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What Would You Drive 3,200 Miles For? · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:05
  Don Armstrong: From broadcast studios in Texas, USA, it's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:11
  Don Armstrong: Just ahead, we talked to Doug Damore about the long haul rally.
• 0:16
  Don Armstrong: I think you're gonna like this one.
• 0:17
  Don Armstrong: Jeff has the motor minute, and I'll review the news today, and they got 47 miles per gallon while I go with for a week here in Houston.
• 0:26
  Don Armstrong: Howdy! Along with Mike, he's got his teeth in Mars.
• 0:32
  Don Armstrong: We need more Jeff Zeken, Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
• 0:35
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:36
  Don Armstrong: So glad that you could join us on this Saturday for our live broadcast.
• 0:39
  Don Armstrong: If you're uh listening, watching on a podcast, we thank you very much for doing that as well.
• 0:44
  Don Armstrong: We were one second late getting on.
• 0:45
  Jeff Dziekan: I saw the clock.
• 0:47
  Don Armstrong: One second late.
• 0:48
  Don Armstrong: Thank you for pointing that out.
• 0:50
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 0:50
  Don Armstrong: Just like I pointed out, Mars has his teeth in.
• 0:54
  Mike Marrs: Exactly.
• 0:54
  Mike Marrs: Everybody needs to know all this information rather than.
• 0:57
  Don Armstrong: That's exactly right.
• 0:58
  Don Armstrong: Not related to car stuff, but you know what?
• 1:01
  Don Armstrong: It kind of sets the mood for the next two hours on our lives.
• 1:06
  Don Armstrong: It does keep us up at night.
• 1:08
  Don Armstrong: So um, Mr.
• 1:09
  Don Armstrong: Mars, how was your week, sir?
• 1:10
  Mike Marrs: It was uh one of those busy weeks, you know.
• 1:13
  Mike Marrs: You get to the end of the week and you're going, here's my list of things I have not done is much longer than the list I am.
• 1:19
  Mike Marrs: Michael, yeah.
• 1:19
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, thank you for reminding us of that.
• 1:21
  Don Armstrong: Exactly.
• 1:21
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:22
  Mike Marrs: You ask.
• 1:23
  Mike Marrs: Yeah.
• 1:23
  Mike Marrs: And then otherwise, otherwise, oh, it's the weekend.
• 1:26
  Don Armstrong: You get the whole weekend off.
• 1:28
  Don Armstrong: No.
• 1:29
  Don Armstrong: Now it's try to play catch up from all the stuff that we had scheduled last week to today.
• 1:34
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 1:35
  Don Armstrong: So that's not going to happen either.
• 1:36
  Don Armstrong: Because guess what?
• 1:37
  Don Armstrong: At the top of my list after the show, nap.
• 1:40
  Don Armstrong: I've got laundry to do.
• 1:41
  Jeff Dziekan: I'll see you later.
• 1:42
  Don Armstrong: Okay, see you.
• 1:43
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:44
  Don Armstrong: There's that.
• 1:45
  Don Armstrong: Well, let's get to our first guest, shall we?
• 1:47
  Don Armstrong: Uh, his name is Doug Damore, uh, long haul rally head chief and bottle washer.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: Doug, good morning to you.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning, guys.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: How are you guys doing?
• 1:57
  Don Armstrong: Very well, thank you.
• 1:58
  Don Armstrong: Thanks for joining us.
• 1:59
  Don Armstrong: Where are we talking to you from?
• 2:00
  Don Armstrong: Where are you where are you based out of?
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_02: I am way over in San Antonio.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 2:08
  Don Armstrong: Wait a minute.
• 2:08
  Don Armstrong: So, uh, okay, so this is about the long haul rally that has apparently not too much to do with San Antonio.
• 2:16
  Don Armstrong: How did that work out, Doug?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: No, so yeah, the long haul rally, it all came about.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um basically, I wanted to do a rally.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: I checked into Gumball.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: I don't have a hundred thousand dollars.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sure it's worth it.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sure gumball's worth it.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_02: But I don't have a hundred thousand dollars to do a rally.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: This started back uh probably 10 years ago.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: I had a C6.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I really wanted to do a rally, and and I just couldn't afford one.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_02: So then you know, years go by, I'm now a chief engineer, I'm making more money, and I still can't afford a rally.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: I have and I'm going, I still want to do a rally.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, so I was like, well, talk to my wife and she said, let's make our own.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what we did.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_02: We were like, okay, well, we'll make our own rally, and we're like, well, if we're gonna do it, let's do it right.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: And we'll we're gonna we started out trying to do like a hundred C eight going coast to coast, is where we started.
