Michelle brought in her two sons, Dylan and Tyler to get a few things done to their brand-new Chevy Tahoe.  Coming back from shopping while we put on a few bells-and-whistles on her Tahoe, She was more than delighted to share her experience with Runde’s. What brought you into Runde’s today? We bought eight cars from a dealer in Waterloo. But decided to try somewhere different. How did you find us? I was searching through Chevy.com for Tahoe’s and put in the different features I wanted in the vehicle and it showed me Runde Auto Group as having the Tahoe with the features I wanted in stock. *one of Michelle’s sons comes running through the door* Oh hello there.

Below are videos that document a horrible car crash involving a pregnant woman who is very lucky to be alive today.  If you need more examples there are several other videos you can look up. The point is simple: pregnant women get into accidents too.  It’s something that we don’t really want to hear about, but it happens.  In 2008, over 27,000 pregnant women were killed in automobile accidents. In fact, statistics show that automobile accidents are the largest cause of pregnant fatalities. What is more terrifying than thinking of your unborn baby going through an accident? As far as safety goes, the major focus has always been on infant safety and child seats while the specific safety needs of expecting mothers was perhaps overlooked a bit. That is starting to change, however, as the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM), a group of 11 car companies including GM, Ford and Chrysler, has recently taken interest [...]

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.

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 [...]

If you have driven a vehicle equipped with the New Ford Sync Technology– then you’re probably well aware that it effortlessly syncs up your phones, mp3 players and other gadgets via Bluetooth or USB input. Now how about this for a little bonus: Internet.  Yep.  Not a misprint — I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T. That’s right, internet wherever you may go and internet wherever you are… internet high …. internet low … internet at home … and now internet on the go… just as long as you have a 3G compatible wi-fi card (note: monthly fees might go with it).  The Sync, version 2.0, will have internet compatibility integrated into its USB ports. So on top of all of the cool things the Sync already does (like transmitting your phone calls though vehicles speakers) your passengers can now surf the waves of the digital age in your car on their laptops as you cruise down the highways and byways [...]

The holiday season is here and spirits are up for most especially at the East Dubuque Giving Tree organization. It’s a time of reflection and giving thanks as they say. But when is the last time you really thought about how you could give back to those who aren’t as fortunate as yourself? I would like to introduce to you the Runde’s Raising Awareness Series. The goal of this series is to bring awareness to various non-profit organizations around the Tri-State area that provide truly selfless services for those in need of help. These organizations run mainly through donations and volunteer work and are almost always in need of contributions or further assistance. We ask only one thing if nothing else is gained through this series: that you realize and acknowledge that these good deeds are being done in our very own community. Our first organization is The City of East Dubuque:  

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 [...]

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 [...]

My mom hates him, my dad thinks he’s ok, I think he’s a great comedian. I guess you could guess who I’m talking about from the title of the post, but for those who don’t read titles and just want to get to the meat and potatoes … I am talking about the love-him-or-hate-him talk show host Conan O’Brien. In a recent segment he tried to defend his 1992 Ford Taurus SHO vs. the new 2010 Ford SHO in terms of style, safety and features (“That’s actually factory installed bird crap”). I really must say, as a former ’98 Taurus owner, I have respect for any celebrity who drives around in a ’92 Ford Sho. Watch and love …       

Top Gear, in my opinion, is the best automotive show. Recently they reviewed (in quite a hysterical way) the Ford Fiesta. After you watch the video you will know what to expect if you get chased by “baddies” in a Corvette while in a shopping mall.  If you’re not interested in a Fiesta at all and you just want to see the Fiesta race a Corvette in the mall, then skip forward to 4min, 23sec.  If you want to see if the Ford’s new compact car floats, then skip ahead to 8min, 4sec. If you have any questions about the Fiesta or are interested in purchasing one, give our Ford store in Manchester, IA a call at 888-927-2630 and they will be more than happy to assist you picking out a vehicle that is apparently fit for extreme chase scenes and horrific combat… can’t go wrong with that.    

