End of the Month and Reasons to Look NOW 

Here we are again!  Dealers need to sell a lot of cars, trucks, and SUVs by next Wednesday night.  I would also add that you want to make sure that you get a vehicle before the tariffs start to affect prices.  If you had plans to get a new vehicle this year, and particularly in the next 90 days, this may be the last big end of the month sales for a while.  There is still plenty of inventory available, but the number of vehicles dealers have coming in is way off.  So, available vehicles for sale are dropping quickly, and we all know what happens when inventory get short:  PRICES RISE.

Another concern is incentives.  If dealer inventories are down and there are not a lot of vehicles arriving, the automakers will pull back on incentives.  Some likely already regret the money allocated for April, but they had to do it before the tariffs became official.  They will relook at it going into May.  My opinion is they will reduce them, resulting in a higher net price for you if you wait.

There is good news, however.  If you have a trade-in, the market is adjusting up rapidly.  Auction prices have gone through the roof, and what is interesting is it is across the board, not just certain segments.  At the auction I just watched, cars were selling to dealers for thousands of dollars over the Manheim Market Report price guidelines.  When the tariffs go off, and who knows when that could be, the used prices will drop faster than they rose.

Use my process, it works if you follow it.  Here is a quick reminder of how to fully take advantage of my tried-and-true system:

At Carpro.com, just a little down from the top, choose Certified Car Pros, select the brand you are interested in, and enter your zip code.  All approved dealers will be found there sorted by the nearest to you.  All the contact info will be there, and if you email them from their listing on my website, they’ll know I sent you and you’ll have VIP status.  Most importantly, you’ll get a VIP Certificate sent right back to your email that you can print and take with you.  Set your appointment with the Car Pro contact and you are on the way to a new set of wheels.  Our website is user-friendly for your phone or on a computer.

If at any time you need help, just click:

Need help? Our team is ready to assist you. Click here.

There are many unknowns currently, but I can tell you with certainty that you do not want to wait until cars are short in supply. Waiting will result in higher prices as the tariff wars linger on, and the end of the month is always a great time to get a bargain.

   Newsletter Exclusive!   

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.  Here is this week’s edition:

VW Pays Dealers to Stick Tape on the ID. Buzz—and Somehow, It Works.  In the world of automotive innovation, where electrification, autonomous driving, and AI take center stage, Volkswagen has found a revolutionary new way to capture attention: colored tape. That’s right-VW is now paying U.S. dealers to apply two-tone vinyl tape to its ID. Buzz electric van. Not aerodynamic upgrades. Not software updates. Tape. Glorified stickers. And it is working.  Let’s rewind.  The ID. Buzz is VW’s all-electric, retro-futuristic reincarnation of the beloved Microbus that I reviewed recently. It's charming. It's funky. It practically begs for surfboards and flowers stuck on the sides. But early previews had some folks scratching their heads: where’s the pizazz? Why doesn’t it look like something you’d park at Woodstock?  Apparently, the answer was: it just needs a little tape.  So, in a move that sounds like it came from an intern’s bad dream, Volkswagen of America began offering dealers a financial incentive—rumored to be around $1500—to jazz up the ID. Buzz by applying vinyl stripes that mimic the beloved two-tone color schemes of the ID. Buzz models that are selling faster than the solid colored ones. Think white over green. Cream over orange. Here's the kicker: it's working.  Dealers are posting TikToks of the vans getting their tape makeovers like crazy. Buyers are lining up for what is essentially a $60,000 vehicle with a carefully applied decal job. The tape doesn’t even come from the factory—it’s an aftermarket touch. But it looks so good, you’d swear it was born that way.  It’s as if VW said, “What if we could bottle nostalgia and charge a premium for it?” And then someone replied, “Just use tape.” Genius.  Long live the tape.  Oh, and in another use for the ID. Buzz, a funeral home in Texas has made a hearse out of one, equipped with the hardware needed to secure a basket.  Sorry for the buzz kill ending to this happy story.

New York man racks up 563 tickets, somehow still allowed near a steering wheel. In a city known for bagels, Broadway, and brutal parallel parking, one Brooklyn man managed to rise above the chaos—and drive straight into infamy. His claim to fame? Accumulating a mind-blowing 563 traffic and parking violations totaling over $100,000 in unpaid fines. That’s not a typo. That’s a full-blown, slow-motion crime spree… conducted entirely behind the wheel of a 2009 Nissan.  Yes, a 2009 Nissan. Not a high-speed getaway car. Not a Corvette or Porsche. The driver, whose identity was somehow kept secret (possibly out of mercy), earned violations for everything from blocking hydrants to ignoring speed limits to laughing in the face of “No Parking” signs. For years, the city sent warnings, tickets, and presumably letters. Nothing worked. The man kept driving, kept parking, and kept pretending street signs were just polite suggestions. Eventually, the car was discovered in a long-term parking lot in Brooklyn, and authorities finally booted it. Let this be a lesson: if your car’s glovebox is overflowing with citations, and you’ve developed a first-name relationship with the parking authority, you may be doing it wrong. But hey, at least the guy’s consistent. So, here’s to you, Brooklyn’s boldest. May your next vehicle be a bus token.

