5 Websites to Research Before Purchasing a Vehicle

The Truck Life of Drew Baldridge Drew Baldridge is a country music star from Patoka, Illinois. Drew recently got a 2021 Ram 1500 from Monken Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM and we wanted to hear what he loves about the truck and more about his “truck life.” He has quite the history of vehicles, both new and old, but memories from each of them that will last a lifetime. Check out what we asked Drew and learn a little more about him! You just got a new truck, what are your favorite features about your RAM 1500? I love having the big screen, heated seats, and it rides so nice. I love having everything on the screen, it’s like two feet long. It also just rides so much smoother than any other truck I’ve been in. I can also automatically start it and it turns on my heated steering wheel and seats. We haven’t hauled anything with it yet, but I can throw all of my merch into the truck bed and it fits! Katie (Drew’s wife) loves the heated steering wheel and how happy it makes Drew! Have you had any friends comment on your truck? Oh yeah! Every one of them. Every song writing friend, everybody. They all talk about how much RAM has stepped their game up. Someone told me they’ve always driven a big Escalade, but they could see themselves driving a truck if they had one like it. Everyone comments on how clean and nice it is. Have you ever driven a truck prior to your RAM? I got my first truck when I was 16, it was an F150. Then after that I bought a RAM 1500 and loved it, but was so broke when I moved to Nashville I had to sell it. Then I bought a completely hail damaged black Chevy Cobalt. It looked like a black golf ball, but now it feels so good to be back in a truck. One of the first times I was writing at a new place, I arrived early and the door was locked so I was sitting on the hood of my black Chevy Cobalt. It looked terrible, but I was just trying to make ends meet. Then this really nice Chevy truck pulled up beside me and out stepped Thomas Rhett. He came walking up and I was telling him how much I loved his truck. He looked at me and said “What happened to your car?” I told him I actually bought it like this. So... the new RAM is a big step up! How did you get your first truck? So my mom made me a deal when I was 14 that said she would match whatever money I made to buy a truck. I worked hauling hay for my grandpa and started my own mowing business. By the time I was 16 I had a lot of money saved up and my parents were generous enough to match it, so I bought a 2001 Ford F150. What Is something fun you used to do with your truck? I remember back home when we used to get big snows. I had an F150 that was pretty jacked up and had pretty big tries on it. Then my brother had a truck that was a little bigger. So every time it would snow we would take our trucks to see if we could get stuck and then use our chain to pull the other out. Then we would find a field that was frozen over and do donuts on it. Did your family have a vehicle that you loved or dreamed to have one day? My dad had an old blue stick shift Dodge Dakota. It was one of the trucks I learned to drive stick on and it had a bench seat so we had to call the window seat. Then whoever sat in the middle would work the gears while my dad worked the clutch. There’s just a lot of memories in the old blue Dodge Dakota. Now my dad and my brother both drive RAMs. Do you have any great memories from family road trips? We used to take so many family road trips. My mom and dad used to have a minivan, so we piled in and slept in the back of it. We drove every year for beach trips to Florida and Alabama. Then we got one of those DVD players that would Velcro to mom and dad's head rest, which was a huge deal. Do you have any upcoming road trips you’re planning? I’d like to take a whole family road trip out west. They all haven’t been so I think it would be so cool to take them. Show them the Rocky Mountains, elk, different animals we don’t have, and so they can see the beauty out there. We are going to elk hunt as well. Trucks have been a big piece of Drew’s life between the memories and the traveling. We had a great time getting to know Drew more and learn about his truck life. Make sure to follow his country music journey on social media and listen to his songs on any platform!

