Amistad Motors Blog - Fort Stockton, TX | Your Fort Stockton, TX Chevrolet Buick Dealer

AutoPacific Honored Three Chevy Models as Most Reliable

Good looks, high-end gadgets, and a powerful engine are all great to have in a new car, but the most important thing you should be looking for is reliability. Luckily for you, Chevy’s lineup of quality cars, trucks, and SUVs has all of the above as recognized by AutoPacific’s 2021 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. Chevy took home honors for the reliability of its Blazer, Colorado, and Camaro, and you can get details about the awards below.

Chevy Blazer: AutoPacific honored the 2021 Chevrolet Blazer with its prestigious Best Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV award. The publication explains that Blazer owners were more satisfied with their vehicle’s comfort, styling, and size than owners of other vehicles in the same segment. AutoPacific also noted that the fun-to-drive Blazer’s powerful engine options made it a no-brainer pick when compared with other competitors.

Chevrolet Colorado: Topping AutoPacific’s ranking of compact pickups is the nimble 2021 Chevy Colorado, which scored better than the competition in over 60% of the surveyed categories. Owners love that the Colorado has simple controls, excellent visibility, and is highly accessible. Colorado drivers also love that the peppy pickup has a large touchscreen, gorgeous exterior, and awesome off-road capabilities.

Interested in test driving the Blazer, Colorado, or Camaro? Visit Amistad Motors today.

Back-to-School Driving Tips

The back-to-school season marks the start of a new year-long journey for your children. Part of that journey involves regular car rides with you at the wheel, so let’s go over a few back-to-school driving safety tips that will help ensure everyone stays out of harm’s way.

Give buses space

Make sure to give school buses plenty of space. Maintain at least 10 feet of distance, which will make it easier to see kids walking or running nearby. Needless to say, do not pass a bus when its stop sign is deployed — it’s dangerous and illegal.

Respect cyclists

Some children ride their bicycles to school. Cyclists are subject to the same traffic laws as cars, but you know how kids can be — they don’t always pay attention. Pass cyclists slowly, give them a wide berth, and watch out for kids coming onto the road from driveways.

Drive carefully in school zones

You should always drive slowly in school zones, but that isn’t always enough. High levels of automotive and pedestrian traffic can make getting around tricky, and most schools have drop-off and pick-up procedures. Follow the rules and drive as though a kid could come out of a blind spot at any moment.

At Amistad Motors, we offer several vehicles equipped with automatic emergency braking systems capable of detecting pedestrians. Visit our dealership in Fort Stockton, Texas, to enhance your back-to-school driving experience.

Save Money by Parking in the Shade

You open your car door after an hour of shopping and a blast of heat hits you in the face. Not only does it cost you money when you park in the baking sunshine, but it can cause you serious problems down the road. Check out a couple of reasons why you should park in the shade.

Effects on Appearance

The sun is just as harmful for the exterior of your car as it is for your skin. Long-term exposure to sunlight causes cracking, flaking, and fading of the exterior finish. Parking in the shade will help your car’s paint job last much longer.

The interior of the car also suffers from extreme heat. The light and heat can cause the dashboard, seats, and other interior surfaces to fade and deteriorate. If you can’t find a shady parking spot, invest in a sunshade to place across your windshield.

Save the Battery

When you start your car after it has been baking in the sun, it causes the battery and air conditioning system to work harder. This reduces the life of the battery and uses gas needed to support the hard-working air conditioning. When you park in the shade of a garage or under trees, your car will be cooler when you get in and it won’t put as much stress on the A/C.

These are just a couple of reasons to try parking in the shade when you can. If you’re worried about the state of your vehicle as a result of sun damage, visit our Service Department at Amistad Motors.

Important Features for One-Car Families

Having multiple vehicles can get expensive, and cutting down to just one vehicle can help free up space in the family budget. Here are some features to look for when you want to become a one-car family.

Personalized Profiles

Thanks to memory settings, cars today allow drivers to create personalized profiles. You can set the height of the driver’s seat and mirror positions, as well as create infotainment profiles for every family driver.

Teen Driver Package

If you have young drivers in the family, choose a vehicle with a monitoring system, like Chevrolet’s Teen Driver Package. This technology produces a driving report card detailing your teen’s performance behind the wheel and allows parents to set safety limits on speed, driving distance, and audio volume.

Infotainment Tech

If you want to keep everyone in the family happy during commutes or long road trips, make sure the vehicle you choose has plenty of USB charging ports. A wireless charging station is great if your phones have that capability, and a Wi-Fi hot spot is a plus, too.

Comfort Controls

Arguing over the thermostat at home is one thing, but there’s no need to continue it in the car. Plenty of vehicles offer multi-zone climate control systems. This allows everyone in the family to choose the climate comfort level that they desire.

Here at Amistad Motors, we have a large selection of new and pre-owned vehicles with many of these helpful features. If you’d like help finding the perfect vehicle for your family, contact our team.

Tips for Staying Safe Behind the Wheel

Driving is a skill that most of us will have to utilize on a daily basis. As such, it can be easy to assume we have mastered the art of driving. However, even the most skilled drivers could benefit from keeping these tips for staying safe behind the wheel in mind.

Keep Your Eyes on the Road

In today’s world of mobile devices, it can be tempting to check a text message or e-mail while on the go. However, your priority needs to remain on the road while behind the wheel. Maintaining awareness of what’s going on around you will make every drive a safer journey.

Adjust Your Position

Many commutes last quite a while, so you’ll want to adjust your seating and your mirrors to ensure they are in the perfect position to make your driving experience both comfortable and safe.

Study Up

Once you receive your driver’s license, it might seem like you never have to familiarize yourself with traffic laws again. On the other hand, if you make it a practice to study up on best driving practices and traffic laws every once in a while, you will be a much more prepared driver than if you let that knowledge atrophy.

No matter how well you drive, you’re only as safe as your vehicle. At the Amistad Motors service center in Fort Stockton, our team of expert technicians can help your car stay in peak condition.