Trucks are tough, but buying them is easy during Truck Month at select AutoNation showrooms. Now through the end of the month, save thousands of dollars on rough and rugged trucks and sport utilities. We’re talking Fords, Toyotas, Chevrolets, Hondas, Nissans, Hyundais, Mazdas, Mitsubishis and more. Plus, we want your car! Our pre-owned inventories are at all-time lows. Since we’re part of America’s Largest Auto Retailer, we’re prepared to pay you top dollar for your vehicle, whether you want to trade it in or sell it outright. So, when you’re looking for a tough truck, who you gonna call?

To see specific specials for Truck Month, please visit the store nearest you or click one of the following links:

• Bankston, Dallas/Ft.Worth, Texas
• Champion, Austin, Texas
• Champion, Corpus Christi, Texas
• Champion, Houston, Texas

Since we first opened our doors, we have always made two declarations:

1. America is an AutoNation.
2. We love our cars and trucks. It’s time we loved buying them too.

With over 250 million vehicles on the road in the U.S., the first statement is pretty self explanatory.

It’s the second statement that is a little more ambiguous. What exactly do we mean? Well, basically we’re saying, “You love your car and we love you!”

That’s a pretty bold statement. How can we deliver a little customer love? By offering you processes and guarantees you won’t find anywhere else.

Like guarantees against buyer’s remorse. You’ve just bought a new car. You were excited, ecstatic and joyful all at once. Fast forward five hours later, now you hate the color, the wheels and the face. Don’t worry, with our 3-day money back guarantee, you’ll be able to return the vehicle within three days or 150 miles and get your money back. No questions asked.

Or processes that save you time and money. We understand that it’s hard to find a real price on a car. That’s why AutoNation has made our pricing simple and straightforward. We research thousands of current vehicle sales in your market, to bring you low prices on every car and truck. Now that’s smart.

We even have processes that put you in control. With our SmartChoice electronic tool, you’ll clearly see your price, payments, trade-in value, financing, taxes and more… all upfront. We’ll give you all your payment options, so you can choose the one that’s right for you. You’ll be able to compare loan and lease payments side by side and you can even adjust your down payment and term length.

If this all sounds like common sense, that’s because it is. And this is just a short list of how AutoNation shows you, our customer, some love in the showroom. You can visit our websites or locations for more information.

But, we can always do more. If you have an idea or suggestion on how we can show our customers some love, let us know in the comments section.

It’s not uncommon for movie-goers to fall in love with celebrities that star in their favorite films. For car-enthusiasts, the vehicles that co-star in box office flicks are often the ones that steal the show. Throughout Hollywood history there have been a handful of cars that have carved out a permanent place in our memory. We pulled together our favorites for this poll. Let us know which one is your favorite:

Most of us have taken a road trip at some point in our lives, and we’ll likely set out on at least another. Whether it’s the annual summer vacation with your family to the lake (“Are we there yet?!?”) or  a cross-country journey to start a new life for yourself and your family, road trips inevitably bring us closer to whomever we’re on the journey with.

For Joe Van Riper and his parents, it was no different. In 1961, Joe and his parents traveled throughout 23 countries – from the Middle East to the Arctic Circle and back – in just three months. Continuing with our celebration of #carlove, we bring you the story of Soupy, the long-lost 1960 FIAT 1100, that took Joe’s family for an eventful ride behind the Iron Curtain on his parent’s 24th wedding anniversary.

This story is told by Joe Van Riper:

We were headed home from our long tour of Europe. We had convinced the U.S. State Department to give us the okay to take a shortcut across Bulgaria. Bulgaria was under Soviet control at the time and was not a tourist destination to say the least! We were issues 24-hour travel visas by Bulgaria and were advised by the U.S. State Department to get the hell through the country as quickly as possible – without stopping. “Be in Greece before night!”

