In for service recently was Jane Wardenburg, from Williamsburg, IA. Sitting outside with her great dane attracted pretty much everyone’s attention. Kids in the showroom were asking her if they could ride her horse. The two of them were nice enough to chat with me for a little bit while she get her vehicle repaired. Hello Jane, what is being serviced on your vehicle? The drivers door lock was acting up.  So they are replacing that for me. What kind of vehicle do you have? We have a Chevrolet Suburban. We got it here in September. What service person is helping you? I believe his name is Ron. He has been really great. Everyone here is very good. We bought the Suburban from your salesman, Rob Sheehan, and he was great as well. How would [...]

The Chevy Volt Hybrid car is something different and new, naturally you probably have some questions about the vehicle and how it all works. Well, to your luck, the Chief Engineer behind the Chevy Volt – Andrew Farah, answered several great questions about the Volt in the following Q&A. 4:02 [Comment From Scott ] How was the drive and how does it compare to other hybrids such as the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius? 4:04 Andrew Farah:  Clearly I enjoyed the significantly longer EV distance that is available with the Volt.   I had to drive quite some distance before the engine came on, even though I didn’t start with a full charge.   By comparison, our chassis is much more sporty than either of [...]

The all new Equinox SUV’s have landed here at Runde’s and they’ve received nothing but great reviews so far. With room to spare, power to go, great gas mileage, and a sleek and appealing design … the all new Equinox is the vehicle to have whether you have a family or just desire a nice ride that will hold a lot of stuff. It will easily store your strollers, bikes and coolers full of food for your trip out to Noah’s Ark this summer. Check out the walk-around below to get up close and personal with the all new Equinox:     If you want more information about how the new Equinox can help you and your family get the most out of a vehicle this summer, give us a call at 866-735-5200 and we will be more than happy to answer any and all questions you may have.  And if you’re looking to [...]

Kim Murdoch stopped by Runde Auto Group of Manchester today to pick up her new (FREE) set of golf clubs that she recently won.  Who, what, why and how might be going through your head right now after reading the heading… well let me fill you in: Who: Kim Murdoch. What: Runde’s is giving her a set of Taylormade Burner golf clubs (3 and 5). Why: Because she is awesome at golf and scored a hole in one at the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing. How: With skill and grace. What does she have to say about all of this? Well, just read below and find out! Congratulations Kim! Must feel pretty good to own some shiny new golf clubs, huh? Oh yes! What is golf to you? A hobby, another sport, a stick and a ball, or a passion? I’d say it’s another hobby as well [...]

Go ahead, take all the road trips you want this summer, Suzuki’s got you covered.  You can either buy a new fuel efficient Suzuki SX4 or you can take part in Suzuki’s new promotion.  So listen closely if you’re tired of paying too much for gas in the Dubuque area. Suzuki wants you to enjoy your summer by supplying you with FREE gas for the Summer when you purchase any Suzuki SX4 model. Qualified buyers will receive a pre-paid gas card from Suzuki, valued at $270 or $290 depending on which model you buy. In addition to the gas promotion you can get $2,000 customer cash if you buy a Suzuki SX4 with a manual transmission or $1,000 customer cash if you buy the automatic. This promotion launched on July 1st and will run until August 31. Check out the Suzuki SX4 in action here: If you are interested in taking advantage of the great [...]

According to the title, this blog post is about fuel cell vehicles.  Not sure what they are?  Ok.  Fine, then let’s start with a conversational detour. Ever wish someone would walk up to you and hand you the keys to a new vehicle? The closest I’ve ever come to hearing about something like this, I previously mentioned when I wrote the anecdote about Doug in our Field of Dreams blog post last year. There’s also that scene from Pay it Forward, where some guy hands Jay Mohr the keys to his new Jaguar S-Type car in an effort to … you guessed it … pay it forward. I was looking at GM’s Project Driveway a little today and I checked it out to see if I might qualify to drive a new state-of-the-art Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle. Project Driveway is the first large-scale market test of fuel cell vehicles with real drivers in [...]

We recently had a chance to interview Nicole Thor who brought her Suzuki Grand Vitara in for vehicle service in East Dubuque. Sitting patiently in the showroom while her car was being serviced, Nicole looked like she wanted to have a chat. They say everyone has a story to tell … so I decided to sit down and listen to her story. Thor, that’s a sweet last name. Yea it’s like the God of thunder, roooar! What brought you to Runde’s today? I am just here for an oil change. I hear you’ve bought vehicles from here before? Yep. I bought my Suzuki Grand Vitara from here. How were you treated? It was awesome! Great the whole way through and completely honest.   How’s the Suzuki Grand Vitara [...]

We’ve got a new staff member one coming on-board at Runde Auto Group– Jenna Schneider. We definitely hired a lively one. She seems to liven up the crew. Let’s get to know her a little better.   What do you do here at Runde’s? I take pictures and videos of cars. How long have you been here? It’s been just a couple of weeks now. Are you originally from the area? Yep. I’m from Menominee Il. Where did you go to school? I went to East Dubuque high school. What kind of past-times and hobbies do you partake in? I play volleyball, basketball and softball I also like to swim and boat. What is your favorite hang-out spot [...]

