‘I wonder where that two-legged guy went? Well, I have things to do so I am out of here!’
Monday, March 22, 2010
Dog Driver
Top Used Car Dealer Hank Graff Davison talks about Used Cars...
Buying a used car should be fun. Buying a used car should be exciting. Remember when you first got behind the wheel of a car? Remember the excitement? Remember the freedom? The planets aligned and all was right with the world. When you buy a used car we believe that you should have those feelings again, or at least as close as you possibly can. Here at Hank Graff Chevrolet Davison, used cars are what we do best. We love used cars because there is nothing quite like selling a used car to a customer and seeing the look on their face when they drive away. They always smile. They smile because they are happy and excited. They smile because they know that they just saved hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the used car or used truck that they are driving. We also like to think that they are smiling because of the experience that we have provided for them. We take customer satisfaction very seriously at Hank Graff Chevrolet Davison. There is a reason why we are the top dealer for new Chevrolet and used cars and used trucks. You are the reason that we have been in business for over 95 years.
If you are interested in buying a used car or used truck, we would love to assist you in any way that we can, even if you don’t buy from us. We encourage you to shop around for used cars and discover for yourself the superior customer service, selection and prices that you will find at Hank Graff Chevrolet Davison compared to ANY other new or used car dealership anywhere.
You will find many “tips and tricks” on buying used cars all over the internet. We even have a few of our own for you to use. We encourage you to use all of these. When you buy a used car or used truck we want you to be as well educated as possible so that you know that you are making the right decision for YOU. Many think that the process of buying a used car is simple. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A used car or used truck sale involves intimate communication between buyer and seller. It is our responsibility to provide you with the best tools and resources that you need in order you to make the right decision for yourself. Integrity and honesty are paramount.
We will always do our best to help you to find the best used car or used truck that fits your needs. Used car and used truck buyers are the cornerstone of any successful used car or used truck dealership and it is our mission to make your experience as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible. Please visit our help center, contact us via email, or call 810-653-4111 if you have any questions about buying a used car or used truck.
Lexus IS 250C review
We Brits are an optimistic bunch. Even though we only get about 38 minutes of sunshine each summer, we buy more convertibles than almost anyone else in Europe. Britain is the second biggest European market for drop-tops and that means we have a greater appetite for open-air motoring than the French, the Italians or the Spanish.
The only problem is that removing the roof can spoil a good car, or at least make it noisier, sloppier to drive and easier to steal. That’s why car makers invented the metal folding hard top, which is meant to mix the advantages of a coupé with the fun of a cabriolet.
This arrangement features on the latest Lexus IS 250C, a £34,550-plus open-top version of the IS saloon that’s pitched as a rival to the class-leading BMW 3-series Convertible and recently launched Mercedes E-class Coupé. The IS 250C is claimed to have the world’s fastest metal folding roof. Like most rivals’ similar systems, it is split into three sections to ease stowage. Powered by 15 electric motors and fitted with 37 sensors to ensure its panels don’t thwack anything when, at the touch of a button, they flail into the air and fold intricately into the boot, the intricate system even has a “roof brake” to allow a well-damped closure.
To accommodate the intriguing folding roof system, Lexus has redesigned much of the IS’s bodywork. Only the mirrors, door handles and bonnet are common between the four-door saloon and this convertible, so the two look quite different. To my eyes the IS 250C is a little frumpy and inelegant, despite the designer’s best efforts to disguise its elongated rear end – an Audi A5 Cabriolet is much prettier.
An A5 isn’t as refined, however. Lexus has paid special attention to this area, adding extra sound-deadening materials in an effort to make the IS 250C impressively quiet. But when the roof is down these gains don’t count for much and this soundproofing also makes the car considerably heavier.
At least the ride is smooth on standard 17in wheels as we pootle along Nice’s coastal promenade – the sort of glamorous setting this car has been designed to suit. The upmarket cabin is also as well-appointed as an MP’s second home, if a little more compact, while the generous boot is big enough for two large travel bags.
Halting at a traffic light provides the opportunity to put the speed of this roof to the test. Press the button and all 15 motors buzz into life. A driver behind beeps his horn, assuming we’re going to hold him up, but just 21 seconds later the process is complete.
We head out of Nice and up to the twisty roads that form stages of the Monte Carlo Rally. This is where the IS 250C’s flaws are most cruelly exposed. The only engine on offer – a smooth-revving, 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine with 205bhp – feels weak and overwhelmed in this environment, while the automatic gearbox swaps cogs constantly in an effort to find more urge. The United States will get a version with an extra 100bhp but the bigger engine’s emissions preclude its appearance in Europe.
Much as the engine won’t satisfy keener drivers, neither will the handling. The problem is the car’s bloated weight, which prevents the IS 250C from having the panache of cheaper rivals such as the BMW
3-series Convertible. It’s safe and has numerous electronic driver aids, but it’s not sharp. It’s disappointingly dull.
All in, this is a refined cruiser that could appeal if you’re after a plush, comfortable and soft-driving convertible. But the reason we buy so many open-top cars in Britain is surely because they’re fun, and the IS 250C’s sanitised driving sensations mean that it isn’t.
Friday, March 19, 2010
out with the old, in with the new
I’d like to introduce you to the newest addition to my life: my new German boyfriend, Johan Sven Ip.
