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Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC: Are You Ready For The Memorial Day Rush

May 21, 2012UncategorizedBuick Dealer, buying a car easy, buying used car, car brakes, dallas Buick Dealer, Dallas GMC Dealer, dallas GMC Truck, dallas new car, dallas Used Car, dallas Used Truck, dallas Used Truck. New Car, DFW Buick, dfw car dealer, dfw gmc, driving anxiety, engine dissection, Fort Worth Buick, fort worth gmc, Fort Worth Truck Dealer, Ft. Worth Buick, Ft. Worth car dealer, ft. worth gmc, GMC Dealer, GMC Truck, memorial day driving, professional grade, Used Car, Used TruckOzzie

The Memorial Day rush has already started. Well, maybe not actually started, but I can guarantee that all of us here at Freeman Grapevine are thinking about what we’ll be doing this weekend. Either going out to spend the weekend on the lakes, headed to friends and family for a great cookout, taking the family out camping or any number of other activities, chances are you are going to be on the road during one of the most dangerous times of the year.

AAA said 37.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more, or about 1 percent more than last year — an estimate derived from a national phone survey of 1,500 adults. More than 80 percent of those travelers will take road trips, while another 10 percent will fly. The remainder will be packed into trains and buses.

Source: MSNBC

Keep in mind that over this three-day weekend, though, an average of 161 people are killed in car accidents in the U.S. per day, 40% due to drunk driving. With that in mind, local law enforcement will certainly be out cracking down.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jvli2H3VSA

All of us at Freeman Grapevine, we want all of our Dallas Fort Worth Buick & GMC customers to stay safe this weekend. There will certainly be more people on the road, including you an your family, so stay aware and don’t drink and drive. Wouldn’t it be great if DFW could have a holiday weekend with no Driving/DWI related injuries? You can make that happen.

Buick Dealer Dallas Says: You Can Control Gas Prices

February 22, 2012UncategorizedBuick dealer dallas, buick dealer fort worth, car accident info, dallas Buick Dealer, dallas fort worth used car, Dallas GMC Dealer, dallas GMC Truck, dallas new car, dallas Used Car, dallas Used Truck, dfw driving, eassist, fort worth Buick dealer, freeman grapevine, gas price decline, GMC Dealer, GMC TruckOzzie

Here’s something I was just thinking about and wanted to share. How and why do gas prices rise and fall. Freeman Grapevine supplies companies with fleet vehicles, we sell work trucks and larger, family sized SUVS. For each one of those entities, the cost of fuel directly affects them the most because of their size and engine requirements. Make no mistake though, the fuel economy of larger GM Vehicles is up there, if not better than, our closest competitors.

So, why are gas prices going back up? They we’re at their highest in 2008 when the price per gallon was over $4 here in Grapevine Texas. In California and parts of Colorado (and other places, I’m sure) it was over $5. It a combination of things I think. Additional tension in the Middle East with Iran can cut it’s oil supplies to the US and other European countries. Also, there is further economical tension overseas, in Greece needs a bailout and Europe has a debt crisis that adds to the uncertainty.

So, what can we do to facilitate another drop in gas prices? Two things can happen, but only one we can do ourselves. The oil industry increases supply and demand by further exploration. I’ve heard that has already been proposed in regards to Arctic regions. Of course, we have the ongoing battle of tapping reserves in Alaska and further exploring the Gulf of Mexico.

or,

We can drive less.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t the that GMC Yukon Denali, by all means, get it, it’s a beautiful vehicle. What I’m saying is plan a little more to use your vehicle a little less.

When gas prices were at their peak, it was limiting the use of our vehicles that drove the prices down. Why? Obviously, supply was exceeding demand and it started a price war. It’s a very simple concept. Make the gas companies fight for your vehicle’s fuel supply. There’s no need for anything drastic that you aren’t already doing…except drive less. Make a home cooked meal instead of going to a restaurant. Carpool. Stream a movie instead of going to a theater. Oh, and I’m sure Fido would love to go on a walk, or two.

There is some good news on the issues we can’t control too. You see, economies operate like a sine curve. There are peaks and valleys of growth and decline, it’s just how capitalism works. There are good signs that we are at the beginning of a recovery. There are good signs that Europe’s debt crisis is easing and Greece’s pending bailout deal is easing financial nerves.

So, with us driving just a bit less, maybe we can initiate another gas war and help drive gas prices down. Remember, I’m a Grapevine, Tx car dealer, selling cars and trucks is my livelihood. However, I also want my customers to be informed so everyone can have the vehicles they really want.

Your Car CD player is destined for extinction, Fort Worth

July 29, 2011UncategorizedBuick Dealer, dallas Buick Dealer, Dallas GMC Dealer, dallas GMC Truck, dallas new car, dallas Used Car, dallas Used Truck, dallas Used Truck. New Car, DFW Buick, dfw car dealer, dfw gmc, Fort Worth Buick, fort worth gmc, Fort Worth Truck Dealer, Ft. Worth Buick, Ft. Worth car dealer, ft. worth gmc, GMC Dealer, GMC Truck, Used Car, Used TruckOzzie

I don’t know about you, but when I drive, I have to listen to music. For me, it’s just a really great way to decompress after work, or a great way to get pumped up on the way to a game. The bottom line is that without tunes in the car, most of us might find traveling a bit on the boring side.

