Whar are the Keyword and Link Implications of renaming a Website

[JosephFrost]

I'm about to change the name of a popular site classyauto.com to nationalvehicle.com.

The reason for the name change is mainly because of the negative report on classyauto from years past.

We've decided to rename the company to National Vehicle for that reason and other reasons. With that, the current site does not currently rank high for many of the natural organic niche keywords we want to target. But, it does have a good amount of links and traffic.

I would like recommendations on the best method to rename the site including any ideas on what to do with existing directories, links, etc. efficiently and effectively.

I would also like input on what NOT TO DO.

Thanks in advance and any tools, tricks, or additional resources you can point me to would be greatly appreciated.

[irvingw]

When you say negative report you mean bad reviews and reputation online? Please clarify your need for doing this.

[JosephFrost]

Yes, bad reviews and reputation online for classyauto but not for nationalvehicle. I undertand how to combat the negative reputation issues, but it's really mute since we are changing the name altogether for various reasons.