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February 28, 2025

Dear CarPro Family,

When you wake up in the morning, besides tuning in the Car Pro Radio Show, it will say March when you turn your calendar.  Warmer weather can’t be far behind, right?  Just a quick thank you to all those who came by to see us at last Saturday’s DFW Auto Expo that marked the 15th straight year of broadcasting from there.  Speaking of milestones, tomorrow marks the start of the 24th consecutive year of the Car Pro Show on WBAP radio in DFW.

kindred-bronco-2-1Lots of info for you today, including great news for those who missed buying a car at the end of FebruaryThe amazing incentives we had for this month run through Monday, so you can still get in on them.  Have your car insurance premiums gone up?  If you are wondering why, I have the answers for you below from a major insurance carrier. One of our dealers, the fantastic Sewell organization, is now carrying Kindred classic vehicles, a modern take on some of your favorite old classic vehicles.

Also below, we introduce you to the all-new Jeep Wrangler Backcountry plug-in hybrid and it is a beauty, but it is a limited edition, so you’ve got to hurry.  Also, find out about a beautiful new SUV from Acura called the ADX and it starts at $35,000.  That is a great price point these days for a nice SUV.

Don’t miss Kim Komando’s Tech Tips & other useful info today. In advice, your friendly content provider worked overtime this week to bring you three articles written by me.  I give you info on how to evaluate your best trade-in options.  Also, another article on the importance of learning everything you can about your new car.  This is especially important if you have not purchased a new car in a while.  Last, read 8  Tips to Purchasing New Tires and the things you need to consider before doing so.

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In car reviews, I had the beautiful and affordable Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo sedan, and it’s a beaut!  Our Amy Plemons gives us her take on the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser.

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.

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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!

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  We Celebrate 23 Years On WBAP Saturday!

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We celebrate a milestone Saturday on the Car Pro Show.  This marks the beginning of our 24th straight year of broadcasting on our home station in DFW, News/Talk 820 AM and now 93.3 FM WBAP.

I’ve actually been on the air 23½ years total, but our first six months Kevin and I were testing the waters on a small, fairly terrible radio station.  We knew if people would call us on that station, we’d be ready for big time.  Call it a dress rehearsal of sorts.

Congratulations to the entire Car Pro Show staff, especially my trusty sidekick Kevin McCarthy for 23 years beside me, and to Todd Chambless for stepping in six months ago.  Also, many thanks to our Executive Producer and taskmaster Amy Plemons, and the staff at WBAP who have supported us since day one.  Thanks to our amazing dealer partners for backing up everything I say on air, taking care of listeners, and selling cars much cheaper than they’d like to.  Plus special thanks to all the Car Pro Show staff behind the scenes.

Most of all, I thank you, our listening audience.  Without you, there is no Car Pro Show.  I’d have never believed 23 years ago that we would be on the air from coast-to-coast.  We fought tough odds-most laughed and said: “that Texan will never make it in Los Angeles”. 

That was 15 years ago.

Thanks to everyone for making the Car Pro Show the most listened to auto advice show in the country, currently on 66 radio stations.

  Good News! February Incentives Extended!

Screen Shot 2025-02-27 at 6.27.15 PMThe way the calendar falls this year, the last day of February is today.  That complicates things for automakers.  Just a little inside 4-1-1, car companies don’t like to announce a new round of factory incentives until they’ve had time to analyze sales from the previous month.  In this case, that is for February.

Given the bean counters wouldn’t think of working weekends, the February sales data will not be tallied until Monday.  They’ll spend the day adjusting incentives:  more money on the vehicles that didn’t reach sales objectives, less money on the ones that did.  They’ll look at existing inventory of certain models in different parts of the country and adjust money up or down.

The good news for you: If you missed the big incentives for February, you have a few more days to contact a CarPro Certified Dealer.  It looks like all automakers extended February incentives until Monday night!  What happens after that is anybody’s guess, but the safe bet is probably to look at numbers now, put down a deposit on the one you want, and let one of our dealers get the new incentives.  If the February incentives are better, they can date everything 2/28/25.  If the March incentives are better on your dream vehicle, the date will be 3/4/25.  Simple, heh?

I’m always looking out for you here!

