Once you’ve taken the photo, upload it to our Facebook page and leave a caption or comment that tells us about what’s in your picture. It’s that easy!

We’ll take a look at all of the entrants and pick a winner at random once the contest is over. The person who submits the winning photo will get every vehicle in his photo washed for free!

The contest runs until Friday, October 18th. Please, just one photo post per person.

One of the interesting facts:

The average U.S. driver spends $1,560 a year on car insurance

Check out the infographic for more interesting facts. You can click on the graphic to pull up the full-sized version:

1. Care and cleaning

The easiest maintenance tip is also one of the most important. Routine cleaning helps keep your boat looking nice and it helps to counteract the long-term effects of normal wear-and-tear. It’s a good idea to wax your boat regularly to help with extra protection from the elements.

2. Proper mooring

The most common way to scratch or damage your boat is to dock your boat incorrectly. Be absolutely sure that your lines are secured, coiled neatly, and that they don’t show any signs of wear or breakage.

3. Proper battery care

Check your charge and fluid levels (depending on your battery type). Always keep your battery clean – dampness and dirt can drain your battery.

4. Routine Inspection

You’ve got to be actively involved in all aspects of your boat. Keep an eye out for fraying ropes or loose fittings. Most times, damage done to a boat could have been avoided with routine preventative maintenance.

5. Motor Maintenance

Whether you’ve got an inboard or outboard motor, make sure you take care of your engine. Flush the engine after every outing and check everything related to your motor (tank, lines, clamps) for rust, corrosion, or damage. Check your oil often for cleanliness and correct levels. Always keep an eye on your cooling system to be sure it’s working properly.

6. Winterization

Just because you’re not using your boat for a few months doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about maintenance. Make sure you follow a thorough boat winterization routine.

7. Bilge Pumps

You should check your bilge pump regularly – there’s nothing worse than having your boat sink. Make sure your bilge pump is working properly and that your battery has enough charge to run the pump.

8. Electrical components

Corroded electrical systems cause boating failures every year – make sure your components are dry and that they’re protected with water-repellant grease or a corrosion inhibitor.

9. Boat cover

It’s worth the money you’ll spend to buy a boat cover. You’ll keep your boat clean and protected from the elements.

10. Know your boat

The most important step of proper boat maintenance is knowing all aspects of your boat. Read your owner’s manual and talk to your boat dealer – once you know your boat well, it’ll be much easier to take care of it.

If you have any boat maintenance questions, please call us at 931-906-0002. Our knowledgeable staff will help you with anything you need.

Joking aside, flat tires are a huge inconvenience, but they’re also safety hazards. At higer speeds, flat tires can result in dangerous blowouts. Flat tires are unavoidable – but they can be delayed if you follow these steps:

1. Keep Your Tires Inflated

Check the sidewall of each of your tires to see the recommended PSI and be sure that they are inflated to the correct pressure. If your tires are over-inflated, your vehicle will be difficult to handle and the ride will be rough. If your tires are underinflated, they’ll wear out sooner, and will wear unevenly.

2. Check Your Tires for Uneven Wear

It’s important to regularly check your tires to make sure they’re in good condition and that they’re wearing evenly. We recommend checking your tires thoroughly at least once a month. Your tire tread can wear thin from fast starts, hard stops and from city driving (where you are required to make frequent stops and starts).

3. Look for Good Tread

When buying new tires, look for a thick tread that’s resistant to punctures. You might also want to consider buying tires with longer wear warranties. It makes sense – if you buy cheaper tires with a lower-quality tread, they’re not going to last as long.

4. Avoid Streets Near Construction Sites

If it’s at all possible, stay off of streets and surfaces near construction sites where your tires can pick up sharp objects such as nails, screws, glass, etc.

5. Check your Vehicle’s Brakes

Make sure you check your brakes regularly. Brakes that are worn or that are not adjusted properly can create uneven wear on wheels, resulting in unevenly worn tires.

Follow these easy steps and you’ll be able to significantly prolong the life of your tires. You’ll save money, be safe, and you’ll be on time to all of your job interviews and weddings in the rain!

That’s the reason we try so hard to make sure that every customer is completely satisfied. If you’re looking for used cars in Clarksville, we’ve got the best used cars in town.  We’ve worked hard to form close relationships with several local and national lenders so that we’re able to offer the most flexible financing options in town. Whether you’ve got perfect credit or you’ve had a few bumps in the road, we’re able to help!  We also offer excellent extended warranty coverage to help protect your investment.

Unlike many other dealers in the area, we don’t just sell you a car and then forget about you. We’ve recently jumped into the social media game so that we can stay in touch with our customers, and so that potential customers can get to know us before they buy from us. Check out Thunder Road Automotive on Facebook and on Twitter - we post to both places daily, and we’d love to hear from you! You can also follow us on this blog, where we post important news and updates, along with helpful how-to tips that will help you keep your car or truck in tip-top shape for years to come.

