7 QUICK TIPS for stretching your gas tank

We know that everyone is feeling the crunch of rising gas costs, but here are seven quick tips that you CAN do to improve your vehicle's gas mileage.

1 - Go Easy on the Pedals - Jackrabbit driving is a killer when it comes to burning fuel. Remember that slow and steady wins the race in more ways than one.

2 - Avoid Long Idles - The bottom line is idling burns more gas than restarting an engine.

3 - Drive the Speed Limit - The higher the speed, the more gas your car will use. Reduce your driving speed just a little bit and you'll save money at the pump!

4 - No Junk in the Trunk - Clean out your trunk and the rest of your car for that matter. Excess weight bogs down your vehicle, causing it to burn more fuel.

5 - Use Overdrive and Cruise Control - Most automatic transmissions have these features. If you drive a stick, consult your owner's manual about the recommended RPMs when shifting.

6 - Keep Tires Inflated and Aligned - Believe it or not, frequent alignments and keeping your tires inflated to the proper amount will save you gas.

7 - Honor the Scheduled Maintenance - Scheduled maintenance is designed to help your car run as efficiently as possible. See how you can save $5 on your next Dave Gill Service visit!

In Memory of our Friend George W. Anderson

We were deeply saddened by George’s passing on April 28 at the age of 71. As a dedicated shuttle driver, George loved interacting with our service customers and driving them to and from home and work. He will be missed.

The best GMC has to offer for families: GMC Acadia

One of GM's (and ours for that matter) hottest selling vehicles continues to be the GMC Acadia. Largely unchanged from its first year in 2007, the 2009 model year offers up some nice new upgrades. This year, the V6 engine receives Direct Injection that allows for more efficient fuel flow, adding to horsepower and throttle response.

Horsepower is up to 288 and torque at 270. But fuel economy is still the same as in last year's model!

Bluetooth is also an option for the 2009 model! As is XM Nav Traffic, which alerts you to upcoming traffic problems BEFORE you get to them. The Acadia is a great family vehicle. A lot of our customers who buy Acadias have small children. New for 2009 is a back-up camera right in the inside rear view mirror!

Follow this link to see our current inventory of new Acadias.

Bottom line: If you need to carry people and stuff, there is no equal in terms of space, comfort, power, fuel economy and value. They look pretty darn nice too. But don't just take our word for it. Here's what others are saying:

Giant leap for GM: Acadia crossover shows Detroit can compete on style, fit, and finish (Boston Globe, June 30, 2007)

"The Acadia's sleek exterior breaks the boxy-look that still defines the 2007 versions of Highlander and Pilot, and its interior makes a large leap in function, style, and quality for GM."

Goodbye, minivan ... Hello, Acadia (Chicago Sun-Times, May 16, 2007)

"If you're looking for a basic seven- or eight-passenger vehicle, the Outlook is a great place to start. If you want something with a little more, step up to Acadia."

How much Acadia do you get for under $30,000? (GMInsideNews review from ByTheLake, May 14, 2007)

"My week with the base GMC Acadia SLE taught me two things. First, I learned that I don’t have to spend $45,000 to get a great, well-equipped 7-passenger cross-over."

2007 GMC Acadia AWD Road Test (Automobile.com, April 2007)

"It's an excellent large crossover that offers a lot of vehicle for the money. (It). . .is a better buy than the Chrysler Pacifica or Honda Pilot."

Ditch dullsville with GMC Acadia (King5.com, March 2007)

"With loads of style, space and refinement, GMC moves up to the front of the pack with Acadia."

2007 GMC Acadia - The Forest for the Trees: GM finally cuts through the overgrowth (Motor Trend, January 2007)

"With a single movement of the Smart Slide handle, the third row becomes one of the easiest to get into."

GMC Acadia cruises to top of market for crossovers (USA Today, December 2006)

"Acadia. . .is a splendid vehicle that fills an empty spot in the market, at least briefly, and deserves a spot high on many shopping lists."

First Drive: GMC Acadia - GM's truck division crosses over (Edmunds.com, December 2006)

"In the ever-exploding world of crossover sales, the 2007 GMC Acadia represents a compelling combination of functionality, luxury and value."

Minivans Are Dead. Long Live the Tall Wagons (Washington Post, December 2006)

"And here. . .along roads winding through the vineyards and agricultural fields of central California, I had the opportunity to drive what arguably is one of the best of the new breed -- the 2007 GMC Acadia."

Prices start just under $30,000 for a front wheel drive version, all the way up to the mid-$40,000 range for a fully-loaded AWD model. For more detailed information on the all-new Acadia, visit its section on GMC.com.