• 3:15
  Jeff Dziekan: I need to back this up.
• 3:16
  Jeff Dziekan: So for the gumball, you need a hundred grand to enter your vehicle or enter as a driver.
• 3:20
  Jeff Dziekan: I I don't understand.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: It is one hundred thousand dollars to enter, from what I understand.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_02: That's the registration fee.
• 3:27
  Don Armstrong: Dang!
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: And then you still have to get your car to wherever the start is, you have to get your car to wherever the you know after you're done with the rel, you have to get the car.
• 3:35
  Don Armstrong: Now these are regular streetcars, am I correct?
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: Those are regular streetcars, also, yeah.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: But they're they're Lambos and and Ferraris, and they're the hyper cars.
• 3:44
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, it just blows my mind.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's really a different level.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we're not we're not at that level, we don't pretend to be at that level.
• 3:52
  Jeff Dziekan: Okay, so yours.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 3:54
  Don Armstrong: So what about yours?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: Your for like the working man.
• 3:57
  Don Armstrong: Um, I got you.
• 3:59
  Don Armstrong: So, what made you decide to go outer banks, North Carolina to Monterey, California?
• 4:04
  Don Armstrong: That's kind of a uh a more northern location than down here in Texas or in your case San Antonio.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I travel, I travel a lot.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm a I'm a chief engineer for a TV company, and I travel all 48 states.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: Well, the 48 states, and um my wife has a crafting event in Outer Banks later on this year.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_02: Starting some recon, you know, figure out some some extra restaurants and and talk to some people while we're out there.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_02: So and we get to do Tell of the Dragon again.
• 4:38
  Don Armstrong: So that that's that that's very nice.
• 4:40
  Don Armstrong: So is this open to all cars?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_02: This the one that's coast to coast, we're gonna open it up just to Corvettes.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: We were trying to do just C eights because you know, one platform everyone, I don't know if you guys know, but I'm sure you do.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: The the C eights there have run flat tires.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: So if you have a massive blowout, you're kind of screwed.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: So we're like, okay, so we need we need extra wheels and tires.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: That happens, we can at least continue on, right?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: You know, so this is not a speed event, is it a timed event?
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: It is neither.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_02: No, it's not speed or timed, it's kind of just we're all going as as as quick as possible.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_02: No, maybe just as safe as possible to get there.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sure we're gonna have some spirited drivers, and uh they're gonna get there as fast as they want.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: No, we we actually built in some checkpoints, so we have an app, um, and it will direct you to different checkpoints that you can do.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_02: They're optional, you don't have to go to the checkpoints.
• 5:42
  Don Armstrong: So let's clear, let's clarify and and tell everybody that this is an event that is in May of next year, right?
• 5:50
  Don Armstrong: Yes, so we don't have to hurry.
• 5:52
  Don Armstrong: I mean, is the registration still open?
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, registration is going to be open until at least March, maybe April 1st.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_02: We might end the registration.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_02: So you're going to be able to do that.
• 6:02
  Don Armstrong: Is there a is there a limit to the number of cars?
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: We are limiting to 100 cars.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: This is our inaugural rally, our first rally.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_02: So we want to make sure we're doing it the right way before we try to open it up to just unlimited.
• 6:16
  Don Armstrong: So, in other words, you're only gonna you're you're only taking the chance of really getting a hundred people mad at you as opposed to a thousand.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, my wife, yeah.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and one.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:31
  Jeff Dziekan: So obviously your wife's going with you, co-drivers, you know, once her event's done, you're gonna head out.
• 6:35
  Don Armstrong: So a 3,200 mile trip, man, you gotta really like your neighbors and and and preferably not run into the back of one of them because that's gonna be a big mess if you do that.
• 6:47
  Don Armstrong: Or 3,200 miles in a Corvette.
• 6:49
  Don Armstrong: Well, they're all Corvettes, yeah.
• 6:51
  Don Armstrong: Well, yeah, but it's not like riding and out of the city.
• 6:53
  Don Armstrong: So is my is my C5 allowed in the vet in the event?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_02: All of them.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: C1 through C eight, all of them.
• 7:00
  Don Armstrong: Okay, well, that's good to know.
• 7:02
  Don Armstrong: And uh you're you're banking on this, so to speak, uh, as a seven-day event, the 20th through the 27th.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: It will be seven nights, yeah.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: Eight days, seven nights.
