So, there's a contest from Dodge and they are looking for somebody to blog about them for 6 months and this little blurb is going to be about why I think I should get that job.

Ever since I was a young boy, I have been "car-crazy". I had probably 1000 Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars at one time. I would hand-paint them all to make them more realistic. I was probably one of the only seven year olds who can differentiate between a Park Avenue and a LeSabre. Nobody in my family could figure out where I got this passion from. My father is automotive illiterate. My mother can drive fast, but that's about it. My cousins know the basics about cars, but not like I do.

Maybe it was from looking out the window of the school bus or watching movies like "Vanishing Point", "Bullitt", or "The Blues Brothers." Either way, my passion grew. I absorbed as much information as I could. What engines come with what models? Why does that station wagon have wood paneling and the other one doesn't? Will the doors from a Caprice fit on a Bonneville? What size tires does an '86 Reliant have? In fact, whenever somebody told a story involving driving or getting dropped off somewhere or anything to do with a car, I would have to ask "What kind of car was it?" The storyteller usually found that piece of information to be irrelevant, but to me, it meant EVERYTHING. There's a big difference when your traveling cross country in a '71 Newport convertible or an '88 Mazda 323 hatchback. It changes the story dramatically.

My first Chrysler product was an '89 Dodge Dynasty. The transmission was shot and it only had second gear and reverse. I ran it in the Lake County Fair demolition derby in 2003. Since then, I've used three Dynastys and a Plymouth Reliant (and Buick Centurys and Chevy Celebritys). My first daily driver Chrysler was a 1968 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron with a 440 and front wheel power disc brakes. I was never a MOPAR fan before that (although I liked a lot of the cars), but driving the Imperial changed my life. I've never felt a car so big and luxurious, yet so agile and powerful. Even though it had torsion bars and leaf springs, it still rode almost as well as a Cadillac or Lincoln with coils. I was driving in a '77 Lincoln Town Coupe with a 460 and two-toned leather interior with a friend of mine. I took a shortcut through a suburban neighborhood in Mt. Prospect, IL when I saw a flash of chrome behind this 60's style split-level house. I slammed on the brakes and almost got rearended by Kia Sephia. I cranked that Lincoln in reverse and backed up to the house. We walked in back and found this '68 Imperial in dark blue with a black top. I knocked on the door and the OLDEST man I'd ever seen answered the door. Him and his wife had the house built in '67 and factory ordered the Imperial to celebrate. He had all the paperwork with him, even the letter from the finance company thanking him for paying off his car in 1971. In the garage was a '93 New Yorker and a '93 Imperial (both royal blue like the '68). I bought that Imperial for $2000 cash that day. Since that day, I put in $1000 in front brakes (twice), $1000 in rebuilding the transmission (when that blew up, I got a free crate transmission under warranty), another $500 in electrical (windows, locks, exterior lights, etc) and about $3000 in other nickel and dime stuff. I drove it for about five years and sold it for $1700. I thought it was time for a change, and also I had found a nicer one in Paris, IL. Another one owner that just needed a brake caliper. When the kids came along and times got tough, I sold that to a guy who had a '68 Newport and wanted to restore mine. He's still driving the old green-machine.

Since then, I got a job at Marino Chrysler Jeep and Dodge in Chicago. After researching, learning about and driving the Chrysler cars and seeing how they stack against the competition, I believe wholeheartedly in the company and the cars. As a salesman, it's my job to highlight the positives and avoid talking about the negatives, while overcoming customer objections. For instance, if a customer is looking at a Dodge Avenger and comparing it to a Toyota Camry, I would highlight the fact that the Avenger with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 (rated one of the ten best engines of all time by Ward's Auto World) has 285 horsepower while the Camry only has 268 on their V6. Also the Avenger is priced lower than the Camry so essentially you get more bang for your buck.

The Dodge Ram 1500 has best in class ride-quality thanks to class-exclusive four-coil springs. It also has best in class fuel economy with the 305 hp 3.6L Pentastar V6 with class-exclusive 8-speed automatic transmission, true-dual exhaust and active grille shutters. IT also has best-in-class stopping power and class exclusive RamBox cargo compartments that lock and unlock with the keyfob. Also, you can adjust the air suspension (if equipped) with the fob. Finally, when you compare the Dodge, Ford and Chevy, the Dodge is priced less than the Ford or Chevy, also giving you the best bang for your buck.

The Dodge Dart can also boast best in class stopping power with standard four-wheel disc brakes. Also, the Dart has best in class interior space and class-exclusive active grille shutters, LED racetrack taillights, heated steering wheel, and a 7" reconfigurable speedometer cluster. Both Ram and Dart come with an optional 8.4" touchscreen with UConnect and LED taillights. Also, the Dart has the best fuel economy when comparing cars equipped with automatic transmissions.

Take a look at the 300 and Charger. Where else are you going to find a big, rear wheel drive, American sedan with 305 horsepower and can get 31 mpg on the highway? They are the LAST of the traditional big sedans, without the traditional fuel consumption and lack of power.

Town & Country and Grand Caravan have class-exclusive Stow N Go seating. No more lugging heavy seats and possibly losing them. Also, they come with optional cross-path detection, blindspot monitoring, power sliding doors and liftgate and second and third row DVD players. They also get 25 mpg with the 3.6L Pentastar engine.

The Grand Cherokee is the most awarded SUV of all time. For 2014, they are going to put the 8-speed behind the V6 and V8s. You'll also get a 3.0L diesel engine. All will come with an optional 8.4" touchscreen.

I also post all of this stuff on my Facebook account. Just one look and you will see that I am severely dedicated to the product. I post news of upcoming cars, spy photos, anything from Chrysler Communications, old muscle cars, classics, custom Jeeps, aftermarket stuff, tips and tricks, and random questions for the day to keep people engaged. I believe in keeping the awareness in people's minds up so that even if they don't buy a car, they will remember me as the Dodge guy.

As you can see, I already have a blog set up, so there's another reason. You will see from my posts that I enjoy writing, ESPECIALLY about cars. I try to paint mental pictures with my words, to get my point across.

To summarize, the reasons why I should be the next Dodge blogger are I'm a car nut, I love the Dodge brand, I know how to "sell" the Dodge brand, I have a passion for communicating via blogging, social networking, etc, I love writing and I love talking about cars. That's what it comes down to. How much does the person like talking about cars? On a scale from one to ten, I'm an 18.

I know it's been a while since my last update, but a LOT has been going on in my life. I'm no longer working at Hertz Rent-A-Car. I decided to make the switch when they denied me the opportunity to get a job selling used rental cars. They needed bus drivers THAT badly. One of my high school class mates actually is the president of a Chrysler Jeep and Dodge dealer in Chicago. All of the St. John's Military Academy alumni were trying to contact me through Facebook, so I friended them all. He posted a pic of a '94 Mercury Grand Marquis with 24" wheels on it and a caption that read something like "Just traded this in for an SRT8 Charger. We are gonna wholesale it." Next thing you know, I'm a salesman at Marino Chrysler Jeep and Dodge at 5133 W. Irving Park Rd. in Chicago. Being from the suburbs, it was a big culture shock for me. We had multiple lots that were blocks away, so sometimes it would take 10 minutes or more to get a car, and that's if it wasn't blocked in or the battery wasn't dead.

I sold my first car on April 1st, 2012. It was a 2006 Honda Civic sedan. I burned through the good times and suffered through the bad. Working at Marino CJD is unlike ANY other work environment that I had ever experienced. I kept looking for the hidden cameras the first couple of months. I felt like I was on some kind of reality show. The General Manager would rule the dealership from his desk (affectionately known as the "Tower.") He saw all and knew all. As many times as I got chewed out by him, I kept my mouth shut and ears open. I learned most of what I know now about selling cars like s blind man walking through a field of garden hoes lying on the ground. I'd screw up, get chewed out, and learn something valuable. It took me ten months to get comfortable with selling cars.

I was unlike most salesmen. The average salesman would come in not knowing much about the product, but having the natural ability to negotiate and close people. My knowledge of cars was higher than most coming in, but the mechanics of the sale was where I needed work. I learned and adapted, averaging about 12 cars a month over ten months. Considering the minimum requirement is 11 per month, I'd say it's average.

