After hearing laughter from Al Kloft’s desk, I venture over to see what all the commotion is about. I arrive to see one of Al Kloft’s customers having a great time. Noreen was more than willing to share her experiences with Al and Runde’s with me after having such a blast! What led you to Runde’s today? Actually my sister just bought a car here last week. She loved her experience and recommended for me to get my vehicle here. So I came in and talked to Al and I ended up with a good used vehicle.

This is a brief interview with Karen Schilling who is the secretary at the Dubuque County Trailblazers horse and pony camp.  There will always be situations where you absolutely need a pickup truck. The sports fan in you is screaming “get the turbo coupe!”, the calm in you is telling you to “get the luxury vehicle!” Then there’s the practical side of you telling you to “get the truck, you’ll need it.” And if you are a farmer, construction worker or have a horse and kids that want to go to horse camp, you are absolutely correct in thinking you’ll need that pickup truck. No one knows that more than the parents of the kids attending the Tri-State’s annual horse camp.          Karen Schilling, secretary of the Dubuque County Trailblazers [...]

We recently had a chance to interview Perry Mason of Radio Dubuque to get an inside peek of what goes on behind the scenes of the 3rd of July Air Show. Since then Perry and his crew have picked up the 21 vehicles they needed from Runde’s and they are being put to good use by the troops. These are the vehicles that will serve their basic transportation needs as they travel around the Tri-State area over the next week or so.  After they arrived at the Dubuque Regional Airport the other day, we got a chance to take an up-close look at a few of the planes that will be in the show.  Enjoy a small glimpse of the planes that will be at the show!   And if you’re interested in checking the planes out in person or possibly taking a ride on one, we highly recommend it.      

**Update: Check out our footage of the Air Show planes HERE. Many families in the Tri-State area have made a tradition of gathering together to watch the 3rd of July air show and fireworks display. There is a lot of time, effort and hard work put into the event. Perry Mason, the General Sales Manager at Radio Dubuque, is one of the important people behind the scenes who helps organize the July 3rd event every year and is here to explain the show and what it takes to make the spectacular performance happen. Perry knows a thing or two about throwing a good show and has been involved with the air show through its entirety of 25 years. Perry explains, “This is the 25th anniversary of the air Show. We have one of the biggest shows in the nation. Going to the show not only provides a great bonding and get-together time with [...]

Who could have ever guessed just how big Google would become and how much usage Google Maps would get on a daily basis. And who knows how much more they will grow in the future?  Not me.  All I know is that Google does, almost everything, right.  OnStar must know this too as they recently took advantage of Google’s wealth of knowledge and voila (minus the accent): Google Maps now comes to OnStar as an app. Later this month all GM vehicles  (from 2006, up) that are equipped with Turn-by-Turn Navigation will be able to use the Google Map feature.  This feature will be available through OnStar eNav Technology and will enable users to effortlessly receive directions and turn by turn visual signals to get to [...]

If the toppings are free, the more the merrier, right?  Maybe the same can be said of the Ford SYNC feature.  I’d like to think so, especially with Ford’s already impressive “topping” list of features such as Turn by Turn Directions, Traffic Alerts, Hands Free Calling, Voice Activated Music, and 911 Assist, just to name a few. However now there’s even more to look FORwarD to as the SYNC will be capable of pulling up Movie Listings, Stock Quotes, Airline and Rentals and even your Horoscope! In a tech world, Ford keeps our appetites in check with all of these great features that keep getting packed on top of their already great SYNC technology.  Check out the video below for more information and demonstrations of the new features.   [...]

Want a good indication that the future is here? How about the fact that the products currently in the works make the things that we could have only imagined “to be the future” look primitive and obsolete?   The EN-V Prototype (Electric Networked-Vehicle) manufactured by General Motors plans to be hitting the streets as the new “Urban Mobility Vehicle” (think along the lines of a Segway, but not nearly as basic and lame). Tired? Drunk? Hurt or just lazy? The EN-V has you covered as it works autonomously, meaning that it can drive itself with the integrated GPS. In addition to an array of safety features and smart programming for heavy traffic, sudden reaction sensing, and the like,  the EN-V is an electric vehicle. It will plug into a [...]

Why not make your neighbors and friends go head over heels when they see you in the all-new 2011 Buick Regal!  This car is a sure winner with its avant-garde styling and unique interior design. Check out the footage below we got from the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.  Will you be ready for a new ride when the 2011 rolls out???   Granted, this may not be the greenest car on the block, but we’re guessing that it will turn all of your neighbors green — with envy — when you come home with a 2011 Regal as your brand new coach.    