• 7:13
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 7:14
  Don Armstrong: I'm just trying to figure out how long I need to take off work.
• 7:18
  Mike Marrs: Yeah.
• 7:18
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, we were talking about that the other day, uh, whenever I first talked to him, that you know, this is a pretty big deal as you're talking, you gotta have a day to get to the beginning, at least a day, and a day to get back from the end.
• 7:30
  Mike Marrs: So you're talking a two-week vacation almost.
• 7:33
  Don Armstrong: Well, I don't know about you, but my math tells me it's gonna be at least a two or probably three-day uh trip to get back to Texas from Monterey, California.
• 7:43
  Don Armstrong: At least, yeah.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_02: I do it in two.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, well, of course you are.
• 7:47
  Don Armstrong: There you go, bragging again.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: I travel, I travel a lot for a living, so yeah, I'm used to it.
• 7:52
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, spirited events, spirited drivers, but not with the intake.
• 7:56
  Don Armstrong: So, what what what can we expect?
• 7:58
  Don Armstrong: On the I mean, we're gonna give uh you know a guinea bag at the beginning and uh camaraderie, and I'm sure that somewhere along the course there's probably going to be some libations and you know, some some fun along the way.
• 8:12
  Don Armstrong: Networking.
• 8:12
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, networking.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's gonna be a lot of fun along the way, but you know, also besides the swag bag as we call it, um, we're also doing the a side sash.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: So if you've seen the Monterey Fuel Run, these are sashes that go along the side of the car.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_04: Like uh like a little door.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_02: It won't be the whole door, it'll be about half of the door.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_02: It will be just like a stripe, and then the top will say long haul rally, and the bottom will be our sponsors.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_02: And then we'll also do a windshield banner.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: We're giving away free radios, FRS radios, uh flags, uh coins for the first 25 that registered.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then we're doing mega prizes throughout.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: So writer detectors.
• 8:52
  Don Armstrong: Um did did your wife did your wife ever say to you, are you crazy?
• 8:57
  Don Armstrong: Yes, yes.
• 8:59
  Don Armstrong: Well, she probably from the day that she married you, my guess is.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, that's true.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we did that path too.
• 9:07
  Don Armstrong: Because listen, uh, you know, I've I've been teetering in and out of car clubs and car shows and car programs uh all of my adult life.
• 9:18
  Don Armstrong: And I'll tell you what, man, this is a lot of work.
• 9:21
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, it is.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yeah, I've been on other rallies, and and my most memorable rally was more of a deployment overseas.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I got you.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 9:37
  Jeff Dziekan: So we've been on we've been on tours, hot rod tour comes to mind where uh the organizers they actually get with the municipalities.
• 9:44
  Jeff Dziekan: Sometimes they have the sheriff's department or fire department, you know, they shut down roads and everything.
• 9:49
  Jeff Dziekan: Is it gonna be like that, or are you just you're on your own going through any particular town?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: It probably won't be because we're only going to be there for for a day.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: I know some of the larger rallies do that, and it's just not within the budget right now.
• 10:01
  Don Armstrong: So unless we have some other sponsors, you know, step forward, then so in other words, if in wheel time said so if in wheel time said, Doug, here's uh you know, five grand, then you could probably say, Oh, okay, we'll we'll try to work you in somehow.
• 10:17
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, that's what we need.
• 10:18
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, Mike just fell off his chair.
• 10:22
  Mike Marrs: I'll be back after I get some smelling salts.
• 10:25
  Mike Marrs: So so you mentioned earlier you were talking about uh like somebody having run flats, like Don's has run flats on his car.
• 10:33
  Mike Marrs: So I have a C5.
• 10:34
  Mike Marrs: Right, I have a C5 and uh really nice car, by the way.
• 10:38
  Mike Marrs: And um so what happens if you're I guess you're coming across the northern part of Texas through Oklahoma or someplace like that.
• 10:46
  Mike Marrs: I didn't look at the route that close.
• 10:48
  Mike Marrs: You get out there and you have a flat blowout.
• 10:53
  Mike Marrs: So are you just on your own?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_02: Hopefully you pull over on the side of the road, at least on the on the on the side of the highway.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then you can either call us or get on the radio and let everybody know.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: And then we have a we have we're gonna have a chase vehicle.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I have a I have a Bronco, and we're in the Bronco, we're gonna have um as many tires and wheels combos as we can fit in there.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_02: And we're thinking about using some um some adapters if we need to, and they'll have the jack, they'll have the pucks, um, you know, and tire inflator if it's just low.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: You know, obviously, if it's just low and you have run flats, get off get off the highway at the next exit and we'll figure something out from there.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: But we do have a chase truck, yeah.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: So you got a little bit of help following.
• 11:38
  Don Armstrong: Is it going to be a food truck following behind, or how does that be?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: That would be nice.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_02: A food truck, beer truck would be great.
• 11:46
  Jeff Dziekan: So everyone's on their own for the hotel uh registr uh lodging and things like that.
• 11:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Once they get the destinations, they can call ahead and make the reservations and things.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right, yeah.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: So the yeah, the hotels are on your own, except that we we are not, I guess partnering is probably the wrong word, but we do have uh IHG, so the holiday ins.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: We're working with the holiday ins across the route, except for one spot, but we're across the route to get the lowest rate that we can get.
• 12:11
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, discounts and things, sure.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so we're blocking blocking rooms basically, right?
• 12:15
  Don Armstrong: And uh 100 cars, and you so you gotta have a parking lot that can hold all of that, and then you gotta have uh, you know, accommodation somewhere along the way, and hopefully most of the crew, the hundred cars that uh are on the tour, uh are going to be able to stay with each other the entire trip.
• 12:34
  Don Armstrong: I'm sure that there'll be some stragglers.
• 12:36
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, you said spirited driving, and it's you know, it's a destination thing.
• 12:39
  Jeff Dziekan: You gotta you gotta plan.
• 12:41
  Don Armstrong: But you know what?
• 12:42
  Don Armstrong: For a seven-day trip, I I'm thinking I I'm not racing the car across the Americas.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we're not doing uh this isn't gonna be uh um uh like a true gumball.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: We're trying to get there as fast as we can, and you know, we're not we're not doing that or a cannonball, can't we're not doing cannonball routes.
• 12:59
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, right.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 13:01
  Mike Marrs: But you said there was some checkpoints, and and you were talking about the dragon, some things like that that would you know make it more of a uh a participant drive, not necessarily just tall and tail across the country.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly, yeah, exactly.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: And then for like the Tale of the Dragon, what we're doing is we're setting up a checkpoint um at the start in Deals Gaff, we're starting doing a checkpoint there, and then we'll have a checkpoint at the end of Tale of the Dragon, and then at the end of the day, we can see who maybe someone didn't make it, maybe they got stuck or something on the Tale of the Dragon.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: They didn't keep it between the mayo and the mustard, as we say.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_02: So we can use the checkpoints not not only to to kind of get people off path to go see something or a great view or a great picture or a statue or you know, a nice cemetery.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_02: Not just those things, but we were also using the checkpoints as like a security measure or safety measure.
• 13:54
  Mike Marrs: Right, keep up with everybody.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we're not traveling in one long 100-car snake.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: We're not gonna do that.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: We'll probably just end you end up from from my experience, you end up in groups of you know, six to ten cars, yep, and you pull over and get gas.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not I'm not scheduling fuel mileage and all that for all the cars.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not we're not doing that.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: That would be a mess.
• 14:17
  Don Armstrong: So is it is it going to be a uh great big party at the end?
• 14:21
  Don Armstrong: Say yes.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes, it's gonna be awesome.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be a great event, and we're we're toying with the idea of a like a big prize of maybe like a uh a surfboard, you know, something that's easy for you to get home.
• 14:37
  Don Armstrong: Surfboard on the back of a corvette, yeah.
• 14:39
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I I see that.
• 14:41
  Don Armstrong: Maybe maybe the Corvette that we've got behind us is it's a convertible, but uh I would imagine that uh, you know, there may be some shipping issues, but that with something that we can work around, I'm sure.
• 14:51
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:53
  Mike Marrs: Got some rope tied on the top.
• 14:54
  Don Armstrong: So if we're interested and we want to check into it, where do we go to do that?
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: Uh longhallrally.com.
• 15:01
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 15:01
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 15:02
  Don Armstrong: And it's got all the information on there.
• 15:04
  Don Armstrong: Uh, how much is a registration fee?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we're charging$12.50.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: So you can do that in in different batches if you want.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: So$250 can get you registered, so you can get your car number, which a lot of people are they're really into their car number.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_02: We had we had someone offering money because somebody else already had their car number.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: So if you want to have a specific car number, you can just pay the 250.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's non-refundable, but that gets you into the rally, we'll get you fully registered, and then you can pay the thousand that that's remaining.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: You can pay that like in by January 1st.
• 15:38
  Don Armstrong: Car numbers uh limited to two digits.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_02: No, you can have one digit.
• 15:44
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 15:45
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I just you know, you're trying to set the hundred cars.
• 15:50
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 15:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 15:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, uh, yeah, there's that.
• 15:52
  Jeff Dziekan: B number one, beat number ninety-nine or something.
• 15:54
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: No, I guess we don't we don't have to, now that you bring it up, we don't have to limit it to to two digits.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: You could have seven seven seven seven if you like.
• 16:04
  Don Armstrong: How about eight six seven five three oh nine?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_02: There you go.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if Jenny would like that.
• 16:11
  Don Armstrong: Exactly.
• 16:12
  Don Armstrong: Well, Doug, uh, we wish you the best of luck.
• 16:14
  Don Armstrong: It's called Long Haul Rally, and you go to longhallrally.com for more information and get all the deets on all of this.
• 16:22
  Don Armstrong: And uh direct line to Doug if you got any questions.
• 16:25
  Don Armstrong: Just or his wife, or his wife, and then uh be sure and open the wallet.
• 16:29
  Don Armstrong: There you go.
• 16:31
  Don Armstrong: Doug, thanks again.
• 16:32
  Don Armstrong: It's great to talk to you.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: All right, I appreciate you guys.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 16:35
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 16:36
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 16:37
  Don Armstrong: Um, coming up here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show, Jeff's Motor Minute, and a review of the car that got me 47 miles per gallon in Houston.
• 16:47
  Don Armstrong: When the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues right after this 90-second break.
• 16:51
  Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
• 16:54
  Don Armstrong: The Texas Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef heatest and frozen margaritas.
• 17:02
  Don Armstrong: Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients.
• 17:09
  Don Armstrong: Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Lupi Tortillas, all developed in a little house near Highway 69 in Houston.
• 17:16
  Don Armstrong: Visit any of the Lupi tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail at each and every location.
• 17:21
  Don Armstrong: Start your Luffy experience with queso flameato and guacamole, along with a classic rosa margarita.
• 17:27
  Don Armstrong: Dine on famous Luppy Beef and Chicken Tonitas or Pepper Crip Rochette, or a fish or vegetarian entrep, and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert.
• 17:35
  Don Armstrong: Find Lupi Tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, Fort Worth.
• 17:41
  Don Armstrong: There's a Texas location near you.
• 17:43
  Don Armstrong: The recipes are authentic and time-tested.
• 17:45
  Don Armstrong: The ingredients always fresh.
• 17:47
  Don Armstrong: Loopy tortilla.
• 17:48
  Don Armstrong: It's pretty good.
• 17:54
  Don Armstrong: Apple or Android, the In Wheel Time Podcast can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads.
• 17:59
  Don Armstrong: Whether you're on the road or at home and searching for a fun car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try.
• 18:04
  Don Armstrong: Honest new car reviews, fun informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture, Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time.
• 18:14
  Don Armstrong: Check us out on SiriusXM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music.
• 18:20
  Don Armstrong: Inwheeltime.com has a list, so check us out.
• 18:24
  Don Armstrong: To join us for the live version of the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show every Saturday, our regular time is 10 to noon Central on InWheeltime.com, YouTube, and Facebook.
• 18:34
  Don Armstrong: Or you can grab a 30-minute podcast of our show from your favorite podcast store.
• 18:38
  Don Armstrong: It is free and wonderful and available anytime.
• 18:42
  Don Armstrong: Time now for Jeff's Motor Minute.
• 18:44
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 18:46
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, with the heat and everything, the summertime, and people sometimes neglect to do their maintenance and service on their vehicles, but that's not sometimes sometimes to do that.
• 18:55
  Jeff Dziekan: A lot of times.
• 18:56
  Jeff Dziekan: So uh make sure you're doing your three to five thousand mile checkups.
• 18:59
  Jeff Dziekan: And I bring this up because I'm about to do my 25,000 on my Buick uh awesomeness car.
• 19:05
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh so check those out.
• 19:08
  Jeff Dziekan: Make sure you're checking your wiper blades, all your fluids.
• 19:11
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh Kathy brought me home some windshield washer stuff for the car, so we're gonna do all that.
• 19:15
  Jeff Dziekan: Make sure you check it out.
• 19:16
  Jeff Dziekan: You're gonna do this yourself?
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
• 19:17
  Jeff Dziekan: You're gonna change the oil too?
