RIP FWPD Sgt. Randolph, Ford's EV Strategy Shift, Longest-Lasting Cars, Trucks and SUVs, Plus 2024 Lincoln Corsair, 2024 Buick Envista and 2024 Genesis G70 Test Drives

August 23, 2024

Hello friends, it’s time for your weekly newsletter full of information that might be helpful to you as we steam full speed ahead toward the Labor Day holiday weekend. As always, please forward this to any friends or relatives who might be entertained or that it might help. Our newsletter family is over 50,000 strong now, and growing every week.

We kick it off today with a study that identifies the 30 longest-lasting cars, trucks, and SUVs available. Hint: Toyota does very well here. The Attorney General of Texas has dropped a lawsuit on General Motors for sharing your data, a topic we’ve covered extensively here, so can the other guilty automakers be far behind? Good news for car buyers: Incentives on new cars are at a 3 year high right now, and in a move that will make bad car dealers take notice, the FTC and Arizona have fined a car dealer 2.6 MILLION dollars for doing crap I talk about on the radio show all the time, and I couldn’t be happier!

Ford made a major announcement, changing plans once again for electric vehicles, read all about it below. KBB picks the best family SUVs of 2024, and it’s a list I agree with. Tragedy struck the Fort Worth, Texas police department last week when a drunk driver hit a veteran police Sergeant killing him, so thankfully NHTSA has started its Labor Day drunk driving campaign. In large SUV news, you have to see the new 2025 Lincoln Navigator and the new Toyota Sequoia 1794 Edition, two beauties! Texas subscribers, TXU Energy and Ford are teaming up to help electric vehicle drivers out on their electricity bills.

Don’t miss Kim Komando’s very useful Tips of the Week. She had a lot of really great ones this week, and as always, I encourage you to subscribe to her terrific and very useful newsletter that you’ll get seven days a week.

In advice today, I tell you what you can do to help yourself if you can no longer afford your car payments, something I hear way too often these days.

In reviews, your choice of 3 SUVs! I have the beautiful 2024 Lincoln Corsair Reserve, and for half the cost of that one, I review the 2024 Buick Envista Avenir, an outstanding value and a runaway hit for Buick. Our Amy Plemons gives you a full review of the drop-dead gorgeous 2024 Genesis G70 Sport Prestige with the 2.5-liter turbo and rear-wheel drive.

We have another True Story from a Former Car Dealer below. This is a series of 40 stories written by me, and we’re down to eight more after today. Today, #33 is titled: Before Demos. It is a prequel to #32 titled Demos, and this is the story of my first car and how I kept flipping cars until I ended up with my dream car, a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am, just like in the Smokey and the Bandit movie. Unfortunately, that car met a sad demise.

Plus, lots of other information you will enjoy, including our videos 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:

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!

Photos: Fort Worth Police Department/Facebook.

The Car Pro Show extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Fort Worth Police Sergeant Billy Randolph and to his entire family in Blue. The 29-year police veteran was killed by an accused drunk driver last week while helping at the scene of an accident. I talked about this on the air last weekend and you can listen to the audio here.

Sgt. Randolph leaves behind a wife and daughter and was preceded in death by a son. Drunk driving is a choice. Let this tragedy be a reminder to not drink and drive.

NHTSA Launches Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's annual Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is currently underway through September 2nd. The Car Pro Show joins NHTSA in urging everyone to plan ahead and never drive after consuming alcohol, marijuana or other drugs. Instead, designate a sober driver, or call a ride-hailing service or taxi to make sure you get home safely. If you see an impaired driver on the road, call 911.

Read more about this year's campaign→

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You may recall that six weeks ago I wrote an open letter to the CEO of Ford Motor Company, Jim Farley, questioning Ford going “all-in” on electric vehicles. If you did not see it, it is an interesting read:

My open letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley →

It created quite a stir on social media, with Car Pro Show listeners, and with people inside the auto industry. I heard from two former Ford CEOs who expressed their support for the letter. Then I heard from Mark Truby, the current Ford Chief Communications Officer who answers directly to Ford CEO Farley. He agreed to come on the Car Pro Show to explain Ford’s side. If you missed that interview, click below for the audio:

My interview with Ford CCO Mark Truby →

Well, it seems the plans have changed. Did my letter help them come to this new development? I hope so, but the truth is, we’ll never know. As I have been telling show listeners for months now, the initial EV craze was quickly subsiding. Used EV prices have crashed, dealers have stopped ordering new EVs, and besides the state and federal incentives that are offered, the automakers are throwing money at them to try to make them sell.

