High Standards Have Their Rewards - J.D.Powers

Happy to hear today that both Honda and Acura are in the Top Three of J.D. Powers & Associates most recent New Car 'Quality' Survey. The Honda brand and luxury line Acura take the number 2 and 3 spots! Wow! it's great to be a part of Honda Cars of Bradenton, knowing that we have a worldclass product to offer.

1,000,000 miles, 1990 Accord..."Go Joe, Go!!!"

There's a guy in Norway, Maine that is driving his 1990 Honda Accord to one million miles.

His name is Joe LoCicero!

We say, "Go, Joe, go!"

This is no ordinary Joe! Driving a Honda to a million miles is an extraordinary feat. It would take the average driver about 65 years to reach one million miles. You may ask, "So how is Joe doing it?" For starters, he's read and followed his owner's manual and maintenance schedule to the letter. He's also a stickler for fluids, checking them weekly, switching them seasonally (10W-30 in summer and 5W-30 in winter), and changing them every 5,000 miles. He's been loyal to the same brand of oil and never lets it go below a quart low.

He's a creature of habit too! You know how most people let their fuel go to almost empty? Joe runs anywhere near empty, never happens. He's also a loyal parts guy, using only Honda air, oil and fuel filters. Joe never rides heavy on the brakes, he changes the fluid every few years. He's also replaced the fuel pump, both cooling fans and the radiator twice.

Besides his fastidious maintenance, Joe's Accord is on its way to a million miles because he's loved it. This is a relationship for sure! He's treated his Accord with respect and always drives it responsibly. In fact, Joe has only gotten one speeding ticket in almost a million miles—that must be some kind of record.

When it comes to driving, Joe's the man. Write Joe an encouraging message...

Super Civic Quest can Pay Off Big for you and your BFF!!

A while back I introduced you to the cast of characters in Honda's 'To Each Their Own' campaign.
Well now Honda is expanding it's reach into the realm of social media and games to get your attention. The first entry is called SUPER CIVIC QUEST! Turns out that Cesar's Civic Coupe has gone missing, and he needs your help to find it. You can play the Super Civic Quest and gather clues hidden across the Internet and app world. If your are savvy at snooping you can earn real MP3 download credits from Amazon.com or Facebook Credits (while supplies last) and enter for a chance to win 2012 Civic LX Sedans. Not just one for you but one for your BFF (Best Facebook Friend)!

http://apps.facebook.com/supercivicquest/

The Best High Mileage Car for Under $20,000?...Drive one today!

Great News for the 2012 Honda Civic! Turns out USA Today and Cars.com have teamed to evaluate five cars, each seating five passengers and costing under $20,000. Each of these getting over 35 MPG highway. In a series of tests, including a mileage verification test. Reportedly this test spanned a course of over 161 miles. The course was mixed city and highway. We like that!

Not surprising to us, rumor has it the 2012 Civic won, hands down with an average of 36.8 mpg. The Honda Civic bested the 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS by 2.3 mpg...even though the Elantra has an EPA rating of 33 mpg combined city/highway versus the Civic's 32 mpg.

Those that followed included the 2012 Ford Focus and the 2011 Chevy Cruze and the 2011 Kia Forte.

Cars.com will publish these figures on Monday....for the overall prize as the best high mileage car for under $20,000.

I know who I'm betting on!

Powered by Honda - A Great Trademark Slogan

Here at Honda Cars of Bradenton there's a cultural connection to car racing, notably NASCAR and the Hendrick Motor Sports organization. As we are a part of that Hendrick Family.

If you weren't aware of that organizational connection, you might be surprised when you visit our parts department. They offer an array of NASCAR/HMS promotional merchandise. It's a fact that there's a significant population of Honda Car owners that are also NASCAR fans.

As a Honda Dealership, that connection to racing is also tied to Indy racing. My customer and I had a front row seat in our showroom on Sunday, at least it felt that way. We had the Indy 500 Race on our big screen in the showroom this past weekend. And WOW! what a finish! Did you know that every entry in the Indy 500 is POWERED BY HONDA!!!???


Back to the race:

While it was looking like the rookie driver JR Hildebrand was a virtual sure bet to win it, BAM! suddeny, on the final turn, he slammed into the wall. Unbelievable! If you missed it, check the it out on YouTube.

JR ended up taking a 3rd place finish..hobbling over the finish on two wheels. Dan Wheldon was in the right place at the right time to take the win.

Certainly one of the most dramatic finishes that I've ever seen. And a metaphor for one of life's lessons:

As the saying goes, "it ain't over..." (till it's over?) or "it's not where you start..." (it's where you finish) Ouch!