The first month I found a NICE 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited with a 2.0L turbo engine. It was going to the wholesale auctions with only 19K miles. I quickly traded in the wife's Corolla for it. I was going to surprise her, but that would be a death sentence for me, so I sent her pictures. She said fine. Now she can't imagine driving anything else. She gets the heated seats, leather, sunroof and a turbocharger and I get the base-model, 80K mile ex-rental car beater. "Happy wife; happy life!"

We had a hail storm in the first week of May. I was on vacation when it happened, but when I came back, it was like the Wild West. We sold cars that look like chewing gum at GREATLY discounted prices and made some good money doing it.

I found that selling average cars like Chrysler 200s, Avengers, Patriots and Compass' were the easiest. They always had great rebates and were a sensible option. Up until yesterday, (Feb 2nd) I had NEVER sold a Challenger. Go figure, my favorite car. Wranglers can go either way. Either they can be easy as all get out or be four hours of brain damage.

Now that I feel comfortable working at Marino Chrysler Jeep and Dodge, and successfully selling cars and making decent money, I can devote my time to other things. I have amassed an impressive collection of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars for my kids. I have started to restore and recondition cars. My latest project was a set of Ertl "Dukes of Hazzard" patrol cars and a General Lee. The General Lee got a new coat of orange paint and the bumpers have been rechromed. I still need new decals, but I'll wait on that. The police cars are my pet project. I don't need anymore 80s vintage squad cars. I need more "civilian cars." So, what I did to these three 1980 Pontiac Bonnevilles is I removed the lightbars, filled in the roofs, replaced any broken axles, rechromed the trim, and painted one all white, one blue w/ a white top and one brown w/ a white top. I painted all the side trim in chrome and one has a set of whitewalls. I restored a Yatming Lincoln Continental and a Tomica Continental and a Tomica Toyota Crown taxi. I only need a couple cars to complete my collection of old cars. I need a MotorMax '82 Plymouth Horizon and a Hot Wheels 80s Pontiac J2000. After that, it's all new cars from here on in.

I can get my fair share of Dodge Chargers, Chrysler 300s, Challengers, Durangos (first gen) and Ram 1500s from Walgreens, but I need Corollas, Camrys, etc. I just picked up five 2011 Hyundai Sonatas so that the kids have Mommy and Daddy's car. I also have a green and white Hot Wheels '58 Edsel (although my REAL Edsel is a four-door hardtop and the toy is a two-door hardtop).

Besides the Matchbox car city and work, I have decided to work on my novel again. I started it back in high school and have re-written it numerous times. Due to a computer crash, I lost everything except a hard copy of my first rough draft. I read it and although I laughed a lot, I concluded that it was complete garbage. I have a good introduction typed up and will probably post it within the week. Also, I will try to post a zombie story that I wrote in two hours a couple years ago. We'll see.

We also just got a new cat. His name is Cheeto. I think he snorts coke when we aren't looking.

Other than that, there's nothing new going on. I will be talking more about Chrysler products and head-to-head comparisons of 1:64 scale die-cast cars (MAtchbox, Hot Wheels, Yatming, Johnny Lightning, etc).

Stay tuned and thanks again for reading.

This story has been sitting in the dusty backroom of my mind for about 11 months, now. I think it's about time I share it.

So, Hertz makes a big announcement that they are going to offer some muscle cars as their "Adrenaline Collection." The collection consists of a Kona Blue Mustang 5.0L with a big fat white racing stripe, a solid black Camaro SS, and my favorite... a Toxic Orange 2011 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic with the black side stripes and a 5.7L Hemi V8 engine. Reading about it online, I fell in love. The 20" 5-spoke chrome wheels that look like a Cragar SS, the chrome "Challenger" script on the front fenders, the retro bodylines, aggressive front end and super-long taillights instantly put a vision of a 1970 Challenger in my brain. I NEEDED to drive one. Alas, the only cities to get them were warm-weather cities like Miami, LA, Houston, Dallas, etc. Chicago was WAY behind schedule.

One day, around 2am, I was sitting in my bus, idling. Listening to my Ipod and brainstorming for my novel (the "Neverending project"), when I started to get antzy. I got out of the bus and endured the sharp sting of the crisp February Chicago air. I looked around the empty American Airlines terminal and thought to myself  "So THIS is what the end of the world looks like." There was not a soul around. I boarded the obscenely yellow, almost prehistoric bus and closed the door. As I sat down in the worn-out driver's seat I glanced in the passenger mirror. A tall man appeared from the mist of the bus exhaust. Golf clubs in one hand, Starbuck's Coffee in the other. The doors hissed and slammed open as I put on my happy face to greet the customer. "Good Morning, Sir! Need help with your luggage?" I happily chirped. As the man boarded I recognized him as Justin Evans, the Hertz Chicago O'Hare Station Manager. He had just returned from a grueling and arduous golfing and meeting spree in Las Vegas and was visible beat. I helped him with his clubs and put the spurs to the 1998 Gillig bus. The 40 foot, black and yellow behemoth roared away into the night leaving only a trail of black smoke in it's wake.

As a bus driver, I observed many things. As a car-nut, I observed what kind of vehicles certain people prefer. I had a pretty high success rate of matching the right person to the right car. Sometimes it was easy, in Mr. Evans case, it was pretty hard. He ONLY drove a Camaro SS in Black or Red, or an Escalade. The Camaro SS was already like a rash all over the Hertz lot on any given day. THAT particular day, Hertz was low on cars, and a high-mileage Mazda 6 was the most likely candidate in Mr. Evans' future. I asked when the Challengers would get in. I had already rented a V6 Mustang, but I LOVE the styling of the Challenger. I practically begged him for information. He told me that he had little information as to when they would come. This was a moot point, considering that the average Hertz employee would not be able to rent something rare like that. The most expensive thing that I could roll off the lot in was a GMC Yukon XL. I was willing to pay full price for an R/T, though. He seemed tired and didn't really want to talk, so I didn't press the issue.

The ancient bus creaked and groaned as I rounded the corners with reckless abandon. The bus had become an extension of my being. I could wheel that 40 foot machine as easy as parallel parking a 1991 Ford Festiva (it's a really little hatchback car). Every bump sent shivers and chatters through the body of the bus. Loverboy blasted over the little speakers. I only listened to "80s on 8" since the buses came with Sirius and out of the six channels we could listen to, that was the easiest on the ears. The big iron gate jerked into motion as the bus headlights splashed a ghostly light upon it. The spike strips clanked as the heavy tires slammed over them. As we approached the "Gold Board" my eyes lit up. Sitting like the idol from the Indiana Jones movie, basked in the welcoming glow of the heat lamps sat a Pitch Black 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS like a gift from the automotive gods! A chorus of angels sang as the bus brakes squeaked. The doors hissed open. I approached the dreary man. "Mr. Evans, I've got a surprise for you!" I grabbed his clubs and bounded out of the bus. I had the Camaro fired up, heater running and trunk open by the time he shambled out onto the curb. He rubbed his eyes and blinked. I could tell that he approved, but he didn't speak. He wanted to try to get the clubs in the trunk, but it was my job to help. Unfortunately, there was a small problem.

I'm not sure what the engineers at GM were thinking when they designed the Camaro. I've driven one for a short distance and being 6'3", 265 lbs, I found the headroom to be... umm... not there. The seats are hard and unforgiving. The car was light as a feather and you could feel every crack in the road. If you ran over a nickel, you'd feel it in the suspension. The thing that boggled me the MOST is the trunk. The trunk lid is rather large and fools the mind into thinking that you can put actual STUFF in the trunk, but once you open it, you see a hole that's 50% smaller that the lid. Putting those clubs in that car was like putting 10 lbs of manure in a 5 lbs bag. There was no way in Hell they were fitting back there, UNLESS you put down the rear seat. The hole for the rear seat access was still way smaller than the rear seats, but there was enough room to fit the clubs in (as long as you put them in head first). Now, the only problem was that the seats were touching folded down rear seats. Being a tall guy like myself, Mr. Evans liked his seats to lean back. I pulled that handle and threw ALL of my weight into that cloth seat and smashed it into the token rear seat. IT sufficed. There he seat behind the wheel of the Camaro. He sighed. "How did you know?" He queried. "It's my job." I replied, instantly thinking to myself  "What?! That didn't make any sense. What the hell's wrong with you. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stu..." I was cut off.

"You know what? When those Challengers come in, let me know when you want to take one out. I'll charge you a midsize car rate for one. Have fun with it." Saying that, he flung the shifter into drive and charged away, four taillights fading into the distance.

