Greetings, 

We're smack dab in the middle of summer!  Most of us have probably been doing some of the traditional summertime activities - grilling burgers, taking in a baseball game, swimming at the pool, and so on.  Summer can be busy for a lot of people, but if you're fortunate enough that your schedule slows down some during the dog days, relax and take it easy!  

We'd like to take a minute to thank everyone who has entrusted their car care to us this year.  We hope that we've lived up to everybody's expectations, but if we haven't we've still got half a year to make up for it!!  Seriously, though, we would not have remained in business for 25 years if we did not have good customers who put their trust in us.  We remain grateful for your loyalty.  

We want to remind everyone of our upcoming vacation.  We will be closed from Saturday, July 24 until we return on Monday, August 2.  If you need that last minute oil change or trip inspection before YOUR vacation, call us for an appointment.  The week before we close has historically been one of our busiest, so call soon, before you forget!  If you'd like to make an appointment online, click here.

Lastly, please be careful when you're on the roads this summer.  There are a lot of drivers out there who won't be driving carefully.  We hope that you and all your family have a safe and happy summer. 

Lowell

  

In this issue:
An Important Message to Our Customers...
It's Time for Summer Travel!
Contest Winners
Prius Here to Stay
Toyota Posts Record Earnings
Readers' Questions & Comments
Think Gas is High...Compared to What?
 Advertisements & Self-Promotion

                                            
   

                           

An Important Message to Our Customers...

Lowell’s can perform all preventive and factory scheduled maintenance on your Toyota or Lexus, whether it’s brand new, mature, has 5000 or 500,000 miles. 

Our extensive inventory of parts and years of Toyota and Lexus experience will keep your new car warranty (and all extended warranties) intact, no matter where you bought your car. 

To protect your warranty, all required service we perform will be noted in your maintenance book and recorded in our database for permanent record.


Back to Contents

  


 

Contest Winners 


Below are the contest winners from our last newsletter.  They all correctly guessed the surprise hidden within the newsletter.  The correct answer was the jalopy in the "Rules for Driving in Lexington" article.  If you clicked on the picture, a link took you to a web site for "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV show.  Congratulations to all!

1st place:  Lisa Ginter - coupon for a free gas fill up.
2nd place:  Lee Ann Pope - coupon for a free lube, oil, and filter service (includes a complimentary inspection).
3rd, 4th, 5th places:  Nancy McDevitt, Mary Kelly, and Elaine Crawford - coupon good for $10 off any repair.


Back to Contents



 

It's Time for Summer Travel!

by Clay Drysdale

It looks like my wife, kids, and I will probably do some traveling during my vacation later this month.  I’m sure it will be a lot of fun, but I really hate leaving work for that long – I’m not sure I can stay away from Lowell’s for a whole week.  Oh well, I guess I’ll have to suffer through it...

I will definitely do a thorough inspection on my car before I start out.  There is nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, worse than having car trouble out on the interstate with nothing and nobody around you.  It’s not a very good feeling.  I've only broken down once like that (when my water pump decided to lock up), and as fortune would have it, my wife was in our other car behind me.  Though I ended up leaving my car at a gas station in a small town on an otherwise nondescript Sunday afternoon, at least we had the other car to load all the stuff into and head on to Lexington.  My wife was none too happy about all that, let me tell you.  Nor, was she happy when two days later we had to go back and get it, but that’s another story altogether!

Just like I always (try) to do, I’ll make sure the oil is changed, the transmission fluid looks good, the tires are rotated, and the coolant is in good shape (I don’t need another water pump replacement).  Fortunately, I can do most minor work like that myself, because nobody around here knows anything about Chryslers (yes, I have a Chrysler and a Buick and work at a Toyota repair shop – I do take some occasional ribbing about that).  But since you probably have a Toyota or Lexus if you’re reading this, I highly recommend letting Lowell’s work on your car.  If you’re going to be traveling at all this summer, give us a call, or email us and we’ll inspect your car from top to bottom to make sure she’s road-worthy.