We went behind the Iron Curtain, crossing into Bulgaria in Skopje (now the capitol of the Republic of Macedonia) at the crack of dawn and punching Soupy through the dreary countryside as we dared, arriving in Evzonoi, Greece, well past dark. We were safe, but exhausted from nervous stress.

Naturally, the little Greek village was having some kind of festival and there was no lodging available. It was still a very long haul to the nearest major city, Thessaloniki, so my parents and I found a small park next to a stream on the outskirts of town. We parked under some trees and tried to catch some sleep before continuing our journey the next day.

Photo By Google Maps

Soupy's Iron Curtain adventure: A. Skopje, Macedonia (then- Bulgaria); B. Evzonoi, Greece; C. Thessaloniki, Greece

Around 2 a.m. we were started awake by the loud pounding on Soupy’s roof! It was the local constabulary, pointing at signs (in Greek, of course) that apparently prohibited camping in the park. We must’ve been quite a sight as we achingly unfolded ourselves from the little FIAT’s sanctuary. I don’t know if it was compassion or humor that resulted in our being forgiven for our sins, but the authorities allowed us to stay long enough to get some more rest before continuing our journey. 

I think it was around 2 am that we were startled awake by loud pounding on Soupy’s roof!  It was the local constabulary, pointing at the signs (in Greek, of course) that apparently prohibited camping in the park.  We must’ve been quite a sight as we achingly unfolded ourselves from the little FIAT’s sanctuary.  I don’t know if it was compassion or humor that resulted in our being forgiven our sins, but the authorities allowed us to stay long enough to get a bit more rest before continuing our journey.

As the police left the park, my father turned to my mother and pointed out that as of midnight, it was technically their 26th wedding anniversary. He pulled a small package out of the darkness and presented my mother with a little ornament she had admired weeks earlier at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

I could read my mother like a book. She had been on the verge of eviscerating Dad with her razor sharp tongue after being dragged through enemy territory for a day, force to sleep in the car, and then roused by Greek authorities in the middle of the night. But, as she opened that small box, I saw the acid virulence of her mood melt into a tearful smile and a grateful hug. I believe my father was even better at reading her than I was.

It was August 31, 1961 – one helluva day!

- Joe Van Riper

The savings are monumental; the event is all month long. Announcing the Presidents’ Event at select AutoNation showrooms. This is your chance to save hundreds of Lincolns and Washingtons on your favorite cars and trucks. Since we’re America’s Largest Auto Retailer, you’ll have access to over 50,000 new and used vehicles, all with low prices and payments. So, who you gonna call?

To see specific specials for this event, please visit the store nearest you or click one of the following links:

• AppleWay, Spokane, Wash.
• AutoWay, Tampa, Fla.
• Cook-Whitehead Ford, Panama City, Fla.
• Courtesy, Orlando, Fla.
• Desert, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Dobbs, Memphis, Tenn.
• Fort Myers Toyota, Fort Myers, Fla.
• GO, Denver, Colo.
• Leesburg Toyota, Leesburg, Va.
• Maroone, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Palm Beach, Fla.
• Mike Shad, Jacksonville, Fla.
• Mullinax, Cleveland/Akron, Ohio
• Power (Southern California), Los Angeles, Calif.
• Power, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Team, Atlanta, Ga.

The following story comes to us from Joe Bell, of Tampa, Fla. Joe is one of our many awesome fans on Facebook. In honor of Valentine’s Day and knowing Joe’s enthusiasm for automobiles, we asked him to share with us his #carlove story:

I have been a car fanatic my entire life. My earliest memories seem to have always involved cars. At 10 years old, my interest in cars truly peaked. It was 1989 and I went to a car show in Buffalo, N.Y., with my aunt and uncle to see the Lamborghini Countach, my dream car at the time. Little did I know, it would not remain my favorite car.

Nine years later, I’m 19 and like every typical boy, I wanted a hot car to ride in. I already had my first “beater” and even owned the typical sports car (a red Ford Mustang). Something wasn’t right, though. It just didn’t work for me. My grandfather, who had worked for General Motors for 35 years, and uncle had owned many Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 convertibles – now it was my turn.

