My New Commentary!  

It's time the good car dealers report the bad ones. Who better to do it? My take on the Federal Trade Commissions' recent message to the dealers playing by the rules and why I'm all for it:

Read my commentary →

  Straight Talk and Honest Answers

CarPro Advice: Feature Overload. When Your Car Is Smarter Than You

Car technology only matters if you know how to use it. Here's how to make sure you know how to use all the tech at your fingertips.

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   U.S. Auto Market

Good Gig If You Can Get It! What Detroit Auto Execs Made In 2025

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GM Reaches Renewable Energy Milestone

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  New Feature!

This week I launch what I expect to be a regular feature in the newsletter highlighting recent automotive-related legal matters. Whether they impact customers and drivers, a specific automaker or have wider implications for the industry, they are important lawsuits and settlements I think you'll find as interesting as I do.

• GM OnStar Privacy Lawsuit Moves Forward on Wiretap Claims
• Bugatti Dealer vs. Bugatti Lawsuit Expands: Fraud And Retaliation Claims
• Massive Jury Verdict in Jeep Defect Case Raises Stakes for Automakers
• U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Hyundai, Kia Theft Lawsuit Settlement

Read more →

  Wow! Check Out These Car Theft Schemes

New Scary Auto Theft Method: Indictments Handed Down 

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Prosecutors: Surgeon Built Rental Business Using Stolen Vehicles

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  Quick Shifts

Each 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.

Stories you’ll find today:

• The Catch of the Day Weighs a Few Thousand Pounds.
• This Is Not What Porsche Had in Mind.
• Bear With Us… This Gets Dumb Fast.
• License Plate Roulette, Police Edition.

  Weekly Recalls

• • • • Audi **CRASH RISK**→
      • Ford (3) **FIRE AND CRASH RISK**→
      • Mitsubishi →
        
      • Nissan→
    • Takata Air Bags→

  Incentives Guide

Here you'll find our incentives and rebate guide which includes a link to every major manufacturer’s incentive page. Just enter your zip code to find the current incentives offered in your area. 

Current incentives By Automaker  

  Sell Or Consign Your Car For Top Dollar!

I hear from a lot of people who end up with an extra car for some reason. Sometimes it is due to a death in the family, or someone gets transferred overseas. I’ve seen many occasions where this happens. Well, now, we have two ways to dispose of a vehicle.

ThisCar has been with us for quite some time. They are terrific buyers and make the transactions very easy. They have helped many of our listeners and I’ve had terrific feedback. They are great, too, if you need a good idea what your car is truly worth and as I always say, a car is only worth what someone is willing to write a check for it. ThisCar writes checks, and lots of them.

Now, if you have more time, RetailMyRide.com is now an official partner of the Car Pro Show and they take cars on consignment. You’ve heard me recommend them in the past most likely, and they have helped many of our listeners. They market the car at all the right places, they get top dollar for it, take a little off the top, and you get the rest. It’s that simple. No people coming to your house, calling or texting, no worrying about how to complete the paperwork, they do all that for you.

So, the question is: Do you want quick cash or the most cash? We’ve got you covered either way with CarPro AppraisalPro OR CarPro ConsignPro.

It all starts at CarPro.com, click SELL A CAR at the top, or click here →

  Kim Komando Quiz and Interesting Info  

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.

💡Kim’s Quiz: 

A few folks allegedly tried to pass off damage to luxury cars as a bear attack, but the “bear” looked suspiciously like a man wrapped in a rug. They’d put a guy in a fuzzy bear costume, then film him attacking cars from the inside and submit videos to insurance companies as damage.

The victims: a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350. The plotters hoped to collect $142,000, which brings us to today’s trivia.

What did California investigators officially call this case? A) Operation Furgery, B) Operation Bear Claw, C) Operation Yogi Heist or D) Operation Teddy Ruxpin?

*Answer below my closing message at the very bottom of this newsletter

Would you like to subscribe to Kim’s daily newsletter? I learn something new every single day, and it’s free! Subscribe here →

💡Some Interesting Items I Found In Kim’s Daily Newsletter!

Each week, I comb Kim's newsletters and curate a list of her tips and advice that I think you'll find relevant and interesting.

This week, new American Airlines Centennial Trading Cards and more! 

Here's what I have for you this week!→

   Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

Go to the Newsletter Archive →

  Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

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  Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

  Searching For A New Or Used Vehicle? 

  You Have 5 Hours To Call The Show! 

  Where to Find Us 

  Jerry's Must-Watch Video of the Week! 

  Todd's Video of the Week! 