There’s a new taxi in town … and it looks a lot like a Ford Transit Connect.  Taxi cabs are a huge part of big city life. Those of us from the Tri-States have probably been, at some point or another, to downtown Chicago (or another big city – if not you should really get out more…). Walking down the sidewalk and glancing at the traffic on big city streets, you probably think “glad I’m not driving in that mess of cars.” Chances are that you have experienced crazy taxi drivers — I know I have.  Several taxi drivers that I’ve witnessed don’t much care for the laws of the road as they almost hit pedestrians.  Since when does a red light mean go anyway?  Just as 30 is the new 20, red must be the new yellow in Metropolis. If you’re thinking about going back to Chicago in the near future, you’d better be [...]

Crusing down the road, windows down, music up, you are in the “zone” with this sweet new track playing on the radio. You start trying to sing parts of the chorus, and completely butcher the rest of the song. Full of emotion, you utter slightly slurred words mixed with gibberish to comprise what would surely amount to  a migraine for anyone unfortunate enough to be in the same car with you.   You get to the end of the song and look forward to the radio announcer revealing the name of the song and artist so you can download it on iTunes later.  But what the…the announcer reveals the details of the song you loved so dearly while your friend was yelling at you to get him some aspirin. Dang it all to [...]

The Detroit Auto Show was an exciting time for auto enthusiasts and there were lots of exciting models on display including the 2012 Ford Focus.  What’s even more exciting is the fact that the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid was revealed as the Car of the Year! And what’s more for Ford? Well… the Ford Transit Connect won Truck of the Year at the Auto Show as well! “Winning both of these prestigious awards is confirmation that the ONE Ford plan is working:  delivering industry-leading products for our customers,” said Mark Fields, President of Ford’s Americas division.     Prestigious indeed. Winning these awards is no easy task as the competition was fierce in ’09. But Ford doesn’t miss a step as it continues to look into new innovations and features to incorporate into their vehicles. So what’s the latest and greatest for Ford? Check out the newly announced 2012 Ford Focus that should show up on [...]

It seems there is almost no limit to what a person can do on a ipod these days and it begs the question, “What will technology bring and how advanced will cell phones become in the near future?”  From playing games, to converting practically any measurement you need at the click of a button. The new spawn of smart phones and gadgets are, needless to say, impressive. ‘But what is next?’ you may be asking yourself as you scroll through the thousands and thousands of apps available from the Apple and Verizon store. Well, I have the answer for you, and is it oh-soooo-sweet. Imagine waking up mid-winter to start your day. It’s so cold outside, the last thing you look forward to is feeling your freezing hair rub against [...]

Here are some of the New Year’s resolutions our employees and customers at Runde Chevrolet set for themselves. Let’s hope they follow through. I know how hard it is to keep those new year’s resolutions… Chocolate is too delicious for me to vow to eat it in moderation…  

We sat down for a few minutes and did a customer interview with Dan Schaefer from Dubuque, IA.   Dan serves in the Air Force and is now the proud owner of a Chevy Malibu and he bought the car from Runde PreDriven while he was on paid leave from his base in Texas! Enjoy the video!  

One of the luckiest 19-year-olds participated and won big on the Price is Right. Why so lucky you ask? Well if winning a scooter, a trip to Boston and a bunch of money wasn’t enough… How ’bout a new Ford Mustang for a dollar?   Perhaps this strikes some jealousy… or perhaps I’m just expressing my inner emotion… Either way everyone must give Taylor BIG credit for guessing the last two numbers spot on when it really counted — probably one of the biggest moments on the show, since Drew Carey’s take over from Bob Barker. Here at Runde’s we may not be giving away a new Ford Mustang for a dollar, but I guarantee that you will think the Price is Right at Runde Auto Group!

It’s that time of year again … time to celebrate the season and spread the holiday spirit.  Every once in a while I find myself wanting to give more to those who need it. Often there are times when I don’t know where to begin in terms of which charity organization to give my donations to. This year, however, we got the chance to interview Charlie Becker, Director of Camp Courageous in Monticello, IA. After the interview I found that I really appreciate what the camp does and wanted to help. The camp runs on donations, with no government funding, no formal sponsorship and no one paid to raise money for the camp. They run through the generosity of donations given by people and companies. Please view the video below [...]

We would like to end our Raising awareness series with Hillcrest Family Services. This versatile non-profit organization has many different departments.  The various branches of Hillcrest are divided by age groups, gender, and specific needs of the children.  Hillcrest has helped countless kids as they mature into outstanding individuals. However, there is always a need for volunteers, especially in the role of a big brother big sister to one of the kids. If you would like to help out the kids please read on to learn more and to see how to volunteer. Hillcrest Family Services John Bellini, director of residential education, spoke with us about how Hillcrest helps youth grasp a rich and successful education.

