BEST TIME TO BUY SINCE COVID! Are Extended Warranties A Good Idea? Plus 2025 Genesis GV80, 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV and 2025 Lexus UX 300h Test Drives

June 28, 2024

Here we are! The end of the month, the end of the second quarter, and right in the midst of big holiday auto sales. I always feel like it is my responsibility to tell listeners and subscribers when it is not a good time to buy, and when it is actually a good time to buy. I can tell you without hesitation, this is the best time to buy I’ve seen since before Covid started. I explain everything below, so if you’ve put this off, the time is now to get a smoking deal from a CarPro dealer. On a side note, I talked last Saturday about the CDK ransomware threat that has shut down computers at 15,000 dealerships in America. This is NOT stopping car dealers from doing business as usual, it is just taking a little longer.

Auto insurance is a hot topic these days, due to just about everybody getting premium increases. I have the latest trends for you today, and I’m sorry to say it’s not good news. What is the most American-made vehicle you can buy? Would you believe it is a Tesla? See the full list below. I use Discount Tire personally and have for years. They have a freebie for you to take advantage of, details are below.

Fisker, the embattled electric vehicle company, has filed for bankruptcy. If you are traveling for the 4th of July holiday you’ll join an estimated 71 million others, so plan accordingly. The best times to travel by plane or car? I have that for you! Driver license laws for senior citizens vary largely by state as it turns out. I have the laws by state for you today, good info if you are a senior or have one in your life. San Antonio, Toyota is expanding again. That’s great news for the local economy!

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 revisit the question of are extended warranties a good investment? This is without a doubt the most frequent question I get. In reviews, I have the stunning 2025 Genesis GV80 3-row SUV, and the 2024 Chevy Equinox electric SUV. Our Amy Plemons gives you a full review of the 2025 Lexus UX300h F Sport compact luxury hybrid SUV.

We have another True Story from a Former Car Dealer below. This is a series of 40 stories written by me. Today, #26 is titled: Radio Memories. This is the story of how I bucked a trend when I owned dealerships and spent my advertising dollars all on radio, not on TV like most of the other dealers. I was very successful with this strategy, that is until I bought a dealership in Oklahoma City, and made a serious mistake.

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!

It is the end of the month this Sunday which means everything will carry over to Monday July 1st. The end of the second quarter of 2024 ends on that Monday also, so this is the last weekend of both! Many of the incentives will continue until Friday July 5th to take advantage of the July 4th holiday, and I would not be surprised to see incentives enhanced starting today until July 5th. This happens most every year. I know for a fact that some car companies are extending incentives until July 8th, so check the incentive section below. We have every incentive and the end date for every vehicle sold in America.

As I mentioned in the opening, if you see news about a computer shutdown at some dealerships, no worries. The dealers are still selling and servicing cars, it just takes slightly longer, as most paperwork is being handwritten.

It’s no secret, the deals get better at month end, and when the quarter ends at the same time, it really gets good for consumers. Automakers push the dealers for volume, and dealers do whatever it takes to make a deal.

As I discussed last week, used car values are still very high but dropping literally every week as more normal depreciation patterns are taking hold. If you have a trade, especially a truck or SUV, the timing is incredible.

Dealer lots are full of inventory that needs to go. This is more of a buyer’s market than we’ve seen since the summer of 2020. Click below ⬇️ to talk to one of my friends!

Find a CarPro

We have some exciting news! We've launched a new newsletter archive page! This is for the times when you can't find your newsletter in your inbox or just want to go back and check out articles from a previous week. We'll be posting the past 10 weekly editions. Every Monday, we'll post the previous week's newsletter. As we add each new one, the old one will drop off.

Just visit CarPro.com and click the RADIO SHOW link at the top right. Scroll down and click on CAR PRO SHOW NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE. It's that simple!

