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Did you know that not rotating your tires can cause them to wear out more than three times as quickly? Tires that are not rotated can wear unevenly, becoming "chopped." At first, chopped tires will be only a minor nuisance; they will be noisier and less fuel-efficient than tires with even wear. Over time, however, the chop will become so severe that the tires will no longer pass a state safety inspection, even as early as 20,000 miles! With the cost of a new set of 4 tires being easily in the $400 to $500 range, prolonging the life of your tires for only about $20 is a bargain! Better still, when you buy a set of 4 tires from any of our Irwin locations (including Laconia Quick Lane) we include free tire rotations for the life of the tire. A good rule of thumb is to have your tires rotated whenever you have your oil changed. Even though rotating your tires makes good financial sense (especially when the service is free!), there is an even more important reason for doing so, and that is safety. Even when a tire is becoming chopped but still technically passes inspection, it will not perform as well as an un-chopped tire with the same tread depth, all else being equal. Tires are one of the most important parts of your vehicle since they are what connects you to the road. With that in mind, it is crucial to take care of them, both for your own safety, and to get the most life out of them. Having your tires rotated when you have your oil changed and keeping them properly inflated will help you get the most life out of your tires, while also maximizing your fuel economy.

When purchasing a pre-owned vehicle, it is especially important to know exactly what you are getting. Unlike new vehicles, used cars can vary substantially in quality, even when comparing two cars of the same year, make and model. To provide peace-of-mind to our customers, many new car franchises have factory certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle programs. A CPO vehicle is one that has undergone a more rigorous inspection than the average used car, and has been fully reconditioned to meet the exacting requirements of the original manufacturer. For example, Toyota has one of the most stringent set of requirements of any CPO program. For a used Toyota to become a certified Toyota, the vehicle undergoes a 170-point inspection. Among other items, the tire tread and brake pads must both be 50% or better, and no more than two body panels can have had prior paintwork (even by a professional bodyshop). Because the tires and brakes have a high minimum requirement, many CPO Toyotas actually have new tires and brake pads installed so that they can pass the CPO inspection, providing a higher quality used car to the consumer. Certified pre-owned cars do not just provide peace-of-mind and higher quality, there are other benefits to the CPO program as well, such as better warranties, and sometimes, reduced interest rates. For example, a CPO Toyota comes with the balance of a 7-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, a 12-month/12,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, and a full year of roadside assistance. Additionally, Toyota CPO models are eligible for special financing rates. Currently, all Toyota CPO vehicles are eligible for 2.90% APR financing for up to 60 months for qualified customers, and this program is good until August 4th. The specific requirements for certification and any added benefit in the form of warranties or financing rates will vary between manufacturers, but in every case the goal is to provide an exceptional used car and to remove any uncertainty about the car. When considering a used car, definitely consider a factory certified pre-owned vehicle. For the peace-of-mind that comes with a superior product, be sure to look for the terms "Toyota certified," "Ford certified," or "Hyundai certified." Vehicles that pass a manufacturer's certification requirements represent the very best used cars on the market and we are proud to offer them to our customers.

The newly redesigned 2015 Toyota Camry will be available for sale at Irwin Toyota this fall. The 2015 Camry features a bold new design that is its sportiest one yet! The more aggressive design is based on the very popular Corolla redesign which has continued to be a best seller for Toyota. The aggressive grille is accented by deep-set LED fog lamps. The interior has been reworked as well and now includes stain chrome accents. The interior is quieter than ever thanks to improved sound deadening design. On the technology front, don't miss the available 7-inch touchscreen interface for Entune and the optional Qi wireless charging pad. Newly added safety tech includes a lane deaprture warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and forward collision warning. Under the hood will be the same tried-and-true lineup of a 2.5L I4, 3.5L V6, and the 2.5L Synergy Drive Hybrid.

March Madness is in full force here at the Irwin Automotive Group, and we don't mean that basketball kind. Once again, it is time for our Drive into Spring Sales Event on new and used cars and trucks! Our new cars are priced below MSRP, come with a $750 gift card, and many of them have 0% APR financing for 60 months, and 0 payments for 90 days. As always, we use live market pricing for our used cars to get you some of the best deals in New England. If you have been waiting for the right time to buy a new or used car, this is it! Don't miss your opportunity to get the car you have been waiting for! With tax refund checks coming back and our low, low prices, these cars won't be here for long. Another reason to come to Irwin Toyota this March is the 2014 Highlander. This popular SUV has been redesigned for the 2014 model year, and is ready for you to take for a spin. The reliable Camry is available in both the 2014 and the 2014.5 model years (and the 2014 has excellent incentives to make room for the 2014.5 model!) It may not feel like it yet, but we are coming out of winter. We'll be tapping the maple trees in a couple weeks, and it's smooth sailing after that. So it's time to start thinking about summer camping trips, towing boats, trips to the beach, cookouts, and all the best that a New England summer has to offer! With all that in mind, be sure to check out our extensive assortment of hatchbacks, wagons, SUV's, and trucks!

