Total Distance from Runde’s to Kenai, Alaska … 3642 miles.

Bob and Debora Jameson of Kenai, Alaska purchased an Express Sunseeker RV from Runde Auto Group earlier this summer. (When we looked up Kenai on Google Maps, we found out that it’s actually closer to Russia than it is to East Dubuque.) Their salesman was Dave “Soup” Smith up at the Runde PreDriven store in Hazel Green and the following is their own account of their Runde experience …

“Typically found on the top of everyone’s bucket list, Driving the Alaska Highway is typically one of the top ten things to do before time runs out on our abilities to travel in such remote regions … we just purchased a larger motorhome from Runde Chevrolet and will be driving it back to Alaska taking our sweet ole time in doing so. We plan to sample a few of the alternate routes along the way, visit the top tourist destinations and explore the many RV campgrounds available along the Alaska Highway in 2010.

Kenai, Alaska

It was around noon on a pleasantly warm mid-morning spring day that was highlighted by a gentle breeze whispering off the Mississippi River as we arrived in Dubuque Iowa from our home in Alaska. East Dubuque, our destination, is located across the river in Illinois from the Dubuque Iowa.

I was searching the internet looking for a relatively specific motorhome when we ran across one at a Chevrolet Dealer in Iowa. The listing was about as close to what we were looking for as we had found, a chevy chassis powered by the powerhouse 8.1 liter V-8 in a 29 or 31 foot Class-C motorhome. We chose this particular layout for it’s semi rugged functionality and it’s excellent ability to pull a boat over long distances of winding hilly road. Alaska can and does take here toll on recreational vehicles so we were looking for something that was easy to maintain and didn’t cost us an arm and a leg in the initial purchase.

The search on Google for just such a vehicle came up with just two vehicles that fit all our criteria. The first was in Illinois and an identical one in Florida. Both hade very low mileage, around 20,000 miles, but the Illinois one had very few hours on the generator as well. Seeing that the asking prices were similar, we next looked at the maintenance histories as well as the logistics of driving the motorhome back to Alaska. As the Illinois unit belonged to the service manager at Runde Chevrolet, we felt that it would be in excellent mechanical condition.

Aerial view of Runde Chevrolet

We made the decision to purchase the Illinois unit after speaking to the salesman at Runde Chevrolet. OK, laugh if you will but the salesman at Runde seemed honest and truthful. He was up front with information and didn’t seem to be trying to convenience me to purchase the unit but rather just stuck with the facts. My gut feeling was proven correct as when we picked up the motorhome, all was exactly as described and in some instances even better. I have nothing but praise for the entire staff at Runde Chevrolet and wish to tell everyone that the pride of the heartland is alive and well at Runde Chevrolet.

So now it’s off to see how this thing performs on a zigzag course that will lead us to the Alaska Highway far to the north of our current location.

At about 5pm we dropped off the rental car at the Avis car rental in the Dubuque Iowa airport. The folks at Runde were kind enough to deliver the motorhome to us here.”

MapQuest.com guestimates that the travel time between Kenai, AK and East Dubuque, IL is 63 hours, 49 minutes while the distance is a mere 3642 miles. We'd like to thank Bob and Debora: 1) for making the round trip from there to here and back again, 2) for buying at Runde Auto Group in spite of the long distance factor, and 3) for their kind words to Runde Auto Group. If you're possibly interested in driving the Great Alaska Highway someday and would like to follow their trip updates on their website you can do so at: http://drivealaskahighway.com

Wayne Konrardy – Loves his Work, His Family and Diet Pepsi

Wayne Konrardy is one of those guys that when you go to talk to him you know he will put you in a better mood. Wayne has been part of Runde’s for over a decade and fills the place with his charm and care. Ask any of Wayne’s customers how they liked their experience – they could write pages of praise for Wayne (and they have!). To let everyone else have a slice of who Wayne is we decided to put him online for everyone to get to know him bit better and this will also be a chance for his sons to comment about him on Facebook!

How long have you been with Runde’s?
12 years – I started in July of ’98. I’ve had a total of 31 years in sales.

What do you like about your job?
I love the people. I like meeting everyone and they usually end up being my friends.

