Enjoy this day-by-day recap of Runde sales manager Aaron Young’s Jeep adventure with his daughter, Josie: 2020 has been an interesting year to say the least. My daughter, Josie, and I decided to plan a much needed vacation to the Carolinas and enjoy some lazy time on the beach, see a lot of historical sites and explore, explore, explore! Seemed simple, but as we were within just a couple of weeks of going, Covid-19 cases were spiking in that area and regulations/shutdowns were a big unknown. Some of the metro areas were seeing violence break out and to top it off, there was a tropical storm headed that way. The idea of heading into all of that no longer seemed relaxing to either of us, so we tossed those plans away and made a new one: a Jeep adventure. Head out west and wing it, literally. No plans can be ruined when you [...]

The all-new 2019 Jeep Cherokee has rolled onto the lot at Runde Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Manchester! The re-designed Cherokee has a whole new front fascia, hood, LED headlamps, daylight running lamps, and fog lamps. The vehicle has a new lightweight, hands-free power liftgate and five new wheel designs, including premium 19-inch wheel on Overland models. It also features a dual-pane sunroof. It boasts improved rear cargo volume and more convenient storage space, as well as small details like the new capless fuel fill that eliminates the need to touch and turn the vehicle’s gas cap when refilling. Under the hood, the vehicle has an all-new 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with 270 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque equipped with engine stop-start technology to optimize fuel economy. “A stunning, more premium design and the addition of our new fuel-efficient 2.0-liter turbo engine make the new 2019 Jeep Cherokee even more desirable in [...]

Like supercharged sports cars? How about a supercharged SUV? Jeep has announced the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, calling it the most powerful and quickest SUV ever. The vehicle has a supercharged 6.2L V-8 engine, with 707 horsepower and 645 lb ft of torque! It goes 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 180 mph. It has a 60-0 braking performance of 114 feet. “The new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk delivers astounding performance numbers, backed by renowned SRT engineering that combines world-class on-road driving dynamics with luxury, refinement and an array of innovative advanced technology,” said Mike Manley, head of Jeep Brand – FCA Global, in a press release. It comes with more than 70 safety and security features, and plenty of advanced technologies like Uconnect 8.4-standard touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The aggressive exterior includes quad-tip exhaust and standard 20×10-inch Titanium-finish wheels. The vehicles are set to arrive at Runde [...]

One of Runde’s newest customers is Ricardo Matthews, who currently plays noseguard on the defensive line of the Indianapolis Colts.  Ricardo purchased a new Jeep Grand Cherokee from Runde’s last week and was thoroughly pleased with everything.  As you can imagine, with the NFL season in full swing, Ricardo didn’t have time to come all the way to Runde Auto Group in Manchester, IA to pick up his new SUV … so Runde’s delivered it right to his doorstep in Indianapolis. You may recall that we’ve sold a couple of vehicles to Mardy Gilyard of the St. Louis Rams.  Well it turns out that Ricardo and Mardy (both rookies in the NFL this year) were teammates last year at the University of Cincinnati.  The two teammates still keep in touch and Mardy let Ricardo know where he could find a great deal on a new vehicle and door-to-door service on top of that. Ricardo Matthews attended high school in [...]

Time Magazine recently published the top 10 most exciting vehicles of the year. Making the list are three vehicle makes that Runde’s offers. Here are the three along with pictures and what Time had to say about them: 1. The Suzuki Kizashi What Time Magazine has to say: “Known for small cars and SUVs, Suzuki makes its first foray into the heart of the U.S. market with the midsize Kizashi sedan. The exterior styling is fresh, and the interior packs cool features such as sporty seats and a nifty instrument cluster that give the car character. The Kizashi’s key asset could be its power train, which includes a new 4-cylinder aluminum engine that can be matched up to either a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable automatic transmission. Kizashi won’t go on sale until late fall, and the price is expected to be in the low-$20,000 range. Toyota and Honda better look over [...]

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 [...]

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: [...]

Meet the Jeep Patriot!  It’s the newest addition to the Jeep family that already consists of rugged, high-quality vehicles like the Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee. The Patriot was recently voted as the Least Expensive SUV To Own by Edmunds.com What can be better than combining the quality of Jeep with the Lifetime Limited Powertrain Warranty? How about lower price and more options? The Jeep Patriot Limited comes fully equipped with leather interior, heated front seats, power moonroof, Sirius satellite radio, iPod auxiliary jack, Excellent Crash Test Ratings, and between 22 and 28 Miles Per Gallon on the highway*. *Trim and specs will effect fuel efficiency.   Take a look at my Jeep Patriot Walk-Around video!