End-Of-Year Car Buying Tips From The Car Pro Jerry Reynolds! Plus 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter and 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe Test Drives-national

December 13, 2024

Tomorrow begins the 12 Days of Christmas, and it sure got here fast this year. I hope your week is going great. Many of our listeners to the Car Pro Show are finding out what I tell you is true: This is the best time of year to buy a car. People are telling me daily that how pleasantly surprised they were with the pricing they got from one of our dealers. There is a lot of information below for those who are going to purchase or lease before the end of the year.

We start today with the 13 most-loved Vehicles in America. You’ll also find the Texas Auto Writer’s Texas Truck Rodeo category winners. Good news for your wallet: The price of gasoline has fallen below $3 nationally for the first time since 2021. While I am not a fan of Consumer Report’s car information most of the time, I have for you its Vehicle Reliability Study, and I do trust what CR’s readers say. Traffic deaths are always horrible, but seem worse this time of year, so take a look at the AAA deadly driving trends and read the article on not letting a Christmas party turn into a tragedy.

Be sure to check out our all new Car Pro Merchandise and don’t miss Kim Komando’s Tech Tips and other info she has for you this week. Remember, too, the factory incentives are moving around right now. You can see what they are on the car you are eying in our Incentive Guide below. Check out our gift guide below, our Tax Code 179 roundup for the self-employed and business owners, it’s last call to get $7,500 from the Feds for getting an electric or hybrid.

In reviews, I have the terrific Toyota Tacoma Trail Hunter pickup with the iForce Max hybrid engine. Our Amy Plemons reviews the stunning 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe. In advice today, I give you end-of-year buying tips, how to determine the value of your trade-in before you go see a Car Pro dealer, and also in another article, I give you tips on how to have a great holiday buying experience.

Plus, a TON of other information and news you will enjoy, including my video of the week we talk about on the air all the time! If you have never been to our FAQ page, take a minute and peruse the categories, something there will interest you for sure:

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!

If you are used to buying a new vehicle just after Christmas, my advice is to start now. While vehicles are more plentiful this year than in the past few, sales are brisk and our dealers are pre-selling incoming cars, especially in the case of Toyota and Lexus. If you want to take advantage of Tax Code 179, take advantage of the HUGE December incentives, or want to grab an EV before the $7,500 rebate runs out, START NOW.

Communicate with one of our dealers. Tell them what you want, try to be flexible if possible, and let them do what they do best: make you happy.

BEWARE of BAIT and SWITCH ONLINE PRICES

It is worse this time of year than any other time. Dealers putting unrealistic pricing is rampant right now. They only have one vehicle at that price and guess what? It sold this morning. They use all sorts of rebates you won’t qualify for, but you’re already three hours into the deal before you find out. Some will keep you hostage only to tell you later that it is “plus add-ons” or the price didn’t include transportation charges. Stick with my Certified Dealers to avoid this waste of time nonsense.

Here are some tips to help you make the Car Pro process quicker and easier:

First, be sure to start the process by emailing our dealers as prescribed below. Tell the dealer when you are going to visit them, and what you are looking for. It is a good idea to spend some time on the dealership’s website and if you find your dream car, include the stock number or VIN number.
If you have a bank or credit union, find out the best interest rate you can get. If the dealer can match or beat that rate, you can get everything done at one time, in one visit.
If you have frozen your credit files, unfreeze them in advance if you are going to finance.
If you have a trade-in, go through the vehicle and remove all personal items. Try to have it clean and the tires dressed. Leave all service records in a folder on the front seat.
If there is money owed on your trade-in, call and get a 10-day payoff from your lender. If your trade-in is paid off, take the title with you and both sets of keys. Take your current insurance card and driver license.

Using our system is easy, but MAKE NO MISTAKE, THIS IS A PROCESS and it needs to be followed to reap the rewards of it, and this is true more now than ever.