So you may ask, why name him Johan Sven? Well, I was brainstorming with EH about what to name him and we decided that since he is German, it would be fitting for him to have a traditional German name. We went through various ideas, including Klaus, Hans, Tobias, and Adolf (yes. Adolf…kinda funny? No? Anyways…), and eventually I settled on Johan Sven. I then decided to look up what this actually meant and discovered the following:
Johan = God’s gracious gift
Sven = Boy
Hahaha…subtle sign, no? This new car was meant to be mine. And I think the meaning is cute too! 
Anyways, Johan is looking forward to meeting you! Hopefully he can be friends with my friends.
What A Labster does....
…..on her Spring Break is not always the most logical. So she has homework that she needs to do but hey she is a college student who is trying to destress.
So…Saturday, she continued her streak of being unable to get home without needing to call her parents to have them come get her. This time instead of being snow it was Sam’s clutch. Thanks dad for teaching me what to do when that happened. I was able to get her over to a McDonald’s/gas station. Then after my dad arrived…we played the great game of where is a u-haul??? This was after my dad tried to drive Sam home with me following in the truck.
Sunday…Since I missed Mass on Saturday, I went. Then we went to see the Terracotta Warriors, which turned into a great adventure because we did not realize that DC was a) hosting a St. Pat’s Day Parade b) would blocked a LARGE majority of the city off for it. Overall, It was a nice display. I was delighted to figure out that i knew a lot of the information based off of educationed guesses.
Monday…I went into my old high school to talk with my internship teachers. I can not wait for May and be in a classroom everyday seeing how it really works.
Tuesday….We went to see the Arlington Cathedral and went to daily mass. Then we went shopping for shoes, which we found. Then there was scrapbooking.
Wednesday….was spent at Woodlawn looking at the lovely needlework exhibit.
Thursday …was spent working on getting the house organized and cleaned. I also inputted booking into my computer list of books I own.
I have also spent this week working on my Junior Week costumes, which is another entire blog post or two of it’s own.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Signs of Spring #2
Just a few more days till Spring arrives and I have some more signs to bring spring on home. I have chosen to focus on the signs that can be seen around cars, specifically my car, and the adventure cars can bring.
4st Sign of Spring: The shoe store that appears inside of my car. If you read my last post then you know my hatred for socks. This hatred extends to shoes that I have to tie. Let me slip something on my fine little toes and I am good to go. So, when the weather warms and my toes cry for freedom I pack up the socks and bring out the shoes that provide a little more fresh air for my 10 little friends.
I have chocos, crocs, and a few pairs of shoes that have a little flip and flop in them. All provide the freedom my toes crave. The funny news is that they come off without any hassle, which makes me want to take them off and free my little toesies even more. So, I end up driving barefoot with one pair, then leave that pair in the car, then come out the next day with another pair, I leave those in the car…and so on and so on. Eventually all the shoes I have end up piled, not in the backseat but right up front under my legs. It’s good in the long run. I have choices wherever I go and I never have to worry about being unprepared.
5th Sign of Spring: Windows down. I love driving along with the windows down, the air invigorating me as I venture to my destination. I love watching all the other people enjoying a beautiful day with their windows down. I also love feeling sorry for the people who love their air conditioning a little too much. I love sitting in a car on a great day when the question comes up, “do yall want the windows up or down?” All it takes is a look and the driver knows….yes, they know. On the warmer days I love the realization that your back is covered in sweat, but who cares I had the windows down. So, I encourage you if you are not a person who enjoys this as I do, to simply roll your windows down, turn on some fabulous music, put your sunglasses on, and take a long drive. You will not regret it, and if you do then we probably cannot be friends.
6th Sign of Spring: Random Road trips. There is something about road trips with a few good pals that stirs the soul. Spring is the perfect time. Getting outside after a long winter and seeing the green creep back into the outdoors. Drive to Mississippi and back just because it is Sunday afternoon and you want too. 
Drive up to Rome to go camping and have an elderly couple scare and creep the living daylights out of you then become your best friends. Decide with a few friends that you want some fireworks but we are in Georgia so drive to South Carolina and get some. The key is to stop at any place that seems fun. Giant piles of tires, creepy restaurants that just look great, and on the side of the road to play with the family of scarecrows or creepy dogs. The possibilities are endless.
So as Spring approaches take your socks off, roll down your window (or simply push the button that makes them go down) just drive because you can and enjoy life. It is there to be enjoy and by golly I am gonna do it!
- Is it in the trolley?
Nope but it soon may be. The car boot sale season is looming – so I felt I needed to get equipped and as I am approaching 40 I should invest in my very own older people’s version of a portmanteau – a shopping trolley. So of course I decided to scour the planet for something cool and funky to drag round the fields as its nigh on impossible with a grumbling toddler in one hand and a pile of tat (sorry glorious vintage finds) in the other. I found this funky little number in dearest deutschland. I was so excited when it arrived this morning by DHL (yes that is rather sad to profess that excitement about a trolley!). Amazingly fast two day delivery though. Here I am proudly wheeling it outside my house, much to the embarrassment of the photographer! My daughter is going to love it and no doubt will be wanting a ride in it too!
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