• 19:18
  Jeff Dziekan: No, no, no, not change the oil.
• 19:20
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh I'm gonna take it in for the service, but I'm just saying the little things you can do.
• 19:23
  Jeff Dziekan: You can check your belts, you could check your tire pressure, you could check your fluids.
• 19:26
  Jeff Dziekan: Check that oil if it's a little low.
• 19:28
  Jeff Dziekan: Go ahead and add it or have it change, whatever the case.
• 19:30
  Jeff Dziekan: But there are intervals.
• 19:31
  Jeff Dziekan: You've got three to five thousand mile, you got 12 months, 50, 15,000 mile.
• 19:36
  Jeff Dziekan: Check your brake fluids, check your suspension, bounce the car up and down.
• 19:39
  Jeff Dziekan: Are you getting the right mileage?
• 19:41
  Jeff Dziekan: Are your tires inflated?
• 19:42
  Jeff Dziekan: So do all that now, and you'll have a better summer and the summer and get into the fall.
• 19:47
  Jeff Dziekan: Back to school's coming, so you're gonna need a reliable vehicle to take the kids to and fro.
• 19:51
  Jeff Dziekan: So uh make sure you've got the maintenance done on that.
• 19:54
  Don Armstrong: Well, I'll send Mike to your house.
• 19:58
  Don Armstrong: For what?
• 19:59
  Jeff Dziekan: I don't know.
• 20:01
  Jeff Dziekan: Sorry, Mike.
• 20:04
  Mike Marrs: As far as I can go these days, yeah.
• 20:06
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, but do your due diligence because your car is gonna last if you do that, and the heat's gonna kill it.
• 20:10
  Don Armstrong: Well, not only that, but you also have uh Labor Day weekend coming up.
• 20:13
  Jeff Dziekan: Exactly.
• 20:13
  Jeff Dziekan: And you want to be you know going to grandma's and all that, or going to uh Alabama football game.
• 20:18
  Don Armstrong: They could do that too.
• 20:19
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 20:19
  Don Armstrong: Who are they playing?
• 20:21
  Don Armstrong: Um, Southeast Kentucky.
• 20:23
  Don Armstrong: It doesn't really make any difference.
• 20:25
  Mike Marrs: It's not going to be one of those uh it's a good thing they've got a hard one coming in there for the big holiday.
• 20:30
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, exactly.
• 20:31
  Don Armstrong: Uh-huh.
• 20:35
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, they get the first string off for the weekend, so there's so many things I could say right now that are running through my mind, but I'm not bailing.
• 20:46
  Don Armstrong: Still early.
• 20:46
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:48
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 20:48
  Don Armstrong: Get your car checked.
• 20:49
  Don Armstrong: All right, time now for this hour's car review.
• 20:51
  Don Armstrong: I had the opportunity uh to drive the 2026 Hyundai Alantra.
• 20:57
  Don Armstrong: It comes in these trim levels blue, SEL Sport Plus, SEL Sport, and the Limited.
• 21:06
  Don Armstrong: I had the Hybrid Limited.
• 21:09
  Don Armstrong: This is a smallish sedan, that's what they call it.
• 21:13
  Don Armstrong: I would call it like a mid-size sedan, seeds five.
• 21:16
  Don Armstrong: It was all new in 2021.
• 21:19
  Don Armstrong: Uh, what what is really uh something to make note of is the fact that this is a hybrid, and hybrids are hot.
• 21:27
  Don Armstrong: Exterior features include an arrow front fascia with a sloping hood to meet the small grill.
• 21:34
  Don Armstrong: Part of the reason I think that the thing gets such good gas mileage.
• 21:38
  Don Armstrong: Part.
• 21:38
  Don Armstrong: Uh sharp creases on the door panels can be polarizing, but if you're up to date and a younger person, you might like them.
• 21:46
  Don Armstrong: I've seen a lot of them on the road, so apparently they're selling well.
• 21:50
  Don Armstrong: Edgy rear wheel, I'm sorry, rear end, edgy rear end with the sharp edges, very arrow back there, too, fastback roof line, and black.
• 22:00
  Don Armstrong: Lower valance back there in the back.
• 22:02
  Don Armstrong: Arrow look overall, what I liked about it.
• 22:05
  Don Armstrong: Uh what could use improvement?
• 22:06
  Don Armstrong: Maybe offer a racier look option.
• 22:09
  Don Armstrong: Don't know.
• 22:10
  Don Armstrong: Just a thought.
• 22:11
  Don Armstrong: Interior highlights include cloth and vinyl.
