Factors To Consider When Buying Your Teen Their First Car

So the time has come for your child to get some more independence, scary times for sure. They have passed their driving test and you are now on the lookout for a little runaround for them to call their own. There are a lot of things to consider before you go out and buy a car, from the cost of insurance to safety features.

Be sure to involve them if it isn’t a secret or surprise. They will tell you what they would like, they may be particular on the color they want for example. Here are three things to consider when finding your teen a car. 

Pexels CCO License

Safety

The first thing that should come to mind when buying a car for your teen is how safe the actual vehicle is. There are two components to consider when looking at safety ratings for cars, the percentage, and the overall star rating. When cars come off the production line they go through advanced testing methods to ensure they are safe enough to be on the road. This goes past just having seat belts and airbags. 

One of the cars will be crash tested to see what happens during impact and how the driver and passengers will be affected. They also test to see how the car would affect a pedestrian if it was to hit them. You need to be sure you get a car that is as close to 100% for the driver and passenger protection and one that is 5* rated as this is the best you can get. 

The prospect of your child being a driver on the road is incredibly daunting, so you want to make sure they are as safe as possible. Being in charge of buying their first car can feel slightly pressurizing, but this puts you in control of choosing a safe and affordable ride for your teen. Consider the Pentagon Car Dealer if you’re looking to buy your teen their very first vehicle. They offer a variety of deals on new and used cars so that you can make the right choice for your child. As well as offering a huge choice of excellent vehicles you can also enjoy regular servicing and maintenance as part of their deals.

Size

Size definitely does matter in the car world. If your teen is just starting behind the wheel of a car then you don’t want to get them anything that is too big or too powerful. Getting a car that has a big engine size is just a bad idea for a first car, they can easily get too big for their boots and speed or lose control of the car. Get a car with a smaller engine size until they feel confident enough on their own behind the wheel. 

In terms of the size of the car, you have to think about how long they will have the car for. Will they need to be able to fit car seats in at some point or will they have a new car by then. You don’t want to get them a three-door car if they will need a five-door a few years down the line. 

New/Used

One last thing to think about is whether you want to buy the car new or second-hand. There are pros and cons to both of these options. It is the first car and you might want to get a brand new shiny one for your prince or princess. These can be expensive however, they do come with the extra protection of a guarantee if things go wrong. Used cars are a lot cheaper and won’t cause much of a dent in your wallet.

Another option is to get the car on finance if you don’t want to spend a big chunk of money all in one go, just be aware of the interest involved with this choice. You can pay monthly for the car if that works better for you. Take a look at a car sales showroom to get an idea of different makes and models of cars that may be suitable. 

We hope this helps you think about different options when it comes to buying your child their first car. Whichever one you go for we are sure they will love it and thank you for it. 

Vehicle Wraps – A Strategic Way To Build Brand Awareness

Starting a business can be difficult. There is a lot that goes into creating the company, product, or service being offered. Finding the right price and ensuring all costs of running the business are accounted for can be hard, and even if everything is perfect, without customers, the business will not succeed.

For any business to succeed, potential customers must know the business exists. Not only do they have to know that business exists, but they also have to know the business offers a product or service that will benefit them. This is why brand awareness is so important for a business’s success.

What is a Brand?

A brand is basically a concept used in marketing or business that allows people to easily identify a company, product, or even an individual. Companies can easily create awareness for their brand by visiting sterlingscustoms.com.

Many people confuse a company’s logo or slogan for their brand. However, these are simply the marketing tools used to bring awareness to the brand. The brand actually encapsulates the entire image of a company, product, or individual.

This can include the company, the product, the name of that product, the quality of the product, and the image they present to the public. Often, it is a person’s perception of the company, product, or individual that creates the brand.

What is Brand Awareness and Why is It Important?

Brand awareness is the first step in directing potential customers to a business, product, or service. Brand awareness is the ability of individuals to recognize and remember that business. This recognition helps to drive customers to the business and has the potential to increase sales.

