Checkered Flag Automotive Group

Is it just me, or is this "runaway Prius"story just a little too convenient for the indebted driver?  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the story.

 Last week a Toyota Prius driver, James Sikes, called 911 from his car explaining to the operator that his gas pedal was stuck and he couldn't stop the car.  Which would be terrible, if it was true.   The highly publicized incident has since been investigated by the NHTSA and Toyota.  The findings are contrary to what Sikes said.  He claimed that he pushed the brake as hard as he could, but according to a draft memo written for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the condition of the brakes suggests that they "weren't applied at full force over a sustained period at high speeds", instead "the driver may have intermittently applied moderate pressure on the brakes."

Another aspect that just doesn't add up is Sikes' claim after the incident that his accelerator pedal was stuck to the floor and he was braking hard at the same time.  But his Prius is fitted with a brake override system that cuts engine power if the accelerator pedal and brake are applied at the same time.  Smells fishy to me!  So the next logical question is, why would anyone fake an "unintended acceleration"?  Money Honey!   Turns out the "victim", Mr. Sikes is over $700,000 in debt and behind on lease payments on the Prius in question.  So it would seem he is just a big fat liar trying to take advantage of a situation to solve his financial woes.  Just pitiful.

Remember, if your Toyota is affected by the recall, call the Recall Hotline 757-481-8888 to schedule your appointment with Checkered Flag Toyota, your Toyota Virginia Beach dealer, and receive a FREE rental car to use while your car is in the shop!

Source:[Autoblog]

My car buying journey is officially over, along with my days of driving a BMW.  I thought I would be sad to give up my 128i convertible, that is until I saw my new ride.  Here's how it all went down. If you remember, my lease wasn't up until April 18th, and I have been checking out all the small SUV and CUV (crossover utility vehicles) available right now.  I test drove the all new, completely redesigned Hyundai Tucson and loved it.  I took a spin in the Honda CR-V and loved it.  And I gave the Toyota Rav4, and VW Tiguan a try and, you guessed it, I loved them too!  All the 'utes have similar features and prices, amazing standard safety features, and great gas mileage.  So how to choose?

Well, with all the stuff going on with Toyota they have experienced a dip in sales, which is unfortunate since they are still one of the safest cars on the road, and the likelihood of having any trouble is so slim you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning, and winning the lottery! I took one look at the lease program Toyota is running this month and decided the Rav4 is HANDS DOWN the best value for me.  The advertised special is $229 down, $229 per month (not including tax, title and license fees), which is outrageously low.  The model that price applies to is the standard model (not Sport or Limited), I test drove it and really liked it, but I opted to upgrade to the Limited V6 4x4 model, which still had a great low payment!

Even though I didn't have to buy my next car until next month I didn't want to lose out on a chance to get such a great deal. Incentives are only guaranteed for one month.  So then I planned to wait until the very end of March to buy it, but I saw how fast the Toyota inventory is being sold, and I didn't want to wait too long and not get exactly what I want.  If someone else came and got my red Rav4 I would have been very, very sad.  So I turned the Bimmer in early and brought home my new baby!

Thanks to my sensational Salesman, Mike Morales, super Sales Manager, Ed Belisle, and fantastic Finance Manager, Jason Rayner for making the process easy and quick! Now what should I name my new Red Rav?  Hmmmm... 

Wow.. this Saturday at Checkered Flag Toyota was crazy!  I told you last week about our insanely low prices on all new and used Toyota vehicles, and the unbelievable low lease payments available on most models.. and 0% financing (which is still going strong), but the coolest thing of all had to be the TV give-a-way.  On Saturday, as promised, we opened our doors bright and early at 7am to greet thrifty shoppers who know a great deal when they see one.  Twenty-five lucky shoppers took home a brand new 42" LG Plasma TV, just for showing up and purchasing their new Toyota from Checkered Flag.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that current Toyota owners also received two years free maintenance on their new rides?  Yep.. it was that kind of party.  The sale was a huge success!  Stay tuned for the next outrageous Toyota incentives from your Toyota Virginia Beach dealership, Checkered Flag!