Thank You!

As 2010 draws to a close, we'd like to take this opportunity to wish our customers a very happy and healthy 2011. At Raymond Chevrolet Kia we have many things to be thankful for, but we are most thankful for our loyal customers whom have helped us become one of the best Chevrolet and Kia dealers in Lake County, IL. We could not have done it without you!

We're gearing up to have an excellent 2011 and looking forward to serving our customers in Lake County, Kenosha County, Racine County and McHenry County. Remember to look to the Raymond Autogroup for all of your automotive needs in 2011.

Thank you!!!

Antioch, IL area schools awarded $1500 from Raymond Chevrolet Kia

On Tuesday, December 21, 2010 two Antioch, Illinois elementary schools were awarded a total of $1500 courtesy of Raymond Chevrolet Kia on Route 173 in Antioch. The first annual Winter Coloring contest extraveganza was held at Raymond Chevrolet Kia. Antioch elementary school children colored one of three designs and submitted each design to Raymond Chevrolet for judging. Judging took place from Friday, December 17th through Monday, December 20th. The winners were announced on Tuesday, December 21st at 7pm. They were:

K-1st - Kayeleigh Wieska - Hillcrest Elementary
2nd - 3rd - Ian Atkins - Oakland Elementary
4th - 5th - Hailey Hoffman - Oakland Elementary

Each winner took home a $100 savings bond and their school received $500. Oakland Elementary, with 2 winners, won $1,000 and Hillcrest Elementary won $500.

Watch the video here.

Jay Leno picked up his new Chevy Volt yesterday

At a Northridge, CA Chevrolet Dealer. He's a huge Volt fan and as a car buff, he's got a lot to say about it. Watch him take delivery of his Volt here.

We should be getting Volts in soon at Raymond Chevrolet, your Lake County Illinois Chevrolet dealer. Do you think that electric cars are the wave of the future? Do you like the Volt? Will you buy or lease one?

The 2011 Kia Optima - Now in stock

It wasn't so long ago that Kia was considered a second or third tier car company. The products were very lackluster and quality was not too good. All of that has changed. Drastically.

Not only does Kia make hot looking cars, they do without sacrificing quality or value. In our opinion, Kia has some of the hottest, reliable vehicles on the road today. The 2011 Kia Optima, Kia's newest version of their mid-sized sedan, does not disappoint.
Both Car and Driver and Autoblog.com had some things to say about the Optima. You can read both articles by clicking here for Car and Driver and here for Autoblog.com

The 2011 Optima is arriving daily. Come in and schedule a test drive and tell us at your lake county Kia dealer what you think about the newest entry from Kia.

It's Judging Time for our Coloring Contest

Starting today through Monday, December 20th at 9:00 pm you can be the judge for our first annual coloring contest! Winners will be announced on Tuesday, December 21st at 7:00 pm at Raymond Chevrolet on Route 173 in Antioch.

There are three categories, Kindergarten and 1st Grade, 2nd and 3rd Grade, and 4th and 5th Grade. We've had hundreds of beautiful pictures entered, come and vote for your favorite in each category!

The winner in each category will receive a $100 savings bond PLUS $500 for their local Antioch school!!!! Come out and support this wonderful event! Remember, one vote per person in each category.

We hope to see you voting and again on Tuesday night to congratulate the winners!

Shop with a Cop makes a stop at Raymond Chevrolet

The Holiday spirt is in the air everywhere you turn. There's snow on the ground, the weather is cold, and holiday lights dot the landscape. Well at Raymond Chevrolet Kia, your Lake County Illinois Chevrolet Kia dealer, the Holiday spirit is in full effect. Tonight, together with the Antioch Police Department, 40 children received Christmas presents courtesy of Raymond Chevrolet an their generous employees.

The children were brought to Raymond Chevrolet on Route 173 in Antioch, IL by police escort in "Santa's Sleigh". (Really Chevrolet Suburbans courtesy of Raymond Chevrolet.) Their arrival could not have been missed, as the motorcade included police vehicles and SUVs complete with lights and sirens. It was certainly a site to be seen.

The children were greeted by Raymond employees, who escorted them to Santa's bag of toys. (A Chevrolet Silverado pick-up loaded with presents in the truck bed.) Mark Scarpelli, owner of Raymond Chevrolet Kia, welcomed the children and proceeded to hand out presents to each child. The children opened their presents and thanked Mr. Scarpelli and his employees. The air of excitement and the smiles on the faces of all the children made this event a sure hit!