Ford gets a patent for a fake gear shifter for EVs, because apparently, we can’t handle the future.  Ah, the electric revolution—where cars are faster, quieter, cleaner… and apparently still need to pretend they’re stuck in 1997.  Ford, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that its electric vehicles just wouldn’t feel right without the familiar ka-chunk of a good ol’ gear shift. That’s right: the company has developed a fake EV shifter. Not for any mechanical reason. Not to control anything meaningful. Just to help drivers feel like they’re shifting gears.  In an era where your fridge can order groceries and your car can drive itself into a parking space, Ford is out here saying, “But what if we made it feel like a 5-speed again?” This is the automotive equivalent of giving your iPhone a rotary dial because it builds character.  The “shifter” is reportedly designed to create the illusion of gear changes in electric vehicles, mimicking the experience of rowing through gears in a manual transmission—even though EVs don’t need them. It’s all vibes. No function. A stick-shaped security blanket for the nostalgic.  Of course, Ford’s logic is that this will make the transition to EVs easier for longtime enthusiasts who miss the “engagement” of traditional driving. Which is fine… until you realize they’re essentially admitting, “Yeah, EVs are soulless. Let’s tape some ‘soul’ back on.”  What’s next? Artificial engine noise through the speakers? Oh wait—the Dodge Charger I reviewed for today’s newsletter already does that. So here we are. In a world where electric cars hum quietly into the sunset, Ford stands proudly, holding a plastic stick and yelling, “This is fine.”  Welcome to the future. Now put it in Drive…or second gear... or whatever helps you sleep at night.

Carjacker steals Maserati, accidentally kidnaps hairless cat, immediately regrets life choices.  Only in New York could a story begin with a stolen Maserati and end with a traumatized-but totally unbothered-hairless cat named Rocket being rescued from a gas station. Yes, this actually happened. It all started in Manhattan, where a lady was rear ended in her Maserati. Unfortunately, that’s all the time a nearby thief needed. Seizing the opportunity, when the lady and the person who hit her were exchanging information, the carjacker jumped in, hit the gas, and sped away—completely unaware that he’d just made the bold decision to commit not just grand theft auto, but accidental cat-napping as well.  You see, in the passenger seat was Rocket, a sphynx cat. For the uninitiated, a sphynx is a breed of cat that has all the elegance and judgmental energy of a Bond villain, but none of the fur. Rocket, like most cats, was probably mid-nap, dreaming of tuna and catnip, when his quiet day was rudely interrupted by a stranger with poor decision-making skills and zero appreciation for feline dignity. By the time the carjacker realized he wasn’t alone, it was too late. He was already in a high-speed chase with a car that purrs louder than the cat next to him. At that point, he had a choice: return the car and face the consequences or keep driving and hope the cat didn’t hex him with its disturbingly intelligent gaze. Rocket, to his credit, stayed chill throughout. Meanwhile, the Maserati’s owner quickly alerted authorities, who treated the incident with the kind of urgency reserved for missing persons and stolen Ferraris. After a search, police eventually found the car abandoned at a gas station. Rocket was still inside, completely unharmed, and reportedly not even that ruffled. In the end, this story is a cautionary tale about crime, cats, and the cruel unpredictability of life. If you steal a Maserati, make sure it doesn’t come with a built-in sphynx surveillance system. Because not all passengers are forgiving-and some of them have claws.  Also, don’t leave your keys in the car, even if there is a wreck. 

Until next week, that’s a wrap, unless of course VW pays me to tape it instead.

  U.S. Auto Market

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  Weekly Recalls

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• Volkswagen (2) **CRASH RISK** → 
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 Our Incentive Guide

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 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 some items I found this week that I think might be of interest:

• Print-happy warning: When you print a doc at FedEx, Staples or UPS, check the fine print. Their policies say they can use whatever you print for advertising or share it with unnamed third parties. No, thanks. UPS: “Sure, we’ll print your divorce papers … and maybe send them to Pepsi’s marketing team.”
• Hertz data breach alert: Hackers probably have your driver’s license, credit cards and Social Security number after breaching one of Hertz’s vendors late last year. No word on how many people are affected. Watch your bank and credit card statements for little charges, say under $10. That’s how hackers test to see what numbers really work.
• $34 million: How much funding a new project called Poolhouse got. The folks behind Topgolf are launching luxury social clubs centered around pool. Think food, drinks and tech like augmented reality. The first one should pop up in London in 2026. Can’t wait to pay $28 for fries while getting hustled by a guy in AirPods.
• $328,739.18:  The amount raised for an 81-year-old waitress. She told a customer she couldn’t afford to stop working, so a kind stranger posted the story on TikTok. Now Betty’s trading in the diner shift for well-earned rest. Her reaction? “I think I better get a financial adviser!” You and me both, Betty. 
• Bank of America lost your data … literally: Nope, it wasn’t a cyberattack. This time, savings bond documents went missing in transit, and they had everything. Names, addresses, account numbers, SSNs and more — the full “steal my identity” starter pack. No word yet on how many people are affected, but the bank says it’ll notify you. PSA: Freeze your credit.
• The Pentagon cut $5.1B in contracts: Deloitte, Booz Allen, Accenture … you may be seated. The government’s slashing spending on outside consultants. Why? They finally realized those agreements are unnecessary, and the work can be done in-house. The extra cash will now be redirected to hypersonic weapons, AI and cybersecurity. So basically: fewer spreadsheets, more lasers.

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 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.