Summer is the perfect time for a road trip. And as a resident of the Triangle, some of the East Coast’s most interesting sites and destinations are only a few hours away by car! Ready to hit the road on your next adventure? Read on for travel inspiration (and add your own favorite destinations in the comments)!

3 Road Trip Destinations to Visit this Summer

1. Blue Ridge Parkway (Virginia and North Carolina)
Extending 469 miles through 29 different Virginia and North Carolina counties, the Blue Ridge Parkway runs through a major mountain chain of the Appalachian mountains. Named after their remarkable bluish hue when viewed from the distance, the Blue Ridge mountains astonish their spectators. Whether fishing in a river, swimming underneath a waterfall, or hiking through thick woodland, the Blue Ridge mountains offer several activities in the great outdoors that never disappoint. One of the most notable points along the Blue Ridge Parkway is the Pisgah National Forest. Located in Western North Carolina (only about 4 hours from Raleigh), Pisgah offers beautiful sights of luscious foliage, vast mountain views, and picturesque waterfalls. Take a relaxing trip down Sliding Rock, or, if you’re really in for an adventure, try hiking Mount Mitchell – the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Whatever you do, be sure to stop in downtown Asheville and enjoy the vibrant culture and excellent food.

2. Outer Banks (Eastern North Carolina)
If you tend to enjoy the beach more than the mountains, luckily for you, North Carolina has both! The Outer Banks hosts a string of peninsulas and barrier islands that make for the perfect summer getaway. Choose one destination, or, if you want to make more of a trip out of it, travel down Highway 12 and see some of the many historic landmarks the Outer Banks has to offer. If you’re heading that way, make sure a stop by the historic Cape Hatteras lighthouse is on your agenda. Nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” Hatteras Island marks a common area for shipwrecks, including the Civil War battleship USS Monitor. The lighthouse stands 210 feet, making it the tallest brick lighthouse in the country. Travel north on Highway 12 to reach Kill Devil Hills, made famous when the Wright Brothers used the town to achieve the first airplane flight in history. No matter where you travel along the Outer Banks, the salty air and lush marshlands provide an unforgettable experience.

3. Washington, D.C.
For those of you who are history buffs, the nation’s capital is only a 5-hour drive away from Raleigh. Washington, D.C., is a great place for a family vacation: Full of educational activities, beautiful architecture and a thriving culture. Make sure you experience the D.C. monuments and memorials along with your pick of museums. (Some of the best Smithsonian museums include the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.) Also, check out the Newseum, which opened just in 2008, and offers an incredible interactive experience while learning about some of the most impactful events in our country. Being only a 5 hour drive up 95, Washington DC is a road trip that should be on everyone’s to-do list this summer.

Have any others to add to the list? Share your favorite destinations in the comments below!

Of course, before you embark on any lengthy road trip, it’s important to make sure your car is in top driving condition. Read our blog to check out a few maintenance checks we recommend making, especially during the summer months. The last thing you want is to blow a tire or realize that your air conditioning isn’t functioning properly while en route.

If you need help checking your car for safety and maintenance issues, we can help. Do not hesitate to contact the experts at Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac and let our skilled mechanics handle everything. You can make an appointment online, or give us a call today at (855) 825-4662! We service all makes and models.

What is going on at Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac?

There are some changes happening to the way your telephone calls will be answered when you call into our Service Department, and I think you will like these changes.  In the past when you called our Service Department the phone would ring to our Service Advisors and which Service Advisor was free determined who answered your call.   Our Service Advisors do a great job, but they are normally very busy and often you can’t get through to them and have to leave a message.  This created several obstacles to providing you the best possible service.  First off nobody likes to leave messages when they call for assistance, and almost as important our Service Advisors were so busy answering the telephone that it was often nearly impossible for them to call you back and give you updates on your service, then when you were in the dealership talking to your Service Advisor you had to listen to telephones ringing everywhere.

Why are we making these changes?

We want it to be as easy for you to communicate with your Service Advisor as possible, so we have now set up a Customer Care Center for our Service Department and will be implementing a Customer Care Center for our Sales Department in the very near future.

How will this change the way you communicate with your Service Adivsor?

• Your phone calls will now ring directly into our Customer Care Center instead of the Service Drive.  Our goal is to answer your call on the first ring.
• If you are calling to set an appointment your CCC representative will set the appointment for you rather than transfer you to the extension of your Advisor where you normally would leave a voice mail message.
• If you are calling for a status on your vehicle your CCC representative will first verify that your Advisor is at his or her desk before transferring your call, again to avoid the dreaded voice mail.  If your Advisor is not available your CCC representative will take your name and number, check the status and your Advisor or a manager will call you back within 15 minutes during normal business hours.
•  If you have a Service Advisor you’ve always done business with and prefer to continue working with them you will still be able to, just tell your CCC representative when setting your appointment which Advisor you prefer.  It’s as simple as that.