Ford Announcement

On Wednesday of this week, Ford publicly said it would scrap plans for a large, electric SUV with 3 rows of seating. Mark Truby alluded to that during our interview last month. Ford went on to say it expected to take a whopping 1.9 billion dollar charge due to the soft EV market. Earlier in the year, Ford had said it was going to delay this big SUV until 2027, now it is off the table.

Ford President and CEO Jim Farley had this to say about Ford's adjusted electrification plans: "We are committed to innovating in America, creating jobs and delivering incredible new electric and hybrid vehicles that make a real difference in CO2 reduction,” said Farley in a Ford media release. “We learned a lot as the No. 2 U.S. electric vehicle brand about what customers want and value, and what it takes to match the best in the world with cost-efficient design, and we have built a plan that gives our customers maximum choice and plays to our strengths.”

Going further, the Blue Oval carmaker said it would cut capital spending on electric vehicles from 40% to 30%. Yours truly is willing to bet that number goes down even more in the future.

Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said: “Based on where the market is and where the customer is, we will pivot and adjust and make those tough decisions.” Ford has said publicly that electric vehicles for 2024 were on pace to lose roughly 5 billion dollars. I am sure execs hope the action taken this week will pare down that loss in the near future. CFO Lawler also said: “This is really about us being nimble and listening to responses from our customers,” he said in a media briefing. “We looked where the segment was evolving, the amount of competition, the customer needs, and then, the size of the battery that needs to go in a pure EV, the cost structure, the pricing, we could not put together a vehicle that met our requirements to be profitable in the first 12 months of launch.”

Changes will likely continue to come from Ford and all the automakers that bet heavily that America would adapt to electric vehicles quickly. Also, this week, General Motors announced it is laying off 1,000 employees, mostly in the United States, in the “software and services” division. The rumor mill is that the layoffs are actually coming from the Ultium division, the GM arm that handles electric vehicles. That would not surprise me, none of these automakers want to admit they jumped into EVs way too hard and way too fast.

What is crystal clear at this point is there will be a lot more changes, write-offs, and layoffs related to electric vehicles in the near future.

Click here to read Ford's August 21, 2024, media release →

THE NEXT CARPRO | VEHICLE FOR GOOD SWEEPSTAKES is officially on! We're calling this one the “PORSCHE WITH A PURPOSE” campaign. Here are some of the highlights:

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The Texas Attorney General is suing General Motors over car data privacy issues. In a new lawsuit filed against the automaker, the Texas AG accuses GM of "unlawfully collecting drivers' private data and selling it to several companies, including insurance companies". The legal action follows an investigation launched by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in June into several car manufacturers regarding allegations the companies had improperly collected and sold drivers' data to third parties without driver consent. It's a privacy issue we have been following closely after it was brought to light in a New York Times article earlier this year. For our post on the NYT article click here.

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:

Cheap flight cheat code: Go to Google Flights, select your departure location for a round-trip flight, then choose Anywhere as your destination. Leave the dates blank, and watch a map populate with the cheapest round-trip tickets available. From Phoenix, I could vacay in Cancún for $229, Seattle for $38 and Bora Bora for $1,341.
Inspector Gadget: Get paid to review a website's usability or find glitches in an app. Payouts vary, but most are between $3 and $60. Pro tip: Sign up for multiple platforms. UserTesting, TesterWork and Userfeel are all good places to start.
$1,370 raised On GoFundMe for goldfish living in a sidewalk puddle near a leaky fire hydrant in Brooklyn. After noticing the leak, a guy went to the pet store and got 100 goldfish for $16. Neighbors (and the internet) are loving it and trying to make their makeshift home permanent.
Fake news: TikTok is sending phony alerts that pop up on-screen. Classics include one about Taylor Swift canceling her Florida tour (she hasn’t) and a “BREAKING” tsunami warning in Japan after an earthquake struck. It’s all AI-generated junk based on what users post. Think before you share or react.
Can’t make this up: A Tesla Model S caught fire after a tourist plugged it directly into an illegal power line in Mexico. There are plenty of EV charging stations around Tijuana, but they wanted to save some cash. This dope ended up burning down someone's house, too.
7 million pounds of meat recalled: A third person has died after eating listeria-contaminated Boar’s Head meats (deli, bacon, hot dogs and sausage) made between May 10 and July 29, 2024. Here’s a full list of recalled products you need to throw out right now. This version has label photos.