Leasing is a great option for someone who tends to get a new car every couple years and who drives 18,000 miles per year or less. Leasing offers several advantages over purchasing a car. First, monthly lease payments are lower than monthly car loan payments.  The reason for this is that under a lease agreement, you are paying to use a car rather than paying to own a car. So rather than paying for all of the car, you pay for the depreciation of the vehicle over the life of the lease, essentially, the portion of the car that you use. Under the lease agreement, you know the sale price of the vehicle, and you know the value of the vehicle at the end of the lease, and you know the lease rate factor, which is a similar concept to an interest rate on a conventional loan. Your monthly lease payment is determined based on these numbers. At the end of the lease, you have the opportunity (but not the obligation) to purchase the vehicle at the pre-determined lease end value. In addition to the lower monthly cost, another advantage of leasing is that the vehicle is under factory warranty the whole time you own it, meaning that yo don't have to worry about costly repairs. Some people say that they do not like leasing because they want to own the car, and that is a perfectly valid opinion. However, if you take out a 5-year car loan to purchase a car, and after 3 or 4 years you go to trade the car in, you technically don't own the car yet because the bank still has the title. In this scenario, you do have a trade in, but it is just barely starting to gain equity. It might make more sense to lease a car for 2 or 3 years, and put the money you save into the bank, and use it as a down payment on your next lease. Not that you need a down payment, which is another bonus to leasing. Many leases only require the first month's payment due at signing, meaning less money out of pocket than the 10-20% down payment than many lending institutions prefer to get you the best rates on car loans. Leasing is not for everyone. Some people commute too many miles per year for a lease to make sense. Others prefer to pay off their car and just deal with repairs such as tires, brakes, emissions system, etc. as needed. For many people, though, the combination of lower monthly cost and the peace of mind of always having a warranty makes leasing an excellent choice.

Irwin Toyota is running a Presidents Month sales event for all of February! In addition to our already low prices on  new and pre-owned Toyota cars, trucks, and SUV's, we are offering a $1,000 savings voucher on new cars, and many new models have available 0% APR financing. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time and it is easy to see why! The Corolla has been redesigned for the 2014 model year, and with a starting MSRP of $16,800 it is an excellent value. The Corolla's interior has reached new levels of elegance with the available SofTex seats. SofTex is an environmentally-friendly leather-like fabric, which is both stain and water resistant. The available piano black accents really make the center console pop and draws attention to the stylish interior. For an even more upscale interior experience, try the available power moonroof. For the tech-savvy drivers out there, be sure to check out the available Entune premium audio with Navigation and App Suite. The 6.1-inch touchscreen display works very well for the back-up camera, navigation, and song information. Bluetooth wireless connectivity comes standard, so syncing your phone to your Corolla is a breeze! And if you really want to live it up on the technology side of things, you will be impressed with the voice recognition feature. Check out our new car specials page to see what kinds of deals we are offering on the 2014 Corolla! Another completely redesigned favorite is the 2014 Highlander. It has a larger grille, sleek front end, and aerodynamic roof rails to give it an athletic, powerful look. With seating for up to 8 passengers, the Highlander is designed with the active family in mind. All 8 passengers can sit comfortably, and enjoy features such as a reclining third-row seat. Entune Audio with a 6.1-inch Intelligent Touch screen comes standard on every Highlander, and it can be upgraded with Navigation, SiriusXM Radio, HD Radio, the Entune App Suite, and an optional 8-inch touch screen. The Highlander, Corolla, Camry, RAV4, Tundra, Tacoma, and Sienna will all be available with incredible deals during the entire month of February! So some on down to Irwin Toyota and check them out!

For the third year in a row, Toyota has been named the brand with the highest residual value by Kelly Blue Book. A high resale value is beneficial to customers for several reasons. First, the car will be worth more than another car when the customer goes to trade it in for a newer car. This is the same as putting more money down, and reducing the monthly payment on the new car, which will help with that monthly budget. On a related note, if you want to trade-in or sell this car before the loan is paid off, you are more likely to be in a positive equity situation early in the loan than you would be with a car that does not hold value as well. Because a higher-resale value car does not depreciate as quickly as a lower-resale value, you have positive equity in the car faster. This reduces your risk of ending up underwater by giving you the option of trading the car back in, satisying the loan, and putting the differnce towards a new cdar (or in your pocket). So far, we have only looked at the advantages of high-resale value cars when you purchase a car, but the same is also true with leasing. With a car lease, you pay to use a car, not to own a car. This is an important distinction, because part of the lease calculation is based on the car's depreciation over the life of the lease contract. If all else is equal, a car with a higher resale value will have a lower monthly lease payment than a car with a lower resale value. This is true because the higher-resale value car does not depreciate as quickly, so you pay the leasing company less in depreciation. So regardless of whether you are buying a car (cash or finance) or leasing a car, a high resale value works in your favor. And because Toyota has the highest resale values out there, you should stop by Irwin Toyota today to buy or lease a new Toyota, or buy a Toyota certified pre-owned Toyota!

