May Ends Tomorrow- What Does The Future Bring?

Tomorrow is May 31st, the end of the month, and as such, the current incentives for new vehicles will go until Monday night, June 2nd.  That's great news if you missed the Memorial Day sales.  Unfortunately, starting early in June, the car buying landscape will likely change, and not in your favor.  We know the tariffs are about to hit prices, and I would bet big bucks that incentives will go down.  If you’ve been watching the Tariff Talk each week, you know all the automakers are lowering profit expectations, and that means they’ll be watching spending very closely, and this includes incentives.

Many people think there is nothing to worry about if a vehicle is made in America.  That could not be more wrong.  The vehicles made inside our borders will go up in price so the ones made in Mexico, Canada, Japan, and other parts of the world will not have to go up as much.  In simple terms, every automaker is blending prices and it is a complicated formula.  Much depends on what percentage of vehicles sold in America are made in America.  Even those car companies like Tesla that only produce in America use primarily parts from other countries, and those are being tariffed, too.  No automaker gets out of this unscathed.

Many automakers assemble cars in the United States that are also made in other countries. For instance, Camrys sold in America are made in America and also Japan.  RAV4 is made here and Japan and also Canada.  Accords sold here could be made here, or also in Japan.  CR-Vs sold in America are made in Indiana, but also in Canada, Mexico, and Japan. The point is automakers, nor dealers want different prices on identical vehicles based on where they were produced.

Note: At some point really soon, the new vehicles that have been on dealer’s lots will also go up in price.  Dealers will be re-invoiced at a higher price, and new Monroney (window stickers) will be sent to the dealers to put on all the existing inventory.

We learned many lessons during Covid and the microchip shortage that will come in handy as the tariffs go into effect.  What we saw then and likely will see again is a drop in incentives, new vehicle prices escalate, and some vehicles are likely to become short in supply and automakers cut back production to current market conditions of sales slowing down.

We also saw trade values skyrocket, which we are seeing currently.  I’ve told you for six weeks in a row, prices were going up at the auction.  The used car reporting sites are all reporting the same thing I am.  In fact, according to a new report from auto industry experts, used cars are more expensive than they've been in years. A May 22 report from Edmunds indicated that in the first quarter of 2025, the average transaction price for used cars 3 years old or less jumped above $30,000 for the first time since 2023. So, the one bright spot of all this is if you have a trade-in, the increased value will take up a lot of the slack of higher new car prices.  That is really good news if you find yourself in the position of being forced to by a new vehicle.

Thinking about a new car later in the year?  Should you do something now if you are?  My opinion: a resounding YES. A listener last week on the show asked a great question:  When the tariffs are all settled, will new car prices go back down?  The answer is no.  They never go down after they’ve gone up.  Think about that.

   Tariff Talk: The Latest

  Straight Talk and Honest Answers

Advice: The Basics of Auto Financing

There's no need to dread the visit to the dealership financing office.  

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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:

• Don’t Be a Dipstick: Why Your New Car Doesn’t Have One
• From Robo Dreams to Used Car Schemes
• Waffle House Gets Charged: Now Serving Hashbrowns, Grits, and Gigawatts
• 1,000 People, One Steering Wheel, Zero Direction

Read this week's Quick Shifts →

  Highboy For Heroes Sweepstakes!

Show your support for our veterans this month by entering the "Highboy for Heroes" sweepstakes!  Enter for your chance to WIN a fully restored 1972 Ford F250 or $100,000 in cash. Proceeds help veterans find healing & community by benefitting two organizations, Veterans Freedom Retreat and Roll Call.  For the month of May, get 1000 entries for $80 (normally $100). Click below to enter!

 Deadliest Days Of Summer + Teen Driver Contract

We are officially into the most dangerous time of the year for teen drivers. It's what's known as the "100 Deadliest Days of Summer", a time period that spans from Memorial Day to Labor Day when there is an increase in deadly accidents involving teen drivers.  Parents, talk to your teens about safe driving habits and also have them sign my teen driver contract. I share one with you below, along with the latest statistics:

• 100 Deadliest Days of Summer→
• My Teen Driver Contact →

  CAUTION: Children Are Out Of School  

Kids are out of school for the summer, which means more children playing outdoors or riding their bikes around the neighborhood.  Be extra cautious when driving and follow these safe driving tips:

Summer safe driving tips → 

  Weekly Recalls

• Ford **CRASH RISK**→  
• Ram Trucks **CRASH RISK** →  
  
  
• Takata Air Bag Recall → 

 Our Incentive Guide

Check out our vehicle incentives and lease specials page for information on understanding incentives, plus links to every major manufacturer's incentive page for the latest offers by zip code.

Find Incentives By Automaker → 

 Kim Komando's Useful Tips of the Week 

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 interesting things I found this week in Kim’s Newsletter:

• Talk to a human: Head to this site next time you need to find the right customer service number. They list everything from airlines to dating apps and stores. Bookmark it now and thank yourself later when you reach a real person.
  
  
• Take It Down Act: President Trump just signed a law making it a crime to post someone’s intimate images without their consent, even if they’re AI deepfakes. It’s serious stuff. You could face up to three years in prison, plus fines. Platforms have 48 hours to take down reported content and scrub any copies.
  
  
• Hood’s up, scam’s on: Scammers are showing up to buy your car and sabotaging it mid-sale. They’re pouring oil into the coolant to fake engine issues, then trying to lowball you into selling the vehicle cheap. Even if you don’t fall for it, you’re stuck with a mess and a repair bill. 
  
  
• 3-second tech genius: Reboot your router once a month for better speeds. Pro tip: Plug it into a smart plug (7% off) and schedule auto reboots 

• 10 minutes: That’s how long a Lufthansa flight cruised without a pilot. The copilot passed out mid-flight while flying solo, because the captain was on a bathroom break. Autopilot kept things chill, but it took five unanswered chimes, an emergency code and some serious heart rate spikes before the captain could break back in and take over.

• Forget melting ice, a car fridge (15% off) keeps your drinks cool for longer.  This key organizer (15% off) holds up to eight of your keys and a car fob.  Feel safer while you’re parked with a steering wheel lock (28% off). 

• Bankrupt 23andMe just got bought: Regeneron is scooping it up for $256 million. Who’s that? A biotech company big on cancer and disease research. So yep, they’ll now have access to all that juicy genetic data. They say they’ll honor current privacy rules. Sure.
  
  
• Dodge ditches the Charger Daytona: The EV base model flopped so hard they sold less than 2,000 of ’em in the first few months of the year. But don’t worry, you can still pick up the Scat Pack version if you’ve got $73,985 lying around. Gas-powered Chargers are coming soon.

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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.