Are you married?
Yes, I’ve been married for 43 years.

Do you remember the first date with your wife?
Absolutely. My brother got wounded in Vietnam and they thought it was serious enough where he might die so they sent me home too to spend time with him. After my brother got better, his girlfriend lined me up for a date night with my [soon to be] wife. My brother told me “if you don’t like her, cough, I’ll make an excuse and we’ll leave” Thank God I didn’t cough. I walked in the door and saw her and I knew that she was the girl for me.

What part of the service were you in?
I served in the Air Force for about four years and then the National Guard for another four or five years.

Do you have kids?
Yes, two boys. They are John and Jim. One of them is married and the other is available.

Oh yeah, I see your sons on Runde’s Facebook as fans…
Yeah, they give me a hard time because they wanted me to join facebook and I thought it was “Spacebook”. I’m not really good with computers. I’m not on them a lot, they are too slow for me.

I also have four grandkids – two girls and two boys.
I have a tradition to take each of them to Disney World when they turn nine. The rules are that the kids cannot take their mother or father and whatever grandpa says, is correct. The reasoning behind why I take them when they are nine is because they are old enough to be away from their parents for a little time, young enough to get a less expensive price for tickets, and old enough to remember all of it.

How many more Disney trips do you have left?
We actually just had our last one in June. The temperature was in the upper 90′s, the humidity was terrible and I found out from the trip to Disney four years ago to this one that I’m slowing down a little bit… but not much.

Are you sad that there are no more trips?
Kind of yeah… I plan on taking the grandkids on another trip sometime, though. I like to take two at a time – that way there is no fighting, no arguing and can give them more attention.

Do you enjoy yourself on the trips?
I probably have as much fun as they do!

Do you and your wife travel otherwise?
Oh yes. Every year I take my wife somewhere, usually out of the county. Out of all the trips we went on I’d have to say the most memorable place was Hawaii – it was gorgeous. All of our trips are pretty neat though, because we go around our anniversary and get to celebrate our relationship by going out and eating supper together.

What vehicles do you guys drive?
My wife drives a Malibu. I drive an HHR. I tell everybody that it’s like a little truck and/or tank and I still get 30 MPG.
Mary’s got the “nice” car; I’ve got the “other” car.

What kind of sports do you like?
College football – I love it. I like Notre Dame, Iowa and Boise State. I was stationed in Idaho when I was in the military – 50 miles from Boise, so I like them. I like Notre Dame because I went to high school to be a priest in Indiana which was close to Notre Dame and I actually got a football letter and a chin strap from Daryle Lamonica who ended up playing quarterback for Oakland back in the early sixties.

I used to like baseball until the Dodgers went on strike… then they lost me. I have three baseballs signed by Sandy Koufax, Duke Snider, and Maury Wills.

What is your favorite movie?
To Hell and Back with Audie Murphy – the most decorated man of World War Two. He starred in his own movie when he came home.

What kind of music do you like?
I like 50′s. My wife likes Country. Whoever drives gets to listen to what they like. I tell everybody to set their XM Radio
Station to “23″ if they are married – It’s the “Romantic” station.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to spend time with my grandkids or just putzin’ around the house. My wife usually has stuff for me to do but we try to go out every Thursday night – we call it “date night” — it makes it fun and exciting for the both of us.

And what is your favorite place to take your date?
Timmermans. I love Timmermans – great steaks, good service, you feel like you’re somewhere else. Otherwise my wife likes Culvers, I like Red Robin. Oh and I should add, everyone that knows me knows I love Diet Pepsi.

What would you do with the money if you won the lottery?
Probably share it with my family. Save some on the side for when they get older and need it.

What’s your favorite band?
I’d have to say the Beetles. I was the one guy who didn’t know who Poison was. I met Bret Michaels and I didn’t even know who he was. He gave me tickets to go to the fairgrounds to watch him play. I had no clue, I thought he was from Bellevue, Iowa - when he said his name was Bret Michaels – he couldn’t believe I didn’t know who he was! So we ended up going to the Poison concert and I will not go to another concert… I was deaf for two days after that!

Why, would you say, someone should come to Runde’s instead of a different dealership?
Great service, great people, no dealer prep fees, no doc fees, no garbage and if you ever have any problems the service here is phenomenal. Before I joined Runde’s I was looking to work someplace where I can take care of my customers and know that they will be taken care of if they ever have any problems as far as maintenance or service goes and Runde’s does just that.

What do you promise your customers?
I give them the best deals I can get them and that I am always here for them. I think people understand that as I keep seeing referrals from happy customers.

Thanks Wayne. We are proud to have you as part of the Runde Family!

Jerry Hesseling Benefit

Help Jerry Hesseling fight his battle against cancer by attending his benefit on Saturday, August 14th. Not being able to work because of cancer would put a lot of stress on a man and his family. 100% of the money raised from the event will be donated to Jerry and his family to help them in their fight. To learn more about the event and what you can do please click on the picture to the right.

Meal Tickets can be purchased at:
Gooch’s Greenhouse – Kieler, WI
Sunset Lanes – Dickeyville, WI
Finley ER – Dubuque, IA

Parts is Parts. And We’ve Got ‘em.

I don’t know why, but I had that old Wendy’s commercial pop into my head today — the parts is parts one, remember? Wendy’s really had some great commercials back in the day.

Anyway, the parts is parts commercial caused me to feel a need to give a shout out to our Runde Parts Department. The guys who work in parts do an excellent job and their work often goes unheralded.

So here’s the shout:

Whether you’re looking to upfit your current truck or deck out a brand new one, be sure to check out what we currently have on hand or available at the Parts Office counter at our Chevy store in East Dubuque.

If you’re not able to stop in, then feel free to give either Bryon, Anthony, or Jason a call toll-free at 866-735-5200.   OEM or aftermarket …  Whatever you’re after, they’ll be able to track it down for you and probably save you a couple bucks in the process.  Wheels, Tires, DVD Players, Bedliners, Box Covers, Keyless Entry, Remote Starters, Heated Seats, Running Boards, Mud Guards, Chrome Exhaust Systems, etc…  They’ve got it all and there are deals to be had.  If you give Runde’s a holler, we’re confident that you’ll like our attitude.

chevy parts dubuque

Runde Chevrolet parts counter east dubuque

Runde Chevy Parts

Runde Chevrolet Parts

Bridget Hohmann’s got a brand new rig with 4-wheel-drive. Country folks can survive.

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 yah I’d buy it.

View of Sherrill, Iowa

Where is the first place you’ll take your new car?
I don’t know … probably work. Really? Yah I have have work at 9 o’clock tonight.

 Where do you work at?
At The Barn in Sherrill — it’s a bar and a restaurant up there.

 I used to go up to the barn a long time ago — we played a couple gigs up there back in the day.
Yah, that was when V.J. owned it and now his son runs the place. (Check out the link to The Barn’s FaceBook Page)

Is your vehicle a male or female? 
Female.                          

And will you give it a name?
No. 

Why not? 
I don’t know. (shrugs) I never named any of my cars.

How many vehicles have you owned so far in your life?  
Five.

 How often do you usually trade in your cars? 
This is the first time I’ve ever traded and bought something new. 

So you usually keep your vehicles until they die? 
Yep.

What’s the best thing about your new ride? 
It’s bigger and it has four-wheel-drive.

If you were a vehicle, what vehicle would you want to be? 
Probably … I don’t know, it’s a tough question … probably a truck because it’s big.

Will your friends or anyone be allowed to eat in your new Trailblazer? 
Yes.  Are you sure?  Yah.  (Wow, we’ve asked that question to many customers before and we usually get a “Nope” response back.  I wasn’t expecting that answer.)

Al Kloft of Runde Auto Group in Hazel Green

Al Kloft

How would you rate your vehicle buying experience with Runde Auto Group on a scale of 1 to 35 with 35 being the best? 
 I’d say it was probably a 31. 

And Al Kloft was your salesman — so how would you rate Al? 
The best.  He was awesome, I liked working with Al.

If something unfortunate were to happen to Al and he could no longer be a car salesman, do you think he would make a better News Anchorman, Game Show Host, or State Representative? 
Definitely a game show host.

