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Thanksgiving is just around the corner, along with the busiest travel holiday of the year! If you’ve traveled on this holiday in the past, you know that planning is key to a seamless, relaxing trip, and we’ve got just the list to keep you organized this year! Stay Connected – Download the latest travel apps for your phone before you hit the road—Spotify is a great channel for music, Waze will help with traffic, and Citymapper will be your best-bet for navigation! Travel Late or Early – Instead of sitting in a huge mess of traffic this year, leave in the middle of the night, or early in the morning to avoid traffic jams—you’ll get to where you’re going much faster, and your passengers will thank you… especially if you have kids! Pack Wisely – Make sure to bring temperature-appropriate clothing, shoes, and coats, especially if you’re heading north or to the mountains! Have Your Car Serviced – Make sure that all of your fluid levels are topped off, your brakes, lights work properly, and that your car is up to date on all routine maintenance including oil changes and tires. Contact our Service Department to set up an appointment to have your car prepared for your road trip! Have Travel Documents on Hand – Be sure to carry your Insurance Card, Roadside Assistance information, and any other vital information, in case of emergency. Make All Stops at Once – If you have children, it might be challenging trying to travel with the constant stopping for bathroom breaks, food, and drinks, but, if you stop in a place where you can use the restroom, grab a sandwich and a bottle of water, all in one place, you’re guaranteed to save time instead of loading and unloading everyone into and out of the car at each place. Visit us online to schedule your appointment with our Service Department, to ensure your vehicle is up-to-par for your Thanksgiving travel. Buckle up, and enjoy the ride!

Are you looking for a vehicle with new safety features for peace of mind? If so, then you might consider the safe-driving features of the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. Here are some of the new aspects this vehicle has to offer to help promote safe driving. more Low-Speed Forward Automatic Braking If you're driving slowly, up to about 50 miles per hour, yet there is a possibility of a front-end collision, this system should take charge to apply the brakes automatically. Therefore, at lower speeds, this feature can prevent front-facing accidents. Lane Assist and Departure Lane Warning This feature can help out as you're attempting to navigate busy roads and multiple lanes. It's not uncommon, for example, to lose our balance ever so slightly while driving, and accidentally merge a bit too much into a neighboring lane. If this happens to you, then the lane-assist feature can activate, adjusting the wheel or otherwise sounding an alert you to keep you in your home lane. Forward Collision Alert With this feature, cameras can monitor your vehicle to check for other cars that are slowly coming close. If a car is slowly creeping up too close and is threatening collision, you will be alerted. One great thing about this feature is that you can customize the kind of alert you want: Choose from Far, Medium, Near, or Off options. Rear Vision Camera & Surround Vision This feature offers a camera and screen that can allow you to see behind your vehicle while you back it up. The MyLink touch screen in front of you will reveal a live image as you progress. Surround Vision is somewhat similar, except that it offers a complete, bird's eye view of your car and the activity that surrounds it. Four cameras contribute the data: the standard rear camera, a forward-looking camera, and one beneath each of the side mirrors. Intellibeam® Headlamps When you're driving on a very dark, yet busy road at night, it can be hard to know when to use the high beams. Even when you're experienced, it can be difficult to switch the beams on or off quickly when a car's coming past you, or when you suddenly need light. Intellibeam® Headlamps can help by turning on automatically when it becomes too dark, and also, by dimming suddenly to accommodate a car coming your way. Safety Alert Seat This is a great added feature for those of us who respond more quickly to touch than to sound. For some of the car's safety alerts, rather than receiving them via audio, you can opt to have your seat vibrate instead. As you can see, the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox offers a significant array of safety features. Still, safety is ultimately in the hands of the driver. These technological advances may, however, help your confidence while on the road, and also provide conveniences. To test drive the Equinox and try its features for yourself, visit your local Chevrolet dealership.