GM recognizes Dave Gill for 25 years of selling

25 years and still going. That's the mantra from Dave Gill, who was honored in October 2007 by General Motors for 25 years of selling Pontiacs here at the corner of East Broad Street and Hamilton Road in Whitehall.

It all started in April 1982, when a 34-year-old Dave Gill acquired the store from Avery Pontiac, which was the nation's oldest automobile dealership at the time. Since then the store has sold everything from Tempests to Torrents. In 1987, the GMC brand was added to the new vehicle line-up.

"Our mission statement backs up what we have always done and do every day, 'we try to build lifelong relationships with our customers,'" says Dave Gill. "I would like to thank all of you who have made Dave Gill Pontiac GMC what it is today. If it weren't for our very loyal sales, service and collision center customer base, we wouldn't be here!"

(Photo: Southern Ohio Buick-Pontiac-GMC Zone Manager Ron Meier congratulates Dave Gill with a marble plaque for 25 years of service to General Motors.)

Nationwide is on your side, and now inside, the Dave Gill Collision Center

This month Nationwide Insurance officially opened a new office for its adjusters inside the Dave Gill Pontiac GMC Service Department. This new office provides Nationwide customers with a central location to handle their estimating needs and in return shorten the time it takes to get its customers' vehicles back on the road after collision repairs.

"We like the partnership, it is beneficial for both of us," says Mike Sayre, a Nationwide Claims Manager on site for the opening. "This benefits our customers because it reduces the repair process cycle time and gets them back in their car and on the road faster."

According to Sayre, this partnership between an insurer and a collision center is the first of its kind in the country. Why did the Columbus-based Nationwide Insurance choose the Dave Gill Collision Center for this prototype program?

"We liked the facility because of its large size, cleanliness and professionalism of its staff," says Sayre.

The Dave Gill Collision Center, a Nationwide Direct Repair Facility since 2006, also has direct repair relationships with USAA.

"We're very excited about this opportunity to serve our collision center customers better than we have before," says Heath Schotts, Dave Gill Pontiac GMC Collision Center Manager. "We work on many Nationwide customers cars already that it makes perfect sense for them to work right out of our location."

To help take advantage of this new relationship, the Dave Gill Collision Center has expanded its hours to include Saturdays. The Collision Center is now open on Saturdays from 8 - 1 pm like the Service Department.

The new office, located in the dealership's service drive, used to be home to the customer lounge. To accommodate the Nationwide moves, a new customer lounge was created on the sales floor of the showroom. The new customer lounge features a large flat screen HD television, more comfortable seating, desktop work areas and a children's play area.

"The Kids" are back!

Popular Dave Gill advertising campaign is reborn on TV

By now you may have seen the new Dave Gill Pontiac GMC Truck television advertising campaign. It features Dave Gill and a bunch of cute kids talking about cars and trucks.

Here's a few ads that have run. More will be created. Stay tuned! This is the first spot that aired for the first time in June 2006:

For those of you out there who haven't lived in the area since the 1980s, the new commercials hopefully create a fresh take on the dealership and what we stand for -- openness, fun, and a family friendly way of doing business.

But for those of you who can remember, the ads are also designed to capture the essence of the very successful and catchy 1980s radio campaign with "the kids" trying to hopelessly pronounce Dave Gill (think Shave Dill, Cave Will, etc.). In fact, we have customers who still like to sing the jingle "It's Dave Gill, that means Pontiac, Pontiac GMC!"

We knew we had a good thing going with the original ads, so we thought we would try to resurrect that success for this decade. This time around though, television is the medium of choice, and to create these spots for the visual medium that is TV, we had our work cut out for us.

And yes, a few of those kids in the commercials are Dave Gill's grandkids -- they're cute aren't they!

If you've seen the commercials, drop us a line and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you. If your comments are good, we might just post them right here on http://www.davegill.com/!

Gary Hilliard: 1951-2006

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, Gary Hilliard, who passed away Thursday, September 21, 2006 after a long struggle with cancer.

For 16 years, Gary worked for Dave Gill Pontiac GMC as a service manager and then as a fixed operations manager overseeing the service, body shop, and parts departments.

A man of uncommonly strong faith, Gary treated customers and employees alike with honesty, respect and integrity. We will miss Gary as both a personal friend and an inspirational leader on our team.

But his legacy remains. He taught us all about dignity and courage in the face of insurmountable odds, and his principled way of doing business lives on in the leaders that follow him.