    Back By Popular Demand!

jerry-graphic3Each week I bring you the top stories in the auto industry along with my commentary or sometimes amusing thoughts about the craziness that goes on in the world of cars.  Here is this week’s edition:

  • Some automaker needs to hire me as CEO, ASAP!  Yes, I want to work for an automaker, and I’ll do a good job, I promise.  I’ll also work for a fraction of what you are currently paying your CEO!  Why would I agree to that given the long hours and high stress level?  I just want to get fired. Last week, I brought you compensation of current automaker CEOs and they do quite well, but leaving is lucrative, too.  A couple of CEOs ago at Ford, Mark Fields got a payout of 54 million dollars as he exited.  The next one, Jim Hackett, whom I called an idiot on the air, left with 17 million.  Now we find out that my favorite electric automaker’s CEO is stepping down.  Peter Rawlinson is leaving Lucid, supposedly of his own volition.  The company has never come close to meeting sales projections and has burned through billions of dollars.  However, poor old Peter isn’t going to have to get food stamps.  You see, he is staying on as an “advisor” for two years.  How much do advisors make these days, you ask?  His golden parachute pays $120,000 PER MONTH, a free Lucid Gravity to drive, health insurance, and a TWO MILLION DOLLAR stock grant. So yes, I want to be the CEO of a car company, and I’ll start planning my exit strategy on day one.  For the record, Lucid lost 2.7 BILLION in 2024, and 2.8 BILLION in 2023.  Wonder why?

  • So, what is happening with the soap opera that is electric cars?  Ho Hum.  Another day with more automakers slamming on the brakes on future plans for electric
    vehicles.  Is it because of the 47th President undoing the 46th President’s green initiatives?  Perhaps.  Or maybe it is the fact that sales have continued to slow down in spite of repeated price reductions.  It seems there is some sort of new announcement every day from one of the automakers that previously said they’d be all-electric by 2025, like Buick, that doesn’t have a single EV yet. Just this week Mercedes-Benz says they are “recalibrating their EV strategy.”  Good move, I concur.  Meanwhile, President Trump is disabling 8,000 EV charging ports at federal buildings across the land, and the government will sell off 25,000 EVs the GSA has already purchased. I’m guessing that will not be a profitable venture.  In Dearborn, Michigan Ford now has a $10,500 incentive on the electric Lightning, PLUS they’ll give you a free home charger.  You can lease one of these pickups, which are terrific by the way, for under $250 per month.  Also at Ford, they had a great idea to stack EVs up in big storage lots around the country and the dealers could buy them as they sold them to customers.  The idea was that dealers would sell more if they weren’t paying to have them sit in inventory for months. That plan went down like Enron, so back to the original plan:  Cram them down the throats of the Dealers.  Finally, this week we learned about a lady who was at a dealership for an oil change, and a now ex-employee wrote a racial slur on the little sticker on the windshield that reminds you of the next oil change.  That is a horrible thing to do, and the dealership was right to fire the person.  Another dealership owner, 900 miles away, read about the story and gave the lady a new Nissan Leaf all-electric car so she wouldn’t have to “relive the upsetting experience” of routine maintenance.  A very, very nice gesture, and a creative way to get a Nissan Leaf off the lot.

  • Dodge Durangos are a steal-at least in Detroit.  I’ve always liked the Durango, especially the big honkin' Hemi Hellcats, but even if you opted for the six-banger, you just knew it was a well-built, solid SUV.  Like so many other SUVs that got stale due to a lack of updates, sales have waned in recent years.  Apparently, nobody told that to a couple of guys in Detroit.  David Franklin and Barron Hatch, Jr. stole over 25 Durangos across Michigan, and now they've been arrested by police in Macomb County, Michigan.  All the Dodges were stolen from dealerships.  The “brains” behind the operation now faces 20 years in federal prison and his bond was set at one million dollars, so he’ll not likely see the sun anytime soon. Apparently he could not DODGE the long arm of the law.  Speaking of fast Dodges, there was a guy in Seattle terrorizing the streets in a Dodge Charger Hellcat with incredibly loud exhaust.  Being the brainiac he was, he filmed all his escapades in spite of the fact that the citizens of Seattle complained about the speedster profusely.  He didn’t care, he had 700,000 Instagram followers, and said his videos paid for the car.  As is almost always the case, he showed out once too often and got busted.  Besides numerous traffic citations and some time in the pokey, a judge ruled he could drive, he just couldn’t drive the suspect Charger.  The mind boggles on how he was successful for so long, wreaking havoc against the good citizens of Seattle.  Aren’t the streets always wet there?  In one of his videos, he shows himself going 107 miles per hour on a downtown street.  Good grief.