  True Stories From A Former Car Dealer

This is #11 in a series of 40 stories written by me about occurrences from my days in the car business. Each story had a lasting impression on me for some reason or another. Some because they were funny, some because they were sad, and some were just strange. But whatever the case, over the next 28 weeks, we’ll feature one of them, in order for you to enjoy.

One of the hard stories to write because of the magnitude of the day. If you are 30 years old or older, odds are good you remember every moment of that morning. Unfortunately, too many have forgotten the emotions they felt that day, even though we all swore we wouldn’t. I walk you through my day in this story, from early in the morning until late that night, after a long journey from Midland, TX, to Dallas, TX.

You can read #11 here: 9.11.01→

Click here for the True Stories library →

  Closing Message From Jerry

✍️ 

Give Me A Pen
And A Showroom 

I’ve said it for years, and I’ve always meant it: as long as I’ve got a pen and a good dealership to work for, I’ll never starve.

Let me take that a step further.

Let’s say I wake up tomorrow and everything I’ve worked for is gone. Savings wiped out. Accounts drained. Years of planning erased overnight by some hacker halfway around the world. No safety net. No cushion. Just…zero.

What do I do?

I get dressed, I drive to a dealership, and I go back to work.

Not as the owner. Not as “The Car Pro.” Just another guy on the sales floor trying to make a living.

And here’s the part that might surprise some people: I wouldn’t be afraid. Not even a little.

Because I know what it takes.

I’d walk in early, before the doors open, just like I used to. Coffee in hand, sizing up the lot, watching the first customers pull in. I’d probably have to learn a new CRM system, figure out where they keep the keys, and listen to a sales manager half my age explain how they “do things now.”

That’s fine.

Some things change. The fundamentals don’t.

Before long, a customer would show up—maybe confused, maybe frustrated, maybe just tired of the process. I’ve met that customer a thousand times. I’d slow it down, ask the right questions, actually listen. Not pretend to listen—really listen.

And when it came time to earn that deal, I’d do what I’ve always done.

If it’s raining, I’m the one going out to get the car so they don’t get wet.

If it’s 110 degrees—and in Texas, it will be—I’m the one jumping in that car first, cranking it up, and letting the air conditioning do its job before they ever touch the door handle.

If make-ready is backed up, I’m grabbing a hose and doing the wash job myself.

If they need the car delivered on Christmas Eve, I’m loading it up and making that drive.

If the deal isn’t done until midnight, I’m there until midnight.

And yes, I’ll work every holiday while everybody I love is off, because that’s what the job requires.

I’ll even go get lunch for the boss if he asks for a volunteer. Not because I have to—but because I know how this business works, and I know what it takes to be part of a team. If it’s time for a “lot party” and every car on the lot has to move, I’m not the one who suddenly has a customer on the way. I’m jumping in and doing my part.

Those aren’t just things I did. They’re things I taught my late son, BJ.

And he took them to heart.

At Five Star Ford, BJ didn’t lead the board most months because he had some secret closing technique or a fancy pitch. He led because he outworked people. He cared more. He did the little things most folks think are beneath them—and those little things turned into big results.

That’s how this business works when you do it right.

None of it is glamorous. None of it shows up in a brochure. But every bit of it matters.

Because here’s the truth: selling cars the right way has never really been about cars.

It’s about people.

It’s about being at a party and someone asks what you do for a living. If you stand a little taller and say, “I sell cars,” you’re going to be fine. If you look at the ground and say, “I’m in transportation,” you should probably get out of the business.

It’s about showing someone you care enough to do the little things they’ll never forget. It’s about earning trust in an industry where trust doesn’t always come easy. It’s about doing the job the way it should be done, even when nobody’s watching.

And if you can do that—really do it—you can make a living anywhere, under any circumstances.

That’s what I learned all those years ago. That’s what I tried to pass on. And that’s what I’d lean on if I ever had to start over.

Because starting over isn’t the same as starting from scratch.

You might lose your money. You might lose your title. You might even lose your comfort zone.

But you don’t lose your work ethic.
You don’t lose your experience.
You don’t lose your ability to connect with people and solve their problems.

Those things don’t get hacked.

So no, I don’t worry much about “what if.”

I know exactly what I’d do.

I’d pick up a pen, find a good dealership, and go back to work.

And I’d be just fine.

Straight Talk and Honest Answers — always.

 💡Kim Komando Answer: 

B) Operation Bear Claw. Scout’s honor. The whole scheme started Jan. 28, 2024, at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. It’s an area famous for black bear activity, so the suspects thought the location would sell the story. It almost did.

There were problems. The three attacks happened on the same day, same place, different vehicles. The bear moved like a person. The color was wrong (California has black bears, but this one was light brown). And when the insurance company asked a biologist, the verdict was, quote, “clearly a human in a bear suit.” They put all the facts into AI and it said the same thing.