🚘 U.S. Q3 Sales Results, $1000 Car Payments, SPECIAL LOOK: 2026 Ram 1500 Hemi Limited Longhorn, Plus 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S and 2025 Lexus NX 350h Test Drives

October 10, 2025

Dear Car Pro Family,

Welcome to another edition of the Car Pro Weekly newsletter as we head to mid-October, cooler temps, Halloween, and the time change. It is not too early to think about Thanksgiving and yes, Santa Claus will be here before you know it, so it’s time to start behaving ya’ll!

We start today with the national sales results from all automakers, even electrics (for what they are worth) through three quarters of 2025, and how each car company fared versus a year ago. I also have for you the latest trends in auto financing. No surprise, payments are rising and the length of loans is getting longer. In another article, we have data on the number of people making over $1,000 car payments.

We say goodbye to the wonderful Lexus LS, I tell you which states are the worst for car/animal collisions, and which states are the most nervous about self-driving cars. Car buying is getting easier according to a new study, but Car Pro Show family members have been having an easy time for many years now, right?

Kim Komando has a Special Report today on your car: Is it a ride or is it a spy? Also. don’t miss Kim’s Fun Quiz, the answer is at the very bottom of this newsletter, under my closing message where I have thoughts on the roller coaster ride due to tariffs. I have a whole new batch of quirky and funny Quick Shift stories for you today, and don’t forget to go shopping in the Car Pro Merch shop, lots of good stuff there. Get caught up on the tariff news! In advice, I give you something to think about when it comes to your tires. Too many of us ignore them and take them for granted.

In car reviews, I have the beautiful 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S all-electric all-wheel drive SUV to show you. Amy Plemons brings you the 2025 Lexus NX 350h Luxury. She also brings us a special look at the 2026 Ram 1500 Hemi Longhorn Limited from this year's Texas Truck Rodeo.

If you have never read my True Stories from a Former Car Dealer series, may I suggest you do so. People have loved this for a lot of years now. You’ll learn more about me than you probably want to know, you’ll roar with laughter at some, and you’ll likely get a tear in your eyes on others. They are all right here, 40 of them, carefully written by yours truly.

If you haven’t perused my FAQ page, please do. There are likely multiple articles you can use, every one of them written by me.

All of our other regular features are below including the Classic Car Contest, our radio station listings, how to connect with us on Facebook and call the show to talk directly to me, and much, much, more.

We very much appreciate you being part of the newsletter family. Without you, there is no Car Pro Show. Let us know how we can help you, and if you haven’t been to our website lately, check it out at CarPro.com. It changes daily.

Have a terrific week. See you on the radio!

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL CARPRO SHOW LISTENERS FROM
JERRY REYNOLDS, THE CAR PRO

Friends, we have been publishing the latest rules and eligible vehicles list for Tax Code 179 for over a decade. I encourage you to reach out to one of our Certified Car Pro Dealers at a CarPro approved dealership. They will help you figure out how to get the eligible vehicle you want. Note: Many automobile buyers will now be eligible to write the interest off on car loans, as a result of the “big beautiful bill” signed into law this July. The details of the rules are at the link below along with the latest on Tax Code 179.

2025 Tax Guide and List of Eligible Tax Code 179 Vehicles →

Photo Credit: Mecum Auctions, Inc.

We 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 AutoHeatShield. Official contest rules →

This 1971 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible, 1 of only 725 produced for 1941, will cross the block at Mecum Dallas/Fort Worth 2025 on Saturday November 1st!

Our Facebook winner this week, and winner of an AutoHeatShield, is:

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

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NEW! Mobile Detailing! I am proud to recommend Slick Shine Mobile Detailing! Complete details or just basic exterior washes. He also does paint correction, head light restoration, interior deep cleaning, even ceramic coating. Anywhere in the Metroplex area. He'll come to you. I inspected an SUV he did that really needed a full detail and head light restoration, he did an amazing job. Mention my name and get a 10% discount! Call Robert Higgs at 817 333-8212.

Click the link below for discounts and my endorsement of local businesses I have used myself and highly recommend.

Slick Shine Mobile Detailing
ASAP Auto Glass
Quality One wheel repair
Texas Insurance Group
Blair’s Texas window tinting
New Visions dent repair
Garage Creations automotive art

Hi Jerry,

My wife drives an Lexus NX and the three year lease is up. She has been interested in the 2025 RX 350. Last Friday she contacted Park Place Lexus using your process and received a VIP Certificate. We were contacted by Don Mitchell and set up an appointment for Saturday. She was interested in a white Rx 350 and Don had that color with a Palomino interior— a really pretty vehicle! While we were doing the paperwork, Chris Brunner came and we had a nice visit with him. We did the entire deal Saturday afternoon! Carol is very pleased with not only the process, but also the vehicle. Don will deliver the new car this week.

Thank you for what you do- it was a great experience!

Sincerely,

Bruce W.

Garland

Just a quick note to says CONGRATS on your most recent award of having the best radio show from the Texas Auto Writers. It is very much deserved for the quality production you bring to WBAP every week. It is both entertaining and informative. I have learned so much from you over the years, and I have used your way to buy 3 cars in DFW through your program.

Keep up the good work, and again congrats. I know this is an award for best automotive radio show, but in my opinion, it should be for best show on the air, regardless of topic.

Melissa B

➡️ NEW! We are LIVE on KRLD from 1-2pm on Saturdays! Listen live from KRLD.com and you can give us a call with your car buying questions at 1-800-926-7777!

Here are the other 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 LIVE
Dallas, TX:
- KRLD 1080 AM, Saturday 1pm to 2pm Central Dallas Show Airs LIVE
- KRLD 1080 AM, Saturday 2pm to 4pm Central - Pre-recorded National Show
Granbury, TX:
- KPIR 1420 AM, Saturday 11am to 2pm Central LIVE

All other stations click here →

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 5 hours to call the show! From 9AM- 2PM Central, 7AM-Noon Pacific, and 10AM to 3PM 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!

On July 21st around 1 a.m., an Oklahoma City Police Officer was patrolling when a red truck began drifting over the center line into oncoming traffic. When attempts to pull him over failed, the teen led police on a brief but dangerous pursuit through residential streets, striking a police cruiser and a parked vehicle, and even ramming through a front yard before crashing into a telephone pole. The strong odor of alcohol throughout the vehicle raised further concerns. Authorities say the teen is now facing a series of charges, including assault and battery on an officer, DUI under 21, leaving the scene of an accident involving damage, reckless driving, and eluding police.

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You almost need a neck brace to follow America’s auto tariff story these days. One week Washington hints at easing duties to help domestic automakers; the next week a new round of “just-in-case” tariffs gets floated on imports from Asia or Europe. Somewhere between the relief and the retaliation, the auto industry is getting dizzy.

The latest talk of tariff relief is good news on the surface. Officials have signaled that domestically built vehicles and components could see exemptions or lower rates if they meet certain sourcing thresholds, a move meant to offset the rising costs of imported steel, aluminum, and batteries. Ford, GM, and Toyota all saw their shares bounce on the possibility. But everyone who has been in this business longer than five minutes knows how fleeting these announcements can be. For every headline promising relief, there’s another warning about new trade restrictions around the corner. It’s the policy equivalent of slamming the brakes and flooring the gas at the same time.

Tariffs have long been justified as a way to protect U.S. manufacturing jobs and create leverage with trading partners who enjoy cheaper labor or looser environmental rules. In theory, they’re supposed to even the playing field. In reality, they often just shuffle the deck. When China retaliates with higher taxes on American-made SUVs or Mexico revises its import formulas, it’s not a simple chain reaction—it’s a full-blown domino effect that touches everything from supplier pricing to dealer floorplans. Even the cost of a small component like a seat motor or sensor can shift enough to affect the final sticker price on a family crossover.