ZR1 Corvette vs. The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter jet Blue Devil vs. Blue Angel $117,000 vs. $25,000,000 Motor City’s best vs. The U.S. Navy’s finest Click the play button below to find out who wins … You’ve got a car with a top speed of 205 miles per hour and a jet plane with a top speed of 1190 miles per hour.  Granted, the Blue Angel was going to win … even with a head start, the jet fighter was still going to win.  But it sure made for a great photo opportunity and it was great publicity for the new Corvette ZR1.

Isn’t there a famous song called, “Red Camaro”?  If not, then there should be.  Today a vehicle transport dropped off a sight to behold.  After all of the packaging material was removed from the car, we saw it in all its splendor … a gorgeous red pony car ripe and available for the picking for any customer who chooses to sign on the line that is dotted. If you’re in the market for a new red Camaro, please contact the sales staff at Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque to arrange a test-drive today.  We promise you won’t be disappointed.  Call us today at 866-735-5200.  And if you’re looking to trade in a vehicle, please feel free to submit an online trade in evaluation for your current vehicle and one of our sales staff members will get in contact with you to let you know exactly how much it will cost you to get [...]

What’s both wicked awesome and wicked fast?  Well, that would be this new inferno orange Chevy Camaro SS that just arrived at Runde Auto Group.  Inferno is an accurate description of this paint job because the car, simply put, is hot! This inferno orange 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is an impressive piece of machinery. Following many years of anticipation, Chevrolet’s all-new 2-door icon lives up to all the pomp and circumstance as it epitomizes what an American muscle car should be. This new Chevy Camaro is impressive whether it’s equipped with the base V-6 engine or the robust V-8 banger. The Camaro equipped with the V-6 powerplant can go from zero to 60 in six seconds, thanks the whopping 300 horses of raw power.  However the price tag is [...]

Hello Gary, can you tell me a little bit about the event? This is the single largest event in Dubuque. This is the 24th annual year that Radio Dubuque has been involved with the 3rd of July show. It is a combination air-show and fireworks display. The Air Force has estimated our crowd at, well, let’s just say in the tens of thousands. Where is the show located? The central location for the show is down by the Dubuque lock and dam on 1860 Hawthorne St. The firework show starts at 9:45 and typically lasts around 25-30 minutes. The air show runs from about 6:00-8:15.    A bunch of awesome aircraft in one location? [...]

It was this big … honest!   Tom Erickson is a customer of ours from Coon Rapids, MN.   We gave him a Runde hat (now his lucky fishing hat) when he purchased a vehicle from us earlier this year. Today he emailed us the photo above attached to this message:  “Hey Tim (Runde) … I have a new good luck fishing hat!!! – Tom Erickson” Anyone who has spent any time fishing up in Minnesota or Northern Wisconsin can attest to how large some of these fish grow to.  Check out the video below from Minnesota of a Muskie swimming with a giant northern pike in its mouth.  The first time my brother-in-law showed me this video, I was like, “Holy guacamole”.   And I still say the [...]

The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program is off and running and a lot of people are taking advantage of it.  And who wouldn’t take advantage of it.  Normally if people trade in a “junker” old car or a “rust bucket” they’ll get something like $500 to $2000 on trade.  But with the new Car Allowance Rebate System program, they’re now getting either $3500 or $4500 on those same vehicles.  Now that’s a great deal! So if you’re still rolling down the road in your beat up 1987 Cadillac DeVille Fleetwood Brougham rear-wheel-drive with 277,000 miles, now might be the opportune time to trade in that beauty for a brand new vehicle as the “Cash for Clunkers” program has been approved and will be giving you top dollar for your old gas-guzzling machine. It’s kind of like getting 500 bucks for the suit that you wore to your high school homecoming dance back in 1987 [...]

If you haven’t said “Happy Birthday Greg Runde” yet today, well there’s still time. There were two important events that happened in 1969.  Obviously the most important of those was the birth of our owner, Greg Runde.  And then there was also Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, which you may or may not remember.  Anyway, enough about the first moon landing —  let’s get back to Greg Runde’s birthday … To commemorate Greg’s 40th birthday, we made a little video to express our sentiments.  Please try not to tear up too much. Happy Birthday Greg Runde!

Well two more people are now happy with the vehicle they just purchased at the Runde PreDriven store in Hazel Green, WI. A few months ago we had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Hohmann. Well now the pack is back! … I guess it was never a pack, but we got two Hohmann’s here this time instead of just one – the more the merrier, I say. Amanda’s parents: Joe and Becky, came in the other day to buy a vehicle of their own. After knowing how cool of a person Amanda was, I had to request an interview with her parents and I’m glad I did! What vehicle did you guys end up [...]

