10 Things to Know Before Your Summer Road Trip

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It’s that time of year again, time to pack up the old Rambler, buckle up the kids in the back, and hit the open road for the Memorial Day Weekend. I don’t think I have met one person who hasn’t endured a road trip with your their family or friends where they didn’t have a solid lesson to pass on to fellow travelers.

Like the Griswolds packing up to head for Wally World, it seems like everyone has a wacky road trip story. Dad pops a tire and throws a tire iron through a road sign. Or your little brother may or may not have had an accident because the 80 ounces of Mountain Dew didn’t hold up too well for him after 5 hours straight.

Either way, before your family heads out, I thought about some of my fondest road trip memories. The lessons I share are not meant to scare or shock, but to merely serve as cautionary tales.

#1. More isn’t always merrier.

When I was a teenager, we traveled for hockey a lot. To keep cost down, our team would take a gigantic coach bus like most teams do. This particular trip was a lovely little 427 mile drive (insert sarcastic look) from Kansas City, Kansas to Somerset, Wisconsin.

When you have 20 teenage boys, packed into 30 foot long tube… Well you can assume the bus ride isn’t exactly a pleasure for anyone. Loud, crude, and hyped up on gas station snacks that could make Lance Armstrong diabetic; I wouldn’t wish that experience upon my worst enemy.

#2. If the sign says “No stops for next 280 miles” then stop.

If an “Ice-Road Trucker” won’t do it, neither should you. When you think it would be in the group’s best interest to volunteer for the desolate stretch between Grand Junction and the I-15 interchange in Utah, just shut your mouth, pretend to be sleeping and hope that somehow a wormhole opens that will magically transport you through the longest 280 miles of your life.

They tell you there are no stops for 280 miles for a reason! I found this out after hitting my 20th hour with no sleep, stupidly offering to take the DJ shift (make sure the driver doesn’t pass out or need another bag of Cheetos.) Two hours in, you’ll start to think the highway is taking you in circles. For a scenery lover it’s great, look another butte, and another, and another. Only then do you realize that the only way life could get any worse is if you had done it in a wagon like the settlers hundreds of years before, to which you wonder… why?

#3. Learn the definition of Insanity, so you don’t repeat a mistake.

I took the same road trip 3 years later… It was worse. 5 grown men shoved into a car should be considered a form of torture. At least with water boarding you know why your arm is wet. Playing the “who drooled on me,” game from the middle seat is about degrading as it gets.

Be smart, just say no. You know why they say try everything once? Because when it’s that bad, you should know better by the time the opportunity arrives again.

#4. You turned the AC off to save gas? Congratulations, cause everyone hates you.

If I wanted to sit in a sauna with you for 12 hours, then I would have booked us at Club Med. I’m not wearing a cut-off and from the smell of the car, neither should you. Turn the AC back on before we all leave you in some small town with no cell reception.

#5. If it looks like the town from “The Hills Have Eyes,” then get back in the car.

Drive, just keep driving. Drive as far away from possible. It looks like a ghost town for a reason. Unless you want to be the puppet in their history museum (if you can call it that) I suggest you stay away. * Note this is indeed because I have seen enough horror movies to warrant this response, don’t care how scenic it seems, it ain’t got a McDonald’s then there’s something wrong.

#6. If you’re driving first, don’t eat Cheetos, Doritos or anything that you could paint the sun with.

It’s just common courtesy. Or buy some wet wipes and clean off the wheel. You know how hard it is to drive with cheese hands? You know how much worse it is when you know the cheese isn’t from your own fingers?

#7. Forget the fuel economy, there’s a reason a Prius is a commuter car.

Mountains and a Prius don’t work after 4 hours. Why is that Sean? Are you bashing on the environmentally conscious? No, I just like facts, and if you want to test this one be my guest, if you ain’t braking, you ain’t going over 60 MPH. So you tell me how exciting it is to pass a semi, only to have half your engine power cut out directly after passing them.

#8. You’re not Ricky Bobby, so stop trying to shake and bake with me.

We’re on a highway, and last time I checked there’s no checkered flag. So stop riding people’s tails in the hopes that “drafting” off that 1992 Ford Taurus is going to make your trip go by any quicker.