That’s why the industry dreads uncertainty more than almost anything else. Automakers can adapt to a high tariff, a low tariff, or even a slow phase-out—but they can’t plan around constant guessing games. Product development cycles run six to eight years. Tooling and plant investments stretch even further. Imagine trying to design a vehicle for the 2030 model year when you don’t know what your steel, chip, or battery costs will look like six months from now. Even a bad rulebook beats no rulebook at all.

Dealers feel the pain too. Try explaining to a buyer why the same vehicle costs $2,000 more than it did last quarter, even though nothing about it changed except the trade code on the parts that built it. Consumers see “tariff” as a political term, but in showrooms, it’s just another hidden line on the invoice. And when prices move this quickly, incentives, floorplan costs, and profit margins all swing wildly. It’s not inflation—it’s confusion.

To make matters worse, tariff relief can be just as disruptive as the tariffs themselves. When duties are suddenly rolled back, the assumptions baked into sourcing contracts and supplier bids go out the window. That domestic stamping plant that looked competitive under a 25-percent import tax might not be when the rate drops to 10. Supply chains don’t pivot overnight; they’re built on years of commitments, freight schedules, and regulatory paperwork. The industry needs stability, not whiplash.

The right solution isn’t to drop tariffs altogether or double them out of spite. It’s to establish consistent, long-term policy that businesses can actually plan around. Give automakers a five-year horizon with clear sourcing rules, and they’ll respond with investment and innovation. Keep shifting those rules every quarter, and they’ll respond with hesitation and layoffs.

There’s no question the global car market is more complex than ever—electric vehicles, rare-earth materials, software-driven platforms, and now international politics all in the same mix. But if America truly wants to remain a hub for manufacturing and technology, its trade policy needs the same thing every good vehicle does: balance, traction, and a predictable ride.

So, if we get a little tariff relief this fall, enjoy it—but don’t count on it lasting. History says every reprieve comes with another curve ahead. Until someone in Washington stops treating trade like a four-way stop sign, the industry will keep tapping the brakes and jerking the wheel. The automakers may not get carsick, but the rest of us sure could.

U.S. Auto Market

2025 Year-To-Date National Auto Sales Results

In a sales race to watch, Toyota is maintaining a narrow lead over Ford.

Read more→

Tariff Talk: Potential Relief for U.S.-Built Vehicles

Read more→

Latest Vehicle Financing Trends

Read more→

$1000 Car Payments Becoming More Common

Car Dealership Ease of Purchase Study

Straight Talk and Honest Answers

CarPro Advice: Take Tire Safety Seriously

VIDEO: 2025 Ram 1500 Hemi Limited Longhorn

What Is One-Pedal Driving?

On The Road: Test Drives

2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited EV

Read Jerry's review →

2025 Lexus NX 350h Luxury AWD

Read Amy's review →

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.

Bumper to Bumper: Industry News

RIP: Goodbye Lexus LS

Lexus bids farewell to its flagship sedan with a special edition.

Worst States For Vehicle/Animal Collisions

Jeep Expands Badge Of Honor Off-Road Rewards Program

Which States Worry The Most About Self-Driving Cars

Jeep launches MONOPOLY Bonus Cash Allowance

Weekly Recalls

What's New For Tax Code 179 and More!

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL CARPRO SHOW LISTENERS FROM JERRY REYNOLDS, THE CAR PRO

2025 Tax Guide and List of Eligible Tax Code 179 Vehicles →

Our Incentives Guide

NEW! 2025 Ford Raptor Sweepstakes!

Kim Komando Special Report: "Cars and AI"

Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

Sell Your Vehicle Through GiveMeTheVin!

Exclusive Approved Products & Services

Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

DFW Listener Savings

The Car Pro Has Mail!

Get Your CarPro T-Shirt in Our Merch Shop!

Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

On The Air! Station Listings

FAQ: Research Your Questions Before You Shop

FAQ Page →

Searching for a New or Used Vehicle?

You Have 5 Hours To Call The Show!

My Must-See Video of the Week!

Todd's Video of the Week!

Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL CARPRO SHOW LISTENERS FROM
JERRY REYNOLDS, THE CAR PRO