If you have any questions for us, please don’t hesitate to call us at 931-906-0002 – we’re here to help with any question, no matter how big or small. You can also leave us a comment below, or shoot us a message on Facebook or Twitter. We look forward to doing business with you in the future!

For those of you who didn’t winterize your boat before you stored it, it’s time to get to work so you’ll have you boat ready to head back out on the water. Follow these easy tips and you’ll have your boat ready in no time:

1) Before you start, grab your owner’s manual

If you don’t have a copy, get one. You need to know how to replace fluids and parts, and you should never take apart anything on your boat without checking your manual first.

2) Get your engine ready

You should start with your boat’s engine, since it’ll take longer than anything else and will cause the biggest mess. If you didn’t change your oil before you stored the boat for the winter, you should change it now. Fresh oil will help prevent corrosion and excessive wear, which will lead to poor fuel economy, loss of power, or even engine failure. Check your oil filter and make sure it’s in good shape – change it if it needs changing. Once you’re done, flush your cooling system and replace your antifreeze with a mixture of 50/50 water and coolant. For the final step, replace your batteries and preform a thorough engine test.

3) Check your windshield wipers

Check your wipers and replace them if needed. If they’re good enough to keep, apply rubber lubricant to protect them from the marine environment.

4) Check your hull

Look for blisters, chips, cracks, or chalky residue. Repair any blisters that you find. If you find a chalky spot, that could be a sign of oxidation. Determine the level of oxidation and then restore your gelcoat to its original luster. Make sure you follow a regular gelcoat maintenance plan throughout the summer to prevent oxidation.

5) Clean and wax your hull

Visit your nearest marine supply store and get some marine safe cleaner, then use it to clean the entire exterior of your boat. Once you’re done, apply a fresh coat of wax.

6)  Check your vinyl and canvas

Take a good look at your bimini top, covers, seats and any other vinyl or canvas areas. Check for tears, mildew, or dirt. If you find any holes or tears, repair them, and then use a vinyl or canvas cleaner to clean everything.

7) Polish your teak and metal

Use a metal polisher like Never Dull to polish all of the metal surfaces on your boat. Check your teak and polish all of the wood surfaces. If your teak is in deteriorating shape, you’ll need to sand it down and then apply stain and varnish.

8) Check your electronics

Bring all of your electronics back on board and test everything to make sure it’s all working properly. If there are any problems, replace the necessary parts so that everything is in working order.

Follow these 8 easy tips to de-winterize your boat and you’ll be ready for another summer of fun after just a few hours of work. Remember, Thunder Road has a fully-stocked marine shop conveniently located next to the Clarksville Marina – we’ve got everything you need for your boat and your summertime fun. If you’re ready to trade in for a new boat, head over to our website and check out our inventory –  we’ve got the best prices on new and used boats in Clarksville. Call us today at 931-906-0002 or just come on by!

Even if you learned how to jump a car before, it’s easy to forget how to connect the cables if it’s been a few years. Follow these easy steps and you’ll have your dead car running in no time:

Before you start, be sure that your battery is really dead.

If you turn your ignition and you hear the engine cranking, then your battery isn’t dead – and jump starting isn’t going to help. If you turn the key and nothing happens, it’s pretty likely that your battery is dead and a jump is all you need.

Make sure that you’ve got a set of jumper cables in your car – you never know when you’re going to need them. Knowing the steps in this post won’t matter one bit if you don’t have cables to use…

1) Make sure both cars are turned off

2) Connect the RED END (positive) to the positive terminal of the DEAD BATTERY.

3) Connect the other RED END (positive) to the positive terminal of the GOOD BATTERY.

4) Connect the BLACK END (negative) to the negative terminal of the GOOD BATTERY.

5) Connect the remaining BLACK END (negative) to a clean, unpainted METAL SURFACE under the stalled car’s hood. DO NOT connect to the negative terminal of the dead battery.

6) Start the running car – allow it to run for 2 to 3 minutes.

7) Start the dead car.

8) Remove the cables IN REVERSE ORDER (metal surface of dead car, negative terminal of good battery, positive terminal of good battery, positive terminal of dead battery).

9) Keep the jumped car running for at least 30 minutes to allow the battery enough time to recharge.

The most difficult part of the process is remembering where to put each cable. Follow these tips the next time you need to jump start a car and you’ll be up and running in no time. If you’ve got more questions about simple do-it-yourself maintenance tasks, call us today at 931-906-0002 and we’ll be happy to help!

1) Avoid depreciation - Everyone knows that a new car loses some of its value as soon as you drive it off the lot – but did you realize just how much it loses? Most new cars typically lose 20% of their value when you drive them off the lot, along with an additional 10% of value lost over the first year. Think about it – that’s a 30% loss over just the first year. Many buyers end up “under water” on their loans because they buy the car with a small down payment, and after depreciation is factored in, they actually owe more for the car than it’s actually worth. When you buy a used car, you’re skipping that 30% first-year depreciation – which means you’re getting more value for what you’re spending.