The redesigned 2014 Toyota Corolla is available for sale at Irwin Toyota, the premier Toyota dealership in central New Hampshire. The 2014 Corolla has been redesigned with an all-new aerodynamic profile, and a sporty exterior that comes standard with LED headlights. The interior has reached new levels of elegance with the available SofTex seats, which are an environmentally-friendly leather-like fabric, which is both stain and water resistant. The available piano black accents really make the center console pop and draws attention to the stylish interior. For an even more upscale interior experience, try the available power moonroof. For the tech-savvy drivers out there, be sure to check out the available Entune premium audio with Navigation and App Suite. The 6.1-inch touchscreen display works very well for the back-up camera, navigation, and song information. Plus, it comes with a suite of apps that will be sure to impress even the most die-hard technophile. Bluetooth wireless connectivity comes standard, so syncing your phone to your Corolla is a snap! And if you really want to live it up on the technology side of things, you will be impressed with the voice recognition feature. With 8 standard airbags, Star Safety System, a starting MSRP of $16,800 and 37 mpg on the highway, the 2014 Corolla has a blend of safety, affordability and fuel efficiency that will appeal to many drivers.

Good news for all you recent college graduates: Toyota has increased its College Grad Rebate to $750. This $750 rebate is available to students who have graduated within the past two years and is good towards the purchase or lease of a new Toyota car, truck, van, or SUV. To make it even easier for recent graduates to take advantage of this program, Toyota Financial Services (TFS) allows recent graduates to purchase or lease a vehicle with no money down and no payments for the first 90 days. To be eligible for this exciting opportunity, you must meet the following graduation, employment, insurance, and credit criteria: -Have graduated from an accredited four-year college, university, or nursing program within the past two years, or be scheduled to graduate from such a school or program in the next six months. -Have graduated from an accredited two-year college during the last two years, or be scheduled to graduate from one in the next six months. -Have graduated during the last two years from the two-year Toyota Technical Education Network (T-TEN) Program or any other two-year, post-secondary automotive program accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). -Have completed in the past two years an electrician apprenticeship/certification program offered through either the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) or the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Having met one of the above graduation criteria, you will still have to show proof of income in the form of either present employment or future employment with a start date of no more than 120 days from the date of your purchase or lease contract date. Please note that TFS must deem your income level to be sufficient to cover your living expenses as well as your car payments. If you would like to take advantage of this great opportunity to save $750 on your next car purchase or less, call Irwin Toyota at 603-524-4922.

If you live in NH and you want an auto loan but have bad credit or no credit, then you should consider looking into NHCarCredit.com, a proven and well-established financing solution you can trust! A car loan is one of the best ways to start rebuilding damaged credit. If you want to learn more about how your credit score is calculated, check out the picture below. As you can see, a mix of five factors are used to determine your credit score. Your credit score is simply a snapshot of your creditworthiness at a given moment in time; your score can go up or down depending on these five factors.

When bad credit happens to good people Maybe you lost your job for a time, maybe the mortgage crisis struck too close (literally) to home, or maybe you just fell behind on a few payments due to an emergency or medical crisis.  If these things happened to you then undoubtedly your credit score may have taken a hit. I would like to speak directly to you about your options.  You are more than your current credit score to the Irwin Automotive group.  You are a person with a history of credit over a longer period of time then your score will indicate. Factors that may not show up in your score but may be used to help you get the credit you need to purchase your next vehicle include: previous automobile loan performance, equity down, and credit history prior to the incident that is linked to your score dropping. The best part of my job is often helping someone like you drive off in a new or pre-owned vehicle.  Because we offer lenders a large number of loans on a month to month basis we have a tremendous amount of sway in how our customers are viewed by them.  I invite you to come on in and visit me at Irwin Toyota Ford Lincoln and Scion and see if I can help another worthy person get back on the road to great credit, while driving a new or pre-owned vehicle. Dennis Marhefka Finance Manager 603-524-4922

The Toyota RAV4 is a pretty great automobile. It combines the reliability of the Toyota nameplate with the dependable performance of an AWD drivetrain, and wraps them both in a reasonably compact, fuel-efficient body. In fact, it is exactly this winning combination of fuel economy, reliability, and convenience that makes the RAV4 one of the most popular SUV's on the road. But when the RAV4 was first introduced in 1994, it caused quite a controversy among SUV enthusiasts. At that time, almost all SUV's were built on pickup truck platforms. So when Toyota unveiled the RAV4, which was built on the Celica All-Trac platform, many people were skeptical. However, what Toyota recognized was only about 5% of all the truck-based SUV's were acutally used as off-road vehicles. By using a car platform, Toyota introduced a crossover that provided AWD reliability but with better fuel economy and a smoother, more comfortable ride. The spikes in gasoline prices we have soon over the past decade have helped to cement the popularity of the RAV4, and to further underline the fact that for most people, an AWD crossover vehicle like the RAV4 is perfectly sufficient. The RAV4 just goes to show that once again, Toyota has used superior product design and management to change the automotive industry for the better.