Go to the Newsletter Archive Page→

We are excited to announce the launch of our "3X Promo" entry options for the Corvettes For Vets Sweepstakes! Right now, you can triple your chances with entry-level donations. This is a limited-time offer, so act fast! Every entry donation is tax-deductible and supports two nonprofits dedicated to aiding our Veterans. Plus, as a special bonus, you’ll receive $10,000 in cash to cover any tax costs! Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity!

DISCLAIMER: No purchase necessary to enter or win. Sweepstakes ends July 5th, 2024. Open to legal residents of the United States, EXCLUDING THE STATE OF NEW YORK OR WHERE PROHIBITED. Must be 18 years of age at the time of entry. See the official rules for more.

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.

I reached out to her and asked if it would be OK to share information with you once a week with a tech tip, and she agreed. I read her daily newsletter from top to bottom, and when I see info I think you could use, I will put it here to try to make life just a little better for you.

Here are some various tips I picked up from Kim’s newsletter this week I hope you find as useful as I did:

Trouble getting your car serviced this week? Blame a cyberattack on CDK, the operating system used by 15,000 dealerships, which was shut down amidst the chaos. This disruption meant dealers couldn't process electronic titling or access service records. Stay tuned. I’m sure we'll hear about a data breach soon.
It’s not just sketchy ATMs and gas pumps: Watch out for card skimmers at the grocery store, too. Two guys are wanted in Georgia for putting a fake PIN pad on a self-checkout lane in Kroger. Be smart: If the buttons on the PIN pad are off-center and hard to push, or if part of the pad feels loose, don’t use it.
New scam alert: A Boston woman lost $40,000 buying an SUV on Facebook Marketplace. The Carfax report looked legit, and she received a clean title from the licensing agency — smooth sailing for almost three years before the vehicle was seized by police. It was a VIN cloning scam; the SUV was stolen when she bought it. (From the Car Pro: NEVER buy a car on Facebook marketplace.)
It’s hard to remember to take your meds: If you or someone in your life is struggling, having an iPhone can help. Open the Health app > Browse > Medications > Add a Medication. From here, you can set reminders that pop up as phone notifications. You can also get this monthly pill organizer with talking alarms that has great reviews.

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 forgotten the details, we’ll bring these to you in the order they were written.

In this episode, I tell you about my business strategies when I was in the car business. It was mostly successful, but as you’ll learn, not every time. I also talk about some of the people in radio whom I worked with, respected greatly, and who made me want to be on the radio after my car biz career.

True Stories From a Former Car Dealer #26 →

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 to be a special kind of stupid to do what this guy did! On the busy streets of New York City, a guy in a box truck blocks traffic to the point that firefighters can’t get through traffic and have to stop. THEN the truck driver tries to steal one of the fire trucks! I wonder if the guy thought the FDNY would just let him do that? Oh, and in this under 2-minute video, after the FDNY takes him down, he screams for bystanders to help him!

Annnnddddd now, here is Jimmy Stewart telling Johnny Carson his favorite joke!

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

We've recently welcomed some new markets to the Car Pro Radio Network:

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→

It's The End of The Month and The 2nd Quarter!

Our Factory Incentive Guide

NEW! Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

Straight Talk And Honest Answers

Are Extended Warranties a Good Investment?

July 4th: Travel Forecast & Tire Safety Check

AAA: July 4th Travel Is Expected To Set New Record

Discount Tire Offers Free Tire Safety Checks Ahead Of July 4th

3X Entries Through July 5th!

Senior Citizen Driver License Laws By State

On The Road: Test Drives

The redesigned 2025 Genesis GV80 Prestige impresses with its beautiful looks, great interior and tech upgrades.

Talk about high praise! Jerry says the all-electric 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV is an SUV that might make you strongly consider going electric.

The UX hybrid gets more power for 2025 along with a new Copper Crest hue and some interior design tweaks.

Bumper to Bumper: Industry News

Toyota Is Expanding In San Antonio

Latest Auto Insurance Trends, Not Good News

Most American-Made Vehicle: Tesla Model Y

EV Maker Fisker Files For Bankruptcy

Weekly Recalls

True Stories From A Former Car Dealer

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

On The Air

Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds