North Texas Auto Expo LIVE Broadcast SATURDAY! Jerry's Auto Roundup, J.D. Power 2025 Dependability Study, All-New 2026 Honda Passport, Plus 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack Electric Test Drive

February 21, 2025

Dear CarPro Family,

Hello friends, I hope your week has been great and that you enjoyed President’s Day on Monday. We are in the final stretch of February and hopefully warmer temps wherever you are. March brings us the start of Daylight Saving Time on the 9th, then the official start to spring on the 20^th.

DFW friends, the North Texas Auto Expo is going on now! This is the only auto show we’ll have in the DFW area this year except for the State Fair, there will not be one in Fort Worth, so don’t miss this show. We’ll be broadcasting live from the Expo TOMORROW, February 22, 2025 from 9 AM to 2 PM. Below you will find more info, the automakers that will be there, ticket prices, and show times. Come by and say hello to us!

You voted, and 98+% of you said you wanted me to continue the weekly Automotive News Roundup, so edition 2 is below.

In things you need to know, we have the J.D. Power Dependability Study that measures actual owners’ happiness with their car after 3-years of ownership. This is an outstanding study that you can draw real conclusions from. We also have the 15 most reliable new cars for the money, and another list of the best used and factory certified deals going on right now.

You can bid on a beautiful red Ferrari that used to be owned by President Trump. Also, VW teams up with Saturday Night Live to bring you the reprisal of a famous SNL bit, and to show you the new ID. Buzz bus. SUV lovers, the all-new 2026 Honda Passport is arriving at CarPro certified dealers right now and we tell you all about it.

Don’t miss Kim Komando’s Tech Tips & other useful info today. In advice, I give you everything you need to know about how to handle the end of a lease. This will help you make an informed decision on which way is right for you.

In car reviews, I had the beautiful 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack, an all-new entry into electric cars, and I loved it. In my lengthy review, I put the car into perspective and tell you what most auto reviewers are missing. You heard me right on the radio show last week, I am considering leasing one myself. Our Amy Plemons was tied up with the Auto Expo this week.

Check the recall section to see if you may need to take action on your vehicle. Miss a radio show? Below we tell you how to get the podcast, and if you missed a newsletter, we tell you how to find the archive page where you can see the last 10 editions. The incentives have gone up lately, but our Incentive Guide is always 100% up to date.

Plus, lots of other information 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 → FAQ.

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, carpro.com, it changes all the time!

Have a terrific week. See you on the radio!

The 2025 North Texas Auto Expo is here! It opened Thursday and runs thru Sunday, February 23^rd at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.

You'll see more than 130 new vehicles including an impressive supercar display from Avondale Dealerships, friend of the Car Pro Show! Don't miss the:

Maserati MC20

Maserati GranCabrio

Maserati Grecale

Bentley Bentayga Victoris Edition – one and only!

Bentley Continental GT – the new 2025. Latest and greatest!

Aston Martin DB12

Aston Martin DBX

Aaron Shelby’s Aston Martin DBR22 - super rare, one of only 22!

McLaren Artura Spider

Rolls-Royce Spectre

The Car Pro Show will be there tomorrow, February 22^nd from 9 AM to 2 PM Central broadcasting LIVE. Come by and say Hi to Todd Chambless and me, and our Amy Plemons will be taking pictures and video. Also, there will be the engineering staff and the promotions team from WBAP.

The people voted and you liked this feature last week, so I will continue to bring you the latest in automotive news, and my thoughts on each one, assuming there are big stories that we haven’t covered. Thanks to all those who voted for me to continue this. Here we go!

Another one bites the dust: Electric vehicle makers are struggling mightily to survive. We brought you the story of Canoo recently, a Texas-based EV maker that filed liquidation bankruptcy. This week it is Nikola, a Phoenix-based maker of large, electric trucks. The company filed for Chapter 11 protection after trying to raise capital to continue operating. The company went public in 2020 and got a 2-billion dollar infusion from General Motors. In a shocking twist of fate (tongue-in-cheek) the founder of Nikola was sent to prison in 2023 for fraud. The company is on its 3rd CEO since then, and the current one is concentrating on selling assets to try to survive the bankruptcy. It’s a tough business selling electrics.

Ford should probably stay out of Georgia: A Georgia jury on Valentine’s Day ordered Ford to pay 2.5 billion dollars (yes, with a B) after finding the company mostly at fault for a rollover accident that killed a Georgia couple. This was the largest verdict ever awarded in a civil trial in Georgia, second only to a 2022 decision awarding 1.7 billion against-you guessed it-Ford Motor Company. That verdict was later set aside on appeal. Given that, you can bet this verdict will also be appealed. In this latest case, the driver hit a stationery concrete culvert and the truck went airborne for 81-feet before landing on its roof. The plaintiff’s family maintained the roof should have held and protected the occupants. Sad case to say the least, but I’m not sure any vehicle could withstand that.

Automaker CEO compensation, bless their hearts: Shed a tear for the CEOs of car companies, most took a hard hit in the pocketbook in 2023, the latest year the figures are available. The Lucid CEO’s pay fell a whopping 92% in 2023, but put the Kleenex away, he still made over 30 million dollars at a company that has yet to turn a profit. GM’s Mary Barra’s pay was off 22% to a mere 26.6 million. Ford CEO Jim Farley (cousin to the late comedian Chris Farley) lost 24% of his 2022 pay in 2023 to a measly 14 million, and then there is Elon Musk of Tesla, much in the news these days. He only made 1.9 million in 2023, but remains the richest man in the world. Then there is my buddy Carlos Tevares, the now-former CEO of Stellantis, who tried to run the company into the ground and almost succeeded: He banked a cool 40 million in 2023. Pretty good pay for doing a lousy job. Earnings for 2024 are not available yet.

