Cross-Cabriolet is a weird car. It’s a two-door Murano SUV with a ragtop and a coupe-like trunk. This radical concept comes from the same folks at Nissan who brought us the Cube and the Juke. Of course, Nissan has also designed some of the best sports cars, like the Z and the GT-R, as well as solid sedans like the Altima and the Maxima. Either the Nissan design team is schizophrenic, or they have a mad scientist division made up of engineers who have watched too many episodes of Top Gear while stoned.
That being said, the CrossCab is not a bad car. It’s actually quite comfortable. You won’t find this much legroom in the backseat of any other convertible except the half-million dollar Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The doors are ginormous, making it easy to get in and out of the vehicle – except in the grocery store parking lot. The truck is comparable to that of a medium-sized sedan, even with the top down, so you should be able to squeeze in a couple of sets of golf clubs. You also get that commanding view of the road that is a top selling point of SUVs. It’s also very well equipped, with luxury options like leather, heated seats, a backup camera and navigation as standard features.
Unfortunately, it also comes standard with a $47,000 sticker price. With only one trim level, you also get automatic xenon headlights, foglights, heated mirrors, a fully powered soft top and keyless ignition/entry, automatic dual-zone climate control, cruise control, power/memory seats, Bluetooth, and a seven-speaker Bose sound system with an iPod interface, CD player, satellite radio and 9.3GB of digital music storage space. You are also stuck with the ridiculous 20” rims and the mostly pointless AWD.
The 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 265 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. This means that despite it’s heavier weight, the CrossCab has just about as much “umph” as the regular Murano, and Nissan’s CVT transmission does a good job of keeping you in the ideal powerband. We clocked a naught to 60 time in just over 8 seconds, which isn’t too shabby for an SUV. The CrossCab also stopped from 60 mph in less than 130 feet, which is also respectable.
Handling is very similar to that of the regular Murano, with appropriately tight steering and decent feedback to the driver. The reinforced structure of the topless CrossCab combined with the overkill 20” rims make for a slightly bumpier ride. Yet, despite the stiffer suspension, the CrossCab corners with the grace and elegance of an inebriated elephant. And you certainly won’t be taking it off-road.
Safety-wise, the as-yet-unrated CrossCab comes standard with antilock brakes, traction and stability control, pop-up roll bars, and a cocoon of airbags mounted in every nook and crannie. Fuel economy is unsurprisingly mediocre at 17 mpg city/22 mpg highway, and it drinks premium gas.
The new Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is definitely different. If you want a convertible, but you still need to haul four adults and two golf bags, then buy this car. If you want the neighbors to gaze into your driveway and say, “what the #$%&?”, then go for it. It’s a nice car, pleasant to drive, and certainly the most practical convertible on the market. But, should a convertible be practical? Isn’t that the point of having a mid-life crisis? Nissan is trying to do too much with one vehicle and at too high a price point. For $50,000, you can buy a small SUV AND a nice, used convertible. Nissan doesn’t break out the Cross-Cab sales from its overall Murano sales numbers, so we don’t know how many have sold so far. The fact that Nissan has dropped the sticker price by nearly $2,000 for the 2012 model year tells us that they are not exactly flying off the lots. And what happens when the novelty wears off? Well, ask Chevy about their short-lived SSR convertible pickup truck idea.
For parents, handing over the keys to the family car isn’t easy. But there are steps you can take to help your teen become a smart driver – even before they get behind the wheel.
Start driving education before your teenage driver gets behind the wheel Before your teen even starts driving, you can demonstrate smart driving habits. Every time you’re driving, follow safe driving practices – wear your seat belt, stick to the speed limit, and don’t use your cell phone or engage in other distracted driving behaviors. Also, talk to your teen about driving hazards before you begin to teach driving practices. Have discussions about driver safety, including dangerous times to be on the road – at night – and distracted driving behaviors to avoid, like texting while driving.
Supplement your teen’s first driving lessons
Once your teen has a learner’s permit, many states require a minimum number of driving hours while under the supervision of an adult. Check with your state’s department of motor vehicles for requirements in your state. During these supervised driving sessions, take the time to review all the car’s controls with your teen, like turn signals, wiper blades and headlights. When you’re ready to teach driving, choose a deserted area such as a large parking lot. As your teen gets used to operating the vehicle, slowly introduce low-traffic, familiar streets around your neighborhood. Continue to review what they’ve learned in driver’s education, like paying attention to their surroundings.
Create a driving contract
Another way to reinforce teenage driver safety is to create a driving contract. Sit down with your teen and outline responsibilities, privileges and consequences related to using the car. Once you and your teen agree on the terms, keep the driving contract in a visible place like on the refrigerator.
