End-Of-The-Month Bargains, Good and Bad Auto Market Trends, Plus 2025 Infiniti QX80 and 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Test Drives

October 25 2024

Well, here we are! The end of the 10^th month of 2024 and Christmas is two months from today. It is also the end of the month, making it bargain time if you are in the market for a new set of wheels. I explain everything below in our lead story.

The info doesn’t end there by any stretch! I tell you exactly what to do if your car gets egged on Halloween next Thursday. Eggs can cause a lot of expensive damage. Also, below I tell you about the President of General Motors driving a new Corvette up to 233 miles per hour, a new record for a stock new vehicle. If you don’t remember the last time we saw the GM President in a Corvette, it was ugly, and if you missed that, I remind you below.

So, you find yourself on the side of the road with a flat tire, or your battery ran down, or maybe you locked your keys in your car? Do you have the FREE roadside assistance number for your vehicle stored in your phone? I give you the number below, take a minute and put it in your phone now. Good news and bad news awaits you below: The good news is car prices are dropping, but the bad news is the instances of people having negative equity in their car is up!

Texans, we have a new state inspection law taking effect soon, educate yourself below. Pet lovers, does Fido’s hair get all over the inside of your car? I share a link to some helpful tips on how to clean your interior. It’s been a long time since a big change, but today we introduce you to the all-new 2025 Nissan Murano and it’s a beauty!

Be sure to check out our all new Car Pro Merchandise and don’t miss Kim Komando’s very useful Tips of the Week.

In advice today, I offer up two advice columns. First, next week we’ll discuss the end of Daylight Saving Time and that means you will likely be driving in the dark more, so I warn you about the dangers of night driving. In the second article, I peel back the curtain, put my car dealer hat on, and explain why the best price on your dream car might not be the best possible deal. Self-employed and business owners, our annual guide to Tax Code 179 is below and it could save you tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In reviews, I have the drop-dead gorgeous 2025 Infiniti QX80 large luxury SUV and wow, does it have some neat features! Our Amy Plemons spent a fun week in the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring.

You’ll find the following stories and more info as you scroll down the newsletter:

We so appreciate all of you who take this newsletter and listen to the show every week. We know that without you, there is no Car Pro Radio Show. So always let us know when we can help you. If you have not been there lately, take a look at our website, www.carpro.com, it changes all the time!

Have a terrific week. See you on the radio!

last-weekend-deals-canvapro-jan-26 It is that time of month again! This is it, the last weekend of October. As I told you in last weekend’s article on the best time to buy or lease, YES, the end of the month really does make a difference.

The mindsets of the dealers change in the final days of the month. Inside a dealership, you have a lot of people trying to hit numbers, dealers trying to outsell their competitors, and in general, an overall BIG PUSH to finish a month as strongly as possible. In the car business, there is a saying: You are only as good as your last month. You go into “volume mode” this time of the month and throw away your per-car-profit averages.

Already high trade-in values magically get better, dealers work harder for the best interest rates, and if you are credit-challenged, dealers and lenders work harder for approvals at this time of the month.

OCTOBER ENDS THURSDAY NIGHT AND SO DO THE CURRENT INCENTIVES. We could see a de-escalation of incentives, probably not much, but automakers like to save money before the big end-of-the-year blitz. It does not help the dealers that their last day of the month is also Halloween.

If you have a trade-in, don’t miss these used car prices. The sooner you trade, the more money you’ll realize. Prices have been steadily dropping the last few weeks at the auction, and the actual market will adjust to that soon, but hasn’t so far.

Connect with a CarPro here →

A new Texas inspection law goes into effect January 1st, 2025. It ends safety inspections for non-commercial drivers. I don't view this as good news for Texans. The average age of cars on the road right now is 12 1/2 years old. That means many are two decades old or more. The only thing making sure the lights, blinkers, horns, and most importantly, brakes work currently is the annual inspection sticker. This is not good news for your safety on the roads. Best of all, we still get to pay for them!

Find out more about the new law below:

Besides the Car Pro Show and our weekly newsletter, my other favorite radio show and newsletter is Kim Komando’s. We are on many of the same radio stations across America. She does for her listeners and newsletter subscribers exactly what I endeavor to do: Give you useful information to keep you up to date on the latest in cars, only she does it with technology and there is nobody who does it better. Not sure how she puts out a top-notch newsletter seven days a week, but she does.

Here are some various tips & information I picked up from Kim’s newsletter this week I hope you find as useful as I did:

If I could turn back time: Look up your first-ever post on Facebook. Open your profile on the web, click the Filters button above your own posts and then Go to. You can browse back to the month and year you signed up. Delete these posts if they're too cringey, OK?
Redbox had a black box: Redbox went out of business, and 24,000 movie kiosks are sitting around. Your name, email address, home address and rental history are likely stored on those internal hard drives, going back a decade. Even worse? Some machines stored the first six and last four digits of credit cards.
Drop it like it’s hot(spot); 6G is coming: Researchers just transmitted data at an insane 938 gigabytes per second. That’s over 9,000 times faster than current 5G speeds and fast enough to download over 20 full-length movies in 1 second. It’ll take a few years to get these speeds on your phone.
Travel hack: Google Flights is rolling out a “cheapest” tab for rock-bottom fares. On your phone, search flights.google.com, and you’ll see the “best” options. Now there’s a “cheapest” tab to the right, focusing strictly on price. The catch: Inconvenient times, layovers or returns to a different airport.

