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.