Drive sweet rides from ferrari and maserati as part of a 2000HP drive your dream Tour!

Crashing financial markets, surging unemployment, and record drops in the real estate market all combined to make 2008 and 2009 some of the hardest years for car consumers.  When you add in the high fuel prices and credit crunch, it’s no wonder than many automakers posted losses.

By many accounts, exotic and luxury car manufacturers may have been among the hardest hit.  In a rocky economic situation, consumers simply couldn’t see spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for these high-end vehicles.

However, the top six luxury car brands are posting moderate gains for the first part of 2010.  Those top six exotic carmakers are Bentley, ferrari, Rolls-Royce, lamborghini, Maybach, and maserati.  Collectively, the sector has seen a 16% jump in sales over the same period last year.

This beautiful Bentley GT has been featured as part of dfw drive your dream!

The president of ferrari-Maserati of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Garret Hayim is cautiously optimistic.  He says Ferrari sales slowed for a time, but there is now a waiting list for new models.

“Sales are definitely stronger this year,” Hayim said.

It’s a trend that may be holding true nationwide.  Ron Sturgeon, owner of an exotic car storage facility in Fort Worth, Texas, says that he’s also seeing an uptick in interest in exotic vehicles.

“People are gradually seeing their lives go back to normal,” says Sturgeon. “As that happens, they can resume some of the spending habits they used to enjoy.  We’re seeing a lot of high-end exotic cars being stored at our facility.”

There are several reasons exotic cars are more expensive than their work-day counterparts.  These pricey vehicles are often assembled by hand, using the finest parts and craftsmanship.  They are also highly customizable and feature many performance-boosting enhancements.

However, the retail price is only part of the picture when it comes to the cost of owning an exotic car.  There’s also the hassle of finding a good deal on discount auto insurance for a high-end vehicle, plus the expense of maintenance and repairs.  Consumers are once again becoming confident enough in the economy to take on this kind of financial responsibility.

In fact, some figures indicate that Americans are buying more exotic cars than they did before the recession.  According to Edmunds.com, about 4.6 percent of 2001 new vehicle sales were classified as exotic or luxury automobiles.  In 2010, it’s estimated that exotic car sales will be about 9 percent.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer, who specialized in web content, editing, and technical writing.

German tradition holds that if the groundhog sees his shadow, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania residents can expect six more weeks of winter.

If the Phil doesn’t cast a shadow, spring will arrive earlier than usual.

Unfortunately, this year, overcast skies in caused the groundhog to cast a long shadow.

What does six more weeks of winter mean for Dallas residents?  Well, this week won’t be too bad with sunny skies and a high temperature of 70 degrees by Friday.  It sounds like perfect weather to drive a supercar in Dallas. I suspect that DFW residents will continue to look to trained meteorologists to forecast the end of winter.

Dallas attracts a lot people from colder states during the winter,” says Tom Warren, general manager of a Dallas exotic car rental business.  “Most of the time the weather in Dallas is perfect for renting a convertible and doing some top down driving.”

Many of DFW’s seasonal residents store a car in Dallas TX during the time they live up elsewhere.

But even in Dallas, winter can seem to last too long.  Proverbs say April is the cruelest month, but it might be February.  Temperatures rise and fall and let DFW residents taste spring before plunging them back into a DFW airport-closing ice storm.

(Dallas ice storm image courtesy of Jeremy Keith and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Only. See more of Jeremy’s pictures on Flickr.)

In the Twin Cities, we don’t pay any attention to Phil and his shadow. We know winter is going to be here long after Dallas has been transformed into a sunny paradise.

It could make us bitter. It does make us not want to know what the weather is like down there. Keep it to yourself when we call.

We don’t need a rodent to predict the weather in February. I woke up to -4 degrees this morning. We’ll be having six more weeks of bitter cold here in MN. How I long for weather good enough to drive a sports car with the top down.

Well, June will be here before you know it.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

Well, a funny thing happens when the markets crash, credit disappears, and people start hording their cash like squirrels. It seems almost impossible to get any venture off of the ground. This, unfortunately, is the current state of things.

But being creative creatures, Americans have come up with something called peer-to-peer lending. Generally, these are facilitated by web-based companies that allow for potential borrowers to state their case as to why they need money (which run the gamut from the ridiculous to the sublime) and potential lenders can look for an opportunity that they think makes sense.

Many of these companies have gone belly up do to the tough market, high default rates, and other problems. But one company, Lending Club, has not only survived but thrived. Just recently, Cnet.com reports that Lending Club got regulatory approval that will allow their lenders to package up their loan instruments and offer them for sale to other lenders as instruments.

This type of entrepreneurial creativity isn’t just present in the credit markets either. The consumer retail market has its own examples. “In tough times, people don’t want to have to give up their passions due to budget restrictions,” claims Ron Sturgeon, a business consultant and serial entrepreneur in Dallas-Fort Worth. “We offer car lovers the ability to continue enjoying high-end automobiles without the expense and hassle of direct ownership.”

How, exactly does Ron Sturgeon get this done? Sturgeon operates dfw elite car club (http://www.dfwelitecarclub.com). This car club allows members to access the club’s multi-million dollar exotic car collection for personal or business use. Don’t think this is just a car rental agency either. We are talking about Aston Martins, Bentleys, and Lamborghinis, not Ford Focuses. 

Photo taken by very talented photographer ZeroOne and licensed under a Creative Commons license. See more of ZeroOne’s photographs on Flickr.

With car club membership plans starting at under $1,000 per month and no large up-front start up fees, many people who thought they were priced out of the exotic car market may find themselves driving a Ferrari F430.

It just goes to show that even in down economies, whether you’re talking about getting credit or joining a luxury car sharing club, there are always creative ways to get things accomplished.

Written by G.D. Gregory. If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my portfolio of web copywriting, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com.

.

“This mashup is a great idea,” says Ron Sturgeon, owner of a Dallas exotic car rental company. “It creates a tool to help drivers quickly find the cheap gas,” insists Mr. Sturgeon.

“Although, I am not sure how well it will work in area’s where stations are spread out, I applaud the thinking behind combining the data. Especially in urban areas, this tool will help motorists lessen the sting of a fill up,” says Sturgeon.

Even at the top of the exotic market, people are looking for ways to economize. People who might have been performance car buyers in a better economy are getting their exotic car driving fix by joining a car sharing club.

“The fact is that the average six figure exotic car is only driven a few thousand miles a year,” says DFW Elite Car Club GM Tom Warren. “The car sharing alternative delivers access to a garage of 20 or 30 exotic cars for less than the cost of owning one,” insists Dallas car club executive.

“No matter how great a car you buy, you’re stuck with one driving experience. The club offers an unparalleled variety of dream car driving experiences and the company of like minded car enthusiasts,” says Warren.

To learn more about DFW’s premier car sharing club, visit http:wwwdfwelitecarclub.com. To find a car club in your home city, visit an online directory of car sharing clubs such as http://www.exoticcarclubs.com.

GasBuddy.com has a team of users who report current gas prices in their areas. If you have a Google account, you can add the gas feature to Google Maps here. Then in the left menu, under “Featured Content,” select “Gas Prices from GasBuddy.com.”

You’ll be well on your way to saving money at the pump. Google Gas can really help you save a few dollars at the pump, especially if you are putting premium in a sports car!

Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.