Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Rev Up the Holidays with CarFax: Car Deals, Motorsport News, and Festive Fun

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Rev Up the Holidays with CarFax: Car Deals, Motorsport News, and Festive Fun · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: This is the world's favorite place to go for all things automotive the award-winning In Wheel Time car talk show just ahead.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Mr Carfax, patrick Olson, is scheduled to be with us.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: He's going to talk to us about end-of-the-year car deals.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Jeff has the racing deals.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Jeff has the racing calendar.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Mars has this week in auto history and I'll get you caught up on the stories making automotive news headlines.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Howdy, along with Mike, mr Computer, out of this world, mars, we always need more.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Jeff Zekin.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Our chief engineer, david Ainsley.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for joining us on this Saturday morning.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: We appreciate you.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Does it look like I got a halo above my?
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for joining us on this Saturday morning.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: We appreciate you.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: Does it look like I've got a halo above my head?
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: No, it looks like you're growing hair.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: Okay, that's it, you're turning into a redhead.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: It's tinsel.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: It's the tinsel.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: You know my grandparents.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: They lived in an apartment building one block from the state capital of Wisconsin and it was nice.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: It was up on the first floor, um, but it was up downstairs.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: It'd be too confusing to try to explain it all.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: But they had a nice little apartment, okay, and they always had a nice christmas tree, had the short needles on it, it was perfectly shaped.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: And then I don't know how long that they spent decorating the tree One by one With the icicles, one by one, the tinsel icicles, yeah, one by one, one here, one there.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: And so when they finished with it, they all hung straight down and stand back and they put a couple of bubble light strings throughout the tree.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: The thing was perfect.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Jerry, we had a couple growing up, One in the family room, one in the living room presentation type thing and we had an aluminum tree with red, blue bulbs.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Do you know?
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: how much those things?
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: blue bulbs.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: Blue bulbs.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: Oh, you wouldn't know about the blue bulbs.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: And then it had the wheel with the different, three different colors the yellow, the red.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that you put up underneath the tree.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it spun around and it highlighted.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: You know how much those aluminum trees are in Canada?
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: I have no idea.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Remember they used to be cheap.
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: Like you know, $20 back then or whatever, now $120.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: You can buy them.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: Well, we've got the, it's already lit and you just fold it up and put it away for the season.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: You got an aluminum one.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: No, no, it's a green tree, you'll see it.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: But they make them for like $ eight hundred.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Twelve hundred dollar trees, a artificial, that pre-lit?
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: No, they're already.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, pre-lit.
• 2:28
  Speaker 4: Crazy, crazy stuff, yeah becky likes to have a new tree.
• 2:31
  Speaker 4: This year or a real new yeah, real tree is what I meant to say, and, and this year, there's not a lot of places you can buy real trees anymore, and there's a whole lot less of them this year, and they start $10 to $12 a foot, and she always likes to have 7 to 8 feet because it reaches the ceiling.
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: Sure, fills up the front window, looks really nice, but now you're talking about a $100 tree.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Or $150.
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: For two weeks?
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly, do you help decorate, I supervise, I'm not allowed.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: Mars has his brown water.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: He sits in the back, tries to stay awake while she does it.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: A little bit over to the left.
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: I don't say nothing.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: He's learned a long time ago.
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: Yeah, don't say nothing.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: Was the words shut up ever yelled A variation Go away.
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: Oh, a variation, Go away.
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: A variation, oh a variation.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: Well, as a perfect example, when the ladies were decorating the studio last night, yesterday evening, I was told to leave the room.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Were you?
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: That's right, you came in with me, I sat down and moped.
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: I said what are?
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: You doing in here?
• 3:38
  Speaker 4: You were smart enough not even to go in.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Oh no.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: So we watched TV, we did, we held hands.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: It was awesome, it was.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: We watched a comedian by the name of Tom Papa.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: Tom Papa, that was really funny.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: I never heard of the guy.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Well, kathy turned me on to him and we watched a few of his routines, a few of his shows.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: He's coming to Houston, I think sometime next year.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: I'll look into it.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, dude, get us some tickets.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Let's all go, because he's funny, tom Papa.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Good stuff Never heard of him.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: So are we going to have Carfax, mike, or no Working on it.
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: He confirmed Okay, but I haven't found him.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Yet I confirmed too.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: But not to be on anybody's show, yeah, other than this one, and I don't have a choice, right?
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: So do I need to dig out my phone and come up with something?