The Foodpack Program in Dubuque is something with no downside.  It’s just a good idea that helps children and families in need in the local area.  There are things that make you happy on the inside. Perhaps seeing someone you love prevail in something they always wanted to do, or watching a cartoon while sitting on the couch at home all snuggled up with your family, or maybe it’s something so small as to hear the crunch of Fall leafs under your feet. Hopefully reading about the Foodpack Program in Dubuque is something that makes you feel like the world is steering itself in the right direction.  The selflessness of some who make sure that the less fortunate are taken care of is [...]

Have you ever given any thought to date cars or the kind of car a guy drives when picking up a girl for a first date?  Girls, you gotta admit that you care, to some sort of degree, about what kind of car your man, date, or fling drives. At first glance what he drives gives a little insight into what kind of guy he is. Maybe he’s the hot jock with no brains, the nerd hoping to meet his princess Leia, the shut-in who’s really a sweet guy, the perfect man, the man who has a secret life… there’s so many possibilities. When it comes down to it, though, it’s all about what we perceive as good features in a guy… and his car. Judging from a car, maybe one girl would think that a Camaro means the guy is really exciting where  as girl 2 might think he’s a total sport car freak, [...]

How often do your think about safety when you’re just walking to your car? Let’s say it’s close to midnight and you are coming out of the grocery store to your car parked in the middle of the lot. No one is in sight and there is just an eerie feeling. What if someone were to jump out at you? How can you avoid getting yourself into situations like this that would possibly lead you to harm? I found the following video interesting and informative on how to avoid these types of situations and to stay safe in the parking lot:   Remember to stay alert while you are out there, don’t let the potential attacker get a chance to catch you off guard.   According to Jerry Kane’s advice from the video, “If you’re not paying attention, a criminal’s going to look for that.  The person who’s looking around or turning around to see [...]

Who doesn’t remember their first car? Was yours a Camaro coupe … probably not, eh?  For some of us it was the ugliest thing that stunk up the road with black clouds of gas and gave its road audition in triple forte with a busted muffler. Others had a nicer car, perhaps given to them by their parents, or possibly they worked hard counting pennies ’til they could buy that special first car they had their eye on. Regardless of what kind of shape or condition our first cars were, one thing remains true for just about everyone: our first car holds some sort of sentimental value that no car after it can give us. It’s the first time you get to feel the fresh air coming in through the window in a vehicle that you have complete control over. You and your first vehicle share many things for the first time. First ticket, first [...]

Now that the Cash For Clunkers program has come to an end the question on my mind is.  Let’s look at the Cash for Clunkers results to try to see if it will it actually have an environmental or economic impact? While the long term effects might take some time to determine, from the numbers I’ve been seeing it seems like it, at the very least, helped on the short term side of things.  According to the Cash For Clunkers Environmental Impact Survey; Average Clunker MPG: 17MPG Average NEW car MPG: 24MPG Average miles driven annually: 15,000 Destroyed Clunker drinks 882 gallons of gas a year New, replacement car drinks 625 gallons of gas a year Cash for Clunker Program saves 257 gallons of gas each year, per unit sold. c4c Sales Estimate: 750,000 units If you were to equate this out, you’d end up with 193 million gallons of gas [...]

Have you ever seen a kohlrabi so large that you had to vocally exclaim “Holy kohlrabi”? We had an interesting gift given to us Friday by Don Steinhoff – driver for Runde’s. Coming in to pick up a vehicle, Don shared with us a HUGE kohlrabi that he grew before he headed out. We were all amazed by how big this vegetable was, and even more surprising was how delicious it was! Don starts these from seed under a grow light and they plant about 45 of them each year. Don said they give about 42-43 away each year and Runde Chevrolet [...]