Today we’d like to bring awareness to the DBQ Multicultural Family Center (MFC). With a great new place and offering even more activities for the members of the community, the MFC is always a great place for people to expand their education, skills, and bonding time with the family. Several people may not be aware of this great resource in Dubuque and others might not know how or where to make a donation. So please take the time to read the interview below and find it in your hearts to support this, or other great charitable organizations.

In continuation of our Raising Awareness series, Runde’s would like to bring awareness to the St. Steven’s Food Bank. The organization has helped countless non-profit organizations over the years by delivering food to those in need. If you find it in your heart to donate to the Food Bank, please use the information at the bottom of this post to contact the appropriate party. St. Steven’s Sue Davis, Finance Director at St. Steven’s in Dubuque, IA explains how the bank is helping out some charitable organizations — not only this holiday season, but all year-round: In your words, what does your organization do? Our food bank receives quantities of food from the food bank in Moline and distributes the food to about [...]

Motor Trend recently announced the 2010 Truck of the Year. And, maybe not so surprisingly, the Dodge Ram took home the title for the king of trucks. Up against some pretty fierce competition, like the popular Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado, the Ram out-contended the best from every make out there. And judging from what it can do in the video below, it seems pretty well deserved. Based on the following criteria, taken from Motor Trend’s website, the 2010 Truck of the Year out-performs the competition in most categories. DESIGN ADVANCEMENT Quality execution of exterior and interior styling; innovation in vehicle packaging; good selection and use of materials. ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE Integrity of total vehicle concept and execution, clever solutions to packaging, manufacturing, and dynamics issues; use of cost-effective technologies that benefit the consumer. INTENDED FUNCTION How well the vehicle does the job its designers and product planners intended. EFFICIENCY [...]

Environmentally friendly vehicles … not sure if I know what that is.  Can you go into more details please? If you are familiar with the show: Top Gear, you know that the boys, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are in charge of completing a mission in every episode. In a recent episode they were challenged to create their own answer to the Chevy Volt. And boy, did they.   With an elegant plywood and sheet-metal exterior and an interior packed with lawn-chairs, semi-detached radio and rotatable windshield the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust gives the Volt has some fierce competition.   The thing almost runs 30 mph, has absurdly oversensitive steering and whoever drives it seems to appreciate the value of safety and life to a whole new level after [...]

Happy Thanksgiving From Runde Auto Group! It’s that time of year again where we give thanks… thanks to the people we love, thanks for all of the nice things we have in life, and thanks to the ones who guided our lives in the right direction. (I remember in the fourth grade at St. Anthony elementary school in Dubuque, Tim Earle and I were fighting on the playground during recess — probably over who got to be quaterback next or something like that…  Our teacher, Mrs. Jane Stanton, had witnessed this and when we came back inside — she made us both stand up in from of the whole class and hug each other.  Sounds weird to be thankful for a teacher who used public humiliation as a deterrent, but I went to school with Tim for 12 years and I don’t [...]

The 2010 Ford Fusion has won the 2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year award! This is no easy task to accomplish mind you. With vigorous testing, scrutiny from the media, and competition with the best cars from all over the world, to win this award really must mean that it is the best of the best. To go into a bit of detail of how tough these judges are and how extensive the tests of each vehicle competing for the top spot check out the video below. These guys do not skip a detail about what they don’t like about any of the vehicles and they rarely give praise.   The following video is the unveiling of the car of the year and some comments from the Ford Team [...]

Aside from the 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 and the very first 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 ever made, Jay Leno has lots of toys that do things that you probably never even thought were possible … especially his new 3D scanner. What if I told you that I could clone almost any object under the size of about a yard? Better yet, what if I told you that I could, without any sort of assembly, make the cloned object fully functional as soon as I cloned it? “Bust out the straight-jacket and lock him away?” you say?  Well, FYI, all of this is possible and is actually happening at Jay Leno’s garage. Jay has this nifty little scanner called a Faro 3D Scanner which will scan an object based on thousands of points and create a 3D model of it on your computer. From there, the Dimension 3D Printer takes the image data given to it by the scan [...]

So you are planning a two-week visit to your mom’s house this winter and she has welcomed you to bring your pet for the visit? Great! Mom lives 5 hours away, a no-sweat trip for most, and your family is all excited for it. Your 6-year-old son can’t wait to sink his original baby teeth into Grandma Betsy’s world-famous chocolate chip cookies, yum! But what about Peaches, your Boxer puppy? This is your first long trip with him coming along and you are worried about how to go about the whole process.  Have you thought about traveling with pets? Well, let us help get you, your family, and Peaches already for the excursion. Some folks might say consult your vet before taking your pet on a trip. I’d just say make sure that you remember to take along plenty [...]