The Race4Freedom is a race held each year that benefits
amazing charities. ICT SOS holds the race. What is amazing about this race, is
that it’s one non profit having an event to raise money for another non profit.
It’s a wonderful event that we just had to be a part of.
We approached ICT SOS with our desire to help, and asked
them what could we do. We were so happy to be able to sponsor the medals that
each runner would receive. Never before has the runners received medals for
their accomplishments, and it was great to see everyone excited about getting
them.
The race was fantastic! Over a thousand gathered
to participate, and thousands was raised for the nonprofit. This was an amazing
event to participate in, and we are proud to be able to help ICT SOS. Thanks
for showing up Wichita
It’s a term that’s thrown around the auto industry
all the time. Commercials scream at you just how huge of a rebate you can get,
and they are packaged as a saving tool to buy a car.
The conversation around rebates needs to shift. Consumers
need to understand exactly what a rebate is and what it does before purchasing
a vehicle with a rebate. So we broke it down for you.
Lets Break It Down
A rebate in basic definition is a partial refund to someone
who has paid to much money for something. Right off the bat you should know
this is huge. Rebates are offered when a
vehicle is not selling or there is too many of them left. It’s a way to
incentivize customers into buying the product. Rather than lowering the price
on a product, they give you money to use as a down payment towards the product.
This “down payment” lowers the cost of the vehicle to it’s
actual worth. Lets say that again for
those in the back.
Instead of pricing the vehicle at it’s actual worth, they
give you a “down payment” to lower it to that price. Don’t believe us? Test it out. Find a
dealership offering rebates on a new model. Then search that exact VIN on
Kelley Blue Book. Once you are done come back, because we aren’t finished yet.
Did you do it? Crazy I know! Hold on here’s more….
Your Car's Value
Rebates can hurt the value of your vehicle. If a certain
model isn’t selling well and the manufacturer offers a rebate, then that model
line can see a hit in their value. It’s not a huge hit, unless you drive that
specific model. If you purchase a 2018 car and 4 months later there is a $6,000
rebate, well hate to say it your brand new car just took a dip in value.
Rebates aren’t all bad, but here at Subaru of Wichita you
won’t ever see a rebate. We price our cars at their value, are open and
transparent, and a Subaru is way to reliable to not sell well!
This past weekend we got to do something amazing. We were
able to help provide FREE animals at the Kansas Humane Society. As part of the
national Clear the Shelters campaign, we were asked to help sponsor this event.
Of course we would! We love dogs! So we helped spread the word all over
Wichita, that on August 19th you could get a pet for FREE.
The morning of the event we showed up 2 hours before the
doors opened up. The people of Wichita showed up even earlier than that! The
line was already as long as the building, and it would continue to grow. We brought
donuts to feed as many as we could, and those ran out fast.
The doors opened and the adoptions began. We were there to
welcome everyone on their new family member and give them a make believe vacation
photo to their favorite destination. Along with that, we also gave them a
goodie bag full of useful new toys and treats for their new furry friend.
It was an amazing event.
With over 140 animals being adopted. Thank you Wichita for coming out to
support this event. Finding homes for all these animals means the world to us.
We look forward to seeing everyone at Woofstock here soon!
Wichita is blessed with having amazing teachers. These
teachers dedicate so much of their time to enriching the kids of our community.
We are so thankful for the work that they do.
We were fortunate to be able to give all of the new teachers to USD 249
breakfast.
Chik-fil-A helped us out by making over 450 chicken
sandwiches for us. They had to work extra hard, and were very gracious. We
can’t thank them enough for helping out with this event.
It was great to be able to meet the new teachers and thank them
for all of the work that they do. We were honored to come back this year, for
the second time, to meet new teachers and give them breakfast.
After the event we wanted to continue sharing the love, so
we went to the Wichita Police Department to make sure they had a great
breakfast too! The men in women in uniform protect us daily, and we just had to
thank them.
Wichita hosted it’s first Music Festival this past weekend.
The Vortex Music Festival was an amazing time! We were there handing out free
Subaru swag bags and taking photos of the events. The concert series included
bands like Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy, Pokey LaFarge, and Dwight Yoakam.
The concerts took place in the shadow of the Keeper of the
plains Friday night and Saturday morning. The event area was packed as concert
goers crowded the stage to sing along to their favorite verse. Across the river
was the campground, where festival goes could park an RV or put up their tents
for the night. The following morning they were fed an amazing pancake breakfast
and were treated to the songs of the Cherokee Maidens as everyone tore down
their campsites.
This was the first year for the festival, and there are
already plans for another. It was an amazing event and we got to meet a ton of
Subaru Owners. Hopefully everyone got some Subaru swag, and then a good nights
rest the next night. We took tons of pictures and videos, but due to
restrictions in the bands contracts we are not able to post them.
Test driving a new car is an exciting moment. We want to make sure you get the most out of your test drive, so here are some tips to help!
Recreate your life
Often times there is a “route” that the salesperson wants
you to take. This is fine, but make sure you drive the vehicle in the type of
environment that you drive in your day-to-day life. If you are constantly in
stop and go traffic, then it doesn’t make sense to only drive on the highway
does it? Drive the car how you will drive it.
Get Some Silence
Of course you’ll switch the radio on during your test drive.
It’s important to make sure it works well, and you like the sound quality
coming out of the speakers. However, silence is important as well. Take a
second to listen to the engine and the sound of the tires. You want to make
sure the vehicle is running smoothly, and with talking or loud noise you’ll
never hear it.
