More On Stop/Start Systems & The EPA Policy Shift

(Thursday, February 12, 2026. Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

We were on a hard newsletter deadline last week when the news broke that the Trump administration had announced it was eliminating the Obama-Era Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and off-cycle credits for the start-stop feature.  So, today we’ll go into more detail and try to explain exactly what this means for stop-start and the broader move behind the EPA's policy shift.

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  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, or 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 →

  U.S. Auto Market 

January 2026 New Car Prices Drop From December

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 Ford CEO Elected To Board Of McDonalds

I’m not sure why this hits me as odd, but it does, especially considering Ford’s 2025 financial results. Some jokes just write themselves. Ford President and CEO Jim Farley was recently elected to the Board of Directors of McDonald’s Corporation.   

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 Straight Talk and Honest Answers

CarPro Advice:
Buying A Car Shouldn't Be Scary Anymore

If you’re thinking about buying a car by yourself, you’re not at a disadvantage. You’re in control.

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  Quick Shifts

Stories you’ll find today:

• When Your Heist Comes With a Punchline
• Five Bucks for A/C? What’s Next, a Fee for Seatbelts?
• Even the Repo Man Can Pull Over the Police
• He Stole the Getaway Car From the Thieves
• Subaru’s Accidental Love Story With a Customer Base

Read more→

  Weekly Recalls

•  
• Chevrolet/GMC **CRASH RISK** →
• Hyundai **CRASH RISK**→
• Jaguar **FIRE RISK WARNING** →
• Mercedes-Benz **FIRE RISK WARNING**→
• Nissan **FIRE RISK**→
• Volvo→
• Takata Air Bag Recall →

  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  

  Enter To Win A 2026 Corvette Or $40K Cash!

Imagine winning a brand-new 2026 Corvette—or choosing $40,000 cash instead. Now is your chance in our new sweepstakes in partnership with Vehicle For Good! 

Our latest giveaway supports Hope Local, a nonprofit dedicated to walking alongside foster and adoptive families so children can experience stability, belonging, and hope. When you enter, you’re not just entering to win—you’re helping kids move one step closer to home.

  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: 

Picture this: It’s 1826. A French inventor props a camera outside his window and waits all day for one blurry image. The first-ever photo might’ve been grainy and ghostly, but it’s pure history. Now we take more selfies per minute than he did in a lifetime. But all of us combined? The number is wild.

Can you guess how many photos humanity took every single day in 2025? A) 500 million, B) 1.2 billion, C) 5.3 billion or D) 12 billion?

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

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

• 3-second tech genius: Gas pump skimmers are everywhere. Before you swipe, grab the card reader and wiggle it. Skimmers are plastic overlays that pop right off. Here’s the sneaky part. Open your phone’s Bluetooth while you’re standing at the pump. See a device called HC-05 or a long random string of numbers? That’s a wireless skimmer sending your card info to a scammer nearby. Nope. Pay inside or use tap-to-pay. Skimmers can’t read contactless payments. Your wallet will thank you.

• Turn on browser warnings: These alerts warn you if you’re on a phony banking site or about to download something sketchy. In Chrome, open Settings > Privacy and security > Safe Browsing and turn on Enhanced protection. On iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Safari and turn on Fraudulent Website Warning.

• Automated peep show: Your hotel key card has exactly one job, to open the door, not start a pay-per-view. But get this. Some cards trigger hidden cameras when inserted. Then strangers can livestream and rewind the footage. That’s why you need a spy camera detector. One guy found a porn video of himself and his girlfriend online, filmed during a Shenzhen hotel stay three weeks earlier. Investigators found Telegram channels with up to 10,000 members selling $65/month access for hotel spy-cam streams. Disgusting.

• Speaking of old tech: ICYMI, Amazon will take your used phones, tablets, smart speakers and more. Tell ’em what you’re trading in and its condition, and you’ll get an estimated value as an Amazon gift card. Bonus: Trade in Amazon gear, like a Ring camera, and you can get 20% off a new device.

• Elon Musk wants to build a giant catapult on the moon: No, really. He told xAI employees the plan is to construct a lunar factory that churns out AI satellites, then launch them into space with an electromagnetic catapult. This from the guy who spent years saying the moon was a distraction from Mars. Now it’s his top priority, and he wants a self-sustaining city there within 10 years. I love a good pivot, but this one gave itself whiplash.

• Cold hard cash: MIT researchers found AI chatbots are “inherently sociopathic” when giving financial advice (paywall link). They argue both sides of any money decision because neither has emotional weight. But two-thirds of us ask chatbots for financial guidance, and more than half admit they’ve made a bad money move because of it. Use AI to learn about money, absolutely. Don’t let it manage yours. It doesn’t lose sleep when you lose your savings.

• Pay per pep talk: We can’t get a hot dog under $12, and now MLB wants you chatting with a player from your couch. MLB Players Inc. cut a deal to make AI avatars of big leaguers that talk back in the player’s voice and reflect their interests. They’ll charge for chats, plus in-app experiences and digital goods. The goal is connecting fans worldwide through “authentic” AI experiences. Because nothing says authentic like paying to chat with a computer pretending to be Aaron Judge.

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  True Stories From A Former Car Dealer

This is the first 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 39 weeks, we’ll feature one of them, in order for you to enjoy.

Today, we start with The Lottery Winner. It started one morning early, before 7 AM when I walked into my dealership, briefcase in hand. As usual, I was the first and only person in every morning. On this day, a man named James was standing there. I figured my day was starting out with a “heat case” but that was far from being what it was. This is one I wish had a happier ending.

True Stories #1: The Lottery Winner→

  Closing Message From Jerry

The True Stories Behind The True Stories 

Over the years, I’ve told a lot of stories on the air, but they were usually quick — a minute here, a memory there, just enough to make a point and move on. Lately, I’ve been thinking about those moments more, and I’ve decided it’s time to start sharing one of my True Stories each week.

Some will make you smile. A few might surprise you. And some, I’ll be honest, weren’t easy to put into words at all.

When you look back over a lifetime in the car business, it’s not the deals you remember most. It’s the people. The turning points. The decisions that changed everything. And sometimes, the moments that still sit quietly in the back of your mind years later.

There are a handful of those 40 stories that were especially hard to write.

“The Final Curtain” was one of them. It forced me to sit still and really think about the end of a long chapter — the people, the memories, and the feeling of walking through a showroom knowing things would never be quite the same again. That one took me back in ways I didn’t expect.

“Selling Out” was another. That decision came with pride, relief, and a little uncertainty all mixed together. When you’ve built something like the biggest volume Ford dealership in Texas from the ground up, letting it go is never just business. It’s personal. Even when you know it’s the right call, it still takes time to make peace with it.

Writing about the situation with the Texas Attorney General brought back a different kind of memory. That was a reminder of just how serious this business can get, and how quickly things can become bigger than you ever imagined. It was one of those moments where you realize that doing the right thing matters more than anything else.

“I Quit” was hard in a different way. Walking away from something familiar, even when your gut tells you it’s time, isn’t easy. There’s always that moment where you wonder what comes next. Looking back now, I know it was the right decision, but at the time, it took more courage for a teenager than I probably let on.

And then there was “Dateline.” That one brought back memories of a time when life felt very public and very real all at once. Even now, I still shake a little at how certain moments can follow you long after they’re over.

But there’s one story that may have been the hardest of all.

It’s the one about my son, B.J.

This August 15, will mark 13 years since I lost him. Writing about that part of my life meant going back to a time no parent ever wants to relive. When we were planning his service, we had to choose the music. B.J. lived life the way I always admired — full speed, taking chances, working hard. He was a natural on the sales floor at Five Star Ford in Carrollton, TX. Most months, he finished at the top of the sales board. He even broke my all-time sales record, which I never let him forget… and he never let me forget, either.

For the final song at his service, I chose “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. It just felt right for him.

Writing that story forced me to reflect on everything — my life, my career, the things I’m proud of, and yes, the regrets too. Financially, I regret buying that Buick dealership years ago at just 29 years old. That was a tough lesson. But it taught me things that paid off later, so maybe it wasn’t really a regret after all.

I’ve wondered over the years if I was sometimes too loyal to employees. Maybe I was. A few took advantage of that. But loyalty matters, and I never saw that as a mistake.

I spent three years serving on the Ford National Dealer Council, two of those as the Chairman, away from home and away from the business more than I wanted. It was demanding, but we accomplished a lot. I wouldn’t change that.

There were missed opportunities too. Chances I passed on that turned into big successes for someone else. At the time, I didn’t know any better. None of us can see the future.

But the hardest regret was a dream that never got the chance to happen. I had always hoped to train B.J. to take my place on the radio someday so the show could live on. When I had back surgery, and later cancer surgery, I had him sit in to help answer questions. He was a natural. I say that without a bit of bias. He would have been great. That dream never got to become reality, and that’s one I still think about.

As I went back through these stories, I realized something. They’re not really about cars. They’re about life — the good parts, the tough parts, and everything in between.

Some will make you laugh. Some will surprise you. And a few might hit a little close to home.

But they all helped shape who I am, how I look at this business, and why I try to give advice the way I do.

So each week, I’m going to share one with you. I start this week with a lighter story that I will always remember, and the lessons learned from The Lottery Winner.

Just a true story from along the road.

Straight Talk and Honest Answers — always.

 💡Kim Komando Answer:

📸 C) 5.3 billion photos a day. That’s 61,400 photos every second. If you tried to take one photo every second, around the clock, it’d take you 61,000 YEARS to match what humans will shoot in just one year.

Oh, and we’ve collectively snapped over 14.3 trillion photos, that’s 1,800 images per person on Earth. Most popular photo platform? WhatsApp, with 6.9 billion images shared daily.