How do I reach the Customer Care Center?

There are several ways to reach our CCC.

• You can just dial the main telephone number, 919-834-0311, and select option 2 for Service and this will ring into the CCC.
•  If you’d rather dial directly into the CCC we have two direct telephone numbers that will ring directly into the CCC with no delay or recordings to listen to.  These are 919-232-2948 and 919-232-2949.
• Or if you’d rather not talk on the telephone you can set an appointment online as always.  Just follow this link.
• If you have a question you can also call directly at 919-232-2952 or email me at stephenc@thompsoncars.com

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Thank you,

Steve Coad

It’s that time of year again—time for food, festive parties and, for most of us, a little holiday travel. According to the United States Department of Transportation, the number of travelers taking long-distance trips increases by 54 percent during the 6-day Thanksgiving travel period alone.  And of those long-distance trips, 91 percent of people travel by car.

That sheer increase in the number of cars on the road is problematic for drivers alone. But when you couple those challenges with the unique challenges and hazards caused by winter weather, traveling for the holidays can turn from exciting to stressful (and potentially very dangerous) in seconds.

If you’re heading out on a long-distance drive see family and friends for Thanksgiving or Christmas, make sure you’re prepared for potential hazards you may face ahead of time.  Before hitting the road, give your car a quick once-over to ensure your vehicle is road-trip ready, and keep these important safety tips in mind for the duration of your trip.

Car Maintenance Tips for Holiday Travel

• Inspect your tires for low thread. Even if your thread is technically passable but on the lower end, driving long distances in a short amount of time can cause it to wear down faster than you expect. Have a professional look at your tires prior to your trip to ensure you don’t wind up with a flat at the worst possible time.
• Test your lights and windshield wipers. Both are critical to helping you drive safely and securely at night and through the elements. And beyond that, in many states, it’s illegal to drive without those two parts functioning properly.
• Check your heater. This step is self-explanatory, but you may be surprised how often it’s overlooked.
• Test your oil levels and get an oil change if you’re due. Driving long distances without oiling the machine (literally and figuratively) will wear on your engine and could mean trouble for you down the road.
• Keep at least a half-tank of gas at all times. In colder weathers, condensation can build up in your tank when it’s near empty, which could cause your fuel line to freeze over.
• Make sure your exhaust pipe is clear of snow. If it’s clogged up, that could cause harmful CO2 emissions to leak into your car’s interior.

General Holiday Travel Tips

• Keep key safety essentials on hand. This time of year, weather can be unpredictable. Forecasts can help, but you may even yet run into some unexpected winter weather while en route to your final destination. Pack a shovel, ice scraper, jumper cables, flashlight, blankets and warning flares, if possible, just to ensure you’re prepared. It can’t hurt to have snacks packed up as well.
• Be more vigilant and alert than ever. Traveling during this high-volume time of year can cause stress to build for even the calmest of drivers. Keep that in mind as you travel long distances to help you better predict driver behavior and prevent any possible accidents before they happen.
• Accelerate slowly and deliberately. Winter weather could cause you to lose traction on the roads, so the more control you have over your speeds, the safer you will be.
• Keep your family in the loop. Let them know the route you plan to take and when you’re due to arrive so they can ensure you arrive safely and securely. They may also be able to give you advanced notice if your route is suddenly clogged with traffic due to a wreck or otherwise.

At Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac, we want you to wring as much fun and festivity out of the holidays as possible—please use these tips when traveling, and refer to our tips for how to winterize your car for more. We want you to get where you’re going safely and securely, so you can enjoy one of the most wonderful times of the year with loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving, and safe travels to all!

All good things must come to an end, and the GM service rebates are no
exception.  The $10.00 Certified Service oil change rebate and $20.00 Durastop
brake pad rebate will end on November 30th, and we are told these rebates
will never come back.  So if you want to save on maintenance or brakes take
advantage of these rebates before it is too late.  If you are looking
for the best selection, best service and best prices come see us at Thompson
Buick GMC Cadillac.

A service customer told me this morning that she’d heard an advertisement for another car dealer, but couldn’t remember which, claiming that they’d “been here a while and hoped to be here a while longer”.  That is very entertaining, but I can  understand why they’d be advertising like that.  After listening to the radio a while I heard the ad, they flood the radio with circus barkers, and I found it very entertaining too.  The dealer has been here around a decade.

Through 3 generations the Thompsons have been part of the Triangle because we have offered the best customer service and continue to offer the best customer service.  We are here not because we had a board meeting and decided that Raleigh, Cary or Durham would be a swell place to turn a profit, but because Mr. Thompson was born here as were his children and his siblings.  His father was born less than 2 miles from where our “new” location was opened in 1967. When the picture below of brand new 1957 Cadillacs being delivered was taken we’d been here a while.  In fact when the second photo of the “new” location was taken we’d been here “a while”.   So the next time you hear someone say “we’ve been here a while” remember this…  We have been committed to and a part of the Triangle since before most of our customers were born, and we plan to be selling new Buick GMC and Cadillac vehicles in another 50 years.

Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac, Born In Raleigh And Serving The Triangle For Over 50 years.

A line of 1957 Cadillacs being delivered

Mr. Willis Thompson in front of the new dealership on Wake Forest Road in 1967

It is well known that the mighty CTS-V with its 6.2 liter, 556 horsepower supercharged V8 rules the road of performance sedans, but many have wondered why there is not something a little more reasonable.  While it is nice to watch frightened twin turbo V8 BMW and Mercedes drivers pull to the side of the road when they see the mighty V overtake them, not everyone wants or needs all that.  But some of you still want something a little less sane than the 320 horsepower 3.6 liter V6 offered in the 2014 Cadillac CTS.

Cadillac is way ahead of you!  The new for 2014 CTS is also available with a 420 horsepower twin turbo 3.6 liter V6 in Vsport trim for those who want something just a little less insane and don’t want to alert everyone to what they are driving like they would in a CTS-V.

How does this new Cadillac measure up against the twin turbo V8 BMW 550i and Mercedes Benz E550, the two vehicles it competes with most directly?  We’ll let Car and Driver Magazine answer that one for us.

“But wait, doesn’t Caddy risk bringing a V-6 knife to a twin-turbo-V-8 RPG fight?  Maybe not. This state-of-the-art, direct-injected twin-turbo trumps Benz and BMW  on power with 420 horses to their respective 402 and 400, though torque lags  slightly at 430 versus 443 and 450. Then again, Cadillac’s painstaking  weight-reduction efforts mean each of its horses is saddled with just 9.5  pounds, where BMW’s and Mercedes’ equines lug 10.9 or more pounds each; and new  shortcut intercooler plumbing pretty much eliminates turbo lag”.  And how did this measure up under real world driving conditions?  “That’s enough firepower to smite the Mercedes and BMW competition (4.9/13.4 at  105.5 and 4.8/13.3 at 106.9). Similarly, the standard Brembo brakes out-stopped  the Jerries — 103 feet versus 119 and 116.”   How about handling on a race track?  “But the Germans may have more to worry about from the way this new CTS goes down  the road. Multiple lapping sessions on the famed Milford Race Course revealed a  remarkably well sorted chassis, with particularly nice steering feel and response. The ZF electric assist seems to heavy up as cornering forces build, and provides useful info about the level of grip available. Engaging Track and  Stabilitrac Competition modes directs the magnetic shocks to eliminate all body roll and signals the electronic differential (the guts of which are shared with that in the C7 Corvette) and safety nannies to permit a reasonable amount of  rear slip angle where appropriate to point the car.” And “A shotgun lap with one of Cadillac’s Nurburgring test pilots at the helm and all  nannies switched off mostly demonstrated the full power of the Brembos, as he  consistently roared way past my conservative braking zones, shedding immense  speed implausibly late.”

So, if you want to know more about this upcoming giant slayer or view our current CTS inventory please contact  Performance Specialist, Charles Chamblee, at 919-834-0311.

The wait is finally over, and it was worth it!  Wow is the first word that came to mind after sitting in the all new CTS.  We’ve been hearing from all the magazines and press releases that the 2014 Cadillac CTS would set a new standard in midsize luxury and performance sedans, but here at Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac we are skeptical.  As the premiere Cadillac dealer for Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill we’ve seen many luxury vehicles come and go.  This one is a winner.

Not only is this vehicle longer, wider and lower it is also lighter.  The new 2014 Cadillac CTS is luxurious, athletic, fast and most importantly it is every inch a Cadillac.  You will never blend into traffic with this new from the ground up performance machine.

Update: We had a phoned in question yesterday about how the new 2014 Cadillac CTS can be longer and wider, yet weigh less.  That is a good question and one of the most impressive things about this new model.  The new 2014 CTS has, for starters, aluminum doors that save 55 pounds, in addition this car has aluminum brake calipers front and rear plus more use of high strength steel and a front bumper beam that saves over 13 pounds.  These and many other measures allow the Cadillac owner to have a larger, more spacious care that is also faster and more nimble!

Look for updates to this post throughout the day.

If you want the best from the best the choice is clear.  The beautiful new 2014 Cadillac CTS is now available in Raleigh, from Raleigh’s only Cadillac dealership.

The finest midsize luxury performance sedan available in Raleigh, NC

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The best deals of the year are upon us and first up is the 2013 Cadillac SRX.  We not only have up to $7,500.00 off on retail purchase, but we have the best lease deals of the year too.

Check this great lease deal out.

2013 Cadillac SRX, 10,000 miles a year 36 month lease, $2,500 down and only $479.99 $399.00 a month.  Stk #05038  See salesperson for details

Visit Our Website

View our SRX inventory online

The current Buick LaCrosse was introduced in 2009 and has since become wildly poplular.  It has its own luxurious look, unlike the rebadged commuter sedans others are offering, that will not be lost in the sea of look alike midsize  and full size luxury sedans.  But even the most beautiful and reliable vehicles need updating.

The redesigned 2014 LaCrosse is even more stunning than the last, but that is not all.  There are 17″, 18″ and 19″ wheels to choose from, front or all wheel dirve, mild hybrid or 304 horsepower V6 engines to choose from and too many comfort, performance and safety features to list here.

If you want a full size luxury car that will never be mistaken for a commuter sedan and won’t break the bank visit Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac , 919-834-0311 or fill out the form below for more information.

Every year we are asked by many customers why they should have their vehicle winterized and what is involved,  at Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac we believe these are good questions that deserve good answers.

The “why” part is simple.  When driving under winter conditions your vehicles condition is not just good for your peace of mind, it can save your life.  Now to address the “what is involved” part.  There is also more to it than just getting your vehicle in top shape, you will need to prepare yourself too.  While we do not have deep snow in our part of North Carolina every year we often have slick or icy roads, which can be just as dangerous.  See our suggested starting points below.

• Have your vehicle winterized by a certified, franchised dealership.
• A certified technician needs to check your vehicle for old or worn hoses and drive belts, these can fail and leave your vehicle inoperable without warning.
• Have your battery checked.  There are many places that will hook a meter up to a battery and tell you if it has a charge, but not every shop has the expensive equipment needed to do a proper test on your battery.  Also make sure all cables and connections are clean and tight.  Hint:  If it takes only a few minutes for your battery to be checked they did nothing but check the cold cranking amps, look for another shop.
• Check the condition of your antifreeze.  If the PH or the mixture is wrong you could be asking for trouble and if your vehicle has over 50,000 miles you will want to discuss changing the antifreeze/coolant with your Service Advisor.
• Make sure all of the fluids and lubricants are at maximum efficiency.  If you have over 50,000 miles on your vehicle discuss having the brake fluid, power steering fluid, differential lubricant, etc checked.  If they are not at or near peak efficiency consider changing them.
• Check your tires.  Even if they have plenty of tread depth make sure the pressure is correct and look for any signs of uneven wear or dry rotting.  Tip:  Consider filling your tires with nitrogen.  Nitrogen not only runs cooler and has more consistent pressure but due to its larger molecules nitrogen is much less likely to leak down when your vehicle is not driven.
• Do you have 4 wheel drive/all wheel drive?  If so make sure it is working properly and that every driver in your household knows how and when to engage it.  You Service Advisor can help you with this.
• Prepare an emergency kit.  Even if your vehicle performs perfectly all through the winter have an emergency kit prepared and in the vehicle.  This way if you are stranded for any reason you will be able to safely and comfortably wait for rescue.  What should  you have in your emergency kit?  A blanket (or two), an extra set of warm clothes, extra gloves, non perishable food and water to last for at least a day, a flashlight with new batteries, a small shovel, an ice scraper, a tool kit, flares, jumper cables, a small bag of sand (or “kitty litter”) for traction on ice or snow, and keep plenty of gas in your tank.
• Have a plan, know what to do.  While deep snow is not common in our part of North Carolina slick, dangerous roads are.  If you are stranded place a flare near the front and back of your vehicle to draw attention to your situation, call the authorities if you have cell service, don’t wander away from your vehicle unless you know exactly where you are going, if you do leave the vehicle leave a note detailing where you are going and when you left, use the blanket in your kit to stay warm and if you have plenty of fuel run the engine around 10 minutes every hour to help keep warm.

Thank you,

Team Thompson.