In a daze, I floated back onto the bus and finished my shift. I drove back in my Sonata with visions of Challengers dancing through my head.

Two days later, I was walking through the lot passed the 500 cars that Hertz had gotten back. Friday was usually a day of returns. People rent them out on Sunday night or Monday and return them Friday. As I passed the acres of Corollas, Camrys, Altimas, and Sentras, I noticed a flash of rust-colored orange. "Could it be?!" I thought to myself. I broke into a jog as I headed towards the orange metal, hidden by two Nissan Quest minivans. As I rounded the corner, my dream had come true. Fresh off a rent sat a 2011 Dodge Challenger R/T classic. I marveled at the shiny beast. Testing the doors, I found it locked. It still needed some kind of work before it could be rented. I found out that it and a Mustang 5.0L had been rented in Ft. Lauderdale and driven up to Detroit for the 2011 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour. It still had the sticker in the windshield.. From Detroit, it was rented to Chicago. Everyday I asked the Service Manager until FINALLY, the day had come. IT was a cold Friday night. My hands were shaking as I went through the paperwork at the counter. The Manager was fairly new and had put my "Loss Damage Waiver" insurance under "Misc. Charges". I thought nothing of it. I wanted the insurance because I was going to get STUPID with that Hemi. The car wasn't in a slot, so I would have to find it, but I ran out, contract in hand. Through the dead of night, breathing hard in the cold Chicago frost I searched. Imagine Tuco in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" running around the graveyard at Sad Hill, looking for Arch Stanton's grave. That was me. Running through rows of Focus', Versas, and Yaris' as "Ecstacy of Gold" played in my mind, I stumbled. As I rounded the carwash, I spotted my target.

 Parked between a Sentra and a grey Charger sat that VERY same Challenger. I yelled into the night "YES!" and pumped my fist in the air like a Toyota commercial from the 80s. I gaped in awe as I ran my hands up and down the fenders. The cold sheetmetal squeaking in protest. I swung the big driver's door open and plopped onto the leather driver's seat. The door slammed shut and the window rolled up into the body automatically. I literally said "Cool" to nobody in particular. I wrung my hands on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. I noticed the audio controls on the backs of the steering wheel spokes, the controls for the sunroof, and the automatic headlights. I snapped out of my awestruck scavenger hunt of features and went through my usual "pre-flight checklist." I adjusted the steering column up and out all the way, the driver's seat down and back all the way, seatback up enough as to not be "pimpin'" but not upright like a church pew, passenger side seat same way (although I noticed on all the 2011 and up Chargers, Challengers, and 300s that the passenger seat doesn't line up with the driver's seat. Strange how sometimes the little things pop up), mirrors, instrument cluster brightness, etc. The moment of truth had come. The pushbutton marked "START/STOP" stared back at me, longing to be pushed. I swallowed hard, put my cowboy boot on the brake pedal and pushed the button. The idiot lights lit up like a Christmas tree as the Hemi fired to life! The throaty exhaust tone reverberated off the buildings and cars. I goosed the gas pedal a couple times as though I was waiting for the lights to turn green.

I cranked the heat and set it to defrost and set my radio stations on the FM dial and Sirius. I tuned it to channel 38, the Boneyard. Judas Priest reminded me that I've got another thing coming as I eased the R/T towards the security gate. I had to muster every ounce of self-control as I slowly pulled to the yellow arm. I don't even remember what the security guard had said or what he looked like, but I think it was something like "Moving up in the world, eh?" He was the furthest thing from my thought processes. The contract floated back into my field of vision as the crossing arm went up. I turned off the traction control and flung it out onto the service road, sending clouds of smoke up as I painted the asphalt black. The light had just turned green as I drifted out onto Bessie Coleman drive. I felt like Steve McQueen as I righted the car. I didn't feel any "Nanny systems" like with the V6 Charger. This R/T gave you enough rope to hang yourself. Laughing like a madman, I kept my foot on the teller. The Firestone Firehawk tires dug in and flung the Challenger headlong into the night. The 5.7L Hemi gave me ALL 390 hp and it felt GOOD! I'm not sure how fast I was going, but I drifted all the way around the exit ramp onto I-190. After I had gotten it all out of my system, I set the cruise at 60 and relaxed. My body was still shaking from the adrenaline. The "Collection" was aptly named.