I don’t think we have anything to fear about losing our in-car entertainment, but I did recently hear that Sheryl Connelly with Ford Motor Co., told Digital Music News, “The in-car CD player – much like pay telephones – is destined to fade away in the face of exciting new technology.” According to Ford, downloadable formats such as MP3 now account for 98% of the music market, having grown more than seven-fold while CD sales have dropped 35%. The automaker says the Ford Focus is its first model that will have a CD-less in-dash radio.

Of course, Ford isn’t the only auto manufacturer who is moving towards integrating a smartphone connection as well as USB and MP3 Bluetooth connectivity for an external device in their vehicles as well.

Our cars have become such an ingrained part of our culture, they have quite literally become extension of ourselves and our homes. There is no doubt that over time customer preferences will lead us quickly into an all-digital approach to in-car audio entertainment. That means no more floorboards covered in scratched CDs. No more pulling the wrong CD from the right case. It will quite literally streamline our dashboards as well as how we listen to music in our cars.

The big question is, “When will all of this take place?” I don’t have an answer for that, but my guess is certainly much sooner than later.

What’s next? This? WARNING: DON’T ATTEMPT THIS

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx3ZJ9HXIbo

Of course that was just for entertainment, so don’t go and turn your car into a giant keyboard…unless your name is Liberace.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask. If you are interested in the next generation on in-car entertainment, swing by and take a look at what Buick and GMC have to offer.

Feel the need for speed?

April 25, 2011UncategorizedOzzie

Well you just might have that need fulfilled. Texas will be raising the speed limit on highways to 85 mph. If you don’t know already, a speed limit of eighty-five miles per hour would be the highest posted speed limit in the United States and the second-highest posted speed limit in the world. A trip from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas would only take 23 min as opposed to the 30 it takes now. Isn’t that exciting? Meh, not really, I just wanted to impress you with some math skills.

Anyway, back on target.According to an article written by Reuters

Gary Biller, executive director of the Wisconsin-based National Motorists Association, said higher speed limits are perfectly reasonable given the good quality of today’s highway construction.

“In Utah, after they adjusted from 75 to 80, nothing happened to the accident rate,” Biller said. “Actually, nothing happened to the average speed, either; it remained the same.”

But don’t get too excited just yet, the same article reported:

Under the legislation, the Texas Department of Transportation would have to conduct engineering studies before any highway could be certified for an 85 mph speed limit.

“Should this or similar language become law, the agency would conduct extensive studies and analyses to determine safety and structural integrity before raising the speed limit on any particular highway in the state,” said Penny Mason, a spokeswoman for the department.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSVlJuPrMaw

There are Proponents and Opponents to raising the speed limit. Now this isn’t the Autobahn and I have no interest in limitless speed (for the moment), but history has shown, and I believe, raising the current speed limit isn’t anymore dangerous than it is now. Besides, if you drive in the Metroplex you know that actually going the “speed limit” is more dangerous than following the flow of traffic.

So there you have it, almost everything is bigger in Texas…even the speed limits. Comments?

Fort Worth: How the Japanese Tsunami Affects American Car Production

March 25, 2011UncategorizedBuick Dealer, dallas Buick Dealer, Dallas GMC Dealer, dallas GMC Truck, dallas new car, dallas Used Car, dallas Used Truck, dallas Used Truck. New Car, DFW Buick, dfw car dealer, dfw gmc, Fort Worth Buick, fort worth gmc, Fort Worth Truck Dealer, Ft. Worth Buick, Ft. Worth car dealer, ft. worth gmc, GMC Dealer, GMC Truck, Used Car, Used TruckOzzie

I’ll bet you never really thought about how an event of extraordinary magnitude, such as the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan, would affect American cars.

Well, the sad news, apart from the human tragedy, is that in 6 to 8 months we may be seeing a shortage of parts used in American made vehicles. Most of those parts will be electronics, but the possibility of them increasing in price is very real. That’s just the law of supply and demand.

The fact of the matter is that, although small Japanese cars are the hardest hit, they aren’t the only ones. Cars produced in North America aren’t immune. I just learned that General Motors had to shut down a plant that makes small pickups in Louisiana, reportedly because of a shortage of Japan-sourced parts. Components come from all over the world today, and a supply chain disruption can impact plants in different countries.

North American-built cars with both Japanese and American nameplates could also be affected by shortages of parts including computer chips, batteries, LCD monitors, and other parts made in Japan. The GMC Canyon is one vehicle affected by this crisis.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYoWVjM9iBc

Do I think that GM will figure this out? Absolutely! Do I think that the shortage in parts will slow production or drive prices up? We’ll that’s just something we’ll all have to wait and see.

On a more immediate note, if you are reading this, you may not know that Freeman Grapevine has dedicated ourselves to aiding the American Red Cross with this disaster. Head over to our Facebook page and we’ll be donating money in the name of all of those who like the page.

Take a few minutes to peruse some of the Youtube videos of the devastation and you’ll understand the grave impact this disaster has already made.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC0OFT8WWHk

Please come by our page and help us donate.