With all of the controversy and talk behind the Cash For Clunkers Program, I thought it’d be nice to have some fun with it. The people behind the “Crash your Clunkers” events drive junker automobiles off of a cliff… with a remote control. Seriously, who thinks of this stuff, it looks like they strapped some sort of device on top of a bunch of boxes and secured the steering wheel down with some wood that’s put together with some duct tape. This is by far the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen… or perhaps the smartest? Regardless, it’s good ol’ entertainment … enjoy.   (Runde’s in no way, shape or form suggests that you try this at home. And kids out there … Please remember that sticks and stones will break your bones, but crashing clunkers will do a heck of a lot worse to ya.)

Disabling a clunker is ultimately the end result of the government’s Cash for Clunkers national program. Best idea ever. Or perhaps the worst idea ever? Regardless of which you pick, it’s undeniable that the Cash for Clunkers  program has struck up some controversy, and with good reason. On one end the program is taking gas guzzling, environmentally unfriendly vehicles off the road. On the other side, however, the vehicles that must be destroyed could provide transportation for those who couldn’t otherwise afford a vehicle. While there might be a thousand points towards the good and another thousand to the bad, it doesn’t promote or evoke the fact that the Cash for Clunkers is law and will be here until either the money runs out.  With that in mind, we thought we’d give you [...]

How do you know if the The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse is right for you? We’ll we’re about to find out if this new crossover vehicle has what it takes to woo buyers. If you are like me you prefer the versatility, safety, and all the extra features a Crossover has for a woman. Getting groceries is a cinch with all the extra space.   Family, friends, and pets can easily fit into them and you don’t feel worried about your kids taking one on a drive because they are generally some of the safest vehicles on the road. The video below explains the progression of the crossover and how GM is incorporating more of a women’s perspective into their functional design of crossovers. The vehicle showcased below, the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, has won many awards for safety and driving and I can personally attest to how great of a vehicle it is. If you have any [...]

The Volt sure does look better and better every time new footage of it gets released. Check out that interior during this video test-drive! Lookin’ sharp, Chevy. I haven’t experienced a test-drive in the new Chevy Volt yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m not excited about the car.  The Chevy Volt is a four passenger vehicle that runs primarily on electricity.   It can travel approximately 35 miles on one charge and that’s pretty decent for someone who’s just driving to work and back or someone who’s just running errands around town.   It does have a gas reserve for when it runs out of electricity from the rechargeable battery pack.  Chevrolet states that the total range on what the gas tank can hold is 345 miles.  So there is about a 380 total range between electric output and the miles the gas tank can propel the car for.  That’s not bad and if you’re [...]

Have you check the tire pressure in your car or truck’s tires lately?  If you answered “no”, then you man want to consider doing so.  It can be extremely unsafe to drive around in over-inflated or underinflated tires. Sometimes, good things have to come to an end. Not so long from now winter will fall on us and we will be left cold, leaving nothing but memories of nice walks and swims. Seasons change, some people like the change and others don’t.   Regardless of what season you like, you should always keep in mind one thing – check your tires. With a change in temperature comes a change in tire pressure. Air will compress as the temperature gets colder and will expand once it [...]

The Ford Focus is a car you will fall in love with. With the Cash for Clunkers program running at full force, curiosity leads us to ask the question:  What vehicle are people buying to take full advantage of the program? Curiosity put to rest: out of the 80,500 vehicles The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has processed so far, the vehicle people are buying the most is none other than the Ford Focus. This shows why Ford’s C-Segment vehicle gained 43.6% in July. With 28mpg (combined – manual), a body style that will undoubtedly turn heads, the SYNC sound system, and a great overall drive …  no wonder why people can’t wait to get their hands on it. Not to mention, the 28mpg combined rating make it an almost guaranteed $4,500 credit instead [...]

People, let’s face it, we have all gotten into purchasing something or another without fully understanding what we are buying or why we need to buy it. I went into a computer repair center last week to get my desktop computer looked at and I could have almost sworn that the person helping me was speaking a foreign language. He was saying stuff about “ram” and “mega bytes” and “Mozilla Firefox”… It sort of sounded like he was talking about a Japanese horror movie or something … what the heck??!!  In any case, I trusted that he knew what he was doing and ended up paying about $150.00 in repairs. He mentioned something about spyware when I went in to pick it [...]