Effective teenage driving safety starts with setting a positive example behind the wheel. Don’t forget to keep your son or daughter protected on the road with car insurance for teenagers. Compare quotes from trusted insurance companies that offer multiple discounts for more affordable coverage, like discounts for completing a driving safety course.
The Volkswagen Beetle has always been a cute, little icon and was always a gas-sipping marvel as well, with an exterior and interior that matched or exceeded the quality of its competitors’ vehicles every step of the way. But with the positives came glaring faults, most notably with the mechanical components. Consumer Reports included the Beetle in its “Worst of the Worst” list due to below-average reliability, and Consumer Guide Automotive listed seven of the components on the Beetle that were commonly faulty, which were often more expensive parts like the transmission and heater core.
With this is mind, does the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle step its game up? Featuring a completely redesigned exterior and interior, Volkswagen has done its best to reface the defiled but historic name of the Beetle.
Exterior
While the appearance of the Beetle has been given a facelift to appeal to a greater range of customers, the heart of the Beetle still beats strong. “Experience tells automakers that women will buy a ‘guy’s car,’ but men are less likely to buy what still is called in the business ‘a chick’s car,’ or ‘a girl’s car,’ said James R. Healey of USA Today. And according to TruCar.com, women were registered owners of 60.6 percent of Volkswagen Beetles last year, so the revamped exterior was done to entice more male buyers. That said, the Beetle has never looked better. Anyone who purchases this car because of how it looks cannot go wrong, whether female or male.
Mechanical
The previous Beetle had a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that put out a modest 150 hp, but the 2012 model uses a modified version of that engine to put out a more manageable 170 hp. In addition, Volkswagen is also offering a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that puts out 200 hp for customers looking for a bit more power than the average buyer.
What many may or may not like about the new Beetle is the very “average” gas mileage that it gets. With an automatic transmission, the Beetle achieves a high of 29 mpg highway and 31 mpg highway with a manual transmission. While not entirely abysmal, the gas mileage is nothing to marvel at, because rivals have already developed vehicles that are venturing into 40 mpg territory.
Interior
The cabin was expanded to give occupants more room, which should be most exciting for larger drivers and passengers alike because of how uncomfortable the previous model was. And although legroom in the rear was cut slightly, Volkswagen repositioned the backseats to increase comfort, so passengers have little to complain about with this change.
The minimalistic instrument cluster and dashboard might turn off some, but it actually fits well with the overall appearance of the vehicle. The large and easy-to-read instruments are pleasant to look at, and the radio interface and climate controls at the center are easy to reach and use. Plus one to Volkswagen with their efforts in refining the interior.
We’ve come to expect Volkswagen to churn out Beetles that come off as mediocre examples of how vehicles should be produced. They’ve been putting out Beetles that fall apart after a few years and leave people scratching their heads and spouting curse words to the heavens as they sit on the side of the road waiting for tow trucks. It comes as a pleasant surprise, then, that the new Volkswagen Beetle seems to be trying to shed its image as a mechanical disaster and become a consumer-friendly vehicle. While nobody knows how the 2012 Beetle will stand up to previous reliability woes due to its infancy on the market, the details seem promising.
Keep a lookout for this one. Things are looking up for the Beetle.
Charlotte, NC – Mark Norton of Charlotte, North Carolina has joined Women’s Automotive Solutions as a licensed, independent consultant – a.k.a. a “car chick”.
Women’s Automotive Solutions is a unique car buying service dedicated to helping women through the entire car selection and buying process, enabling them to save hundreds to thousands of dollars on a new or pre-owned vehicle without the frustrations the come with traditional car shopping.
Mark decided that he wanted to become a part of Women’s Automotive Solutions after seeing the company’s logo-wrapped Mini Cooper in a local bookstore parking lot. “I was intrigued by the hot pink and green branding and impressed with the unique business concept. I know so many women who hate car shopping.” Mark was surprised to learn that 60% of Women’s Automotive clients are men.
Entrepreneur and automotive expert, Michelle Lundy, founded Women’s Automotive Solutions in 2004 after observing thousands of smart, successful women shy away from the car buying process. Together with her partner, LeeAnn Shattuck, Lundy has taken Women’s Automotive Solutions from a kitchen table idea to a national consulting firm with consultants in five states, coast to coast.
Mark is the fifth independent consultant to join the Women’s Automotive Solutions team. The company also has offices in South Carolina, Colorado, Washington and California and serves clients in all 50 states.
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