In this past week, I receive an email from RetailCosumerExperience.com. That email featured a little android application from Home Depot. The geek and the handyman inside me,  got my cursorily raised.

The more I look through the article about this little app, I could see how the home handyman could really be put to use. My hopes were high for help with planning most any home project. This was short lived after I downloaded the app and start exploring the app.

The first thing the apps asked me was to choose the store location. Then it showed is a screen of lawn furniture. The second button at the bottom showed Shop. In there was categories along with featured items at the time. The only How-to link sent me to a selection of How-to books.

When I stop by a car dealership, I have three goals. The first goal is to see that is available in the way cars. My second goal is to critique the salesperson. The third goal is to find out those little unofficial issues that exist in most all cars.

Monday or Tuesday are my two favorite days to stop by a dealership because the sales staff if less experience. This makes it easier for me to get information where as a skilled salesman just directing the conversation to the making the sale.

If you have been reading The Shopping Nazi for anytime you know, I am partial to the Dodge Caravan. So for this post I went to my local Dodge dealership.

It was back in August of 2009 when I wrote about figuring what it would cost me to drive my Dodge Caravan one mile. Since then I have come across new information. It seems that I am not the only one who realizes that the old way of measuring a cars efficiency by miles per gallon leaves out too many variables.

Since August of 2009, everyone that I have talked with have raised their eye brows. It is as if a light bulb was turned on in their brain. The old standard of miles per gallon can no longer a standard good for measuring return on money when driving. The new standard should be Cost Per Mile.

Saturday at the Western Idaho Fairground was what was billed as the third annual Idaho Largest Garage Sale. There was no garages for sale. There was 100 yards by 100 yards of parking lot set aside for people to sell and others to come and buy those hard to find items.

Shortly after 8am, the whole family piled into our Dodge Caravan, and headed to the Western Idaho Fairgrounds. In route we stopped at the local Winco to get a quick snack before heading to our Saturday morning adventure.

This is only the third year of this giant garage sale. It has become a yearly family event for us. Each year we more then saved what we paid in gate entrance fees. This year was no different.

Before I get into today’s Auto Recon, I must make a disclaimer. We have had two Dodge mini vans over the years. The first one we drove into the ground until it could not driven anymore. The second we are currently using as family transportation. We find it gets us from point “A” to point “B”, comfortably.

The reputation of the Soccer Mom’s car is easily see by the two rows of back seats. The Grand Caravan won the 2009 J.D. Powers and Associates for most dependable. This and its’ long history was why we chose the Dodge Caravan for our family vehicle.