What Not

When I was a child, one of the local elementary schools had an annual fun fair called, “Lucky Ducky” (at least that’s what I remember it being called). They had carnival booths around the playground with games such as fishing for prizes. That’s the game where you put your play fishing pole’s line over a wall and get a mystery prize. Honestly, I don’t remember much about the prizes or whether or not it cost anything, but from that point on, any time somebody got something special, the neighbor kids would call them a “lucky duck.”

That phrase came to mind again when I watched the following video of Tasmanian blogger Steven Wade riding in the original SAAB Sonett.  During his recent trip to Trollhatten, Sweden, Swade got to tour the SAAB museum and to experience lots of the car brand’s heritage.  This must have been the highlight:

Ask Eggs-n-grits.

When it was getting close to time to turn in my demo car, I began to look over the inventory for something that would be a good replacement for the 2006 Volvo XC70 I had been driving. That was a nice car, but I was ready for something different. As fun as the S60 was last winter, I thought it would be good to get into an AWD vehicle so I could speak from experience about the Volvo system.

What I ended up asking for and receiving was a 2005 Volvo XC90 2.5T AWD. This particular vehicle is the 5 passenger version and is the perfect size for my family of five. The only downer is that there is only one booster seat. Ohio just passed a law that requires kids 8 and under to sit in a booster seat. So, it would have been nice if the SUV came with two for my 6 and 8 year olds. But, on a positive note, the cargo area is perfect for all the stuff we need to carry.

I’m planning on an occasional update about the XC90 just to give potential buyer’s an idea of what it’s like for an extended period of time. My first test began when I filled the gas tank with 87 octane. I’ll be reporting on the mileage in a week or so.  Till then, drive safely … in a Volvo.

This weekend, one of my co-workers invited us over for a birthday party. It was nice to get together outside of work and to enjoy the friendships we’ve developed over the years. Not all of the Volvo Boys were able to attend, but we did get three of us together for a group photo.

Thanks for taking the picture, Moriah!

You’ve narrowed it down to two vehicles.  The only problem is that the two are radically different.  One has plenty of bling, sportiness, and style.  The other has safety, comfort, and practicality written all over it.  Which do you choose?  That’s not always an easy question to answer.  So, let’s do a simple comparison to see which one makes more sense.

Just from a comparison of the specifications, you can see that the FX35 has more horsepower, front legroom, and fuel capacity.  But it’s a smaller vehicle being almost 2000 lbs less in weight and 1000 lbs less in towing capacity.  But if you want a large AWD crossover with bling, this might be the car for you.

On the other hand, the XC90 has more room inside, a third row for children, more cargo space, weight, and towing capacity.  The mileage is not that much different despite the weight and horsepower differences.  So, if you want a nice looking, comfortable, Top Safety pick SUV, with room for seven people, this is the one for you.

Remember the Jefferson’s sitcom back in the 1970-80′s?  The theme song gave the idea that the main character had finally made it up the ladder of success with the phrase, “Movin’ on up!” That song always comes to mind when someone gets a promotion, a new car, or something special.

To be honest, I don’t really care about the recognition.  It’s more the feeling of accomplishment as the website had been a constant challenge to update and maintain.  Unless you have built a website yourself, you don’t realize the time that goes into it.  So, bear with me as I enjoy the move from a C+ to a B-.

The biggest deal is getting the word out.  My business card magnets have been helpful as they contain the website address and contact information.  But the next step is establishing a web presence via links at places such as zoominfo, yahoo, google, dmoz, facebook, and digg.  I don’t expect that these will generate instant success, but they will (hopefully) get the word out and generate some interest.

When things are slow at the dealership, this is how we try to attract more customers. Notice the string of small balloons in the upper right hand corner. Eddie tied five balloons end to end to attract more attention. Sunnyside Nissan (across the street from us) also put up balloons. BUT WE WIN WITH THE TALLEST BALLOON STRING!!!

I don’t know if it’ll bring in any more customers, but it’s got us watching out the window!

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UPDATE: We sold 8 cars today, so maybe it works, eh?