Do you know how to change a flat tire?  If not, then read on and watch the how-to video below where Briaunna Huseman will guide you step-by-step through changing a flat tire on your car. You’re rolling down the road jammin’ out to the new Black Eyed Peas album until you feel a little jolt. Slowly, but surely, your car starts to not feel quite right. You nervously pull over and get out to inspect your vehicle. To your pleasant surprise, you find a rather large nail in your tire that is leaking air out. What do you do now? You don’t know quite how to change that tire, you say? Well, that’s what we are here for! We created the following video to help everyone who might not quite know how to change that flat into tire-changing pros. A lot of times people are too embarrassed to admit that they don’t know how to [...]

This past week we had the pleasure of having a customer come in who owns this beautiful 1968 Chevy Camaro. It’s not too often that you see a Camaro of this year in such good shape. While he was here, we let him check out the new 2010 Camaro to get a sense of what the grandchild of his car looks like and how it handles. We all know that cars can’t talk without the aid of Hollywood’s magic.   However, I wonder what the conversation would be like if these two could have an actual car-to-car verbal exchange.   Take a look at these two together:

The Clemen family happened to be out and about and decided to have a nice little chat with me about their experience purchasing a Chevy HHR at Runde PreDriven. The conversation ended up being the highlight of my day. Hello, thanks for coming. I heard you bought a vehicle from us recently? Yep. About two weeks ago we got a Chevy HHR. So how have the two weeks been – what have you been using the vehicle for? It’s been great! Beth usually takes it to work and back and we’ve gone out to our parents house a couple of times… we will be using it for pretty much everything. How did your parents like the vehicle? Well I took my Grandma for a ride –she’s going to be 82 next year in June — and she was like, “Oh this is so much nicer to get into than your old van” so she must [...]

We give you two of Runde’s newest customers:  The Sefziks recently purchased a great new car from Runde Auto Group.  We had the chance to sit down and chat with them for a spell the day they signed the papers for their new LeSabre.   Where are you originally from? Epworth/Dubuque. What kind of vehicle did you buy? Buick LeSabre Custom.  It’s really a great new car. That’s definitely a well-built car — I like those too. Where is the first place you’ll take your new vehicle? Madison – To go to the granddaughter’s musical program. Both of our granddaughters play hockey and softball so we’ll be going to those games as well. Will you give your new vehicle a [...]

Ford Syncing is definitely a new thing.  With all of the technology that has been heaped on our generation over the past few years, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all of the awesome new “stuff”.  He’s that guy. The one that nearly avoids getting into an accident because he’s on his cell phone. In honesty, YOU are probably that guy or girl sometimes yourself — I know I am occasionally. Safety is very important while driving.  I’m quite confident that using a cell phone and texting while driving won’t exactly put a smile on your parents’ faces. It’s a good thing that now you can do those distracting activities you find yourself doing, time and time again, without putting your, or any other, life at danger thanks to Ford Syncing. Released in over twelve of the 2008 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles, the Ford Sync lets those who opt for the system to wirelessly [...]

I recently had the chance to sit down with Rodney and Sherry Schroeder after they purchased a vehicle from our Chevrolet dealership. What did you guys do here today? We just purchased a Chevy Trailblazer. What led you to get that vehicle? Well, we had a van and we were looking for a seven-passenger vehicle — something different than a van. Do you have a big family? Well, we have three kids. How old are your kids and what do they do?  They are twelve, eleven and six and all of them are going to school. And what they do is drive us nuts (laughs). Are they excited for the new vehicle? Ohhhh yes. So what are you planning to do with the vehicle? Take the kids to the various sports activities, mostly for general use.  

Seriously, If you don’t absolutely fall in love with the 2010 Camaro after watching the video below, then there has got to be something wrong with you.  What a gorgeous car!   Chevrolet’s engineers and designers really did their homework when they were creating this black beauty and it’s finally here after many years of anticipation and it’s available to the next lucky person who takes a test drive in it. Call our Chevy sales staff today to set up an appointment to check it our in person.    

Our good friend, Casey Klein from the East Dubuque Business and Tourism Council, sent us a nice letter the other day thanking us for our coverage of the upcoming party in East Dubuque – a.k.a. the Independence Day Celebration. Casey wrote: “On Behalf of the East Dubuque Business and Tourism Council, thank you for your generous support and patronage of the Old Fashioned Independence Day Celebration. You created an extremely informative and helpful post on the Runde Auto Group blog! Thank you for making the East Dubuque Business & Tourism Council look good! All your efforts are greatly appreciated. As we get closer to the event, if you or your staff have any questions please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail. Please join us on Sunday, June 28th. Thank [...]

We recently had a chance to interview a very nice family from Manchester Iowa … the Miller Family after they bought the van they had their eye on. Enjoy getting to know this great family, we know we did! What kind of vehicle did you buy? We bought a Chrysler Town & Country Touring Edition with seating for seven. Where is the first place you’ll take your new vehicle? Probably home. Do you think it’s a male or female? And will you give the car a name? Definitely a female. And no, I don’t think we plan on giving it a name. How often do you usually trade in your cars? When it’s time for them to go! [...]