• 22:16
  Don Armstrong: The plastic is throughout the cabin, as you can imagine.
• 22:22
  Don Armstrong: That has kind of an economy vibe.
• 22:25
  Don Armstrong: It still looks good.
• 22:26
  Don Armstrong: Designed well.
• 22:27
  Don Armstrong: Simplistic console with AC controls, uh, make using it a breeze.
• 22:32
  Don Armstrong: Upscale stitching makes the seats attractive and comfortable.
• 22:37
  Don Armstrong: And I did like the curved screen that includes instrumentation and large infotainment controls.
• 22:44
  Don Armstrong: Trunk room is limited due to the fastback design.
• 22:47
  Don Armstrong: If you're trying to get uh you know the steamer trunk back there, that's probably not gonna work.
• 22:52
  Don Armstrong: What I did like about it overall, the look and the ease of use of all of the things within the interior.
• 22:58
  Don Armstrong: It looks a good looking shot there.
• 23:01
  Don Armstrong: Or could use improvement.
• 23:02
  Don Armstrong: Well, mine had the optional large 10.5 or 10 and a quarter inch screen.
• 23:08
  Don Armstrong: Uh, the touch screen uh uh doesn't allow for smartphone integration.
• 23:13
  Don Armstrong: You gotta have to have a plug to plug it in.
• 23:16
  Don Armstrong: Uh, once you understand the price of this, I think you may understand why they shorted it as far as Bluetooth connection is concerned when it comes to some of the GPS stuff.
• 23:27
  Don Armstrong: Engine is a 1.6 liter hybrid engine with 139 horsepower.
• 23:32
  Don Armstrong: And you think, oh God, 139 horsepower.
• 23:34
  Don Armstrong: But you know what?
• 23:35
  Don Armstrong: It works in this car, the 195-pound feet of torque, six-speed automatic transmission.
• 23:41
  Don Armstrong: In the city, it is rated for 49 miles per gallon on the highway 52 for a combined to 50.
• 23:48
  Don Armstrong: I got, in my combination, 47.7 miles per gallon over 404 miles.
• 23:54
  Don Armstrong: It's real nice.
• 23:56
  Don Armstrong: Uh, what I liked about it, the mileage, obviously, without sacrificing performance.
• 24:00
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 24:01
  Don Armstrong: Nothing.
• 24:01
  Don Armstrong: Mileage is what this car is really all about.
• 24:05
  Don Armstrong: If you have long trips, if you're a commuter, you put a lot of miles on your car.
• 24:09
  Don Armstrong: I think that this would be something to definitely want to look at.
• 24:13
  Don Armstrong: Ride and handling, uh, mom and pop handling.
• 24:16
  Don Armstrong: It's kind of an overall ride feel to it.
• 24:19
  Don Armstrong: Handles uh bumps with ease.
• 24:22
  Don Armstrong: Look at use improvement, nothing here.
• 24:24
  Don Armstrong: Uh, this is a perfect car, again, because of that great gas mileage.
• 24:28
  Don Armstrong: How much does it cost, Don?
• 24:30
  Don Armstrong: How much does it cost, Don?
• 24:32
  Don Armstrong: The base trim price is$29,800.
• 24:37
  Don Armstrong: Friends, I'm telling you, it's a bargain.
• 24:39
  Don Armstrong: Price is tested.
• 24:40
  Don Armstrong: This is the loaded-out top-of-the-line hybrid Hyundai Alantra,$31,785.
• 24:48
  Don Armstrong: The base model price, if you just want to get into one of these cars,$25,650 is the way to go.
• 24:54
  Don Armstrong: Now, here are the um here are the competitors.
• 24:57
  Don Armstrong: Honda Civic hybrid starts at$29,395.
• 25:01
  Don Armstrong: The Toyota Corolla hybrid starts at$24,975.
• 25:06
  Don Armstrong: You want to look at all of these.
• 25:14
  Don Armstrong: I'm thinking, you know, I don't know why you wouldn't want to look at one of these.
• 25:18
  Don Armstrong: Um, so that's my review of the 2026 Hyundai Alantra Hybrid Limited.
• 25:26
  Don Armstrong: Pretty pretty nice car.
• 25:27
  Jeff Dziekan: It's a dovetail on that.
• 25:29
  Jeff Dziekan: Kids are going back to college.
• 25:31
  Jeff Dziekan: What a car to go away to college in.
• 25:33
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:33
  Jeff Dziekan: Nice, nice four four-door sedan.