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: No, I'm kind of looking that way because I'm not, you're not seeing it Nope, Okay well.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: Do you know how to work Carfax?
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: Do I Uh-huh?
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: No, no.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: Have you ever been to Carfax?
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: I've been through the dealerships I have and you get the reports.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: You know, they've got another one too, called Been Verified Car history by VIN or license.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: I've heard of that one.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Are they connected?
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: It's not as comprehensive as Carfax, so they're not related or somehow interconnected.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: No, I think they're competitors.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: Well, they claim that they're competitors.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: Well, they claim that they're competitors to Carfax.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: But it's interesting, you can get Carfax reports or you can also find a used car.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Have we beaten him to the punch?
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Am I overreaching here?
• 5:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you're reaching a little bit Slow down, just a hair, see.
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: Don't speed over the holidays.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: There you go, don't speed.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: How's this?
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: See, don't speed over the holidays.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: There you go, don't speed.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: How's this?
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Show your car an ATG step.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Is that slow enough for you?
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: that's it.
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: Very good you ready.
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: Yes, sir, we got him, I'm ready, I think Patrick's ready.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: Patrick Olson, patrick Merry.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Christmas.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: There he is.
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: Merry Christmas, guys.
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: Good to see you.
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: It's good to see you too, how you been.
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: I've been good.
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: I've been good.
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: A little chilly here in Chattanooga today, I know.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Is that where you are in Chattanooga?
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: Yes, yes.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Now do you pronounce it?
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: Chattanooga, or do you pronounce it Chattanooga?
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: Probably Chattanooga.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: I'm a northerner, so I'm probably getting it wrong.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: What northern state are you from?
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: I'm from the very northern state, originally of Los Angeles.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: That's beautiful.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I lived in Chicago for 25 years.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Ah, chicago, the Bears, the Bears, are you a Bears?
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: fan as much as one can be sure.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: So what's your hat, say Marquette.
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: Marquette University is where I went to school.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: Marquette, Michigan.
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: No Marquette and Milwaukee, wisconsin, milwaukee okay yeah, they're a top six college basketball team right now.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: Well, I grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: Oh, very nice.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: I'm sure that you made a trip or two over there to one of their fine taverns.
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: One or two of them.
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: I think that part of Happy Days was referred.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: They referred to Waukesha quite frequently in Happy Days.
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, yeah, walker Shaw quite frequently in.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Happy Days.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, yeah, cheese curds and all that, yeah, but I know that's not where you joined us.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: You didn't want to talk to us about your college days.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: Well, maybe you did, but we're talking to you about it now.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: But I know that everybody else is hanging on the edge of their seat right now wanting to know about Carfax and how are things in the used car market things are surprisingly good.
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: You know there was a lot of talk as we got through the summer that people thought used car prices were going to take off, um, towards the end of the year because back in 2021 leasing kind of collapsed um, it was tough to get credit, it was tough to get money, and so people said, well, now it's three years later and these cars that would have been leased in 2021, now they're just not there and that's not been the case.
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: Use prices have stayed pretty flat.
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: Pickup truck prices are actually down from the summer.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Why?
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Because of the glut of them.
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: Well, it's actually more about the glut of new cars.
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: So there's so many new cars being produced and on dealer lots today that there's a ton of incentives on those new cars.
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: And as new cars get cheaper, you can't really charge too much for used cars anymore, because a consumer will say well, you know what.
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: I'm just going to pivot, I'm going to go to the low interest rate or to the cashback rebate, I'm going to get a newer car instead.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: So for used car dealers, there's that pressure that when there's too much supply in new cars and not enough demand for used car, the used car prices are going to stay lower.
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: So it's actually not a bad time right now for consumers, and certainly not what we thought was going to be a really rough time.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: Did you find that a surprise?
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: Very surprising.
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: I was watching.
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: You know we thought when the Fed cut interest rates that would drive demand.
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: You know a lot of people have been sitting on the sidelines because used car prices have been high.
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: We thought that would mean demand would come in later.
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: But I think it's a sort of a happy surprise that prices are not rising, frankly, at all, or not by very much, and so we'll see in the beginning of the year if that changes.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: We know that come March, through the end of April into May, when tax returns are big, we'll see a lot of people with money right ready to go to buy something.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: So we'll see what are people buying on the used car market now.
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: Well, they're buying what everyone's buying, so they're buying SUVs and they're buying pickup trucks.
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: So there's a couple of things out there that if you're smart and you're not worried about sitting up high or you don't need too much space, like if you're just buying a muting car, it's a great time to buy a sedan.