After unwrapping presents, the children were off to Antioch Walmart to "Shop with a Cop." Each left with money from Raymond Chevrolet, in addition to their cop money, to spend how they pleased at Walmart.

We'll have video and pictures on our website and our facebook page, so if you'd like to see all of the excitement, take a peek!

Attention Racine and Kenosha residents! The deal at Raymond is worth the Drive!

I was going to write an long blog post explaining why it is worth you to drive to Antioch, IL to get your best deal on a new Chevy or Kia, but I think I'll let Mark Scarpelli, owner and president of Raymond Chevrolet Kia, tell you.


To see all of our offerings, visit our YouTube channel or Facebook Page to see complete videos!

Perfect Holiday Gifts

It’s hard to believe that it’s THAT time of year again. The time of year when we’re all hustling and bustling into stores only trying hard to find the perfect gift for that car buff on your list. Well your trusty Lake County Chevrolet dealer is here to help. After much thought and research. Here is our gift guide for the car lover in your life:

Plantronics Voyager PRO+ Bluetooth HeadsetIn reference to our blog post yesterday, it’s always a good idea to go hands-free if you’re driving, Try the Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth headset! Listed for $77.91 on amazon.com

Flash Rods' "Back to the Future" Delorean Hard DriveAs our computers become more and more bogged down with photos, videos, MP3, it’s more important than ever to back our files up on an external hard drive. This hard drive combines functionality with fun. The Delorean from Back to the Future helps you go back in time to retrieve those files on this external hard drive. $250 on Flash Rods website.

Lee Friedlander: AmericaDo you have a car finatic that also loves to read or travel? Then the Lee Friedlander: America book is the find for you. The photos, all taken from a vehicle as it travels around the country, incorporate various views from the car and how it would look to travel places. $32.97 on amazon.com

Custom vehicle graphics
this is a great gift for that 20-something in your life who wants to customize that first new car of theirs. At Raymond Chevrolet in Antioch, IL, we help you get an appointment set up and issue you a certificate to get those custom graphics complete!


Breathalyzer Keychain with Parking Meter TimerOkay this one might indicate to someone that you think they ***might*** have a slight drinking problem, but could be a fun gift too! Blow into the keychain and it will tell you what your blood alcohol level is at. It also doubles as a parking meter timer to avoid those pesky parking tickets.


A New Car or TruckWell you knew we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have you to come into Raymond Chevrolet and pick up a new 2011 Chevrolet Camaro or a 2011 Chevrolet Corvette for that special someone. Imagine finding that under your tree on Christmas Morning!

Thanks to our buddies at thecarconnection.com for helping us with the list!

In any case, we wish you all happy shopping and we’ll have more tips to come.

7 Dangerous Things To Do While You're Driving

We're all guilty of it. We all do dangerous things while driving. Some things are obvious, like texting while driving, which is illegal in Illinois and Wisconsin, while others on the list might surprise you. CarConnection.com recently published a list of things that you SHOULDN'T do while driving. These things include:

Eat and Drink
Drinking caffeine
Let your pets ride shotgun
Text Tweet or Facebook
Make Phone Calls
Read billboards
Get Comfortable

I, personally, never thought about letting your pet ride shotgun or getting comfortable. If you're on a long road trip, wouldn't you want to be comfortable while driving? Well if anything, the article is worth the read and worth some thought. You can read the article by clicking here.

Our Reviews speak for themselves!!!

Listen to what some of our customers are saying about your favorite Lake County Chevrolet and Lake County Kia Dealer!!!!

I just picked up a beautiful 2011 Kia Optima today! This is my 2nd Kia Optima from the Raymond Auto Group and I just have to say that I am very happy with how everything has been handled from start to finish. I gave this team of professionals a few challenges throughout the process, but everything was always handled with a smile and grace above anything I have ever seen from a car dealership. These guys are the Best!!!
Thank you so much!
Mary Ann Kuhn
P.S. – Mark Scarpelli Rocks!!!

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Good afternoon Mark,

On my end I have pretty much finalized putting my 2011 Chevy Avalanche into service. Upon reflection of the entire process, from my initial research in determining manufacturer, brand and vehicle, to dealer selection and final negotiation, I felt compelled to write this note of thanks and appreciation to you.

From our discussions I came to understand that the dealership is family owned and operated, well I want to commend the entire team at Raymond Chevrolet for, quite honestly making me feel like part of a family.

From my initial and continued contacts with the sales group (special thanks to thanks to Derek & Brian), through introductions to several service and parts department team members and ultimately ownership, I found myself thinking; “are these guys for real, because they sure are different”.

Moving further into the process with Delivery & Finance (thanks to Norm & Charlie) the same theme played out; people who knew their stuff. To a man everyone was willing to spend whatever time was required to make sure that any and all of my questions were answered. The entire group genuinely seemed to love what they were doing, who they were doing it for, and were determined to make sure I was comfortable and satisfied with my family’s decision to place our MONEY & TRUST in them.

This was a major purchase decision in some very difficult times in this country and I am glad that I decided to buy the GM product that I did but more importantly I am very happy that I bought my part of the Raymond Chevrolet team.

Thanks again,
JIM SHANNON
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Great Experience at Raymond....‎‎ We purchased a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse this past weekend at Raymond Chevrolet. I must say, it was one of the easiest experiences I have personally ever had purchasing a vehicle. We began shopping for a Traverse this past summer and Raymond's salespeople gave us a great price and have been in contact with us throughout the entire experience. We had an appointment on Saturday afternoon, when we came in and our vehicle was waiting. Not only did we get a fair price on our Traverse, they gave us a great price on our trade-in. Once the financing was complete, we were able to drive away in our new vehicle very satisfied. The entire staff at Raymond was wonderful to work with. They made a process that can be overwhelming very painless. We'll be buying our vehicles from Raymond from now on.
Beth Andersen

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Wonderful Easy Great Experience‎‎ I do not normally take the time to write reviews but I wanted to share my great experience at Raymond Chevrolet & Kia. My daughter needed a reliable, late model car and not only did Raymond have quite a selection; they had the perfect car for her. The salesperson was quite knowledgeable, polite and helpful. I could tell that these people take pride in their products and service. I guess that's why they have been in business so long, and have such a good reputation. I will recommend this dealer to friends and family.
The Thomas Family.
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I went to another dealer near me and had an uneasy feeling. I was looking for a used car for my son who just turned 16. We knew what we had to spend and we wanted a 4 door smaller car with good mpg. We ended up driving to Antioch from Grayslake and looked at a few cars that WE wanted to look at, not that the salesman was pusing onto us. The car we decided on was almost $1000 over what we wanted to spend but it was perfect. Tom worked with the manager and we left with the car me and my son wanted at the price we wanted to pay. Tom and the manager he went to were helpfull in getting us to that price and showed us around the dealership if we ever needed anything, we met the owner, who was nice also. They filled up my gas tank and we are now VERY happy Raymond owners!
John H
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I don't normally write about my experience with a car dealership, but I must tell everyone that my wife and I went into see why everyone loves Raymond Chevrolet. I was suprised that everyone was smiling and very friendly. It appeared that despite the news about our economy everyone here was very optimistic. The sales consultant help me and my wife decide on which vehicle was right for our family. My wife wins this one hands down. The sales managers were very helpful in assisting the sales consultant in our purchase. "WOW" thats what I can say about my experience about Raymond Chevrolet. The finance process went smooth and it they are very consumer friendly. I normally finance with my Credit Union, but Raymond Chevrolet was able to get me a rate lower than what I expected. I want to tell everyone that I meet to take the time to see why Everyone Loves Raymond Chevrolet. At the time of delivery the salesperson explained all the new gadgets that our new vehicle had on it. There is a lot of fancy stuff that we did not have on our previous vehicle.
Dave S
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My family lives near Raymond Chevrolet, and my son is leaving town soon after he graduates from college. We decided to go and browse to see what kinds of used cars they had on their lot. We were greeted soon after entering the dealership. The salesman took us out on to the lot and my wife and I found a nice looking 2006 used Chevy Impala. It was not much longer before we were in the car taking a test drive. After about a half-hour to forty five minutes of taking a test drive we decided that we would buy it. Once we finished the test drive, the time it took to process the paperwork was not very long at all. We drove home happily because we made a great decision to go to Raymond Chevrolet. I really suggest other potential buyers stopping there to look and see what they have.
JS350
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