Friends, we have been publishing the latest rules and eligible vehicles list for Tax Code 179 for over a decade. Many of you wait until the last minute to make your purchase. Many wait until right after Christmas, but things can happen that could cause you to miss the December 31, 2024 deadline. I encourage you to reach out to one of our Certified CarPro Friends at a CarPro approved dealership NOW. They will help you figure out how to get the eligible vehicle you want by the end of the year, or worst case, have a VIN so you can complete the paperwork by December 31, 2024.

Click here for our 2024 Guide →

Disclaimer: While every effort was made to make sure this list is accurate, Car Pro Radio Network, CarPro and its affiliates are not responsible for errors or omissions.

Always consult with your tax professional.

SPECIAL THANKS TO CPAs BILL & SUSAN CATON FOR THEIR HELP DECIPHERING THIS COMPLICATED TAX CODE.

If you are searching for a particular new or used vehicle, we can help you! The best news is, if you use CarPro to search, when you find the car of your dreams it will be at a CarPro approved dealership.

Best of all, it’s simple to use. Choose new, used, or certified. You can select the make and model, or find a price range you are looking at. Choose the number of miles you are willing to travel and enter your zip code.

From there, you can look through all your matches, knowing you are shopping at a dealership I have handpicked that adheres to the high standards I require.

Start your search on the front page of CarPro.com. If you don't find the car of your dreams, check back regularly.

You have 5 hours to call the show! From 9AM- 2PM Central, 7AM-Noon Pacific, and 10 AM to 3 PM Eastern, the phone numbers are:

DFW Show: 9 AM to 11 AM Central, 1 (800) 288-9227
National Show: 11 AM to 2 PM Central, 1 (800) 926-7777

Add the numbers to your cell phone; you never know when you are going to need straight talk and honest answers about everything automotive.

So, what is the CarPro Radio Show?

Confused about the car buying process? Worried you won’t get a fair deal? Wondering about which vehicle is best for you? Then tune in to the Car Pro Radio Show every week where Jerry Reynolds and Kevin McCarthy will guide you through the car-buying process with confidence.

No matter where you listen to the show or which station you listen to, you have five hours to call in and ask your questions. We take calls every Saturday from 9 AM-2 PM Central time, 7 AM to Noon Pacific. The phone number is different the first two hours, then changes, so keep that in mind.

We would love to help you in any way possible! Keep in mind, we don’t take mechanical questions, but everything else is great!

The Car Pro Radio Show is heard every weekend all over the United States, and every weekend we deliver straight talk and honest answers about everything automotive. We would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment and tell a friend about the show.

In recent weeks we've welcomed several new stations into our affiliate family:

KLXX 1270 AM Bismark-Madan North Dakota
- Saturday 5p to 6p CT (Replay)
KKTK AM 1400/FM 97.1 in Texarkana, TX
- Saturday: 12 noon to 3 pm CT (Replay)
KQEW 102.3 FM in Fordyce, Arkansas
- Saturday 5PM - 8PM CT (Replay)

Most of our listeners tell us that they never thought they would look forward to a show about cars. You may have friends or relatives who feel the same way in the cities below, please make them aware.

Here are the DFW markets the show airs in, times, and stations, and don't forget you can now listen to WBAP on the FM dial at 93.3 FM!

Dallas, TX: WBAP 820 AM/93.3 FM/99.5 HD 2, Saturday 9am to 11am Central
Dallas, TX: KRLD 1080 AM, Saturday 2pm to 4pm Central (replay)
Granbury, TX: KPIR 1420 AM, Saturday 11am to 2pm Central

WBAP DFW Podcast Here →
FOR ALL OTHER MARKETS, CLICK HERE→

Bargain Time: It's The Last Weekend Of The Month

Halloween Risk: What To Do If Your Car Gets Egged

U.S. Auto Sales: The Good and The Bad

Straight Talk and Answers

New Texas Inspection Law Coming Soon

Enter Now To Win A Classic Ford Bronco!

Texas Truck Rodeo

Tip: Store Your Vehicles' Roadside Assistance #

On The Road: Test Drives

Bumper to Bumper

Stock 2025 Corvette Hits 233 MPH

GM President Mark Reuss was at the wheel.

All-New 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Debuts This Fall

Pets & Your Car: How To Clean It

Say Hello To The All-New 2025 Nissan Murano

It will arrive in early 2025.

Weekly Recalls

Our 2024 Tax Code 179 Guide Is Here!

Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

It's Here! The CarPro Merchandise Shop!

Our Factory Incentive Guide

Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

Exclusive Approved Products & Services

FAQ: Research Your Questions Before You Shop

Our FAQ page offers answers to questions CarPro Show host Jerry Reynolds is asked most frequently.

Searching for a New or Used Vehicle?

Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

Jerry's Video of the Week

Subscribe to the Free DFW Newsletter

CarPro Guide To Online Car Buying

Buying a vehicle online has never been easier.Our step-by-step guide will help you buy a car from the comfort of your living room, starting with selecting your CarPro Friend.

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Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds