Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Highways and Byways: The Best and Worst States for Drivers, EV Dynamics, and Car Culture Stories

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Highways and Byways: The Best and Worst States for Drivers, EV Dynamics, and Car Culture Stories · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30 minute mini version of the In Wheel Time car show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11am central.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: This is the award winning In Wheel Time car talk show.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Just ahead we're going to discover the best states to own and drive a car, including a first place ranking right here in Texas.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: We'll explain Sugarland.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: You'll hear my thoughts on a week driving the completely redesigned Chevy Trax and Jeff has what's on TV this week for cars.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Just ahead on this episode of the In Wheel Time car talk show, howdy Along with Mike out of this World, mars.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: We always need more.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Jeff Zeekin, I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Glad that you could join us on this wet Saturday here in the Houston area, but we're told the weatherman says it's all supposed to clear out and be beautiful this afternoon.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Well, we'll be the judge of that.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's still going to be kind of soaking, you think.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know we're going to do any yard work.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: It's still going to be real wet Yard work yeah.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: You don't do yard work?
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I do.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Your wife does that, kathy, and I do.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: I contribute.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: I have smoking cigarettes in your lounge.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Drinking beer and, you know, scratching Okay.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Joining us now.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Cassandra Happy with Wallet Hub and the most driver-friendly states to drive in.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Cassandra, good morning to you.
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: Good morning.
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: Wow, you sound great.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: You sound like you're right here in the studio with us.
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: I like your headset Awesome.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know when did you get that headset.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: What is it?
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: I need to know that.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: I'm on Amazon.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: I can send you the link after the show here.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, please do, because that's a good one.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: It sounds great.
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: All right, glad to hear that.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: So let's talk about the first of all, let me tell everybody that Cassandra is a consumer finance expert and financial literacy advocate with 15 years of experience in the credit union industry.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: And you guys do all this research.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: And why do you do the research?
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: So money plays a key role in pretty much every aspect of our lives.
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: So what we like to do at Wallet Hub, on top of all the options we have for improving your financial fitness, we like to release reports that really look at both the financial side and the other aspects that just play into these everyday things that you may not really think about.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: The financial side of it, I mean, you think about that with driving a little bit, but on the other side of things you don't necessarily think of maybe the safety side of things.
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: So we really try to look at these things from the holistic standpoint so you can cover cost as well as safety, access all the things that you should really take into consideration.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: So we did this, you did this actual research on the best places to drive, I guess, in the entire United States.
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: Yes, we looked at the 50 states.
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: We did not include the District of Columbia in this particular study.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: Don't include them in anything, ever again.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: I'll take a note of that.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: But we looked at 31 different metrics, which can really be grouped into four different categories, which are cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure safety and access to vehicles and maintenance.
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: So we ranked each state on each of these metrics and then looked at it overall and ranked them from one to 50 for the best and the worst states to drive it.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: Which is the worst?
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: I want to hear that one.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Let it rip.
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: The worst is Hawaii.
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: They scored really low when it came to the cost of ownership and maintenance.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: But, cassandra, you're not supposed to drive in Hawaii, you're supposed to go to the beach in Hawaii.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: You can't drive there?
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: No, you can't.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: You got to fly in there and then you walk to the beach.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: But at any rate, I understand that the traffic is absolutely horrendous there.
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: Right and, of course, being an island, they have some more struggles when it comes to just getting access to parts and other things they might need for ownership and maintenance costs.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, okay.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Was there any one state that kind of surprised you in any of the metrics that you gathered?
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: Not necessarily.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: I was kind of surprised overall just to see that most of our top five states did really great in three out of four of our key categories, but they didn't do the best when it came to safety.
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: I was a little disappointed to see that it may be a little bit cheaper and the traffic might not be as bad, but it might not be as safe in those states.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: So let's talk about the top five.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: Who was number five?
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: Number five was Alabama, and they did really well when it came to the cost of ownership and maintenance.
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: They came in third overall for that particular metric.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: They've also got a great football team.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: Just say it All right, easy, yeah, yeah.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Well, I have a financial interest in the University of Alabama and probably will until I die.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: But wait, alabama doesn't have a protein.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: I didn't say protein, I just said football.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: There you go See.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: That's the only one.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: That really matters is the University of Alabama.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: The one he's paying for, the one that I'm paying for forever and ever.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: And number four.
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: Number four was Oklahoma, and they did pretty good when it came to cost of ownership and maintenance.
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: They came in seventh, so still in that top 20%.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: And they came in ninth for traffic and infrastructure, so right in that top 20% there as well.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, they don't have Houston's in Oklahoma.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Mars spent some time in Oklahoma.
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: The closest thing they got is Oklahoma City.
• 6:06
  Speaker 4: It ain't even close, yeah, they ain't even close to Houston.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: Number three.
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: Number three was Kansas.
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: They actually came in third for traffic and infrastructure and they came in 10th for cost of ownership and maintenance.
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: So still in that top 20% in those two metrics, but they didn't do as well in safety and access to vehicle maintenance.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: I have a question.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Both of those states you just talked about are in the middle of the country.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: Does that have any relation to what the data shows?
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: Not necessarily.
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: We didn't really see a distinct correlating factor in that.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: I mean, overall, the Midwest did pretty well in this study and I think part of that has to do with just having more open spaces.
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: There's some very rural states that came in.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: Especially our number one pick is definitely known for being a more rural state that doesn't have as much traffic because it's not as populated.
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they're more flyover states than rather drive-through states.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: Well, kansas at number three.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: They're probably going to be number one in football.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: So just saying I got to go there.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: I mean it was there, I just had to go with it.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: He's on a sports kick, Mike.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: So all right, who's number two?
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: Number two was Georgia and they came in second overall for cost of ownership and maintenance, so one of the least expensive places for owning and maintaining your vehicles in the country.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: And number one.
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: My father-in-law would be very proud to see this.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: Iowa came in at number one.
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: He's always told me.
• 7:49
  Speaker 4: I got family, there I can live with that.
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: So just this last summer we were down in Iowa and he went off about how he despises driving in Minnesota which is where I live, because Iowa the roads make sense.
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: You either go east or west or north or south.
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: There's really no in between.
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: So as long as you know what general direction you need to go, you just hop on the road and start heading that way.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: Well, when I think of Iowa my grandmother's from Iowa and I think of Iowa, I think of pig farms and corn.
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Hey, they've done quite well for the entire United States of America when it comes to feedness.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: Corn is high as the elephant's eye.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: That's it All right, okay, so there are some interesting things about Texas that I think that we should point out.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: Auto repair shops per capita.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: I would have thought, at least here in the Houston area, it'd be the number one place in the world for auto repair shops, but that's not the case.
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they came in fourth overall for auto repair shops per capita.
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: Still really, really good.
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: But you just have to consider it's for the whole state, so you factor that out for some more of the more rural areas that maybe don't have as many auto repair shops kind of balances out compared to the more populated metro areas.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: The one thing that really surprised me is that Texas is ranked 21st in auto maintenance costs.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Any idea how that happened?
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: That is a great question.
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: Let me look here real quick.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: Auto maintenance costs, and I assume that that's things like you know.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: Oil changes, fan belts fuel filters air filters that sort of thing, Spring tune-ups, fall tune-ups yeah, that kind of thing she's looking.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: No, that's real-time information coming in, you know, with all these metrics.
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: It's just sometimes you need to do a little bit of looking to make sure you don't speak out.
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: A turn on these things.
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: Oh, we do that all the time.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: Rank 21st in auto maintenance costs.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: At least, it's not number one in auto maintenance costs.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that would not be a good thing, would it?
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: No, do the opposite.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: No, that would not be a good thing, Exactly so.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: 21st out of 50 states, that's, you know, middle of the road.
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: I'd say the thereabouts.
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: So, average.
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: To get a gauge for the auto maintenance cost, we look specifically at the average price to computer or spin balance one front wheel tire, okay, and that's what we use to come up with our auto maintenance cost rankings is based off of that particular price.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's kind of odd, but okay, I mean, I wouldn't have thought that Somebody clearly didn't thought that that would be a good thing you got to have some sort of standard process that everybody could do, would do the same way again.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: You got to have a benchmark yeah.
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: All right, all right.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: So this doesn't surprise me.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Ranked number two is car dealerships per capita.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: No surprise, I would think that we would probably number one.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: We got a lot of car dealerships here in Houston and we just have to work harder, since we're number two.
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: Got to, got to build some more shops out there.
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: There you go.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess so Rank number two and then the we did the auto maintenance, we did auto repair shops.
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: Per capita ranked fourth and I believe that.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: So car dealerships we got that and I guess it's a good thing that we were ranked first in the average price of gas.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Is that meaning the lowest price among the 50 states?
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the best.
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: Yes, that's, you know.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: Based on the average, it's the lowest cost we saw and it's, uh, california which had the highest cost was twice as much as what Texas was, so definitely much cheaper to fill up your tank in Texas compared to, uh, you know, california and some of the other states out there.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: That's no surprise.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I would believe that.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: Okay, any other kind of little goodies that you want to throw in in this?
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: Well, I just want to say that Texas, you know they may not have been in the top five but they're definitely in the top 20% and with the exception of coming in, you know, a little bit low on the traffic and infrastructure dimension, they're pretty well balanced as far as being a great state to drive in.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, what would be a great state to go on vacation to.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: As far as automobile traffic is concerned, iowa, iowa, yeah, but you know I don't want to go and visit pig farms in corn fields.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: That's just my saying.
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: They got a baseball field out in the middle of cornfield.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Was that where field of dreams was?
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Yes, it's still there.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: I know it's a tourist attraction.
• 12:55
  Speaker 4: Now, well, there you go, so we could go there, no you could go there and they have 3.2 beer there, do they?
• 13:02
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 13:03
  Speaker 4: How would you know that?
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: So you could drink a lot more, I see If you were a beer drinker.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: of course I'm not a beer drinker, but apparently you are.
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: He's just smiling, but I can promise you that I'm not saying anything else.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: So apparently this is page upon page of interesting best to worst states to drive in from Wallet Hub, correct?
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: There's a lot of data there, so definitely go check out the website, see where your state in particular ranks and take a look at the different metrics we looked at.
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: And it's really just important to note that everyone has different preferences and really to consider what's most important to you.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: If you're looking at one of these studies and thinking, well, maybe I don't want to go to Hawaii because they have you know, really, bad traffic.
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, that's why I don't want to go there.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: Do you guys keep in mind, if that's not a big deal for you, if you don't mind sitting in traffic, then Hawaii is a great place.
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: You know, it's really based on preference.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: I'll bet you that they got some really good Ubers there.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: I don't even want to rent a car.
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: No, no, no.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: Because you're stuck on an island, I mean, and there's the beach all the way around it.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: Exactly so.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: I'm good, you know, give me a place and I'll just plop down there and I'll be good for a while.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been a while.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: Every half hour flip them over so it doesn't burn.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that kind of thing, Cassandra.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: thank you so much for joining us today.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: We really appreciate it.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: What a great, interesting kind of research thing that you've done.
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: Thank you for having me and I hope we can chat again soon, cassandra happy with Wallet Hub.
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: Yes, let's do that.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: Next study, be sure, and look us up.
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, I'll keep you guys in mind.
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: Thanks again.
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: Interesting, all right, too good, yeah, it is.
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: You know it's 14 after the hour and I think that I'm supposed to do something here.
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: Well, you can do a review if you want.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: Well, I want to do news.
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: Actually, I was going to turn to you and say Jeffrey, do it.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: You want to do the what's on TV?
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's going to be short, just something quick.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: I don't really have any drastic news or changes in the structure of television, but I went into Motor Trend Plus, which is a subscription, not a paid subscription a free subscription to Motor Trend and you can get.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: There's over 90 Motor Trend television shows about cars, everything from the things you like to the things you like Michael.
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: I picked out a few things that we don't like the same thing at all.
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: I picked out a few of the things that I watch Now.
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: Just recently, about a week or so ago, we had other meek am auctions and Kissimmee and I think we talked about that a week or so ago.
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: That ended in their plan to repeat the reruns on that.
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: One of the things that I like to watch, and you watch it as well, is it's on the subscription side it's Rust Valley Restores.
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: Love that show Rust Valley Restores the little backstory on that.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: They're nestled in a recreation paradise of South Sushwap, canada Say that.
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: I think it'd be C.
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: It's one of the unique car communities in the world.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: It's Tappin, british Columbia, or Rust Valley as they call it, at its heart.
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: It's a remarkable restoration shop run by a team of colorful, charismatic characters and they use their impressive skills to restore, trade and sell vehicles.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: So that's one of them.
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: You've got Iron Resurrection Extra.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: We talked about that last night at dinner that they're starting to do some other stuff.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: Now we all know Iron Resurrection is there here in Texas In the Hill Country.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, in the Hill Country.
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: Master metal fabricator Joe Martin showcases motorcycle building skills, won a championship and then got into the car stuff.
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: So that's a little bit of a backstory on that.
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: That's probably one of my favorite shows, yeah.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: And it's good, wholesome TV.
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: There's not horse play or pranks going on that they used to be in some of the other shows.
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: Full Custom Garage Nine seasons, 85 episodes, and you got Ian Russell.
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: What a guy he makes these things.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's like the MacGyver of car building.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: He can take whatever and make something out of it.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: What's the name of the show?
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: Full Custom Garage?
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: Full Custom yeah, we talked about that one.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: My favorite that I've watched it's not on anymore but I still like watching the reruns is Autobiography, cold Case, where they take an event automotive history and they do the backstory, they do the investigation, sort of like a Perry Mason thing.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: I love Perry Mason he's not on the list, though and they go through it and they solve what could have been a crime a missing Ferrari or a stolen car, Mulholland Drive, all the accidents and things on that Is there really a ghost out there?
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: And things of that.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: So they do that research.
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: So that's some stuff you can get on Motor Trend Plus.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: It is a subscription, it is a free subscription, but you can do that and you can watch it at any time, any time of the day or night.
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: Very nice, okay.
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: Let's do a car review, shall we?
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: Let's show.
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: I had a chance to drive the 2024 Chevy Trax.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: Now, this is a complete redesign from the original Chevy Trax.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: Okay, it's available in these trim levels the LS, the 1RS, the LT, the 2RS and the active.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: I reviewed the 2RS.
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: It is considered a small station wagon.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: I don't like that nomenclature because it gives me visions of station wagons, and not that I don't like station wagons, but it doesn't look like a station wagon to me.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: It looks like a very small SUV, does it not?
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: It's a good looking car.
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: It really is.
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: Anyway, it's a complete redesign.
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: Seats, five passengers.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: It is an extra small SUV.
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: Exterior features this again is not the original Trax.
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: It's all new from the ground up, top to bottom.
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: Small but sleek body work that's very attractive.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: Good looking grille and headlight design.
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: Up swept side windows connect through the piece to the C pillar to the fastback rear hatch window.
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: It's really a sharp looking, different kind of SUV.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: What I liked?
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: The dark lower valance panel and the sporty overall look.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: It's a winner.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: Don't touch it.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: I like it.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: I like the price point too, and they'll tell you about that in just a second.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: I think you will be amazed.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: Dual pod dash, easy to understand infotainment system.
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: Simple HVAC controls, not complicated.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: Attractive, comfortable seating.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: Limited actual Back seat, cargo room area.
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: With the back seat up it's limited, plentiful.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: With the back seat down, considering it's diminutive size, it works.
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: What I liked the RS red accents throughout the cabin, stitching et cetera.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: But you can use improvement.
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: My advice is don't mess it up.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: Don't mess it up with the size and don't mess it up with the price point, and I'll have a story about the price point here.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: In a little bit Engine this was kind of a surprise A 1.2 liter turbocharged three cylinder.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: And no, it's not a motorcycle.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: It actually runs really well 137 horsepower Remember this thing is tiny 162 pound feet of torque, six speed automatic transmission.
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: Fuel mileage 28 city, 32 highway, for a combined to 30.
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: That's what the government has ranked it.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: I got 28.9 over 347.2 miles.
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: Clearly what I liked about it is the gas mileage.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: How about a plug in hybrid option?
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: That'd be good.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: It would be, I think.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: Imagine tacking on at least another 10 miles per gallon on that thing.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: I don't know whether they've got room for such a thing, but I think that they should look at that.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: Ride and handling nice for a small runabout.
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: Nothing, keeping the price point where it is Now.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: As far as options are concerned and I've got time to do this I wanted to point out that the sunroof package, which goes up for me $895.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Why would you do that to yourself in a city that reaches 108 degrees in the summertime?
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: But to each his own.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: Driver confidence package they call it $795 includes rear cross traffic alert that's good.
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: Lane change alert with side blind zone alert Give me the alerts, but don't interfere with my driving.
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: The adaptive cruise control that's good and the rear park assist is good $795.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: That would be something to get Now.
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: Optional paint color costs $395.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: I don't know what that's about.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Every car has to be painted.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: Why would you paint more for that?
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: Anyway, then you want to know how much it costs.
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: That's what I'm waiting.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: The base trim price is $239.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: Price is tested $27,080.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: But if you want to get in to the base model of the Chevy Trax $20,400.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: This is Chevrolet's least expensive SUV and that is the bell ringer for me.
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: I mean, everybody can afford this and I think that if you're in the market for a small SUV, this would be something to look at.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: Competitors include the Mazda CX30 for $24,995.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: The Nissan Kix starts at $21,050.
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: And the Toyota Corolla Cross is $23,610.
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: I think if you are in the market for this size vehicle at this price point, I think that you're really gonna be impressed.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: I would encourage you to find your Chevy dealer.
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: If they've got one, call ahead, look online, see where they are, go test drive one and I think that you'll agree with me.
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: You may not like it, but I did you know who likes that car?
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: Kylie likes that car.
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: She sat in it a year ago at the auto show and I've got pictures of her sitting in it.
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: She had a smile ear to ear.
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: She really likes that car.
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: They came out with that greenish light color, sort of off green, minty, minty, green, there you go, and she liked that.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I can certainly see that and some of the new colors are really good out there that are available.
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: on that Chevy Trax and the price point is good for her parents to buy her one.
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: Well, there you go.
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: If you wanna buy a new one, yeah.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: Parents or grandparents.
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: Mike, I said parents, I did not stutter, okay.
• 24:08
  Speaker 4: Just checking, just checking, just checking.
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: Well, based on my experience with one of my daughters in particular, my astrophysicist daughter.
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: There's a hair on this microphone.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: I'm trying to get off of there.
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: Anyway, she mashed every fender on that Ford Focus that she still has.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: I don't know how many pounds of Bondo are on the car, but I guarantee you she'd get better gas mileage if she got new sheet metal on it.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: But that would be my suggestion.
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: And she's still driving it and she's still driving it and she's in Colorado driving that yeah.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: Wow, yeah, and she told me that she wants to keep the car, even when she gets in here when she's working on.
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: She wants to keep the car, cause it's worth nothing.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: Contact Ford and maybe put it in a museum.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: No, Henry Ford Museum.
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: It will be in the Inwheel Time Hall effect.
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: There you go.
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: I said so, okay, what are you gonna do with it?
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: Well, I wanna keep it.
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: Okay, keep it.
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: Where are you gonna keep it?
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: Well, here, I said why would you keep it in Colorado, with snow all over it all the time?
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: I said, why don't you put it in your mother's garage so you have something to drive when you get here?
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, oh well, there's an idea.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: There you go, so we'll see if that happens.
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: But yes, the famous 2007 Ford Focus that I bought in 2007 that now has 180,000 miles on it.
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: Do they have inspections in Colorado?
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: I don't know State inspections Cause you could probably bypass that because of a vintage vehicle.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: I can have vintage, yeah.
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: Exactly, I don't know, but it's got a five speed manual transmission and crank windows on the two door black Ford.
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: Focus no.
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: Internet no.
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: USB ports no it does have a heater in it, I'm glad to report, cause it does get cold up there on occasion Little bit.
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: Just thought I'd throw that out there.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: University of Nebraska, lincoln, crashed a Rivian R1T into a steel guardrail at 60 miles an hour to test how heavier electric vehicles perform against safety barriers designed for lighter gasoline models.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: The guardrail was no match for the Rivian.
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: Oh boy, 7,000 plus pound 2022 Rivian R1T truck tore through the barrier with little reduction in speed.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: According to a press release from the university and its Midwest roadside safety facility.
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: The test was carried out in October.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Since EVs are involved in runoff road crashes at similar rates and speeds as gasoline cars, that could mean an EV crashing into a roadside barrier could have 20% to 50% more impact energy, according to the university.
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: So keep that in mind and if and Mars will tell you, I don't think have you ever driven an EV?
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: They feel heavy, they are heavy.
• 26:50
  Speaker 4: They do Not for very just a few feet.
• 26:51
  Speaker 4: But that's what contributes to their, to their smoother ride, if you will, between that and the tires.
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but I will tell you that there's a noticeable difference in the weight, in the way that the thing handles and the way that it rides.