As soon as I bought this car, I fell instantly in love. She was red, with silver ground effects and a black rag top. I was living in Phoenix, Ariz., at the time and rarely traveled outside of the city. Somehow, in that first year of owning the Z24, I clocked well over 40,000 miles on the odometer! That’s a lot, considering the city is only 50 miles wide!

I had no idea how special this car was until I started reading the owner’s manual and doing some research. Using the vehicle identification number (VIN), I was able to track down the Z24′s assembly plant. It was located in Tonawanda, N.Y., just a stone’s throw away from where I grew up and the very same plant my grandfather worked in before he retired. I kept digging and found out that the car rolled off the assembly line on Oct. 19, 1989. Believe it or not, my birthday.

This car not only shared my birthday, but was assembled in part by my own family, my personal hero – my grandfather! What are the odds to purchase a car that’s so connected to you? And over 2,000 miles away from our – the car’s and my own – birthplace! This Z24 was fated to be mine.

I only owned the car for about a year and a half – being a teenager made it difficult paying for such a ride. I couldn’t justify the insurance prices and I needed something more affordable. While I regret losing the car, I never stop thinking about the freedom that rag top gave me: The long drives through the Arizona desert at night. The intimate closeness I shared with it. What it meant to me personally because of my grandfather. I loved them both.

I’m honored to share my story with you all.

Joe Bell,
Tampa, Fla.

We love cars and we know you do, too. For some it’s the rusty junker sitting in your garage that you have plans to restore, at least one day. For others it’s the daily commuter car you refuse to part with as it racks up miles on the odometer.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating by sharing your stories of true #carlove. To get things started, we asked our friends on Twitter to share with us the love they have for their cars. Here’s what they’re are saying:

We want to hear from you

Tweet your #carlove story and we’ll share it with our community. Not on twitter? Don’t worry – use our contact form to share your #carlove with us.

And now, a cautionary tale

Sometimes, #carlove goes too far. On TLC’s bizarre reality show My Strange Addiction, we meet Nathaniel who is in an intimate relationship with Chase, his 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo:

You can catch Chase’s strange addiction, and many others, on Sundays at 10 p.m. EST/ 9 p.m. CST.

Each quarter, AutoNation selects associates who have demonstrated an above and beyond desire to help those less fortunate in the communities we serve. In their honor, we will donate either $500 for individual efforts or $1,000 for team efforts to their charities. To read more Community Star features, click here.

Jake Raglin with his dad Jason Raglin, Service Advisor for Bankston Chevrolet of Dallas

Football and baseball are BIG in Texas – especially in the town of Forney where Bankston Chevrolet of Dallas Service Advisor Jason Raglin serves as a Youth Sports Commissioner. Jason, who has worked at Bankston for 13 years, has overseen Forney’s youth football and baseball teams for six years and coaches his son’s football team, the Red Raiders.

“We teach the children more than just football or baseball skills,” said Jason. “We teach them sportsmanship and that good grades are more important than sports. Sometimes, we even serve as father figures to some of the boys.”

Many Bankston customers have children in Forney’s youth sports leagues. “Kids love Jason and so do the parents because he is fair,” said Jennifer Stevens, president of the Forney Football League.

Over the years, Jason has helped Bankston Chevrolet get involved in the community through golf tournaments, fundraisers and sales of league t-shirts.

We’re proud to recognize Jason as an AutoNation Community Star. AutoNation will donate $500 in Jason’s name to the Forney Youth Sports Leagues.

Thank you, Jason, for all the great work you do.

Photo By QuintanaPhoto.com

Jason Raglin, Service Advisor at Bankston Chevrolet of Dallas, is a Youth Sports Commisioner in Forney, Texas. He is in the top row, black shirt. His son, Jake, is in the top left, #13.