The Beach Blog

Beach Ford’s Passion for Fine Automobiles

Dear Beach Ford Family,

Have you ever been so passionate about something, it all but consumed you? I mean in the way something like an avocation that grabs your imagination and approaches a mild addiction. Sportsmen of all kinds, collectors, and hobbyists of all types understand this. Witness an avid fly-fisherman in just about any Orvis retail outlet or an Antique enthusiast at an estate sale, and you’ll see what I am talking about! It is unbridled passion and it is catching to anyone who observes.

At Beach Ford, we have a passion for fine automobiles that is shared with our thousands of Beach Ford family members. It is this passion that causes us to take a new Ford vehicle, straight from the factory, and make it unique, to personalize it so that it captures someone’s imagination. We do this more than most people know.

Recently, we took a red Mustang with a factory red paint job and created something inspiring. One of our craftsman painters in our collision center, painted a flawless black racing stripe from the bottom of the front spoiler, up the hood, over the roof, and down the tail end of the car. I am not talking about a sticker-stripe, I am talking about a beautifully, perfectly, painted stripe with zero imperfections. Additionally, we added a custom grill and a body kit that gives the Mustang a heftier look and a street-style stance. We then replaced the brushed aluminum, factory wheels with a set of gorgeous black “American Muscle” wheels that tie in perfectly with the painted stripe. It is a sight to behold and will set its eventual owner apart from the other muscle-car owners in their neighborhood. And I can almost guarantee the future owner will have a passion. A passion for the allure of the automobile. I can’t wait to meet this person and share the moment!

At our dealership, we enjoy helping our family of customers indulge their passion for fine cars and trucks. It’s what we do every day! Come see us and get caught up in it!

Thank you for being a part our Beach Ford family!
-Tom Barton

January Note from Tom Barton

Dear Beach Ford Family,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season and have had a good start to 2012! I want to thank everyone in our Beach Ford Family for making 2011 a great year. For the second year in a row, Beach Ford’s new vehicle sales improved by over 20% and our service and parts sales also showed improvement vs. the previous year. Our family of customers is the reason for our success and it feels good to be growing again!

2012 should be another great one for Ford Motor Company and Beach Ford. There are four impressive new models coming out this year that will provide plenty of excitement throughout the year. First, will be a Focus ST sports coupe that will have a 2.0L Ecoboost engine, capable of 250 horse power! This car is really something and will give Beach Ford customers who are into small performance cars, plenty to brag about! This vehicle should be available before Spring.

Next will be a re-freshed 2013 Taurus with enough of a new look to reinvigorate the full size, upscale buyer who appreciates a little luxury without paying the luxury price tag.

Then comes the all new, completely re-designed, 2013 Ford Escape! This vehicle will be available in the Spring also, and is a beauty with a sleek new design that will change the way you look at a small SUV.

Later this Summer, the 2013 Ford Fusion will make its way to our showroom floor. I have seen this vehicle in its planning stages for over two years on my trips to Dearborn. It is nothing short of stunning. It just won “Car of the Show” at the Detroit Auto Show that is going on through January 20th. I know of no other mid-size sedan with as much elegant style as the new Fusion – it will be truly a game changing product for us and it will be available this summer. The best way to describe it is “Aston – Martin infused with plenty of Detroit DNA!” Just beautiful!

It was not so long ago that I might struggle a bit when writing a column like this, concerning future products. There just wasn’t that much coming out – at least worth writing about, anyway. Ford makes this easy now and it makes this business more exciting and more fulfilling than ever. I look forward to seeing you at our showroom sometime soon! It is going to be an exciting year!

Thank you for being a part of the Beach Ford Family,

Tom Barton

Ford’s Power of Choice Tour

We all know that all-electric vehicles, like the Ford Connect, can help lead to cleaner cities. But Ford says going green can also save you money.

Last month, the Ford’s Power of Choice Tour stopped by Beach Ford, and WVEC was there to catch it.

A Note from Tom Barton – October 2011

Dear Beach Ford Family,

“A merchant who approaches business with the idea of serving the public well, has nothing to fear from competitors.” — J.C Penney

A wise man, J.C. Penney. Almost too simple a notion though, right? Well, not really, if a merchant truly makes this the centerpiece of their business. Sure, we have heard them all, “The customer is always right.” “Service with a smile.” “The customer pays the wages, the employer just handles the money.” “Treat the customer as you would like to be treated.” There are many sayings that have been so over-used, we don’t even contemplate their meaning. J.C Penney’s quote, however, means a lot more than what’s on the surface.

As a merchant, serving the public well is about a lot more than just providing a product or service and doing it effectively. The best merchants not only supply and effectively deliver their products to their patrons, they create an environment, an atmosphere, for their customers. The best merchants don’t just present their product for sale. They manage to create and tell a story for their customers. Think about the best merchants you know. It doesn’t matter what kind or the product being sold. In the very best stores, no matter the product, it is what the customer sees, what they smell and how they feel, that makes the total experience – what tells the story that makes the customer enthusiastic about what the merchant is offering?

In Beach Ford’s case, we have a spacious and comfortable showroom with plenty of beautiful vehicles on display. We try to capture the Ford Motor Company heritage and encourage our customers to relive some of the classic Ford designed vehicles with our murals and photographs of famous Fords. Classic, framed antique Ford advertisements adorn the space and remind our customers just how long Ford Motor has been serving the families of America.