A few years ago, I started writing a series of True Stories From A Former Car Dealer. Over 40 weeks, I wrote about experiences I had from my days as a dealership owner. Some will make you laugh, others will make you cry. The reaction was beyond my wildest expectations.

For our new subscribers, and for those of you who may have missed one or perhaps simply forgot the details, we’ll bring these to you in the order they were written.

In this episode, I tell you about my first car that was given to me by my Dad, but remember I was working at a car dealership after school, and had great connections. I started “flipping” used cars regularly until I finally obtained the car of my dreams.

Read True Stories #33 →

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.

new-markets-canva-pro-jan-11

This week, we welcome KXRA Newstalk Radio Alexandria, MN to the Car Pro Show family! You tune in on Sunday 3-6pm and 9p to Midnight CST on 1490 AM/100.3 FM/105.7 FM.

We've also recently welcomed these new markets:

KTLR 890 AM/103.7 FM Oklahoma City: Sunday 4-5pm CT (replay)
The Mountain WSYY 1240 AM/ 102.5 FM Millinocket, ME:

Saturday 9AM- 12PM PT
KUFO: Portland, Oregon: Saturday 9AM- 12PM PT
Nevada Talk Network - THE Rural News Source: KELY 1230am/98.5fm, Ely; KPVM-TV 25.7, Pahrump, KAVB 98.7 FM, Hawthorne, KPKK 101.1 FM, Amargosa Valley, NV, KDJJ 94.1 FM, Fernley-Fallon all three hours live 9AM- 12PM PT
KFIR 720 AM, Sweet Home, Oregon: Sunday 4PM - 7PM PT (replay)
KBAR 1230 AM, Burley, Idaho: Saturday 6PM – 9PM MT (replay)
KACT 1360 AM, Andrews, Texas: Saturdays 7PM – 10PM CT (replay)
WDOC 1310 AM, Prestonsburg, Kentucky: Time TBD
KLXX 1270 AM, Bismarck, North Dakota: Sunday 10PM – Midnight 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→

Rest In Peace FWPD Sgt. Billy Randolph

BREAKING: Ford Hits Brakes Harder On EVs

Ford Announcement

Straight Talk And Honest Answers

U.S. Auto Sales: Incentives Reach 3 Year High

WIN A PORSCHE And Help Beat HOMELESSNESS!

Texas Attorney General Sues GM Over Privacy

On The Road: Test Drives

Available 24-way power front seats set this luxury compact SUV apart.

Why the Envista is one of the hottest sellers in the luxury compact SUV market.

The entry-level Genesis G70 gains a new, more powerful engine that impresses!

Bumper to Bumper

Meet The Stunning 2025 Lincoln Navigator

It's due out next spring.

J.D. Power Automotive Seat Study

Car Dealer Fined Whopping $2.6 Million

Star-Studded Anniversary Celebration At Corvette Museum

Check Out The new Toyota Sequoia 1794 Edition

KBB: Best Family Cars of 2024

Play Uno In Your BMW

The 30 Longest-Lasting Cars, Trucks, and SUVs

The Toyota Tundra is #1 on the list.

Weekly Recalls

Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

True Stories From A Former Car Dealer

Our Factory Incentive Guide

Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

Sell Your Car Through GiveMeTheVin!

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!

Videos 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.

On The Air

Where To Find Us

Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds