We were very fortunate to welcome back a familiar Runde customer today.  Victoria Thiede-Knipper and David Knipper purchased a Chrysler Town & Country van from Runde Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep about 3 years ago and they’ve been very satisfied with the van since that time.  So when they recently found themselves in need of a new truck, they contacted Runde’s in Manchester again.  Runde Auto Group takes pride in its repeat business as it’s quite common for a satisfied Runde customer to return to purchase a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th vehicle from Runde’s.  The Knipper familey was put in touch with Sean Dailey in the Ford Sales Department and Sean was able provide them with a quick and easy transaction as he helped them find their new F-150 crew cab truck.   In Victoria’s [...]

If you noticed fireworks lighting up the western skies this past Friday, what you were probably witnessing was part of the festivities for the Annual Peosta Parade and Fun Day.   The sixth annual Peosta Days event was held in conjunction with the Annual Fireman’s Auction and the extravaganza promised something for kids of all ages. Friday’s events included the brilliant fireworks, skydivers, good food & drinks and live music featuring the band Hard Salami. On Saturday, the Peosta Days Parade took place and Doug Weig and his wife Angela were able to get some great shots of the Runde Chevrolet truck they drove in the parade.  It started at Mi-T-M and it ended up at the Peosta Rec Center. Doug said that it was a good time for everyone.   But the most intriguing event was one that I had never heard of … Cow Pie Bingo.  Doug said that he wanted to play, but it [...]

Needless to say that this new design for the new Ford Fusion has been very well received at the Chicago Auto Show this week and people’s comments have been very favorable toward it.  The video below was shot by Runde Auto Group  — The noise in the background of the vid was coming from the new Shelby Mustang presentation across the room and we’ll post the video of that soon.  People were definitely all a-buzz about the Shelby, but this new Fusion is definitely gorgeous. The new Ford Fusion design is only about 1 inch longer and 1/2 inch wider than the previous Fusion, but it looks a lot longer than its predecessor mainly due to an extended wheelbase that’s almost 5 inches longer than the 2012 version.  A new inline 4-cylinder 1.6 Liter EcoBoost engine will be available on the all-new Fusion.  And this optional turbo engine will produce 179 horsepower and 172 lb-ft [...]

Jordan Frakes & Lindsey Rossow from Iowa City visited the Runde used car dealership near Dubuque today to pick up Jordan’s new ride.  He was forced to find a replacement for his previous car that was totaled after someone pulled out in from of him.  Jordan and Lindsey are currently students at the University of Iowa and they kindly gave me a few minutes of their time before making the trek back to Iowa City. What Brought you into Runde’s?    Jordan: I saw the car online at Cars.com and I liked what I saw so I called you guys up and scheduled a time to drive it and then we talked about the price for awhile. What car was it?   Jordan: It was a 2006 Pontiac G6 [...]

We have been keeping our eyes on the Decorah eagles here at Runde Auto Group over the past 6-8 weeks on the Eagle Cam in anticipation of the hatching of the Eagle eggs.  Part of that waiting game came to a halt today as one of the three eggs hatched and a little baby Eagle worked his/her way into this world.   I think this whole online Eagle video camera thing has caused more anticipation than that proverbial bottle of Heinz ketchup.  But you just can’t shake an Eagle’s nest the way you’d skake a bottle of ketchup.  They’re saying that over 100,000 people are now following the Decorah Eagles Eye view of the nest.  People are watching it, emailing about it, texting others with Decorah eagles updates, blogging about it [...]

How did you find Runde Auto Group and this particular vehicle? Through Al Kloft.  I told him what I was looking for and he went and found it for me. I bought a Trailblazer and my brother bought a vehicle from Al not too long ago too. Why did you decide to purchase it here?  Because I found what I liked and because I’ve known Al for a long time.  He’s a family friend so I trusted him. And I liked it so I said yeah I’d buy it.   Where is the first place you’ll take your new car? I don’t know … probably work. Really? Yeah I have have work at 9 o’clock tonight.   Where do you work at? At The Barn in Sherrill Iowa — it’s a bar and a restaurant up there. I used to go up to the barn a long time ago — we [...]

Everyone loves pizza, right?  And possibly the only thing people like better than pizza is … a big pizza. C’mon, let’s face it … you can beat a big pizza.  Big fish … nope.  Big burger … sorry.  Big pizza … most definitely.      Some of the beefier men here at Runde’s went on a journey the other day. A journey of self-discovery, testing the limits of themselves and their stomach’s, a journey that only Luigi’s Big Pizza Baby in Dubuque, IA could provide. They supplied us with the biggest pizza that I, and several others, have ever seen with a whopping 30″ in diamater! The following video is a document of the momentous day that was Lunch from Luigi’s Pizza … Enjoy!  

One of the Runde Mascot Monkeys escaped and turned up at the Orange Bowl in Miami last night just in time to see the Iowa Hawkeyes football team finish up their 11-2 season by beating Georgia Tech 24-14.  He flew back today and described the game to all of us who caught the game on television.  Don’t worry Wisconsin and Illini football fans — you’ll have another shot at the Hawks next fall!!!  

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!  

For those of you who think that social media is just a fad that will disappear in the years to come, well … uhhh … you might have another thing coming.  In the car business you often get a mixture of old school thought vs. new school.   Yesterday, this really seemed really apparent when we asked one of our senior salesmen to help provide us with a customer of his that we could interview for the blog.  His response was: “No.  Actually, I can’t wait ’til that thing (the blog) goes away.”  In the past couple years, social media has become what it is and at Runde’s we have tried to embrace it for the positive.  We run a good business and word of mouth has always been one of the cheapest and best forms of advertising.  So we figure, we’ll interview customers and ask them what they thought of their experience at Runde’s.  It’s [...]

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! [...]

Today I had the great pleasure of meeting and getting to know Tiffany and Randy Wuertzer after buying a car at Runde’s. Randy Wuertzer owns Best Shot Paintball field located in Asbury and Tiffany will soon be attending the University of Iowa as a freshman. Before leaving the dealership, they graciously let me have a little chat with them… So you bought a car at Runde’s today? Yes we bought a silver Hyundai Accent. How do you like it? Randy: So far so good.  It’s a manual so I have to teach her how to drive it a bit more. Tiffany: I tried to drive it a little bit and it seemed good. So I hear you [...]

Michael Steiner from Potosi Wisconsin is one of the nicest college students I have ever had the privilege of getting to know. Recently, Michael sat down with me for a quick interview so that any wide web surfers like you could get to know him a little. Alright Michael, so why don’t you start by telling us what brought you to Runde’s today? I bought a Ford Focus. What led you to that car? Mine kind of went out on me. The price was right and the miles are right for the Focus.  It’s a good car. What are you going to use the car for? Pretty much going back and forth from school to work. Why did you look to Runde’s instead of other dealerships? A couple days ago I drove through all the lots in Dubuque and Lancaster, WI.   Turned out that Runde’s had a couple of cars that caught my [...]

Today I had the privilege of getting to know Mike and Traci Hernandez from Dyersville, IA who purchased a vehicle from Runde’s today as I sat down for an interview with them. This fun family had a lot character so they fit in perfectly at our fun and active dealership. What did you guys come to Runde’s today for? For the purchase of a vehicle. The used Saturn Vue. How was your experience at Runde’s? It was one of the few times I had to buy a car in my life so I don’t have much to compare it to. It was good, no problems. Your sales-person was Al Kloft, what you think of Al? He likes to talk! He’s a pretty good guy, we like him. He’s always eager to please. So, what led you to Runde’s in the first place?

The Cortes family recently stopped into Runde’s and bought a GMC Acadia. They were kind enough to sit down with me for a quick interview explaining their experience at Runde’s. What brought you to Runde’s? We were interested in the GMC Acadia we saw advertised. How was the test drive? It drove great;  the GMC Acadia is a very nice looking vehicle. Al was your salesman … what did you think of him? He’s a good man, a nice guy, very helpful. Daughter: “A bad meanie boy – just kidding!” How would you guys rank Runde’s on a Scale of 1-10? Probably a high eight. What do you plan on doing with the new GMC Acadia? Travel and have fun. It’s an SUV – is it for storage at all? No, pretty much just for traveling – it’s bigger than our current car so if we needed to, we could use it for some storage. [...]