While you might be looking forward to considering all the models and trim options available at your Chevrolet dealership, there's one important thing you have to figure out before you can even start looking: your budget. Before you head to the dealership, learn the steps you need to take to set your budget for your next Chevy. more Determine Your Income and Expenses The first step to setting your budget is finding out what your income and expenses are. To determine your income, simply look at your last few paycheck stubs and see what you take home after taxes. Your expenses will include items like mortgage or rent, utility bills, loan payments, and groceries. Once you've accounted for all of your regular expenses, add them up and subtract that number from your income. This tells you what you have available to put toward a monthly payment. Don't Get Focused on the Sticker Price While the sticker price of the vehicle is important, you don't want to focus solely on it because there's more that goes into the total cost of your new vehicle than just the sticker price. You also need to include title and registration fees, sales tax, miscellaneous dealership fees, and optional items, like warranties. Come Up With a Comfortable Monthly Payment Chances are good you'll be budgeting for a car loan. If so, you need to decide how much of your monthly income you want to go to your car loan payment. The general rule of thumb is that you should devote between 10 and 20 percent of your monthly income toward your new vehicle. Therefore, if you make $2,000 a month, you can allocate between $200 and $400 toward your monthly car payment. If you have a lot of debt and don't want to strain yourself, there's another calculation you can use to determine how much monthly payment you can afford. For this calculation, add up all of your monthly debt. Then subtract that number from 36 percent of your monthly income. For example, if your income is $2,000 a month and you have $600 a month in regular debt, you can afford a monthly car payment of $120. Provide a Sizeable Down Payment A down payment is the initial amount of money you provide for your new vehicle. The larger you can make your down payment, the better, because your loan will cost you less over time. First, the more you can put down means the less you have to finance, which also means the fewer payments you'll have to make. Second, you're likely to get a lower interest rate if you have a large down payment. Try to have 20 percent of the vehicle's total cost as your down payment. Also, don't forget you can trade in your old car and use that money as part of your down payment. Once you follow these steps to discover what your budget is for your next Chevy, you can head to your dealership and find the perfect vehicle that you know you can afford.

For some people, bigger is truly better. Whether you have a large family or simply want to command respect on the road, there are many large vehicles on the market to choose from. The new 2017 Traverse is one of the largest available and is an excellent option if you want a vehicle that is big in every way possible. Here are three larger-than-life features of the new 2017 Traverse. more 1. Seats Eight People One of the main larger-than-life features of the Traverse is its ability to seat eight people, including the driver. The seats in the second-row can slide for greater versatility. If you have some passengers who are taller, you can slide these seats to give these passengers more room. The driver and the passenger in the front will enjoy plenty of space in the 2017 Traverse. Even on long drives, the seats will offer enough support. You will not have to deal with a lack of leg room or head room. As with most SUVs that have three rows, the seats in the third row are ideal for children. However, shorter passengers can also sit comfortably in the seats of the third row. Due to the large doors and the sliding seats in the second row, it is easy for passengers to reach the third row seats. 2. Cargo Space Cargo space is one of the main strengths of the Traverse. Behind the seats in the third row, there is 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space. Therefore, the cargo space of the Traverse is one of the largest in this vehicle's class. Behind the seats in the third row, there is 70.3 cubic feet. Behind the seats of the first row, there is a whopping 116.3 cubic feet. If you need to transport many items on a regular basis, the 2017 Traverse is the ideal vehicle for you. Without folding any of the seats in the vehicle, you can store a bookcase in the back. You will be able to fit a small fridge in the back of the car if you fold the seats in the first row. The power liftgate makes it incredibly easy to reach the cargo hold. 3. Great Performance The 2017 Traverse's performance is also stellar. The engine of this vehicle is a powerful 3.6-liter V6. Thanks to this powerful engine, the Traverse produces 281-hp. Chevrolet paired a six-speed automatic transmission with the V6 engine. Even if you have plenty of cargo and passengers in the back, you will have no problem driving the Traverse for long periods. All the power under the Traverse's hood will ensure that you and your passengers get where you need to go. Passing speeds and accelerating on the highway is not difficult with the Traverse. You will be happy to know that the power delivery of this vehicle is also very smooth. However, you should not expect record-breaking speeds from this vehicle. The 2017 Traverse is likely everything you want and more if you want a large vehicle. Not only does the 2017 Traverse hold eight passengers, but it also has plenty of cargo space and great performance.