Used Electric Vehicle prices continue to fall: I can’t help but feel sorry for those people who way overpaid to be first on their block with an EV. Those who leased came out great, but the people who purchased, often paying over MSRP, paid a massive price to be an early adopter. Seemingly, prices just continue to plummet. We brought you the story here of all the EVs Hertz agreed to purchase to rent to customers. That cost them billions of dollars. The trend is not improving either. At Hertz, Chevy Bolt EVs start at under $12,000. 2022 Tesla model 3s start at around $16,000. 2024 Chevy Silverado electric trucks with 5,000 miles can be bought for $56,000, WAY under MSRP. So, my advice if you want to go electric is lease it, but if you must purchase, go pre-owned Certified.

You got faked out at the Super Bowl halftime show: Car enthusiasts like myself know that Buick once sold the fastest production car ever built in America. I was a HUGE fan of the Buick Grand National, I even wrote about them in my True Stories from a Former Car Dealer series. However, it was the GNX version that was super rare and super fast. Kendrick Lamar sang with a GNX at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Only problem is the GNX they showed wasn’t actually a GNX. It has the wrong wheels, the floorboard was cut out so dozens of dancers could exit from the floor. Worse, it had a sunroof, which was never available on the GNX as all of us aficionados well know. Lamar is a GNX fan in real life. His Dad had one and brought him home from the hospital it when he was born. I suppose that gives him some poetic license to try to pass off a Grand National as a GNX? I don’t think so.

Back next week, in the meantime, remember: no trees were destroyed in the making of this article.

Besides the Car Pro Show and our weekly newsletter, my other favorite radio show and newsletter is Kim Komando’s. We're 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 a few tips from Kim in the past week:

Imagine winning the lotto: I bet you have. A Hillsboro, Missouri, couple thought the magical moment was real when someone told them they’d won $17 million. All they had to do was pay taxes upfront. They mailed over $800,000 in cash and gift cards to random addresses until their daughter figured out what was going on. They’re not getting that money back.
Operation Level Up: The FBI is calling people who fell for crypto scams to stop them from losing even more money. So far, of 4,300 folks across all 50 states, 76% had no clue they were being scammed. If you get a call, the real agency won’t ask you for money or tell you to move yours. They also won’t request your personal info or try to move your chat to an encrypted app.
Siri to the rescue: I love stories about tech saving lives. A 70-year-old in Florida had a stroke and couldn’t reach his landline. He spent 48 hoursdrifting in and out of consciousness, then he crawled into the living room. He yelled for Siri to call his daughter, who then contacted 911. He’s doing well! Most stroke patients need help within an hour. Talk about beating the odds.
Who needs to go where? A shared Google Calendar is a smart way to keep track of everything you, your spouse and the kids have going on. Just click the + (plus icon) under Other calendars at the bottom left. Choose Create new calendar and fill in the details. Then, hit the three dots next to your new calendar and select Settings and sharing. Scroll until you see Share with specific people. Add your family’s email addresses and click Send when you’re all set.
American tech spying on Americans: It turns out the 200-foot-tall Chinese spy balloon shot down two years ago was packed with U.S. tech from at least five American companies, including Iridium Communications, Texas Instruments, Omega Engineering, Amphenol All Sensors and Onsemi. China claims it was a weather research airship that accidentally strayed into U.S. territory. Yeah, right.

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.

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 Todd Chambless 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.

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
Listen to the WBAP Podcast (up every Tuesday)→

North Texas Auto Expo Is Here: Come See US!

Straight Talk and Honest Answers

CarPro Advice:Easy Guide To The End Of Your Lease

U.S. Auto Sales

KBB: New Vehicle Prices Fell in January

The Best Used Car Deals Right Now

Highboy For Heroes Sweepstakes!

Join us in the "Highboy for Heroes" sweepstakes!

J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependabiliy Study

Lexus Ranks As Highest Overall Brand For Third Straight Year

On The Road: Test Drives

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV

Find out why Jerry is considering putting one in his driveway!

Bumper to Bumper: Industry News

iSeeCars:15 Most Reliable New Cars For The Money

Check Out the 1300-Horse Chevy NASCAR EV Prototype

Order Books Open for 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited EV

All-New 2026 Honda Passport Is Arriving Now

Bid On Ferrari Once Owned By President Trump

Be Careful: Pedestrian Fatalities Are Way Up

VW Teams Up With Saturday Night Live

PARENTS:2025 Best Family Car Winners

Weekly Recalls

Our Incentive Guide

Kim Komando's Tech Tips and Useful Info

Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

Jerry's Video Of The Week

Exclusive Approved Products & Services

It's Here! The CarPro Merchandise Shop!

Subscribe to the free DFW Newsletter

Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

Searching For A New Or Used Vehicle?

FAQ: Research Your Questions Before You Shop

You Have 5 Hours To Call The Show!

Where to Find Us

Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds

CarPro Advice:
Easy Guide To The End Of Your Lease

iSeeCars:
15 Most Reliable New Cars For The Money

PARENTS:
2025 Best Family Car Winners