After years of constant change, both in location and name, the New Orleans Pelicans appear to be here to stay. After starting out in Charlotte, NC then moving to New Orleans, furthermore being bought by Saints owner Tom Benson, the Pelicans have had its share of transition.

Tom Benson is a man who knows New Orleans. As owner of the Saints for nearly 30 years and a lifelong New Orleanian, he knows how deep residents’ and fans’ connect to the city is. That’s why upon purchasing the Hornets, he quickly announced he planned to change the name of the team. Benson wanted a name that was more meaningful to the city and the area.

After originally trying to take the “Jazz” nickname from the Utah Jazz, which originated in New Orleans, and failing he considered names such as “Brass” and “Krewe.” Benson finally settled on the “Pelicans”, Louisiana’s state bird, specifically the brown pelican.

So, with the help of some local connection, the Pelicans can hopefully start to turn their losing record around. Regardless of a winning record, with some fan love, maybe the Pelicans can get the same kind of Nola love as the Saints.

As the New Year begins, everyone looks for a way to start fresh. If starting fresh means a new car this year, we have some ideas. Here’s the top 10 Fords of 2014.

1. F-150—The F-150 has been around the block a few times, but it’s tried and true. It’s the perfect truck for hauling and was voted America’s Best- Selling Truck in 2013!
2. Focus—This sedan comes in seven different models and offers drivers fuel efficiency with up to 37 MPG on the highway.
3. Fusion—You can spot this baby a mile away! The all-new redesigned Fusion has eight models and is a great mid-size sedan that is also fuel efficient with many accessory options.
4. Taurus—The new Taurus is completely revamped with a sleek exterior and a luxurious interior. It has four models and also has numerous accessories.
5. Escape—The Escape has four models and is the perfect fuel efficient SUV for someone on the go. It gets up to 30 MPG on the highway and has a sporty look.
6. Explorer—The Explorer’s new look is both attractive and highly useful. It’s ideal for weekend adventures or family vacations.
7. Expedition—The Expedition has a spacious interior and also comes in six different models. Perfect Mom- Mobile for the expecting or the mom who already has her hands full!
8. Super Duty—The Super Duty truck is the ideal truck for your work. It is the strongest and toughest truck around.
9. Fusion Hybrid SE—The Fusion Hydrid SE is a highly powerful, yet efficient sedan. It gets 47 MPG in the city.
10. Focus Electric—This car gets an astounding 110 MPG in the city. It is the ultimate fuel-efficient car and still has a sleek exterior.

Keep your eyes out for them on the road during the coming year. This array of vehicles covers the needs of pretty much everyone.

 

When we think about Black Friday, we often think of just one day of savings and great deals but as consumers ramp up their holiday shopping it seems as if Black Friday has become more of a season of shopping. Due to consumer demand, it’s virtually impossible to get everything you need solely on Black Friday therefore the span of Black Friday shopping has expanded and so have its products.

It’s now more than just clothing and department stores—you’ll be hard pressed to find one store that doesn’t offer some kind of promotion. Every retailer from specialty boutiques to car dealerships are offering specials to their customers during the Black Holiday season.

With this amount of shopping, virtually every industry is feeling a boost. In fact, the car industry anticipates a 3.6 percent increase in November alone.

This year is expected to be especially big because Thanksgiving is so late. Now, consumers only have 25 days between Black Friday and Christmas to get all of their shopping done. For this reason many retailers, including Lamarque Ford, are offering specials for their customers. Lamarque has extended their annual tire sale into December from the 5^th through 7^th. They are even offering a free set of tires up to $700 value.

The season of shopping is officially upon us! Happy shopping.

 

The holidays are a time for joy, togetherness, and giving. No matter what you celebrate or believe in, the holidays evoke a feeling of warmth and nostalgia maybe through a family tradition, a special holiday party, or even a just a pumpkin spice latte to warm up the day.

Starting in November, everyone gears up and it’s easy to look out with your rose colored glasses and forget about the people who are maybe a little stressed about making ends meet; or maybe don’t get to be at home with their family this holiday season.

While hardships can fall on people at any time of the year, the holidays can be especially hard, which is why Lamarque Ford started its 25 Days of Christmas campaign (http://www.lamarque.com/twenty-five-days-of-christmas.htm). Starting November 23^rd people can text in to be entered for a chance to win a $100 Toys “R” Us gift card. For every dollar Lamarque gives away to the lucky winners, they will also match in donations to the New Orleans Children’s Hospital.

Toys can’t bring the kids health, but they can bring a smile to their face. The holidays come whether we are healthy or sick, wealthy or poor; and gifts like these can brighten everyone’s day and bring warmth to the holiday season.

New Orleans is a community known for just that, community. No matter the events or the adversity, New Orleanians always band together to overcome. This has been true of hurricane after hurricane, namely Hurricane Katrina, but has also been true on smaller scales. Lamarque Ford is just one of several businesses and people that come together for the Susan G Komen walk for breast cancer every year.

This year was no different. Men and women came together for the Race for the Cure on October 26th to run or walk a 5K to benefit the Susan G Komen breast cancer foundation. Breast cancer affects 200,000 people per year, and, because of that, everyone has some connection to this disease or knows someone who does. This connection with the community unites us and connects us on this one day a year.

For Lamarque Ford, supporting this walk is about supporting the people in our community. Much like our philosophy on selling cars, we want to help people. Whether it be by finding them the best and safest car for their family, or helping to raise money to protect their children, wives, sisters, and mothers, Lamarque wants to help.

This year, New Orleans did even more to help the cause. Jason Aldean hosted a concert here and donated over $575,000 to the Susan G Komen Foundation. The opportunities for support are endless, so if you haven’t been involved in the past, we encourage you to get involved next year. Next year’s walk will be on October 25th, 2014 and we can’t wait to see everyone there.

Have you ever had that moment where you have so much in your hands you’re about to drop it all? Maybe you are juggling your groceries for the week, a screaming child, and a month’s worth of paperwork your boss needs ASAP. Whatever it is, we’ve all been there. Sometimes you just can’t free up a hand to dig in your pocket or bag to find your car key. We get that. 

That’s why Ford motors invented keyless entry. Instead of shifting your baby to your other hip or dropping all of your fresh groceries, you can simply enter a code on your car door. As the exclusive car brand that has keyless entry, Ford understands that sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference.

Ford Vehicles can come with a variety of features. And while people are deciding which features to pick for their car, they are often more attracted to the more aesthetically pleasing ones like savvy radios and GPS’s, or even spoilers and trailer hitches. But keyless entry is actually one of the most popular and useful accessories people can choose. It’s one of the few features that is used every day over and over again. It’s the accessory to get if you are always on the go, without any time to spare.

Visit Lamarque Ford to view a selection of vehicles equipped with keyless entry.

A tire may just look like a tire to the naked eye, but there are actually a lot of specifications entailed in every tire. To make your vehicle run as efficiently as possible, it is imperative to choose the right kind of tire. The best way to make sure you are getting the right kind of tire for your car is to look at the owner’s manual. The manual should specify the kind of tire as well as some certain dimensions to look for.

Here, we’ve outlined five different kinds of tires you can get for your vehicle:

1. All-Season tires—These tires are the best all-around tire because they are good for performance, traction under wet conditions, mileage, and a decrease in noise. They are also the standard tire for most new vehicles.

2. All-Terrain tires–These tires are ideal for use on small trucks and SUVs. They have sidewalls that are very sturdy and feature large tread block patterns to pull mud and improve the grip on surfaces like mud, clay, and snow.

3. Winter-Use tires—These tires are perfect for low-temperature conditions because they are made of soft rubber that heats up when driving in the cold. They provide extra grip on snow and ice for maximum safety.

4. Performance tires—These are the tires you want to get to maximize road contact. They are engineered for high speed and aggressive driving and feature a softer rubber compound that increases traction and improves cornering, as well as lower profiles to reduce sidewall flex under stress.

5. Off-Road tires (Mud Terrain)—You want these tires for non-highway use, because they feature chunky tread blocks and a higher void ration than other tires, in order to maximize traction in off-road situations including mud, clay, and snow.

Most people don’t even realize all of the options for tires, but the first place to start is always the owner’s manual or a good tire finding tool. The Lamarque Ford service technicians are happy to help you find the perfect tire for your vehicle.