#9. Mom, Dad… I love you, but NO ONE wants to see the world’s largest ball of yarn.

You can change out “ball of yarn” for anything really, biggest squirrel, oldest stump, or brightest barn, but the truth is that if it takes more than 15 minutes? You’ve lost more of my attention than you had, and if I’m a teenager? Good luck with the rest of the trip. Hi I’m your son and/or daughter named “Indignant,” have you met my sibling “Disinterest” and “Discontent?”

The one exception to the rule is if it’s the world’s largest (insert something with water that I can swim in.) Then the trip will be bearable, until you embarrass him or her in front of the cute girl/ guy, which at that point giving up on your kids altogether isn’t too bad of an option seeing as how they have given up on you.

#10. Sometimes the journey is far better than the destination, so forget your plans.

I say this with complete confidence. You can plan all you want, but as we all know, some of life’s sweetest surprises are the ones we least expect. If your friend says he needs help moving back from Gulf Shores, Alabama to Colorado? DO IT, don’t hesitate, don’t complain, do it.

You’ll pass through towns you didn’t know exist and meet people in parts of the country that you would have never thought you’d meet. This is a specific instance, but applies to any road trip experience. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and just see where the road takes you. We wound up in Baton Rouge (home of the LSU Tigers) and hung out in the town for 10 hours. We met some of the friendliest people who offered us places to stay and eat, because they wanted us to have the signature “Game-day” experience.

Safe travels everyone.

Share your trvel experiences with us at www.facebook.com/medvedautoplex and on Twitter @MedvedAutoCO

This blog is the opinion of Sean Bucher and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Medved Autoplex, it’s partners or subsidiaries.

Jeep Patriot Takes on The Medved Mile

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We decided to give the people what they want, When we tested a Jeep Wrangler on the Medved Mile, you guys loved it. So much in fact, that you wanted to see another Jeep take on the track, so we suited up and brought the Jeep Patriot out to the track.

Tell us what you think of Facebook and tweet hastag #MedvedMile @MedvedAutoCo

www.medvedsouth.com

Medved Body Shop Launches New Website for Customer Ease

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New websites are launched everyday, in-fact there are probably 40 websites devoted to break dancing or potato sack races that have gone up worldwide.

Most of these websites serve little purpose beyond pretty flash interaction and the ability to offer web surfers a few moments of relief from menial tasks.

So when we wanted to announce our new body shop website, we thought what better way then to discuss how it can actually be of use for our customers.

When visiting www.autobodyshopdenver.com, users will find an easy to navigate experience that is aimed at the customer’s ease of use first and foremost.

One of the most popular features is our LAW tab, that highlights some very important consumer protections. For Instance, did you know  House Bill 07-1104 states that “Your insurance company cannot mandate or require you to go to one of their network shops?”

The site is easy to navigate and shows every aspect a consumer would want to see from a repair shop.

Like these Before and After shots of repairs done on vehicles, and how like-new the cars look.

Some great features that have been incorporated into the website, but are standard for any Medved Body Shop customer include complimentary towing within 25 miles of the shop,  Factory (OEM) certified parts and did I mention a lifetime warranty on the repairs?

Beyond traditional repairs, the body shop boasts some of the best custom painters this side of the Mississippi.  Our team’s hand-drawn pinstripes are one of a kind, and look terrific.  Like the custom paint job on this Chevrolet Camaro, a special two-tone paint job that celebrates custom paint jobs from the 60′s and 70′s.

The Medved Body shop stands behind its work 100% even after your car has left the lot, which is rarity these days.  Between the fine finish work, and customer friendly process over the phone or online, the Body Shop at Medved is the best choice around for collision repair.

To contact the body shop, call 303-420-539.

Or visit them directly at http://www.autobodyshopdenver.com/

An Ode to Carroll Shelby

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Carroll Shelby

America lost one of its greatest car minds today. Carroll Shelby, a master of his craft in engineering and racing, passed away at the age of 89.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Shelby himself, there’s no doubt you have seen his designs and influences at some point in your life.