Bring a friend
Two heads are truly better than one, and a test drive is no exception to that
rule. Having someone along for the ride
can help you better understand your vehicle. While you are getting excited
about how good the heated seats feel, they can be in the back seat hearing the
weird wobble sound coming from the tire. Once you get back from the test drive,
you can compare your notes and get a better view of issues that the vehicle may
or may not have. Having someone there to help in the car buying process is
always a good idea.
Try Other Seats
Other people will ride in your car at some point. Don’t you
want them to feel comfortable? So hop in the back seat and see what the legroom
is like. Especially as a parent, if your kids aren’t with you it’s important to
get a feel for what they will be experiencing.
Bring Your Lifestyle
This may be the biggest one on the list. Numerous people
purchase a vehicle that they love, take it home and find out their car seat
doesn’t really fit in the back or their golf clubs can’t fit in the trunk. If
you have larger objects or something that you use your vehicle for often, bring
it! We want to make sure you are 100% happy with the purchase of your new or
used vehicle, so bring your golf clubs if needed!
There are many options when purchasing a new or used vehicle
in Wichita. It’s a city filled with car dealerships. There’s more to just
finding the right car for you, however, as you have to find the right
dealership. Navigating these waters can sometimes be tricky,
that’s why we came up with a few things to look out for to make sure you aren’t
at a less than reputable dealership.
We sell cars so we can turn around and give back to the
community. That’s our hearts, that’s what matters to us. We are constantly
looking for ways to help Wichita grow. Selling new and used cars is just the
way that we create the ability to impact Wichita.
One of the organizations that we are truly excited about
working with is ICT SOS. It’s an organization that acts “as a liaison between
specific local professional groups who work with trafficked you and adults, and
the Wichita volunteers who seek ways to be involved in finding solutions to
fight sex trafficking.” (from their website)
We have partnered with ICTSOS to help them in their goal to
end human trafficking in our city. They work hard everyday to do what they can
for the people affected by this problem.
They are currently gearing up to host the Race for Freedom
5k here in Wichita. It’s a fun race that we are so excited to help sponsor. So
head over to their website and sign up for the race. Support something that
truly makes a positive impact in our community.
Buying new or buying used, this is a question everyone has
to answer before they purchase their next vehicle. We wanted to give you all
the information up front to help you make the decision that best fits you.
Reasons to buy new
Warranty
It’s a new car, so it’s warranty is untouched. Sure you can
buy a warranty on a used car, but the best warranty –witout paying extra- will
be the one that comes with your new car from the manufacturer. Sorry used car,
you just can’t beat that.
Technology
Technology changes year after year. A 3 year old car can
lack certain features you really want. Buying new ensure you have the latest
and greatest tech to help enjoy your new ride.
Safety
As the years pass, vehicle safety laws become more and more
stringent. This makes automakers build safer systems for their vehicles.
Purchasing a used car means you may not get the safest vehicle you can.
Technology like blind-spot monitoring systems, side curtain airbags, adaptive
cruise control, and brake assists are becoming more and more prevalent on less
expensive cars. Soon they too will most likely be mandated.
Higher Fuel Economy
The government has cracked down on fuel emissions and fuel
economy. So automobiles as a whole are getting more fuel efficient, and also
more powerful. Plus with the rise of hybrid or electric cars, you can really
stretch your dollars.
Reasons to buy Used
Price
The used car will (more than likely) always be less
expensive. This gives you a little more room to step up to a nicer model. For
instance a 2015 Outback with everything you want could be less than the 2017
Outback base model. You sacrifice a few years to get the comfort level you
want.
Depreciation
This is a big one, because cars lose value
with each mile they are driven. The biggest decline in value happens right
away. The second that vehicle leaves the lot, it depreciated it’s value. Some
vehicles lose 40 percent of their value in the first year alone. That’s where
buying used saves you money.
Insurance Rates
Purchasing a new car means it’s going to
cost more on insurance. Having a slightly older model vehicle saves you some
cash every month.
Choice
Buying used gives you the advantage of finding
exactly what you want. Some models are no longer offered, or maybe you want
after market parts or modifications. When you buy used, you open yourself up to
a much larger array of vehicles to choose from.
As with every big decision, it’s important that you weight
the advantages on both sides. They also have their disadvantages. Take time to
think about what vehicle type works right for you before stepping onto the lot.
Knowledge is power, so do your research.
Nothing beats a cool treat on a hot summer day. With that in
mind, we wanted to do something really fun for Wichita. This past Sunday, July
16th, was National Ice Cream Day. We started thinking of ways to
celebrate and realized the best way was to bring the ice cream to you!
We reached out to our buddies over at Churn and Burn to help
provide the ice cream. They graciously helped us out, and even stopped by to
take some photos! We went to Riverside Park, College Hill Park, and Old Town
Square. We hoped to meet some people as they enjoyed the summer sun.
This thing turned out huge! We had enough ice cream at each
location to feed roughly 120 people. We figured that was more than enough,
however thanks to everyone on social media, it wasn’t close to enough. The
people of Wichita showed up in droves to get some of the delicious ice cream.
Crowds gathered, children played in near by water parks, and
Subaru Owners showed up to support. It was an amazing event that the people of
Wichita completely blew up. We can’t thank you enough for coming out and
enjoying some ice cream with us. It’s great to get out in the community and
meet all the wonderful people Wichita has to offer.
So next event we will be better prepared to serve even more
people. Keep on the look out, because we are already planning a few!