• 25:35
  Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
• 25:36
  Jeff Dziekan: And uh easy on the pocketbook, good gas mileage.
• 25:39
  Jeff Dziekan: You're not going to be spending a lot of maintenance and fuel.
• 25:41
  Jeff Dziekan: There you go.
• 25:42
  Don Armstrong: Hey, Dad, I wore out the car that you gave me to go off to college in.
• 25:46
  Don Armstrong: So here it is back.
• 25:48
  Don Armstrong: Probably not a straight fender on it.
• 25:50
  Don Armstrong: Um, probably has a hundred thousand miles on it, but hey, what the heck?
• 25:55
  Don Armstrong: Uh, at least I didn't have any problems, you know, keeping the car running and fixed while it's off to college with my youngster.
• 26:01
  Don Armstrong: Next week I'm going to review the Lexus GX SUV.
• 26:06
  Don Armstrong: Going, what a GX.
• 26:09
  Don Armstrong: Well, if you don't know the Lexus nomenclature for cars, uh the GX is pretty much the top of the list.
• 26:16
  Don Armstrong: Oh.
• 26:17
  Don Armstrong: And uh it sells for the sticker price is$120,000.
• 26:22
  Jeff Dziekan: I was thinking of uh uh G A U X Gao, like in Louisiana, like the G X.
• 26:28
  Don Armstrong: G-E-A-U, go.
• 26:30
  Jeff Dziekan: Go, yeah.
• 26:31
  Don Armstrong: Go.
• 26:32
  Don Armstrong: Well, um, it's not gonna go because it probably weighs about six tons.
• 26:37
  Don Armstrong: Wow.
• 26:38
  Don Armstrong: I'm over exaggerating, but it's it's it's huge.
• 26:42
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, no doubt about it.
• 26:44
  Don Armstrong: Um okay, coming up next half hour, we are going to have uh author, Greg Stanley, uh, with a book that's called The Enthusiast Guide to Car Collecting.
• 26:57
  Don Armstrong: Now, so far today we've talked about big buck stuff that rally for twelve hundred dollars.
• 27:04
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, uh, and we've talked about low-end budget car that gets great gas mileage for under 30.
• 27:12
  Don Armstrong: And now we're going to talk to the enthusiast guide to car collecting.
• 27:16
  Don Armstrong: And let me tell you something.
• 27:18
  Don Armstrong: From what I have seen, you can go cheap if you want to do that.
• 27:22
  Don Armstrong: Or if you go middle of the road, it's not gonna be cheap.
• 27:26
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, it's called economical.
• 27:27
  Don Armstrong: Economical.
• 27:28
  Don Armstrong: Economical.
• 27:29
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 27:30
  Don Armstrong: We'll go with that then.
• 27:31
  Don Armstrong: So we got we're gonna talk to Greg, and then Jeff's gonna have the racing calendar.
• 27:35
  Don Armstrong: Um, ours is gonna have this week in auto history, and I got to look at some of the headlines we're talking about this week.
• 27:40
  Don Armstrong: It's all coming up.
• 27:41
  Don Armstrong: So if you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email.
• 27:44
  Don Armstrong: The address here is info at inwheeltime.com.
• 27:48
  Don Armstrong: We're back after this quick break.
• 27:49
  Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
• 27:51
  Don Armstrong: Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance.
• 27:57
  Don Armstrong: Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches.
• 28:00
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your save the paint company.
• 28:03
  Don Armstrong: John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint.
• 28:08
  Don Armstrong: Searching for real experts in window tent or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 28:12
  Don Armstrong: Dash cams, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 28:16
  Don Armstrong: Got a new car?
• 28:17
  Don Armstrong: Get it protected as soon as you take delivery.
• 28:19
  Don Armstrong: If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't sell you something you don't need.
• 28:26
  Don Armstrong: John will help you understand the many options in pricing right on the spot.
• 28:30
  Don Armstrong: He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too.
• 28:34
  Don Armstrong: See the state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime.
• 28:37
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway.
• 28:43
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com.
• 28:50
  Don Armstrong: Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea: a hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists.
• 28:58
  Don Armstrong: Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one.
• 29:02
  Don Armstrong: Bill Sites will be happy to guide you through the process.
• 29:05
  Don Armstrong: No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home.
• 29:13
  Don Armstrong: Call Bill today, 832-922-0963.
• 29:16
  Don Armstrong: That's 832-922-0963.
• 29:21
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 29:25
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
• 29:35
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 29:44
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.