We have a functioning cafe, where the smell of fresh coffee wafts over the smell of freshly baked cookies. The children’s play area’s large, flat-screen TV plays the Disney Channel throughout the day, while college football fans watch the game, while waiting on their new car, from a 60 inch TV every Saturday in the fall.

You see, we don’t just want to earn our customers’ patronage; we want them to become wrapped up in an experience. An experience where they, for a brief period, get completely wrapped-up in their primary mode of transportation, the company they are getting it from, and yes, even wrapped-up in the image of themselves, that is derived from the car or truck of their choosing. But more important than even this – we want to forge relationships, even friendships, with our customers. At Beach Ford, this is what “serving the public well,” means.

Thank you for being a member of the Beach Ford Family,

Tom Barton

Tom Barton on Summer Time in the Car Business

Dear Beach Ford Family,

I trust that all of you are in full summer-time swing by now! It is hard to believe that this warm time of the year is, in fact, half over now. It is funny how the pace of life seems to slow just a bit as compared to the Fall, when everyone shakes off the lazy summer days and seems to get back in high-gear with the cooler temperatures blowing in. Trips to the beach and pool, back yard cookouts, and living in your flip-flops are the lifestyle, if but for a precious 6 – 7 weeks more.

Summer is a fun time to be in the car business. Not only do we see more of our family of customers, but we get to see customers who vacation each year in Virginia Beach, who quite often have their vehicle serviced before heading back for home. It is amazing how many people from all parts North, stop in while on vacation here at the beach. Each year several of them, thankfully, take the time to write to me about a good experience they had at Beach Ford, usually in our service department. At least once per summer, however, I do receive a letter from a vacationer who buys a new car from Beach Ford before returning home! These letters usually go something like this: “Mr. Barton, I wanted to commend your Service Advisor, Tom Best, who helped me get our SUV fixed before we left Virginia Beach to return home from our vacation. Tom treated us like we were old friends and got us back on the road in short-order. Your dealership treated us like we had bought all our cars there and we appreciated that very much!” As a business owner, there are no better confirmations that your people are treating everyone well, every time. I love getting letters like these!

At Beach Ford, we strive to treat all customers as if they were family. When customers from Pennsylvania, while on their vacation, take time out to buy or service a car with us, I feel good about our operation and our people. It confirms and demonstrates what we talk about when we practice in our meetings and training sessions. It makes me confident that during the other 9 months in the year, our Hampton Roads clientele are, indeed, getting the best of our best!

Thank you for being a part of our Beach Ford Family,

Tom Barton

Tom Barton on the Rising Cost of Fuel and Ford’s Fuel-Efficiency

Dear Beach Ford Family,

Going to the gas station is getting less fun by the minute! Those of us that were around about 35 years ago can remember when you never pumped your gas – it was always done by a station attendant, who also washed your windows and sometimes checked the oil level in your car or truck. I used to like the “ding” emitting from the chord that my mom’s car drove over, which signaled to the station employees that another customer had arrived. Fond memories of childhood for those of us over 40, but I digress. Gas stations are indeed no fun anymore, not because no bells go off when you arrive anymore, but in large part because of the money we now spend there for GAS!! National averages now peaking at $3.85/gallon for regular make for lighter wallets and less fun filling up!

Fear not, Beach Ford Family, for we now have vehicles across all vehicle lines that, for the first time ever, get industry leading fuel economy! For instance, who would have ever thought Ford could squeeze 25 mpg/highway out of a full size pickup? The 2011 F-150 does it! Think smaller cars and Ford don’t go together? – Not anymore! The new 2011 Ford Fiesta gets 28 mpg city and almost 40 mpg highway and does not drive like the old “econo-boxes” that some manufacturers still make. This is just a great, well-equipped car for people who just like small cars.

How about the 2011 Mustang kicking off over 300 horsepower, but still getting close to 30 mpg highway?! I am not kidding. Powered by a 3.7L V-6 engine, this car gets after it and won’t break your bank account! Business owners, do you need a fuel efficient and stylish commercial vehicle? Look no further than the 2011 Transit Connect utility, getting 21 mpg city and 26 mph highway. This vehicle is just the right size for many businesses that don’t necessarily need the space—or fuel costs, for that matter—that come with most full-size cargo vans. Ford really is the leader in fuel efficiency across the board and will continue to lead in this ever important aspect of our cars and trucks.

Come see all that’s new at Hampton Road’s largest Ford dealer! Not that anyone welcomes higher fuel prices, but I am sure glad, this time around anyway, that Beach Ford has the vehicles across the board that will save you money at the gas pump. We look forward to helping you find your very own stylish, well equipped, fuel-sipping, Beach Ford!

Thanks for being a part of the Beach Ford Family,

Tom Barton

Vintage Ford Ads

In today’s world, there’s a lot of debate over cars. It seems that everyone has an opinion on which manufacturer is the most reliable, the safest, the fastest, or the most lavish.

But in the early 1900s, manufacturers were just working to sell the whole idea of the automobile.

Already having men’s approval with mechanical and practical appeal, the marketers of Ford realized early on that women often have a lot of say in the buying decisions of a household. With this in mind, Ford worked to emphasize luxury and sophistication to women, encouraging them to enjoy a life of convenience.

You can view many vintage Ford ads on display in the Beach Ford Showroom in Virginia Beach. Come see just how far the automobile has come in the past 100 years.