I got her sideways around the Grand Ave to Dilleys Rd. left turn, but kept it at a decent speed the rest of the way home. I found that I can get 27 mpg on the highway at 60 mph. Impressive, considering that losing two cylinders and a couple hundred pounds with the Mustang only got me 31. I pulled into the driveway nest to the wife's Corolla and my Edsel and shut the motor down. I slept like I was eight years old on Christmas Eve. I couldn't WAIT to get behind the wheel again.

The next day, told the Wife that I had a surprise for her. I slung open the window shade and she reacted like we won the Publisher's Clearing House. "OH MY GOD!!! YOU BOUGHT THAT!!!" (Record scratches...) "What?" I asked. She was fanning herself, trying to form words. "No, I rented it." She relayed her relief that I didn't buy it since it wouldn't have fit in the budget. We decided to take it to the mall. I loaded the kids in the back seat. My little girl would've been 3 and the boy would be 2 at the time. They fit in the backseat with room to spare, unlike the Mustang and the trunk was HUGE! The double stroller fit in diagonally with room for groceries on the sides. I was thoroughly impressed. I drove it like a baby carriage to the Gurnee Mills Mall. We had a fun day of shopping, although I spent more than I wanted to. I figured that it was collateral damage considering the car that awaited me when we were done. We packed the kids in the car and were ready to head home. I pulled towards the exit and was stuck in stop and go traffic. Unbeknownst to us, there was a gruesome collision at Dilleys and Stearn's School Rd. The kids were crying and the wife was complaining about something. The '93 Lexus ES300 in front of us started to move. I took my foot off the brake and started to roll. My wife asked "Are you even LISTENING to me?!" I replied "What?! What do you..." SMASH!!!

The car that I waited SO LONG for and pulled SO MANY strings for had piled into the back of this crapbox Lexus. The kids were screaming, the wife was screaming (at me) and this guy flung his door open like he was gonna come flying at me like Superman.

He was an insurance salesman for Country Insurance. Neither car was in really bad shape. There was some spiderweb cracks in the paint on his rear bumper and near the headlight bezel on the R/T. A piece of trim fell off the R/T, but I stuck it back on. One almost couldn't tell. The police arrived ONLY after two other collisions happened BECAUSE of us. It looked like somebody bombed a drive-in movie. The police did their investigation. I didn't have my insurance card on me (which probably worked to my advantage). I think the guy was trying to sell me insurance. He gave me his card, told the police that the damage was pre-existing and never showed up for the court date. Either way, it sucked because I had just switched FROM Geico to 21st Century and cut my payments in half, but they found out about this collision and put them HIGHER than Geico. Out of the 8 cars that were involved in collisions on that stretch of road, we were one of the three that DIDN'T need to be towed away, so I guess I was lucky. The kids were fine, wife was fine, but I would never hear the end of it.

So, Sunday night I came rolling into the return lanes at Hertz. I came clean about the collision since I had the Insurance. I could've brought that car back in a bucket and poured it out on the desk and they couldn't say anything IF... (key word, there) IF the manager hadn't have put the insurance as "misc charges." I get a bill from Hertz for $291 for paint work. I also get to listen to my coworkers razz me about banging up the ONLY Toxic Orange Challenger R/T Classic or ANY Challenger for that matter)  in the Hertz inventory in the ENTIRE midwest.

I sat back behind the wheel of my Sonata, which paled in comparison to the almighty Challenger. How could I ever go back? Will life ever be the same? How would I react seeing another renter driving MY Challenger? Woe is me. One thing about the human spirit is that life WILL go on. I will go back. Life may never be the same, but it will go on and now I have a goal. I fired the 2.4L four cylinder and set out back to Gurnee.

I never saw THAT car again. There were plenty others like it, and for 2012, they ordered the R/Ts in Orange Crush. I hope to find that car, one day. It seems an impossible task, considering it could've wound up anywhere in the country and it has probably been sold by now. Maybe, if the automotive gods are in a particularly good mood one day, and if the planets and stars all fall in alignment, our paths may cross. Until then Challenger, long may you run. :)