The man designed some of the most iconic cars, not just of one generation, but of multiple generations. Millions identified his cars as style and engineering staples, breakthroughs in engineering that pushed other performance companies like Ferrari on track and Chevrolet in the showroom.

Shelby, although known for his automobile work, was a World War II flight instructor and test pilot. It may explain why so many of his designs and engines seemed to give drivers the sensation of flying.

In the 50′s, Shelby was a driver for companies like Aston Martin, Maserati and Cad-Allard. In 1959, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mons, considered by many to be the toughest race in the world.

After 59, Shelby began the Shelby-America Company, which would prove to be the beginning of one of the most decorated engineering and design companies in American history. After modifying an AC Bristol, The USA got its first taste of Shelby Cobra. the evolution of the Snake, the 427 Snake was clocked at top speed of 185 MPH on the M1 Raceway in 1964.

My favorite Shelby imagining was the GT500. Somehow, Shelby took what was arguably one of the coolest cars of the 60′s (Ford’s Mustang fastback) and took the car to total beast mode. I may get flack for this, and rightfully so, but my passion for the GT500 came from seeing Gone In 60 Seconds. Minus the overacting of Nicholas Cage, the chase scene at the end of the film that features the GT500 racing through Long Beach and the port of LA did the GT500 justice.

I recently had the chance to ride in a family friend’s custom-built Shelby Cobra (known now as the CSX4000.) It was amazing to see a car that had such an established name, and is so desired to this day purely because of its performance. The car was built to the precise specs of the 1960′s models, and yet it could probably handle with the best cars on the road today.

The car has a simplistic interior by today’s standards of course, but it only functions as a small barrier to a powerful engine, that hissed with every punch of the clutch. Shelby cars represent the best part of driving… the actual driving part.

That Cobra with its bare bones design was exhilarating to ride in. Performance and driving enthusiasm in its purist form.

In the late 80′s/ early 90′s Shelby saw a return to prominence, although probably not as commercialized as it should have been, with his influence on the Dodge Viper.  After modifying may of Dodge’s designs throughout the 80′s, Americans got a taste of the Viper.  Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of the Viper, nothing personal, in-fact it’s an amazing vehicle that showed Shelby’s continued drive to make lighter and faster cars.

For a fan of Shelby, I was more excited to see him team up with for in 2004 again, and re-release the GT500 in conjunction with the new design of the Mustangs.  To me, that is the purest form of Shelby engineering, and of course one of my favorite bodies on a car.

2007 GT500 Shown

Shelby’s passing represents something greater than just loss of an icon. It represents the last of the old guard passing the torch. Where will the next great american engineers emerge? Shelby’s gritty and pioneering spirit represented the American spirit, the idea that we can do it better. That it didn’t matter how many times someone said it couldn’t be done, that an American car couldn’t beat a European car. That an American driver couldn’t compete with the likes of Ferrari.

Cheers to Carroll Shelby, may your spirit live on forever in the burnt rubber and exhaust of every performance car.

Carroll Shelby 1923-2012

GM Alum Visit Medved Autoplex for Lunch and Volt Info

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First off, The entire Medved Autoplex would like to thank all of the members of the GM family that attended the luncheon at Medved Autoplex of Wheat Ridge today.  It was both an honor and a privilege to meet so many people who gave many years to the the American auto Industry.  From former sales staff to line workers at the old “Buick City” plant, Medved Autoplex thanks you for your work.

One of the most interesting events of the day was getting some inside info on the Volt.  If you are new to our blog, Medved prides itself on being one of the most in tune dealerships with the Volt.  We love the technology and are proud to carry Colorado’s largest selection of Volts.

A lot of people wonder what the cost of charging the Volt often runs.  Today, we broke it down, and the numbers are hard to argue with.

For the average cost of $1.50 for a full charge, the Volt can deliver 35 miles without gas.  In the state of Colorado, the average kilowatt per hour is less, adding up to around $1.20.  If you compare that to the national average for Gas, which runs about $3.75 per gallon according to AAA’s Fuel Gage Report.  That’s an immense saving, particularly if a gas motor gets 35 MPG (which many do not.)