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: It rides pretty good, kind of like an old Hudson Hornet, yeah, because it was extra heavy, yeah, but I will tell you that for me it's almost twice as much as a regular car.
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: It weighs almost twice as much.
• 27:17
  Speaker 4: And where I see it, the biggest thing is, if you're, for whatever reason, you need to stop a little quicker than normal.
• 27:25
  Speaker 4: It feels like you're not going to.
• 27:27
  Speaker 4: That's right.
• 27:28
  Speaker 4: It's like the breaking Sluggish Almost.
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: It's not quite.
• 27:31
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Because there's so much weight there.
• 27:32
  Speaker 4: That's when you really feel that weight.
• 27:34
  Speaker 4: You would ask about the Tesla truck.
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: I saw one just this past week.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: Cyber truck, cyber truck.
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, not far from here.
• 27:41
  Speaker 4: Here in the wild.
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, here in the wild.
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: In fact I was in a parking lot.
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: They were zipping by on the street to traffic light and I was going to get a picture of it in the wild, but they turned and went off.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: But it was over here off of West airport Sugarland.
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: Hey, I want to remind you that the In-Wheel Time Car Talk shows available 24 seven through the iHeart radio app.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: Just look for In-Wheel Time Car Talk.
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: We also video stream on Facebook, youtube and In-WheelTimecom, and podcasts are available from your favorite podcast provider.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: The In-Wheel Time Car Talk show continues right after this quick break.
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: The original group of loopy tortilla restaurants will have you telling your family and friends just what the original recipes mean when it comes to the best fajitas in Southeast Texas.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: Founder Stan Holt invites you to visit the original loopy tortilla near I-10 and Highway 6.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: Here's the original house that inspired the design of all the rest and the original charm that helped make loopy tortilla the go-to destination for Houston Tex-Mex.
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: Speaking of original, nothing can compete with the original lime pepper marinade that everyone will agree makes loopy tortilla award-winning beef fajitas the best anywhere.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: Loopy Tortilla Katie is another location that gives you the same quality and service Houstonians have come to expect at loopies.
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: It's located just off I-10 of the Grand Parkway at Kingsland Boulevard in Katie.
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: Find yourself in Aggie Land.
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: Head to the loopy tortilla in College Station, located just around the corner from Kyle Field.
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: It's a great place to enjoy those famous frozen margaritas before or after the game, head east to Louisiana, stop in at the loopy tortilla in Beaumont it twos on I-10, you can't miss it.
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: The original group of loopy tortilla restaurants invites you in for the best Tex-Mex.
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: Anywhere you own a car you love, why not let Gulf Coast Auto Shield protect it?
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: Houstonian John Gray invites you to his state-of-the-art facility to introduce you to his specialist team of auto enthusiasts.
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: We promise you'll be impressed.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: Whether you're looking to massage your original paint to a like new appearance, apply a ceramic coating, install a paint protection film, nanoceramic window tint or new windshield protection called ExoShield, gulf Coast Auto Shield is where Houston's car people go.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: Curved your wheels Instead of buying new one, I'd have them repaired.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: How about a professionally installed radar detector?
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield does that too.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Get a peek inside the shop and look at the services offered by getting online and heading to gcautoshieldcom.
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: Better yet, stop by their facility at 11275 South Sam Houston Tullway, just south of the southwest freeway, and get a personal tour.
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your place to go for all things exterior.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: Call them today, 832-930-5655, or gcautoshieldcom.
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: Want to feel good about something special?
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: You did for some one special Inwheel Time and the original loopy tortilla group of Tex-Mex restaurants have joined together to help a very worthy cause God's Garage, a Christian-based 501c3 charity.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: We know there are lots of places and organizations out there where you can donate a car, truck or SUV, but we're asking you, our car enthusiast family, to consider donating to God's Garage.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: Visit godsgarageorg and learn about its mission, the women that have been helped, how each one is screened and about their Restore you program.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: A car donation is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of others.
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: God's Garage needs good operating vehicles but will take all types in working and non-working condition.
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: Make your heart and soul feel good by donating your gently used vehicle and help support single mothers, widows and wives of deployed military at godsgarageorg.
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: That's it for this podcast episode of the Inwheel Time Car Show.
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am Central on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our InwheelTimecom website.
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify, stitcher, iheart Podcast Podcast, addict Tune In Pandora and Amazon Music.
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: Keep listening and we'll see you soon.