And which game show would he be best at hosting; The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal, or that one about being smarter than a 5th grader? 
The 5th grader one. (she smiles) 

You know I think just the contestants have to show how smart they are so he’d probably be safe as the host.  Yep. (she nods and grins)

What is your favorite movie of all time? 
Fried Green Tomatoes. 

Really?  Do you like the Fried Green Tomatoes restaurant too?
  I know that there’s a nice restaurant named Fried Green Tomatoes.  I haven’t been there, but I really like the movie.  It’s easily my favorite.

Do you have any hobbies? 
I like to ride horses.

What is currently in the cd player of your vehicle? 
Seether.  Seether? What’s that?  It’s a rock band.

If you could move anywhere else in the world, where would it be and why?  Probably Wyoming because I like the country and there’s like nothing out there — like no big cities or anything like that.  (I’ve heard that you haven’t really seen the stars until you’ve looked up at a Wyoming sky on a moonless night.)

 Have you ever been to Idaho?  No.  I’ve heard that’s awesome too.  Yah me too.

Describe your ideal day – what would you do – where would the road take you?  I’d go to a tractor pull.  A tractor pull?  Yep.  (I like asking that question because you never get the same answer twice.)

Lightning Round:

Gaga or Taylor Swift?  Taylor Swift.

Transformers or Twilight?  Twilight.

Taco Johns or Taco Bell?  Taco Bell.

Glass: half empty, half full, or someone just left it sitting there and no one felt like washing it today?  Half full.

Target or Walmart?  Target.

Ebay or Amazon?  Amazon.

Win the lottery or become President?  (grinning with confidence)  Win the lottery.

 


We’d like to thank Bridget for taking time out of her schedule to sit down and chat with us.  She’s a very personable young lady and now she has a sweet new 4wd ride that you just may see her in as she zooms over the hills and valleys of the tri-state area. Let’s just hope she never feels the need to drive her new vehicle like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes.
 

 

Ford Gets “Touched” With Upgrades.

Ford is, no doubt, the leader when it comes to implementing technological features in its vehicles. With Ford Sync ever-expanding and the release of MyFord Touch, techheads and gearheads can finally walk hand-in-hand. With its voice recognition technology, you never have to take your eyes or hands off the steering wheel or your eyes off the road. This also means that you will talking to your vehicle… a lot (just be sure to laugh it off it someone stares at you in confusion). The next batch of upgrades include: increased command recognition, alias implementation (can recognize more words for the same command such as “temp up”, ”hotter”, “heat up”) and voice navigation will map your command to a GPS via MyFord Touch.

For further explanation and demonstrations check out the video’s below:

That’s a Wrap! The HHR is Done!

A couple of months ago Jordan Degree got a Chevy HHR for the Dubuque Art Center from Runde’s. The Are Center had plans to get it wrapped in a vinyl coat and that’s exactly what they did!  Jordan says he is loving the HHR and is very pleased with how the wrap turned out. Check out the pictures below and look out for it on the roads!

  

Build Your Own Corvette Engine

Am I the only one who thinks “holy cow, there must be a whole lot of complicated things going on when they built that engine!” This is what I think almost every time I pop open my hood to look at the engine? How would one go about building an engine?  What all goes into the design?  Is displacement really king when it comes to sheer power?  Was GM’s 3800 V-6 really the best car engine of the 20th century?  Or what about Jeep’s 4.0L inline 6-cylinder?  I later go on to wonder if I were to ever take one apart, what would I see, would I know how it all worked, and could I put it all back together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle? If only I could see one being built from scratch and have an explanation of what’s going on… what’s that? I can!??

That’s right, Chevrolet is now giving you the option to build your own engine with the purchase of a Z06 or ZR1 Corvette. Pack up your bags, plop down an extra $5,800 plus travel charges to Detroit and you will be face to machine with all the parts and tools needed to build the very same engine that will be rocketing you down the road at ridiculous speeds. The best part about it is if you are in the market for a Z06 or a ZR1 then the extra $$$ needed for this awesome, once in a lifetime opportunity, will probably be next to nothing.

Check out the video below for a demonstration of the engine you could be building!