Brand awareness is how a company lets people know that their company, product, or service exists. With a successful brand awareness campaign, potential customers will think of that company’s product first whenever they are in need.

For example, when a person has a small cut or scrape, the first thing they think of is getting a Band-Aid for that injury. The product that they are needing is actually an adhesive bandage. However, the Band-Aid company has been so successful in creating brand awareness for their product that it has become synonymous with the product even when people are not using that specific brand.

How to Build Brand Awareness

Building brand awareness can come in many forms. One of the common methods for creating awareness for a brand is advertising. Advertising puts out a message about a particular product, service, or company to as many potential customers as possible. The more people that see the advertisement the more likely they will become familiar and potentially utilize the product, company, or service.

Direct advertising is not the only method for creating brand awareness. Simply getting the name of the company, product, or service in the public view can help to build awareness. Some businesses enjoy being a part of public events, charities, fundraisers, or even local sports teams. By having the company associated with such public events, more people will become familiar with the company name.

Another way to build awareness is by having the company name as visible as possible. Mailers, billboards, commercials, and even printed banners can help with this process. One great method for building brand awareness is car wraps.

How Can Vehicle Wraps Help Build Brand Awareness?

The best thing a business can do to get more customers to know their brand is to get their name in the public view as much as possible. Unfortunately, this can be time-consuming and expensive. This can be very cost prohibitive for small businesses with small budgets.

This is where car wraps come in. Wraps can provide the perfect option for creating brand awareness without the high cost of advertising. They also continue to work 24 hours a day to provide awareness for the business. Here are just a few advantages of wraps.

Cost-Effective

There is no need to hire an advertising team to create a commercial or pay for air time. A car wrap is relatively cheap and can be placed on any or all business vehicles. Simply create a logo or message with the colors that best represent the business and have it applied to the vehicle for a one-time cost.

Even small businesses that do not have a large advertising budget can benefit greatly from a vehicle wrap. Even if the business does not utilize company vehicles, owners or other employees can opt to have their car wrapped to spread the word of the business at very little cost to the company.

Long-Lasting

A vehicle wrap is expected to last around six years. This means that a company’s one-time investment can continue to provide benefits for six years or more without needing to spend more from the advertising budget.

Attractive

When a vehicle is on the road with a colorful wrap, it is difficult for drivers to not look at the design. It can easily catch a person on the road, or even walking by, due to the unique look of the wrap. Once an individual sees that vehicle, they become more familiar with the company.

Countless Viewers

Billboards often catch a lot of eyes when on the side of the road. However, they are limited to just those drivers that happen to drive that particular road. If the vehicle is the billboard, wherever that vehicle goes, people will see it.

This provides a company with constant advertising potential. Customers can see the advertising when the vehicle is sitting in front of the business. They will see the vehicle wrap when the vehicle is out on the road, whether driving for business or even pleasure. When stopped at a customer’s home, neighbors will see the advertisement. This creates familiarity with the brand, boosting sales for the business.

Brand awareness is a necessary part of ensuring a company not only survives but also thrives. It is important to research the market and understand the potential customers for the product or service being offered. Once these things are known, it can make it easy to find a great method for advertising. Car wraps offer a convenient method for advertising with a wide net for local businesses.

Money-Saving Tips for New Dads

The birth of your first child will most likely come with a mix of different feelings, joy being the front-runner. Then comes the actual work, from changing diapers and staying up late due to baby cries. It is good news that two-thirds of first-time fathers deliberately take time off work to be involved with baby care. However, managing finances successfully is also crucial to ensuring your family is comfortable enough to handle the family expansion. Your inability to splurge on techy gadgets as much as before will be the least of your worries, and it helps to start as early as possible. On that note, here are a few tips on how to save money as a new dad.

  1. Consider hand-me-downs 

Image Credit

This may seem like an unwelcome idea because as a first-time dad, all you want is to get the freshest and most original stuff for your yet-to-be-born baby. But it’s worth knowing that baby items like clothes and toys are pretty expensive! Before you know it, you would have spent thousands of dollars on baby products without being able to account for the spent money. 