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: Right?
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: Sedans are not popular, so smaller cars and sedans.
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: There are great deals to be had on them If you've got the infrastructure set up, meaning you've got a charger in your house.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: Used EVs are kind of like used iPhones, right?
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: Everyone wants the newest technology, so used EVs are incredibly cheap compared to their original price.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: And if you've got a charger set up in your garage or easy access to one, you can get great deals.
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: I saw a deal this week for a new car, a Fiat 500E, in Colorado, and Colorado only, where this dealer was offering a lease on a 500E electric vehicle.
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: It only gets about 150 miles of range, which is very much on the low end of range for EVs, but pay the $1,300 or so in state taxes on it, no money down otherwise and no monthly payment.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: They will lease you the car for 27 months for no payments.
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: What?
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: Yes, I kid you not, they are trying that hard to move these cars.
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: Now, the fiat is very small, so there's, you know, inherently there's a issue with that.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: To begin with, um, and it only has 150 miles of range, which is very, very low, like the newest Hyundais, lucids, all those.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: They're 300, 350 miles.
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: Tesla's been doing 300 miles now for 10 years, so 150 miles is very limited.
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: So they want to move these cars off the lot, so they're offering this kind of crazy lease.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: It's in Denver, so is it being sold at a dispensary, at a dispensary?
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: No, but here's my first thought.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: I'm a parent.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: I got a kid that's going to Boulder University, 150-mile range.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Okay, you can make it up to the mountain.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: You can still tootle around town.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: You can do whatever you got to do for free, except you got to charge the battery.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: But that's not a big deal.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: No, and compared to paying for gas, it's practically nothing you know.
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: So, no, if you can live with those parameters, it's a hell of a deal.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Yep and it's used, no, no this is a brand new one.
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: Brand new, no, this is new.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, oh, how many available.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Just one.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: That I couldn't tell you.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: I have no idea.
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: I don't know if it's a teaser pitch to get people in the door or what, but it's telling, yeah.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: I've never heard of that, and I'm sure you haven't either.
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: It's a new one on me.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: Where did you find this article?
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: CarDealershipGuycom had a piece about it.
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: Very strange.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: Well, that's one heck of a deal.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: So SUVs and pickup trucks, and you know, I think that Houston, Texas, or Texas in general, is the pickup capital of the world.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: Everybody's driving a pickup truck, you know.
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: In Texas, you guys have, I think, about 8% of the US population there In that ballpark.
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: Maybe not quite 10%, but 25% of pickup trucks sold in this country are sold in Texas.
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: You guys are way over-indexed on pickup trucks.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so you should be able to find you a pretty good deal on a used pickup truck if you drill down and don't buy.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: The first thing you see, mars is over here shaking his head.
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: Well, because I've tried that before.
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: I thought the same thing for a long time.
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: All these people buying vehicles for their kids, high school kids and stuff.
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: They don't want cars, they want trucks.
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: You go to a high school parking lot down in my part of the world and I guarantee you 75% of the students are driving trucks.
• 13:21
  Speaker 4: I believe it.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: Well, okay, 18 miles to the gallon on the highway for a pickup truck.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: You know, unless you use the pickup truck, the bed of the pickup truck, or you go to tow something with it, why I can buy an SUV for the same amount of money, everybody's enclosed.
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: We could all go to picnic together or go skiing or whatever the case may be, and I can buy one, and that holds a lot more than a pickup truck.
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: because you ain't putting people in the back, throw the beer cans in the bed, oh god I knew he was going to go there with that I'm just saying all right.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: So here's the other question I have for you.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: Kind of a change of pace here.
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: How, how would you explain to somebody the best way to use Carfax when looking for a car?
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: Absolutely so.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: What I would say is, first of all, make sure the seller is offering you a free Carfax when you're buying.
• 14:21
  Speaker 3: If they're not, to me that's the beginning red flag, right.
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: If they're reluctant to share with you the known history of that vehicle, that's a red flag.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: But what I would say that Carfax is great for is one check the mileage right.
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: Is it going up in a linear fashion, meaning 2,000 and 4,000, 6,000, 10, 20?
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: Is there a weird irregularity where it goes from 80,000 miles back to 65,000 miles, things like that.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: So that can tell you.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: You know, is this seller on the up and up or are they trying something fishy?
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: You can see if it's been well-maintained right.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: Did it get oil changes at appropriate moments?
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: Is it getting the 50,000-mile work being done, the 90,000-mile work being done?
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: You can see if it's ever been an accident.
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: And now 90-plus percent of all of our vehicle history reports show not only the location of the damage on a vehicle but the severity.
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: So you can tell if it was a cosmetic.
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: You know you backed into a wall or something or you had a severe T-bone event and you have that knowledge about how much of that car damaged, if it was, because damage will take a fair amount off the price, and sometimes, if it's just cosmetic damage, you can use that to your, your benefit.
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: As a buyer.
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: You can check the number of owners, right, and you can see did someone own this car for a long time that took really good care of it, or is this on its fourth owner and you're like why are they all getting rid of it so quickly?
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: Right, there are clues to be found there, right?
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: So, and then also, one of the key things is make sure there's no loan or lien attached to this vehicle, right?
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: You don't want to pick up a car and then have someone come and repo it from you because you didn't know that there was still money owed, yeah, from a previous owner.
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: Now that's a good point, because my granddaughter just recently got a car and she got the carfax for it, so we knew the lineage of that vehicle, also my new one.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: They gave me a carfax report on my vehicle to show if there were any recalls prior to delivery.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: That's important too, because that happens.
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: I turned down a car because it needed a recall.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: They couldn't sell it to me brand new because it had a recall and the part would come in.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: I don't know t Tuesday or whatever it was, but I moved to another dealer and bought the car.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: Yeah and that's a good thing to point out here is, new car dealers can't sell a car that has an open recall, right.
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: There's no such prohibition, though, from used car dealers, so I would say, as a buyer, I would say, hey, you get that recall fixed, and then I will seriously consider your car.
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: The other thing we always say is, for any used car, take it to a mechanic that you trust.
• 16:49
  Speaker 3: For example, I used a Ford Escape that we were interested in.
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: I took it to my mechanic.
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: He said oh it needs about $500, $600 worth of work.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: And here's what it is.
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: I went back to the dealer I said, if you do this work, I'll pay your price.
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: And he did it and I did, and, hey, you're a price.
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: And he did it and I did, and so I bought the car.
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: And so, again, that level of knowledge, that level of details, provides leverage to shoppers to work with the seller and say, hey, I'm aware of this damage, or I'm aware of the mileage here, or I know that it's been not well maintained, or I know that it has been maintained.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: All these things give you the ability to sort of shape the negotiations that you're going through and is Carfaxcom?
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: Carfaxcom, absolutely Okay.
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: Well, you know, it's always great to talk to you and any tips heading into Christmas season.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: I'm sure that you're going to have some buyers anyway that are buying first cars for their kids.
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: Absolutely so.
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: You know you talk about young people and pickup trucks.
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: Think outside the box, right?
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: The Ford Maverick sells for around $24,000, $25,000.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: If you get the one with a hybrid engine, you're getting 42 miles to the gallon, so you get basically like an SUV experience in the cab of the Maverick, but you're getting 40 miles to the gallon, and so that might be the way to mitigate the.
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: You know, and there are a lot of image buyers out there for pickup trucks there are lots of people who never put anything in the bed other than empty beer cans or who never tow anything but for folks who need it for light work, and I see a lot of utility companies now using the maverick as their go-to vehicle because it's such great mileage.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: Just like the old Ford Ranger that's still on the road today with the pest control guy.
• 18:32
  Speaker 4: Or the swimming pool guy.
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, those kind of guys.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: Patrick, great to talk to you, as always.
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year and let's talk to you at the beginning of the year.
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: Alright, guys, take care, patrick, thank you.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: Thank you, patrick Olson.
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: With Carfax, the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show is available 24-7 through the iHeart I'm sorry, the In Wheel Time app we're going to have to break him with that.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: Is it written down?
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: No, it's not on there at all, it's just repetitive.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: You're ad-libbing it's a memory reflex, Download it.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: Download the In Wheel Time app to your mobile phone today and try to get a brain like I don't have If you haven't already.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: We also video stream Facebook, YouTube and InWheelTimecom, and podcasts are available from your favorite podcast provider, and you can also find our new broadcast partner, Odyssey Radio.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show will continue right after this Quick break.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: If I can get to the button, the In Real Time Car Talk show will continue right after this Quick break, if I can get to the button.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: The Tex-Mex dining experience is defined by Loopy Tortilla, your destination for Texas' best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: Since 1983, loopy Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience at Loopy Tortilla, all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in West Houston.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail in each and every location.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: Start your Loopy experience with queso flammeado and guacamole, along with a classic frozen margarita.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: Dine on famous Loy beef and chicken fajitas or pepper shrimp brochette, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: Find Loopy Tortilla in Houston, college Station, beaumont, austin, san Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: There's a Texas location near you.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: The recipes are authentic and time-tested, the ingredients always fresh.
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: Loopy Tortilla he's pretty good.
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: The rescheduled Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social is happening Saturday, january 11th and you're invited.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: Bring your car, truck or SUV, meet other enthusiasts and find out what it'll take to get your car looking show-worthy again.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your one-stop shop for paint, detailing, coatings, window tint, clear bras, camera installs and wheel repair.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: The Car Social is your opportunity to get a tour of this state-of-the-art facility, located at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: Join the Car Social Saturday, january 11th, 9 to noon.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: Talk to other owners and see how good your car can look on the upcoming Hot Rod Tour of Texas.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: Put it on your calendar the Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social Saturday, january 11th, 9 to noon at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: The In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show will be there too.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: We hope to see you then.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: The holidays are here and we hope you think of our show sponsors this season for gifts, and they include Loopy Tortilla, tex-mex Restaurants, pro-am Auto Accessories and Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: Time now for the racing calendar sponsored by Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge Real good, I think I'm going to go to Pro-Am this week.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: I'm going to drop by there and see what's going on.
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: Maybe I can pick something up stocking stuff.
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: But hey, don gave me some information a couple weeks ago about Formula E racing.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: It's open wheel like Indy style.
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: But Formula E 2025, the FIA Formula E World Championship, is coming in January.
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: They've already run like one preliminary race, I guess this past few weeks.
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: January 10th and 11th is going to be the Autodrome Hermosas Rodriguez in Mexico.
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: It's the Hancock Mexico City Grand Prix.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: So we're going to be giving you more information on that and you know how I love Formula One.
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: The other thing, indy Racing, the NTT Indy Racing Car Series is going to come to Arlington, texas, and they're going to be racing around, well, first of all, the streets of Arlington.
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: The official events partners of the Texas Rangers, have announced the first of its kind joint venture to establish and operate an IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington.
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: Well, we did this in Houston not too long ago.
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: March of 2026 is when it's coming.
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: It's a 2.73-mile track laid out between the AT&T Stadium, the football stadium for the Dallas Cowboys, grove Field for the Rangers and all of that area that's zippy-zagging in through there, gm's got a huge assembly plant up there too, yep, yep, and they're going to be getting 1.6 million tickets.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: Is what they anticipate, wow.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: We ought to see if we can't get involved in that Mars, yep, we could have the in-wheel time car talk show.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: It's not for another year, it's not for another year.
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: It's going to be 2026.
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we need that far.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, we've got plenty of time, so get on the phone tomorrow.
• 23:16
  Speaker 4: So we talked to.
• 23:17
  Speaker 4: We had a guest I can't remember who it was.
• 23:18
  Speaker 4: Somebody joined us and we were talking about the e-racing he was in.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: We had one of the guests come on.
• 23:25
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, he, and where they were doing it, we'll have to work on that, so that's coming up too.
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: Italy's industry minister, adolfo Erso, announced a deal to avert 249 layoffs at suppliers to Stellantis, saying he hoped the breakthrough would help repair strained relations with the carmaker.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: Stellantis and Italy's government have been at loggerheads I like that word for months, with politicians in Rome accusing Fiat's parent company and its former CEO, carl, of neglecting historic Italian manufacturing sites and moving production abroad.
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: Moron Don't hold back Interest rate cuts, and the conclusion of the election contributed to franchise dealers feeling the most optimistic in nearly three years, according to November Cox Automotive polling.
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: Cox's latest dealer sentiment index asked 493 dealership franchise dealers from November 6th to the 18th, starting one day after the nation's election, what they thought their area's market would be like three months later.
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: The dealers gave that the future market score of 60, an 11-point bump in optimism from a quarter earlier and a 14-point gain from the fourth quarter of 2023.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: It was the most bullish dealers were in the poll since the second quarter of 2022, when inventory was low but profits were high.
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: Interesting.
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, balance is everything.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: Toyota created a robot that can sink a basketball almost from the opposite end of the court.
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: Guinness World Records said an 80.5 foot shot made by Toyota's Q6 qualifies as the longest basketball shot made by a humanoid robot.
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: Wait, wait, it accomplished the feat in Nagakuti, japan on.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: September 26th, while wearing a number 96 jersey from ALVAC Tokyo, a professional team that Toyota sponsors in its home country.
