Sunset Ford Dealer Blog

Cars and dogs — is there anything more likely to come out of a Norman Rockwell painting than that? The American country image is one of Fido or Max happily hanging his head out the car window, tongue hanging out and a look of total bliss on his or her face.

For some, though, it’s not that pleasant, and nobody wants drool and fur and who knows what else all over the interior of their new Ford car. Here are some tips to keeping your pooch happy and calm during the ride.

Start when they’re puppies.

Get your dog used to staying still and calm in your parked car. Gradually get him or her accustomed to the car while it’s running, and move up to short car rides. If you start at puppyhood, your dog will realize that car rides are part of life and nothing to bark and jump about.

Talk to your veterinarian.

Some dogs get hyper in the car, while others get carsick. If either case is extreme, talk to your vet to see about medications or holistic remedies to keep your canine buddy feeling good and keeping still.

Try a pet carrier.

If your dog is particularly nervous, think about giving them their own pet carrier to ride in while you’re driving. Being in an enclosed and familiar space can help your pet feel calmer and safer. Whether you go with a carrier or not, it’s always a good idea to bring a towel or blanket with a familiar scent. This is both for accidents and for keeping a familiar smell to make the environment more known.

Whether you’re taking your best friend out for a leisurely drive or heading for a dreaded trip to the vets, if you follow these tips you can be sure your dog will love your new Ford car as much as you do. If you’re looking for a new or used Ford truck, stop by your Florissant area Ford dealer today.

If you spend a lot of time commuting in your 2008 Ford Focus or other smaller car, you might feel like you’re wasting a good portion of your day. Here are some things that you can do during the commute to make the most out of your travel time:

• Use a hands-free device with your cell phone to catch up on phone calls with friends and family. While you probably won’t be able to do this on the commute in to work, you can certainly do it on the way home.

• Bring your MP3 player and an FM tuner. You can catch up on podcasts that you regularly listen to, or listen to your favorite type of music. There are even audio books available in MP3 format today.

• Learn a new language. Language lessons on CD (or MP3, for that matter) are perfect for your commute.

• Expand your horizons a bit. Find some classical music CDs, or some other genre that you may not regularly listen to. Consider Jazz or Opera, or something wild and exciting like Techno Pop.

• Use the commute to relax. Spend some time focusing on the good things in your life. Visualize your dreams. Think about all of the positive things in your life, and about how successful you’d like to be today. Prepare your positive mental attitude on the way into work.

• Consider a portable car seat massager. Make sure, of course, that it doesn’t interfere with your operation of the vehicle.

• Use a voice recorder to record ideas, brainstorms, plans for your day or even a grocery list.

• If you participate in an extracurricular singing activity, such as a barbershop quartet, community theatre or a choir, practice singing during your commute. Just be aware that other drivers may be watching you!

Above all, just try to enjoy the ride. Your Ford Focus is built for the commute, so sit back, relax and realize that you’ll be to your destination in no time.

School’s out, summer has begun and you’re thinking of taking off with your friends on a road trip. There is nothing more exhilarating than packing up your new Ford car and just getting away for a while. So before you pick up your friends, read on to find some helpful tips that will make your next road trip something to remember.

The first thing to decide is do you have a destination in mind? This may be the perfect opportunity to visit those American landmarks you always said you’d go and visit. But sometimes it can be more fun to just get on the road and drive. You can hit 5 different states in 5 days and see who makes the best pizza. Or follow the infamous Route 66 and see where it takes you. Whatever you decide, make sure your friends are on board.

Not to be a killjoy, but the next part of your plan has to include vehicle maintenance. If you just bought your new Ford car, then this shouldn’t be too difficult. Just make sure your fluids (oil, washer, coolant) are topped up and you should be OK. If you are due for any scheduled maintenance while you are away, you may want to call and see if you can get your appointment moved up.

If you’re planning to take an older vehicle, then fluids are not the only thing you have to think about. If you have a used Ford car consider taking it to your Kirkwood area Ford dealership and having it checked out by a qualified Ford mechanic. Let them know about your trip and see if they think there is anything that should be done to your car before you leave. After all, no one wants to be a part of a road trip that got stalled on the side of the road two hours after leaving home.

The Ford Ranger may not be the biggest of the Ford trucks, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up in fuel efficiency and versatility. It had been speculated that the Ford Ranger, which has been around since 1998, would stop production in 2008. It looks now as if production will continue on until at least 2011. The 2008 model of the Ford Ranger is an excellent choice for anyone who is in the market for a compact pickup truck.

There are four different models of the 2008 Ford Ranger available. All four models come in four door or two door configurations, depending on what you want. You can also choose between the 2.3 liter four-cylinder engine, the 3.0 liter V6 and the 4.0 liter V6. You can get the Ford ranger in two wheel drive or four wheel drive, but the four wheel drive is only available on the V6 engines.

Depending on the particular model you choose, you can get the Ranger with rear springs and heavy duty gas shocks to increase payload capacity, a Class III hitch, a limited-slip Torsen differential and a Pioneer MP3 stereo. The top of the line model, the FX4, comes with Ranchero heavy-duty shocks, bucket seats and skidplates.

If you’re looking for a compact pickup, the Ford Ranger is definitely worth looking into.