Runde Auto Chat

Crusin' down the road, windows down, music up, you are in the "zone" with this sweet new track playin' on the radio. You start trying to sing parts of the chorus, and completely butcher the rest of the song. Full of emotion, you utter slightly slurred words mixed with gibberish to comprise what would surely amount to a migraine for anyone unfortunate enough to be in the same car with you.

You get to the end of the song and look forward to the radio announcer revealing the name of the song and artist so you can download it on iTunes later. But what the...the announcer reveals the details of the song you loved so dearly while your friend was yelling at you to get him some aspirin.

Dang it all to heck! You missed it all and end up going into a major state of depression because you still don't know the name of that song... If only there was a feature that lets you record, let's say, oh... the last 20 minutes of music so you could re-listen to it and pick up anything you might have missed.

Wh-heh-ell, if GM isn't on top of their game bringing things from our dreams into a usable, tangible technology. With the Pause and Play Radio, you can save up to 20 minutes of whatever you are listening to on the radio, even XM or Sirius to an internal hard drive. The radio feature is currently built into the Chevy Equinox and Buick LaCrosse and it will also be implemented in the upcoming Buick Regal and Chevrolet Cruze (cool!)

In a followup to yesterday's announcement of the Buick Regal, today Buick released pricing for the vehicle. Initially, the Regal will only be offered in the Premium CXL model with other trim models to be offered in the 2012 model year. The Premium CXL model start at $29,495 including a $750 destination charge and includes the following:

• Standard 2.4L Ecotec direct injected engine rated at an estimated 182 horsepower (136 kW)
• Available 2.0L Ecotec turbocharged and direct injected engine rated at an estimated 220 horsepower (164 kW) – available late-summer 2010
• Both engines have six-speed automatic transmission standard with Driver Shift Control (DSC)
• Estimated 30 mpg on the highway with the 2.4L and 29 mpg highway with the 2.0L turbo engine
• MacPherson strut front suspension and four-link independent rear suspension
• Class-exclusive Interactive Drive Control System is available with the 2.0L turbo.

Some more standard and optional features include:

• Four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel anti-lock braking system, brake assist and electronic parking brake
• Standard StabiliTrak stability control system and full-function traction control
• Standard dual-stage frontal air bags, side-curtain air bags and pedal-release system; and available rear-seat thorax air bags
• Available navigation system, Harman Kardon sound system, and internal flash drive (1GB)
• Standard 18-inch aluminum wheels (19-inch aluminum wheels come with available Interactive Drive Control on the 2.0L turbo)
• Standard 12-way power, leather and heated driver seat; leather and heated passenger front seat; Bluetooth for phone capability; i-Pod auxiliary jack and USB port; XM Satellite Radio and OnStar

The regal will go on sale in the U.S. around the beginning of the second quarter (around March). It looks like a good deal considering how much is put into the car. Buick's vision of rebuilding their image is coming along nicely with sharp looks and great modern features in their recent "new old model car" remakes. Before I go, I'll leave you with this pricing guide released from Buick that shows the prices of the rest of the models as well as a comparison to the LaCrosse.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z_Fhkz8Db4]

What's that? "That's not new you dork!" you say? Well you know what I mean... new as in new model... get off my back, geesh. And as much as they have changed in it, it might as well be a different model all-together. Stay tuned for more information about the NEW Regal in the near future.

Michelle brought in her two sons, Dylan and Tyler to get a few things done to their brand-new 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. And after dealing with Tom, it was worth the hour and a half drive over here to start a relationship with Runde's.

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. Shortly after I sent in my inquiry I got a call from Tom Sladky.

*one of Michelle's sons comes running through the door*
Oh hello there.
Dylan: Hi.

What's your name?
Dylan.

How old are you Dylan?
Five!

Did you see the vehicle your mom got?
Yep.
Michelle: Honey, what did you do when you first saw the car?
Dylan: I kissed it!

You must love the car then, huh? Yep!

What are you going to be using the Tahoe for?
Michelle: It's going to be used for traveling back and forth for hockey.

Lots of storage in that Tahoe for that! Do both of your kids play hockey?
Nope, just Tyler.

Does Tyler have a favorite hockey player?
 He likes all hockey players.

Where are you guys from?
Waterloo, IA.

Do you like hockey too?
*shakes head* no.

If you were to rate Runde's on a scale on 1-10, what would you give it?
10. Today I came in to get some stuff done with my car and get a remote start in. They gave me a loner car to go shopping for 3 hours. I didn't have to sit here for 3 hours with 2 screaming kids.

 How would you rank your sales person, Tom Sladky?
Totally a 10. He didn't feel like a "salesguy". I really wanted a 2LT and most salespeople would have pushed that. But Tom suggested the 1LT after knowing my situation and needs. He made it really personal.

Is this going to be your car?
There is NO question about it - It's MY car.

Fair enough... well when your husband needs a new vehicle can we look forward to seeing him?
Definitely.

This was the line of customers in line to be helped by Tom after Michelle told them about her experience.

So would you recommend Runde's to your friends and family?
I already have! I have a whole stack of cards I haven't handed out yet either. Everybody that comes in won't know anyone but Tom, though...

Well if they all come flooding in I'm sure we can let our other great salespeople take care of some of the folks waiting to get helped by Tom.
Ok, haha, sounds great.

From playing games, to converting practically any measurement you need at the click of a button. The new spawn of smart phones and gadgets are, needless to say, impressive. 'But what's next?' you may be asking yourself as you scroll through the thousands and thousands of apps available from the Apple and Verizon store. Well, I have the answer for you, and is it oh-soooo-sweet.

Imagine waking up mid-winter to start your day. It's so cold outside, the last thing you look forward to is feeling your freezing hair rub against your skin on the drive to work. Fear no more, as the latest and greatest thing for your phone since being able to put 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" as a customizable ringtone, is (nearly) here with GM and OnStar's Volt Mobile Apps. If you don't have one of his ringtones yourself, someone you know does.

With this new app, you are able to control several things on your Volt straight from your phone, including: remote control start, lock and unlock, keep track of battery charge and electric range, schedule when to charge the Volt and when to stop, email or text message alerts when you forget to charge the Volt, and much more. Now you can wake up, check your voice-mail for 18-minute drunk dial calls from last night, then start your car so it will be warm by the time you are ready... no more having to worry about your freezing hair giving you mini cuts on your neck. You won't even have to look for your car keys (which are probably attached to your house keys and are hanging from the lock on the door knob of your house's front door)!

 To use the app you must be subscribed to OnStar, which, in addition to this great app, has several useful features such as: Automatic Crash Response, Emergency Services, Remote Door Unlock, Roadside Assistance, Crisis Assist, OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Hands Free Calling and OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics.

The official app will be released when the Volt comes out. In the meantime, OnStar has released a demo of the app you can play around with here: OnStarMobileDemo.com