Summer is coming to a close, kids are back in school and families are starting to focus on getting things done other than blowing up pool floats. Fall is a busy time for all of us, but it’s also the perfect time to slowly start getting your vehicle ready for the winter, (yuck, the ‘w’ word), months ahead. Getting a head start in the fall means that you don’t have to scramble in once winter does hit and it may be too late. The following are our Fall Car Care Tips to help get your vehicle ready for both fall AND winter. No need to have all these done at once. Spread the cost out over the fall so that by winter you’re safe and ready to drive! Here are our September Service Specials for Toyota, Chrysler/Nissan, and Chevy Buick GMC. Check your Tire Tread – you can visually check this yourself. The easiest way is to grab a penny and insert the penny into a tire groove on each one of the tires. Make sure that Abe Lincoln’s head is upside down and facing you. If you can see ALL of Abe’s head, it’s time to replace your tires. This isn’t a fool proof test though, depending on your tires, so if you have doubts, definitely bring your tires in to be checked by a service professional. Check ALL your Lights – it will start getting darker sooner and you don’t want to be caught out driving at dusk with lights that don’t work. Grab a family member or friend and have them help you check to see that your brake lights, turn signals and high beams all work. Check fluid levels – most vehicles will now alert you when you need to replace fluids or if there is a fluid leak, but if you have an older model vehicle, you will need to check for these manually yourself or have a service professional do an inspection. Washer fluid – this is an easy issue to rectify yourself and washer fluid is inexpensive. But oftentimes people forget to refill this and then find themselves in a scary situation when “winter” weather creeps into fall months without warning. Heating and Cooling – checking the HVAC system is something that is a little bit more difficult to do at home. Obviously, you can tell if your AC/Heat has completely stopped working, but if the system is on it’s way out, you may not notice right away until the temps drop drastically. But at a service center this is a quick test and they can tell you exactly how adequately yours is working. Tire Pressure – air pressure in a tire decreases 1-2 pounds for every 10 degrees of temperature change. This is something that you will want to check a few times each season. And the nice thing is that putting air in your tires is free! Not just to help ensure your safety this fall and winter, keeping your car properly tuned can improve your gas mileage by an average of 4%* - everybody likes saving on gas money! *source: The Car Care Council

A car emergency kit is always something we recommend people have in their vehicle at all times. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize their need for one until it’s too late.  There are a number of kits that you can purchase, like this one from AAA, or this one if you’re prepping for a zombie apocalypse, but they are simple to put together yourself at home.  You’ll be glad you made one should you ever find yourself in the position to need it. Even if you have AAA, they may not come immediately, inclement weather may keep them from getting to you at all, and passengers inside the car could be injured. We put together our list of the 10 most important items to keep in your car emergency kit at all times. 1. A First-Aid Kit. Yes, a kit within your kit. These can be purchased very inexpensively at any drug store, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. and should include the typical items like Band-Aids, gauze, antibacterial cream, and anything else specific to your family’s needs. 2. Water. Depending on who your typical passengers are, you may want to keep more or less water handy, but a gallon jug is a good amount. We find this to be handy not even during a vehicle emergency, but also after a hike when you realize your dog doesn’t have quite enough water! 3. An extra cell-phone charger. Buy a spare charger that you NEVER take out of this kit. Most people have one handy inside the vehicle, but if your family is anything like ours, they mysteriously go missing from time to time. Keep one in the emergency kit that your battery-hogging teenagers don’t know about. 4. Non-perishable snacks. We recommend protein or granola bars and trail mix. We’ve also heard of people keeping those energy gel packets used by avid hikers and marathoners. 5. Rain poncho with a hood. This one sounds kind of silly, until you have to try and change your tire in the rain and you can’t see through the rain dripping down your face. It’s also helpful if you run out of gas and have to walk in the rain to the nearest gas station. 6. Multi-purpose utility tool. You can do a ton of cool things with a Swiss Army Knife, and the best part is, they are compact and lightweight. Handy for any number of emergencies, including, but not limited to, packing a romantic afternoon picnic and realizing you left your corkscrew or bottle opener at home. 7. Duct tape: One of the world’s most underrated inventions. A favorite of Michael Scott when he had to survive alone in the woods. 8. Flashlight and extra batteries. Bonus points if your flashlight is waterproof. 9. Jumper Cables. The longer the better, in case they have to be used after someone’s vehicle has gone off the road. 10. Foam tire sealant. Definitely not a permanent solution for a flat tire, but if you’re dealing with a small puncture, this foam sealant is a good quick fix to help you get from the side of the road to a nearby service center. Also, here is a list of our Roadside Assistance Numbers you may want to keep in your vehicle.