Following a seemingly satisfying vehicle purchase Jon and Stacy Nash, of Clinton Iowa, gave me the opportunity to get to know them a little better. Below is a transcript of a conversation filled with laughs and smiles.  They are really an awesome, easy-going couple. Hey guys, what are you doing here at Runde’s today? Oh, we just bought a Chevy Tahoe – we saw it listed on autotrader.com then called up and talked to Al who set everything up for us. Al Kloft of Runde Predriven? He’s a character isn’t he? Ha ha, definitely. He’s very nice, a great person. Ah, so what made you interested in the Tahoe? Well we needed a used vehicle that had a bit more room than the two door cars we have to accommodate our family. Do you have kids? Yeah, we have a 20 year old that works, a 14 year old that is in high school and [...]

Chrysler buyers and the American Auto Industry got a shot of adrenalin earlier this week.  Because of the U.S Treasury’s recent move to provide Chrysler Financial with up to $1.5 billion in loan dollars, the lender will now offer 0% financing on select Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models. Qualified new vehicle buyers can apply for 0% interest for up to 60 months on ’08 and ’09 model-year Jeep Grand Cherokee, Commander, Wrangler, Chrysler Town & Country, 300,  Dodge Grand Caravan, Charger, Magnum, Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram HD, and Challenger. Chrysler vice chairman and president Jim Press had this to say about the announcement, “From both a customer and dealer perspective, it is exciting news that the Treasury Department is providing funding to Chrysler Financial. Now our customers, including those with scores in the 620 range, will be able [...]

Check out this Suzuki Equator walkaround video that was filmed at Runde Auto Group in Hazel Green, WI.  This black Equator is a truck that is sure to turn some heads. The dictionary defines “equator” as an imaginary line that goes around the circumference of the earth. Suzuki defines “Equator” as a non-imaginary truck that will take you practically anywhere you’d like to go on earth. Check out the new Suzuki Equator that recently arrived at Runde Suzuki in Hazel Green, WI:   Equipped with either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that produces 152 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque or a 4.0-liter V-6 that puts out an impressive 261 hp and 281 lb-ft. 7-year / 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. Available with the RMZ-4 Off-Road Package. Tows up to 6500 lbs. Kelly Blue Book could hardly believe all that the new Equator has to offer. Check out what they recently had to say about it … [...]

Manchester customer Deona Kelchen was sitting in our waiting room today, so I sat down and talked to her for a few minutes about her vehicle and her experience with Runde. She was a very pleasant lady, and was interesting to talk to! She lives outside of Manchester in the country. She recently returned from Arkansas, visiting her son. Runde Auto Chat: What kind of vehicle are you having serviced? Is it just a routine service appointment? Deona Kelchen: It’s a Dodge Stratus – It just needed an oil change. Runde Auto Chat: Did you buy the vehicle at Runde Auto Group of Manchester? Deona Kelchen: Yes I did RAC: Is there any feature it has that you really like? DK: It starts when it is supposed to. (Ha!) RAC: [...]

Most baseball fans know of the movie, “The Field of Dreams.” But for those of us from Iowa, it’s more than just a movie. It’s home, it’s reality, and it lights a fire within us when we think of all the history that was made on that very spot of ground. It’s hard to believe that it was made about 35 years ago.  Parts of the movie were shot in Dubuque and other parts were shot out on the East Coast, but the majority of it was filmed in Dyersville, IA.  Where is Dyersville you ask???  Well it’s about midway between Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque, IL and Runde Ford of Manchester, IA. –about 10 minutes north of US Hwy 20. The field lies on the Lansing family farm.   The corn is still growing, the house still stands in the same place it did 100 years ago. The movie was released in 1989, starring the ‘Tin Cup’ himself, [...]

Runde Auto Group of Manchester is anticipating the arrival of it’s newest line-up member.  The Ford Flex is an all new vehicle for 2009 and it’s a very important one for Ford as it replaces their mini-van  segment.  What?  No more minivans?   Evidently Ford execs were eavesdropping at wedding ceremonies where couples actually made it a part of their vows that they would: 1) never own a minivan, and 2) not allow Michael Bolton’s music in any of their vehicles.   Check out this video test-drive of the new Flex.  It’s interesting that the reviewer states he’s 6’4″ and he has no problems with the space inside the Flex — including the proverbial third row.  It’s also interesting that the man in the video points out that he wasn’t too fond of [...]