  • Reverse rebates on electric vehicles proposed:  Reverse rebates is a brilliant term I just made up.  Personally, I think it properly depicts what 14 Senators are proposing in Washington.  If passed, it would eliminate the $7,500 federal rebate on certain new electrics, and the $4,000 rebate on used electrics. OK, so we pretty much knew this was going to happen after the election results of November 5, 2024.  However, this group of Senators want to take it a step further.  A separate bill would enact a $1,000 tax on electric vehicle purchases.  I am not a math major, but I am pretty sure that is an $8,500 swing from where we are today.  Hence, reverse rebates!  The thinking on the new tax of a thousand bucks is that gasoline taxes pay for road repairs across our great land, and EV owners do not participate currently.  Not to mention, EVs weigh more than gasoline cars, causing more road damage.  Think back to the 9,000 pound Hummer I reviewed not long ago. Oddly, the $1,000 tax makes sense to me if the money is really used to repair the current highways and byways in America, which are single-handedly keeping frontend alignments in business. Rocky Road is not just an ice cream, kids.

That’s it for this week.  And now you know the rest of the story.  Good day!

  Straight Talk and Honest Answers

shutterstock-key-fob-end-of-lease-XArtProductionCarPro Advice: Evaluating Your Trade-In Options

Here's how to find out how much your trade-in is worth before going to the dealership.

Read Jerry's Advice→

2486089299-volvo-interior-car-showingCarPro Advice:
Take Time to Learn About Your New Car

It's an important part of the delivery process.

Read Jerry's Advice→ 

 8 Tips For Purchasing New Tires 

shutterstock-tires-man-womenBuying new tires can seem overwhelming with all the choices out there. These tips from the Better Business Bureau will help you find a set of tires that fits your vehicle, driving style, and budget.

Read more→ 

  Highboy For Heroes Sweepstakes!

VFG F250 Newsletter

 

Join us in the "Highboy for Heroes" sweepstakes!

Enter for your chance to WIN a fully restored 1972 Ford F250 or $100,000 in cash. Proceeds help veterans find healing & community by benefitting two organizations, Veterans Freedom Retreat and Roll Call.  

Click below to enter! 

  Sewell Will Sell Kindred Motorworks Classics!

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Congrats to Sewell Auto Dealerships on being Kindred Motorworks' first dealer partner! Kindred, based in the San Francisco bay area,  hand builds exquisitely restored vintage vehicles. Everything but the frame is new. Read more about the partnership and see more pics of a Kindred 1973 Ford Bronco Heritage Edition that was on display at last week's North Texas Auto Expo at the link:

Read more→ 

 Q&A: Why Is Your Car Insurance Going Up? 

car-insurance-shopping-shutterstockThe rising cost of car insurance over the past few years has certainly been a hot topic. Many car owners are seeing higher premiums despite stellar driving records. Farmers Insurance shares a few reasons why premiums are up.

Read more→ 

 On The Road: Test Drives

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2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo 

Jerry calls the K4 a great small sedan and a wonderful value. 

Read review →

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2025 Toyota Land Cruiser

A beloved icon reimagined into a modern day off-roader.

Read review →

 

 McLaren 750S Is Robb Report Car of the Year

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I’ve reviewed several McLarens in the past 5 or so years, and each one has been an unbelievable experience and an honor.  I heard from them a few weeks ago asking if I would like to review the all-new 750S.  I mulled it over for less than two seconds before saying OH YES! No date as of yet, but certainly looking forward to it.  Now the news it has won a huge award from the Robb Report.  If you are not familiar, this is a really high-end magazine and website that caters to the ultra-wealthy and a lot of fun to look at.

Read more→ 

  Bumper to Bumper: Industry News

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Meet The New $35,000 Acura ADX SUV   
Read more→ 

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Genesis Stars in New "Suits LA" TV Series 

Read more→
 
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This Blew Me Away! Musical Roads on Route 66! 