So, this is what to do. Satisfy your inner desire to get some new things for your baby. However, support that with hand-me-downs from close friends and siblings who are done having kids. Indeed, there is the added responsibility of giving everything you receive a thorough cleaning. But that will save you the money you would have used to shop for additional baby items. For example, the baby pram, toys, blankets, and even the cot (or crib) you receive from trusted relatives, can go a long way to save you some dollars.

  1. Cut back on buying the latest tech gadgets

It is understandable to be a fan of all things tech, especially when it’s the hottest thing on the market. But that can take a back seat for now because there will be new releases to take a look at in the future. Therefore, if your current phone is malfunctioning, an experienced cell phone repair technician should be your immediate option. The repair will cost far less than buying a brand-new phone. If that doesn’t solve your problem, look out for phone repair shops where you can swap your relatively new phone with a current one.

  1. Eat at home, regularly

Image Credit

It may be impractical to continue fine dining regularly when there’s a baby on the way. Believe it or not, those tiny mouths can eat, and you’re better off saving up on much-needed cash in the coming months and years. Indeed, you can keep your spouse happy with spontaneous dates as she’s pregnant but keep the bills in mind. On a brighter note, your lady would understand and be delighted knowing that you’re taking stringent steps to care for the baby.

Eating at home requires knowing a few things about cooking. That’s if you want to help your wife with the kitchen bit. Even better, you will be glad to discover that the $500 meant for fine dining for two people can maintain your pantry supply for at least three months. If it helps, you should know that your huge savings will overshadow the irritation of doing the dishes.

It wouldn’t be bad if you learned how to make baby food. It will take some time to get the hang of things, but with regular practice, you can become a pro at making healthy puree foods when the baby is introduced to supplementary feeds. In essence, save money while you can because even with the excitement of your first baby, there are incredible monetary responsibilities.

BEYOND VAN GOGH: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

Tickets for the blockbuster exhibition, “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,” are now on sale!!!


Beyond Van Gogh will have a limited engagement in St. Louis, September 16 to November 7. The exhibition will fill the new Starry Night Pavilion on the grounds of the Saint Louis Galleria.


The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Four entry times will be available each hour. Tickets will be sold online at www.vangoghstlouis.com. Prices begin at $33.99 for adults and $19.99 for children ages 5 to 15. Children under 5 are free.


Created by French-Canadian Creative Director Mathieu St-Arnaud and his team at Montreal’s world-renowned Normal Studio, this immersive experience features more than 300 of Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic artworks and takes the art lover into a three-dimensional world that exhilarates the senses.


In a rich and unique multimedia experience using cutting-edge projection technology developed by some of the world’s greatest AV designers, Beyond Van Gogh takes on the challenge of breathing new life into Van Gogh’s vast body of work. Using the artist’s own dreams, thoughts, and words to drive the experience as a narrative, guests move along projection-swathed walls wrapped in light and color that swirls, dances, and refocuses into flowers, cafes, and landscapes. 


While journeying through Beyond Van Gogh, guests witness more than 300 masterpieces, including instantly-recognizable classics such as “The Starry Night”, “Sunflowers”, and “Café Terrace at Night”, now freed from their frames. Van Gogh’s art comes to life by appearing and disappearing, flowing across multiple surfaces, and heightening the senses with their immense detail. Through his own words set to a symphonic score, guests come to a new appreciation of this tortured artist’s stunning work. It’s a no surprise that millions of people all over the world credit Van Gogh with enhancing their relationship with art. Beyond Van Gogh will only deepen it further.


As immersive art installations deeply resonate around the globe, “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” will stay in St. Louis for a limited engagement before moving across North America. Art lovers near and far will have the opportunity to live this unique, unforgettable experience. 


Beyond Van Gogh will follow all St. Louis County Health Department guidelines in place during the exhibition’s run. Parking will be free at the Saint Louis Galleria. Group tickets are available for eight or more.