While the new vehicles being displayed at the auto show were fascinating and exciting, there's something about vehicles that haven't been seen on the road for a long time that strike that same emotion. Looking at some of the first vehicles ever invented really gave me an up-close and personal look at just how far we have come. Take a gander at the vehicles below... They were using wood as a body frame material and actual lanterns were being used as lights. Automotively speaking, some things that we find today to be primitive are beautiful in my mind. But beauty aside, I don't think the National Committee for Highway Safety would see lit lanterns hanging from a vehicle as "safe". In the event of an accident in today's world, open flames and potentional gas leaks aren't exactly seen as the best combination. Just think 100 years into the future... they'll be saying: "I can't believe they used fiberglass and steel for the vehicle bodies and their engines burned gas and diesel!" Vehicles clearly are a measure of progress and creativity for our society. Who knows what the future will hold on the vehicular timeline ... but something tells me that our great, great grandchildren will still be whining for a way to be transported to the mall on snowy winter days when school has been cancelled. Enjoy a blast from the past with these Classic Ford cars!
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 prepared for the possibility of being hit by a whole lot bigger Taxi as the truck of the year - Ford Transit - has high hopes to make a debut as a Taxi fairly soon.
In addition to having more cargo and leg space, the Transit Taxi is working on offering a rear entertainment package for customers that will have a screen displaying stock quotes, weather conditions and cab fare among other things. In addition, it will offer a credit-card swipe pay station for passengers. Last, Ford promises that the taxi will be available with a version of Ford Work Solutions that includes high-speed internet.
Begs the question, is this a cab or a limo?
The Transit Connect Taxi goes into production this year and will available as a 2011 model.
What makes a great, affordable car even better? How about making it more affordable? Right now, until March 31st, Ford is running an awesome incentive on the Focus giving you up to $3,000 customer cash or $500 Ford Credit Retail Bonus Customer AND 0% APR for 36 months*. Pretty impressive considering its already low starting cost.
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 been good for Runde Auto Group and we get to discover a little more about our customers -- facets of their lives that may not have normally come to the surface during a normal visit here. Posting the interview has also been a postive for our customers. We've interviewed many people who don't know their way around the internet too well. However, once their interview pops up online -- so does their picture and all of the sudden they're getting calls from friends or family who saw them online. It's a positive for everyone involved. Social media has quickly become a staple of our society and even though some of the old schoolers around here may not like it, it's quite evident that social media is here to stay.
Small vehicles are starting to become mainstream. What's not to like about them? They are cute, fun, and best of all - great on fuel economy. But before you go and give your kids one of these for their graduation gift, take this video into consideration:
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It's true that smaller cars generally get better gas mileage but like the man says near the end of this video: there are larger vehicles out there, like the Ford Fusion Hybrid, that get as good, if not better gas mileage than several smaller vehicles. Remember: just because you might be saving some money on gas doesn't mean you are investing in you, or your families health. Be sure to do research before buying a vehicle to make sure they get great safety ratings and are proved to be reliable in case the worst scenario happens.
While the new vehicles being displayed at the auto show were fascinating and exciting, there's something about vehicles that haven't been seen on the road for a long time that strike that same emotion. Looking at some of the first vehicles ever invented really gave me an up-close and personal look at just how far we have come. Take a gander at the vehicles below... They were using wood as a body frame material and actual lanterns were being used as lights. Automotively speaking, some things that we find today to be primitive are beautiful in my mind. But beauty aside, I don't think the National Committee for Highway Safety would see lit lanterns hanging from a vehicle as "safe". In the event of an accident in today's world, open flames and potentional gas leaks aren't exactly seen as the best combination. Just think 100 years into the future... they'll be saying: "I can't believe they used fiberglass and steel for the vehicle bodies and their engines burned gas and diesel!" Vehicles clearly are a measure of progress and creativity for our society. Who knows what the future will hold on the vehicular timeline ... but something tells me that our great, great grandchildren will still be whining for a way to be transported to the mall on snowy winter days when school has been cancelled. Enjoy a blast from the past with these Classic Ford cars! 
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