Read more→

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Limited Edition 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Backcountry 

Read more→

  Weekly Recalls

 Our Incentive Guide

incentives-3Check out our vehicle incentives and lease specials page for information on understanding incentives, plus links to every major manufacturer's incentive page for the latest offers by zip code.

Find Incentives By Automaker → 

 Kim Komando's Tech Tips and Useful Info

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:

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  • Tag, you’re it! I always toss an AirTag in my luggage, just in case. Now American Airlines supports Apple’s Share Item Location. If your bag goes missing, you can share the last known location to help them track it down. United, Delta, Air Canada and Virgin use it, too.
  • An older adult lost a whopping $2.09 million in a gold bar scam: But she’s getting 40% back. Morgan Stanley has to pay her $843K for failing to follow industry standards. Banks are supposed to flag big withdrawals and check with a trusted contact first. They didn’t.
  • 17 hours for ransomware gangs to extort you after hacking your network. It used to take days or weeks. Now, some do it in as little as 4 hours. If you run a small or midsize business, you’re a target.
  • Craigslist scam: The guy listed a luxury Palm Beach apartment for $950/month (red flag because it actually costs $5,200/month), and a couple took the bait. The scammer gave them a tour and handed over the keys so it seemed legit. Turns out the real owner had left them in the door for a handyman. Argh.
  • Armed rideshares are popping up everywhere: The new Protector app (iPhone only) lets you book armed guards and Escalades to chauffeur you around for $200 an hour. Think Uber, but with active or retired law enforcement and military officers behind the wheel. BlackWolf hires military and law enforcement too.
  • Bow wow: A former police officer is using a heat-seeking drone to track down missing dogs. So far, he’s reunited 42 dogs with their families. Here’s an adorable clip of a pup lost in the snow. His little tail wags like crazy when he sees his owner. I’m so excited that I’m getting a new puppy. Meet Bella.

   Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

Screen Shot 2024-06-27 at 1.11.02 PMDon't forget to check out our newsletter archive! You'll find the past 10 weekly newsletters there.You can find it under the radio show tab on CarPro.com.

Go to the Newsletter Archive →

  Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

winner-feb-21We have had a lot of fun with our classic car contest on the Car Pro Show Facebook page. We post the photo of a classic vehicle every Saturday morning and invite people to guess the year, make, and model.  The prize: An Auto HeatShield!

Official rules 

CarPro listeners receive a 10% AutoHeatShield discount with the code "CarPro10". 

Visit AutoHeatShield here →

  Jerry's Video Of The Week

 
Loading a vehicle on a lift or driving it into an oil change pit can be dangerous.  Sometimes it is equipment failure, sometimes it is operator error.  The one thing that's for sure is the vehicle involved is probably going to be totaled.  I even wrote a story about this in my True Stories From a Former Car Dealer, #19.

These mishaps happen often as you’ll see in the 3 ½ minute compilation of accidents involving lifts:

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  Exclusive Approved Products & Services

CarPro Radio Show host Jerry Reynolds can count the number of products he's endorsed on one hand. He's had many opportunities, but after much due diligence, he usually ends up saying no.  Jerry won’t recommend a product or service unless he's tried it himself and feels good about recommending it.   

Here are the companies Jerry endorses and personally uses →

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  It's Here! The CarPro Merchandise Shop!

  Subscribe to the free DFW Newsletter 

NEWSLETTER-DALLAS-SIGNUPLive in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and haven't subscribed to the DFW edition of the CarPro Radio Show Newsletter?

Just click here or on the left to subscribe. You'll see it in your inbox every Friday morning. 

 

  Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

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Catch all three hours of the CarPro Show national podcast!  You'll find them posted Saturday afternoon following the show. 

Click here for the WBAP DFW podcast →

  Searching For A New Or Used Vehicle? 

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.Screen Shot 2023-07-13 at 9.41.44 AM

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.

  FAQ: Research Your Questions Before You Shop

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

Visit the FAQ Page →

  You Have 5 Hours To Call The Show! 

phone-2 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!

  Where to Find Us 

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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.

WBAP 93.3

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)→

 Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds

Thank you for reading this edition of the Car Pro Weekly, recommending it to your friends and family, and for listening to the Car Pro Radio Show. 

We hope you found it to be informative and entertaining. Remember we're always here for you at www.carpro.com.

Until next week, stay safe, don't drink and drive, remember our Troops and public safety officers, and may God Bless.

Sincerely.

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