In case you’ve been living under a rock lately, you know gas is really expensive. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get $250 worth of gas just for visiting a Web site? Now through Nov. 7, you can enter to win free gas from SpringsWheels.com.

In order to win, contestants must register then look for Frank, the SpringsWheels.com gas attendant. Finding him will automatically begin filling your special SpringsWheels.com Great Gas Up fuel gauge. Each week day during the contest period, Frank will be placed somewhere on the Web site. Each siting of Frank is worth a quarter tank of gas on your fuel gauge. Click through the Web site to find the attendant and fill your tank. Once your fuel gauge reads FULL you will qualify for the weekly prize drawing.

Click here to register for the contest.

And click here for the official rules.

SpringsWheels writer Heather McDonnell explores that question over at her Mommy Blog. I don’t really know the answer. Maybe if you pour the milk right on the battery. But I’m pretty sure leaving a milk-filled baby bottle in your car until it turns stinky won’t do it. My guess is the battery in Heather’s car was old, and leaving the doors open, with the dome light on(?), probably drained it. But I’m no Click and Clack. And I’m not a mommy, so the mysteries and wonders of smelly milk and sock monkeys are beyond my understanding.

Go read the Pikes Peak Parent Mommy Blog and decide for yourself.

Detroit, Los Angeles, Geneva. They’ve got nothing on Colorado Springs. Next weekend, more than 200 vehicles from 30 manufacturers will drive into the Phil Long Expo Center, 1515 Auto Mall Loop, for the 2008 Auto Show. Presented by the Colorado Springs Auto Dealers Association and benefiting Operation School Bell, the show takes place April 11-13. Admission is $5, free for children younger than 12 and active military with ID. Parking is free.

In addition to checking out the cars, trucks, SUVs and crossovers — including some 2009 models — you can enter prize drawings and visit the “green area,” where you’ll find information about alternative fuels and other environmentally friendly trends in the automotive industry. Be sure to look for our companion section April 10. It gives you all the show details, information about Operation School Bell and the CSADA, a profile of a long-time sales person, the lowdown on what local dealers are doing to go green and more. You’ll find it in The Gazette the day before the show so you can get geared up for all the new cars.

Just the facts:
The 2008 Auto Show
Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, April 11
10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, April 12
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, April 13
Where: The Phil Long Expo Center, 1515 Auto Mall Loop
Directions: From North Academy Boulevard, travel east on Highway 83. Turn right on Razorback Road and left on Auto Mall Loop.
Admission: $5; children younger than 12 and active military with ID free
Parking: Free. Shuttles are available behind the Chapel Hills Wal-Mart on the corner of Jamboree Drive and Jamboree Circle, and in the northeastern corner of the Chapel Hills Mall parking lot.

Click over to PikesPeakParent.com to find out which vehicles Mother Proof thinks are the most family friendly. Mother Proof, a Web site dedicated to helping women and mothers navigate the automotive world based on the features most important to them and their families, announced the winners of its 2008 awards for Best Family Vehicles during Women’s Day at the Chicago Auto Show Feb. 12.

The ladies over at Mother Proof don’t define family friendly as boring. They like the Mazda CX-7 because it has “super-cool styling.” And as the Web site says, “We want a car that’s easy to load kids into and has seats that hide baby vomit*, but will also make us feel sexy and modern while driving it.”

2008 Mother Proof Award Winners:

• Minivan: 2008 Chrysler Town & Country
• SUV/Crossover (three rows): 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  • Runner-Up: 2008 Mazda CX-9
• SUV/Crossover (two rows): 2008 Mazda CX-7
  • Runner-Up: 2008 Mercedes M-Class
• Wagon/Hatch: 2008 Volvo XC70
  • Runner-Up: 2008 Honda Fit
• Sedan: 2008 Chevy Malibu
• Hybrid: 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  • Runner-Up: 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
• Just for Fun: 2008 Volvo C30

“Our awards are unique in that evaluations are based on our own experiences with test vehicles — taking our kids to school, loading up groceries for the week, commuting, even heading out for date night. We put each car to the test the way real families use them in their daily lives,” says chief Mother Proof mother Kristin Varela.

*For more fun with vomit — and other baby bodily functions — check out my co-worker’s mommy blog .

If you’re shopping for an affordable ride, this article and accompanying photos give an idea of some cheap car choices, mostly overseas. Later this year, the world’s cheapest car will be India’s Tato Nano, retailing for about $2,500 (and probably never available in the United States). The cheapest new car in the U.S. is the Chevy Aveo, with prices starting at $10,895. Soon, you’ll also have the choice of three different Smart cars — the ForTwo Pure coupe, the ForTwo Passion coupe and the ForTwo Passion cabriolet — with prices starting at $11,590. You’ll be able to find them locally at the Smart Center Denver in Englewood.

These inexpensive cars are pretty small and not exactly loaded with bells and whistles. They’re definitely cute, though. However, if you’re not into cute and if you want a cheap car that isn’t tiny, you’ll have to check out used choices. SpringsWheels.com has thousands of local listings and allows you to search by price range or make and model.

SpringsWheels.com, The Gazette’s automotive Web site, has surpassed AutoTrader.com for local listings of vehicles for sale. On SpringsWheels.com, you’ll find 9,192 new and used Southern Colorado vehicles compared to AutoTrader.com’s 8,993. You can search dealer inventories or classified ads for your new car or truck. You’ll also find reviews, specials and links to consumer news, not to mention a link back here to your favorite automotive blog.

Be sure to pick up The Gazette today to check out Road Ahead: 2008 Auto Preview. 

The Smart Car is coming to the United States. How does a small car like that stack up against a really big vehicle like the Hummer H2? Read about the benefits of the large H2 and the tiny Smart ForTwo.

You can also read about how local dealers are helping out our soldiers and airmen with incentives and packages to keep their families on the road.

Plus check out all the new and redesigned 2008 models of cars, trucks, SUVs and vans in our preview section. Sedans get more exciting, trucks get more comfortable and vans get even more family friendly (yes, it’s possible).

UPDATE: Road Ahead is available online by clicking the cover art to the right or by visiting SpringsWheels.com.