By the way,  I found a great web site to check local gas prices.  It’s called lexingtongasprices.com.  It has up-to-date prices at pumps all over the Bluegrass.  With gas prices the way they are right now, every cent counts.  Oh! - don’t forget to read our bit of gas price humor on down this page.

Remember, contact us before you drive!  Don’t end up like I did, stranded on the road in the middle of nowhere.  Take it from me - you won't like it.                                                                        
                                                                               

Quotes to Ponder:
Summer is...
...when the highway authorities close the regular roads and open up the detours.
...the time children slam the doors they left open all winter.                    

  

Back to Contents

 

 

Prius Here to Stay

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest carmaker by market value, boosted production of the Prius gasoline-electric car by a third in April, amid surging oil prices that spurred demand for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Production of the hybrid car was raised to 10,000 units a month from 7,500, spokesman Shigeru Hayakawa said in Tokyo. The Prius plant in central Japan's Aichi prefecture can produce 130,000 cars a year with overtime, 44 percent more than its earlier production target, he said. Toyota raised its 2004 Prius sales forecast by 71 percent in December.

The Prius stayed on dealer lots for an average of just six days in April, the shortest period of any model sold in the world's biggest automotive market, according to a survey by J.D. Power & Associates. The hybrid car is most popular in California and was the vehicle of choice for actor Tim Robbins at this year's Oscar ceremony in February.





Back to Contents

   


  
 

Toyota Posts Record Earnings 
 
 Toyota Motor recently became the first Japanese company to report a net profit of more than a trillion yen, or about $10 billion, firmly establishing its position as the world's No. 2 automaker behind General Motors.

Toyota's earnings dwarf those of global competitors GM and Ford, and fuel expectations that Toyota could pass GM in market share within a decade. Toyota's market capitalization is already larger than GM's, Ford's and DaimlerChrysler's combined.

U.S. automakers say Toyota's profit, while impressive, is helped by a weak yen. Though Toyota said it lost $900 million last year on the yen's strengthening against the dollar and the euro, the Bank of Japan spent $188 billion intervening in currency markets. The result was the dollar weakening against the yen by just 11%, while the dollar weakened against the euro by 20%.

In addition, the Japanese government has been taking pension obligations off companies' books. Toyota said it gained $943 million last year from reimbursement from a government pension fund.


Back to Contents

   

    

Readers' Questions & Comments                     


Very nice edition.  I like the expanded format.  Interesting and informative.

C.W., Lexington


Hi,

Enjoyed the newsletter, especially the rules for driving in Lexington.  Although they were not much of a surprise, as I see them in action daily.

Thanks,
D.M., Lexington


Looks as if through shameless self promotion Lowell has once again touted the celebrity status of some of his closest relations! The musical interlude of the web link will never rise to the level of fine classical music but, alas, it must speak to Lowell's soul. Very clever you guys!

Todd


Back to Contents



 

Do you have a question about car maintenance?
 We love to hear from all our good friends and customers who enjoy reading Lowell’s Toyota Times.  If you have a question about anything related to your Toyota or Lexus, feel free to give us a call at (859) 233-1173, or drop us a line at lowells@iglou.com.


Back to Contents

 


  
Think Gas is High...Compared to What?
   The following article was sent to us by one of our customers - we thought we'd pass it along.


  Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump.... 

 So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on Evian, Nyquil, or Pepto-Bismol!
  

Back to Contents



  

Awards & Honors
Better Business Bureau Integrity Award in 1991.
Voted "Best in the Bluegrass" in ACE magazine poll in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Featured on a television special for employing women in a traditionally male environment.
Featured on Hometown Heroes for work done in the community.

     

Be sure to check out our "MONTHLY SPECIAL" at  www.chooselowells.com.


Back to Contents         

      

______________________________________________________________________________________________
 "Lowell's Toyota Times" is published by Lowell's Bluegrass Automotive.  Opened in 1979, Lowell's is the the only independent repair shop in the Bluegrass specializing in the maintenance and repair of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

     

          

To have your name removed from our mailing list, send us an email by clicking here.  Just type "remove" in the subject line.