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: I think that's pretty cool.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: They love the basketball over there.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: Did you actually see it?
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: No, I did not.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: Look it up on YouTube.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: Think that's pretty cool.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: They love the basketball over there.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: Did you actually see it?
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: No, I did not I did not Look it up on YouTube.
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: It's really cool.
• 25:34
  Speaker 4: What is a humanoid?
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: robot, though it looks like a man, yeah, but it looks like a robot, it's like one of your blow-up dolls.
• 25:42
  Speaker 4: Oh, except this one could shoot the basketball, yeah, right.
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: Would you like us to expand on that?
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: Would you like us to throw you under the bus a little?
• 25:50
  Speaker 4: further.
• 25:51
  Speaker 4: I don't think we have enough time for that.
• 25:52
  Speaker 4: You're hoping we don't have enough time.
• 25:53
  Speaker 4: They also have a robot that throws strikes.
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: It's a thing that goes like this to the ball and then throws the ball and it spins right.
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: I saw that it's a bowling thing, okay.
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: Oh, by the way, Donald Trump's transition team is considering canceling the US Postal Service contracts to electrify its delivery fleet.
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: Oh, I heard that as part of a broader suite of executive orders targeting electric vehicles.
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: According to three sources familiar with the plans, the move, which could be unveiled in the early days of Trump's administration that begins on January 20th, is in line with Trump's campaign promises to roll back Biden's efforts to decarbonize US transportation to fight climatic change, an agenda Trump has said is unnecessary and potentially damaging to the economy, Don't they?
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: build those up in Wisconsin.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: the electric ones, the electric mail, yeah, but and they built 93, and they don't have an infrastructure to test them or something Right, and Ford is also in on this deal and they're going to build a bunch of them, that whole thing is going to go collapse, buy a Buick.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: It could be better for you.
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: All of that?
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, all right.
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: Well, we're going to take a quick break and we'll wrap up today's show right after this.
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: The holidays are upon us and Pro-Am Auto Accessories is your local one-stop for the auto enthusiast on your gift list.
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto has been serving Houston since 1984, providing world-class products for sports cars, european sedans and American muscle.
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: Pro-am was one of the very first distributors in the US for brands such as Recaro, redline, momo, corbo and Simpson.
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: Located in the heart of Houston's premier shopping corridor, the Galleria area, pro-am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom with installation and service bays.
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: Pro-am reaches a worldwide audience through ProAmAutocom, taking its local reputation to the rest of the world.
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: Holiday gift-giving is alive and well at Pro-Am Auto.
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: If you don't see what you're looking for on the website, call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto, 6125 Richmond at Greenridge in Houston's Galleria area.
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: Call them at 713-781-7755.
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: The award-winning In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show brings you great guest interviews each week, from manufacturers and suppliers to the aftermarket, racers, enthusiasts and other friends just like you and me who love to talk about all things automotive.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: The In Real Time Car Talk Show takes it to the road too, with remotes at popular cruise-ins and shows In Real Time's live video and audio stream can be found on the Odyssey Radio app, youtube, facebook and InRealTimecom every Saturday 10 to noon Central Time, or grab a podcast anytime from your favorite podcast provider.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: Or grab a podcast anytime from your favorite podcast provider.
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: Well, that's all for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: Be sure and check us out online at inwheeltimecom.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: Christmas cards and birthday money can be sent to Don.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: At inwheeltimecom, we like car pics too, so send us some of your car with a description and any info you want us to include, and we'll feature it on a future show.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: When you're looking for award-winning car talk, you can find the In Real Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on the In Real Time app.
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: Download it today if you haven't already.
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: Grab a podcast anytime from your favorite podcast provider and look for us on the Odyssey radio app.
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: You can also find us on Facebook, youtube and InWheelTimecom.
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: The InWheelTime video technical director is we always need more Jazzy.
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: Jeff Zekin, the booking agent, video editor and people finder, mike Out of this World, mars and chief engineer, david Ainsley.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: We hope you join us next week for our live show coming to you from the confines of the Sugar Shack Studios in Texas, usa, from 10 to noon Central Time on all of our in-wheel time Car Talk outlets.
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: Be safe out there.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Have a great week.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: Let's all get ready for Christmas in a safe way.
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: We'll see you next week.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Oh, that's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our InWheelTimecom website.
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify, stitcher, iheart Podcast, podcast Addict TuneIn, pandora and Amazon Music.
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: Keep listening and we'll see you soon.