2) More bang for your buck - You’ll almost always be able to buy a better car with more options if you buy used. You’ve got a certain amount of money that you can spend on your car, so why settle for the base model of a medium range new car with no options? If you buy used, you’ll be able to afford a nicer model with more options, some of which could have cost you thousands of dollars more on a new car.

3) Quality is always better - In the past, cars were more disposable and didn’t last as long, so buying a used car wasn’t always a good choice. Today’s cars are built to last much longer, and with proper care, you could buy a 2 or 3 year old car and drive it for 8-10 years.

4) Reduce insurance cost - One of the most important factors in determining the cost of your car insurance is the value of your car. Since used cars are worth less than new cars, your insurance will almost always be cheaper. Many people drop elements of their insurance as a car ages, so you’ll be able to save even more money sooner than if you’d bought the same car new.

5) New car smell is temporary - Sure, we all like that “new car smell” – but is it really worth spending thousands of dollars more just for a smell? In 5 or 6 months, you probably won’t know the difference – the smell will be gone, your kids will have tracked mud into the back seat, you’ll have spilled your coffee on the floor… Sure, you’ll still be careful with a used car, but if it’s a few years old with a bit more character, you’ll be less likely to stress out over little things and you’ll get more enjoyment out of your car.

Don’t take our word for it though – do your own research. Remember to look at the total cost of ownership, not just your monthly payment. You’ve got to consider insurance, gas, and maintenance as part of your monthly car budget, and you have to look at your financing options so you know what you’re paying for the long haul. Once you really look at the numbers, you’ll see why so many Americans are swinging over to the side of the used car champions. If you’d like some help deciding what’s best for you, or if you’re ready to buy, please give us a call at 931-906-0002. We’ve got the best selection of used cars in Clarksville, and we work hard every day to provide the best car buying experience our customers will ever have.

Instead, we’ve put together this list of 5 tips to help you save money at the gas pump:

Carpool – It’s not just for school kids

Why take 2 or 3 cars when you can just as easily take 1? Split your work commute with a coworker or neighbor and you’ll be splitting the gas bill at least in half. You’re going to the same place anyway, so it makes perfect sense. If you don’t have anyone nearby to ride with, you can find rides on carpooling websites like RideSearch.com.

Shop for lower prices

Gas prices are different at almost every location, so it’s worth it to know where the cheapest gas can be found. Use websites or phone apps to compare prices at your local stations and fill up at the cheapest location.

Reduce drag for an easier ride

How many times do you see cars driving around with empty bike racks or empty ski racks? Anything on the outside of your car that reduces the aerodynamics of your vehicle will reduce your fuel efficiency. Remove unnecessary racks and roll up your windows to reduce extra drag.

Get the Junk out of your Trunk

Lots of people keep things in their trunk, but your trunk isn’t really meant for long-term storage. The more junk you have in your trunk, the heavier your car is… and the harder your engine has to work to move your car. According to the Energy Department, your fuel efficiency is reduced by 2% for every 100 pounds of extra weight in your car. (and that percentage is higher for smaller cars)

Tune up for the win

Simple maintenance and a basic engine tune-up can have a huge effect on fuel efficiency. Fill your tires to the correct pressure, replace clogged air filters, and get a quick tune-up. On average, you’ll increase your fuel efficiency by around 4% (which is equal to about 15 cents per gallon at current gas prices!).

Follow these simple steps and you’ll be able to save money when you fill up your car. If you’ve got an older car and you’re looking to pick up something more fuel efficient, come on down to Thunder Road Automotive and browse our inventory – we’ve got the best selection of used cars in Clarksville. We’ll help you find something that gets better gas mileage than what you’re currently driving, and if you’re looking for something we don’t have on the lot, we’ll go out and find it for you!

Don’t Forget…

Thunder Road Automotive & Marine will be at the Nashville Boat Show next weekend! Make sure you come out and see us, it’s going to be an awesome show…

The show runs from January 12th to January 15th, and it’s just $9 to get in (and kids 15 and under get in FREE!). Active members of the military get in free with a valid military ID as well.

There’s simply no better place to check out the latest and greatest in boats, gear, and accessories. Besides all of the vendors displaying their boats and accessories, you can meet with charter companies and resorts to pre-book next summer’s big vacation. You’ll also get a chance to see Twiggy, the waterskiing squirrel (probably worth the price of admission alone). You can even take the kids to meet Spongebob Squarepants and his best friend Patrick.

If you’d like to get tickets now, just click here.

Make sure you stop by and say hello – we’d love to see you! We might even snap a photo with you and throw it up on our Facebook page…

See you at the show!