You can go CarPro.com to any of our affiliates from our website, all you have to do is click Certified Car Pros near the top of the website. Email that dealer from our website, and you’ll get a Car Pro VIP Certificate right back in your email. Be sure to enter your correct address to get the certificate. You are welcome to email as many dealers as you wish from our list. Here is a link to find all our dealers coast-to-coast:

Find A Certified CarPro →

A car for most people is the second largest purchase you will ever make. It is always a good idea to “know someone” in the business. The sheer volume of business I send our dealers gives you a HUGE advantage and best of all it is FREE!

If you have a trade-in, don't head to the dealership this holiday season without reading this. It's an article I've referenced numerous times on the show. Before you visit ANY CarPro dealership, it's always a good idea to know where you stand in your trade-in vehicle. Do you have equity you can cash in on? Or are you upside down (negative equity)? It's a crucial question to have the answer to before setting foot in a dealership There's no more awkward moment for the consumer or the dealer than when the moment of truth comes when you find out what your vehicle is worth versus the amount of money you owe on it.

With many car shoppers waiting until December to buy new wheels, it can lead to busy dealerships. But don't let that deter you from getting a great deal during the best time of the year to buy. These tips will help you have a great experience .

I'm a big fan of consumer-technology advice guru Kim Komando. She also has her own radio show and we're on many of the sase 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.

new-kim-kommando-graphi

Iconic: It's easy to adjust the icon size on your computer. On Windows, right-click on the desktop, choose View, and select from Large icons, Medium icons or Small icons. On Mac, click on your desktop to ensure you're in the Finder. Then, from the menu bar, hit View > Show View Options, and adjust your icon sizes using the slider. Easy!
Streaming security check: See what devices are logged into your account. If you see one you know isn’t yours, reset your password pronto. It’s easiest to do this from a computer. For Hulu, go to Your Account > Watch Hulu on Your Devices > Manage Devices for a list. Steps here for Netflix and Disney+.
Headlights: It’s the subreddit behind a national movement to make car headlights less bright. Headlight brightness has doubled since 2015 after manufacturers made the switch to super-bright LEDs. This is wild: The standards for acceptable headlight brightness haven’t been updated since 1986.
A little fun: Window Swap lets you view the world from another person’s window. I saw a tree swaying in the wind in Warsaw, Poland, and a dreamy ocean view in Honolulu. It’s a lot of fun!
Hands off my treasure: Porch piracy is so out of control, you can now pay for stolen package insurance. PorchPals covers up to $2,000 of deliveries (or three claims a year) for $120 annually. Don’t bother. Save your money. Sign for your packages or have them delivered to a locker. Steps here!
Winter brake: Employees at Tesla’s Cybertruck factory were told to stay home for a few days. This is after weeks of inconsistent schedules and odd assignments. Demand is dipping, and the supposed years-long backlog has dried up. Having six recalls in one year isn’t great for PR.

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 CarPro 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.

Recent additions to our affiliate family include:

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.

National Show Radio Schedule→

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

LINKS:

WBAP Podcast→

December Car Buying Guide

U.S. Auto Market

The 13 Most-Loved Vehicles In America

GiveMeTheVin.Com Collector Car Auction Coming Soon!

Don't Turn A Christmas Party Into A Tragedy

Our Annual Holiday Gift Guide

Classic Ford Bronco Sweepstakes Ends Dec. 18th!

On The Road: Test Drives

2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter

You don't see great pickups like these often! Here's why Jerry likes it so much.

2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe 3.5T Supercharger

Genesis does it again! The first-ever GV80 Coupe more than meets expectations.

Bumper to Bumper

Consumer Reports Vehicle Reliability Study

Subaru ranks as the study's #1 brand for the first time.

Gas Prices Fall Below $3/Gallon For First Time Since 2021

2024 J.D. Power Online Claim Satisfaction Study

AAA Deadly Driving Trends

Texas Auto Writers Truck Rodeo Category Winners

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Gets New Colors

Weekly Recalls

Kim Komando's Useful Tips of the Week

Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

It's Here! The CarPro Merchandise Shop!

Subscribe to the free DFW Newsletter

Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

FAQ: Research Your Questions Before You Shop

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

Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

Jerry's Video of the Week

Searching for a New or Used Vehicle?

On the Air

Exclusive Approved Products & Services

Where to Find Us

Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds