Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Classic Car Appraisals: Tips on Insurance, Trends, and the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse

Transcript

Classic Car Appraisals: Tips on Insurance, Trends, and the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse · 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 11 am, central.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the paranoid show called In Wheel Time.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Coming up, we talk to Michael Wooding about car valuations.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Jeff has his car culture.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: It dives into new car shows.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: In particular, will the Detroit Auto Show survive?
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: And then Mr Mars reviews the 2025 Chevy Traverse.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Howdy, along with Mike.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Out of this world, mars.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: We always need more.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Jeff Zekin, to a point, and Chief Engineer David Ainslie.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong, glad you could join us today.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: We're back in the studio for a little while.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Anyway, till what March?
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: I believe so.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: That's our next tentative date.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, so about a month away, but we're here with you in our home away from home, the Sugar Shack Studios, joining us today in the Sugar Shack Studio well, not in the studio, but I will say that he is just a hop skip and a jump down the street.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: A bit Michael Wooding from the Auto Appraisal Network and Woody's Waterfront Car Show, and it's good to have you with us this morning.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Good to see you, my friend.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: Good morning.
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: You doing well?
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: I'm doing fine.
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: I'm doing fine, making strides and improving every day.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Good, glad to hear it.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: So let's talk first of all about what you do with the Auto Appraisal Network.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: What is it?
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: Sell it for us.
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: We are appraisers of custom classic and collector cars.
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: Appraisers of custom classic and collector cars.
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: There's other appraisal services available but they deal mainly in new cars and wrecked cars and that type of thing.
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: But when you've got a 57 Chevy with an LS7 or LSX, in it and an.
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: Art Morrison subframe.
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: What does that car worth?
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: What should I be insuring it for and what would it sell for if it went across an option?
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: So, as a matter of fact, I've got the Corvette, the 2001 Corvette that is now considered in some circles a classic car I don't know as if I would call it that, but I have been looking for insurance.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: That kind of fits me.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: And Grundy, and what is the other one that everybody Hagerty, hagerty.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: The problem with those is one of them, at least that I just found out.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: You've got to have a garage, yeah, and you have mileage limits, and one of them.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: You also have to have another car, like a daily driver, that's registered.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Well, I don't have a garage and I don't have a daily driver, because I do press vehicle reviews.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: So I get a new car from the manufacturers every week.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: So that counts me out.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: So in the meantime and in between time, my all-state car insurance is killing me now at $150 a month for the Corvette, and that's not with collision, that's just to be covered in case I get into a wreck and it's my fault.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: You're kidding.
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: No, there's got to be a better plan than that there has to be.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: One that fits me.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: But you know, I can't lie and say, oh yeah, it's in the garage and I have another car that I drive every day.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: Well, I do have another car that I drive every day, but it's not in my name.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: So there lies the problem.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to let you think about that, and then you can say, don, I've thought of something and try this.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: So anyway, back to the point that you've got, and that is that we have you to take, for instance, my 2001 Corvette and give it a valuation, because I'm going to take your valuation to Hagerty or Grundy or one of those providers and say here's what I think is the value, here's what you, as an outsider, think the value of the car is.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: And I'm thinking of this.
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: We base ours on comparable sales.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Comparable sales.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: Yes, so you know, mine does have.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: If you want to call it a Restomod, I wouldn't call it that, but it does have air intake, it's got a Corsa exhaust, it's got different wheels on it, it's got Corbeau seats in it, it's got a Hurst shifter in it.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: So I've made some modifications to the standard stock vehicle that mine now has 35,000 miles on it.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: But you wouldn't call it a rest of it.
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: That is not a rest of it, so what would you?
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: Call it Just a modified car.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: A jacked up car that Don Armstrong jacked up.
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: No modified.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Modified.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a professional term.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: Well, who's professional?
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: He is.
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: It's better than Opus.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: That's true, exactly Alright.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: So it's a modified car.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: I haven't done really any engine work to it.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: It's stock LS1.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: Which is a very durable engine that will last you for 250,000 miles if you keep the oil change in it.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and don't blow it up.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, there's that.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: So you do those kind of, those kind of valuations.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: Yes, do you not?
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: Yes, and we do them in several different forms.
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: Like I said, you have an auction value or a fair market value.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: That's, if it crossed the block at a Mecham or a Gooding tomorrow, what would that car sell for?
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: Okay, yeah, we can give you that number.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: We can give you an insurance valuation which would be that number.
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: We can give you an insurance valuation which would be that number, that auction number, plus 15% to 20%.
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: And the reason you go 15% or 20% higher is one you'll have to find a replacement car, which is going to be difficult on a custom classic or collector-type car.
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: You're going to have to ship it from god knows where.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: There's going to be time and money invested in just acquiring that new car that matched your old car.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: So we go 10 to 15 to 20 percent higher sometimes on particular cars.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: So if I was going to replace that car, I think, I think that I would probably look for a C7 Corvette as opposed to a C5 or a C6.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: So then those numbers obviously would be skewed, not matching the 2001 value because it's a newer car.
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: What, mars, I was going to say in my drooling over cars, over Corvettes.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: Your Corvette has got a lot more value than a 6.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: Most of the 6s that you go out there and look at are selling for a lot of them sell cheaper than your 5.
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: I wouldn't know.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: Well, that's something that some of the boards talk about.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: How come the C5s are holding their value better than the C6s, and some are even saying maybe the 7s?
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: They're just not appreciated by the market, from what I've seen drooling over them.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: Well, Michael Wooding would know better than us.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: They're holding their own.
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: They're not gaining in value or going up, but because they make such good track cars, somebody with a little bit of extra money can pick up one of those cars at a reasonable price and take it straight to the autocross and start racing that car, and so those purchases and those bills help bring the value of those cars up and hold it in a specific place.
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: But the market for collector and classic cars right now is depressed.
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: It was depressed all of last year.
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: Really thought it would start coming back in February, march here, but it's looking like it's going to be even later in the year Could be December before we see the strong values that we saw in 2022.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: So what you're saying is that perhaps if you're in the market for a car that say, for instance, mecham would have that, this would probably be a good time the upcoming Mecham auction here in Houston to go.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: It's a buying time, absolutely so.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: Do you have a booth there that says Auto Appraisal Network?
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: Famous Michael Wooding will value the car for you and tell you if this is a good buy or not.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: No, usually I end up there looking at a car to four clients in other parts of the country.
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: You know a lot of people are scared to buy a car without physically touching it or seeing it.
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: Okay, you see it online, it looks good, but what does it?
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: look like underneath.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: Well, and that's what I've been preaching, you know, since we met you, and I understand how crazy the custom car, the Restomod, can be.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: You know it looks great on the outside.
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: Of course, some of the television shows that I've seen, you know drooling over a 69 Camaro and then they get it up on a rack and holes all in the frame.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: It's been wrecked, nothing straight.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: It's terrible underneath yeah, they can.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: You know, you can put a lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: Yeah, also, the meekum has classifications.
• 10:06
  Speaker 4: They have criteria that they go through before they put the car up on the block, and you have to have it inspected from them prior to that, before they make sure the titles ride and the numbers match, if that's what you're going to tell people.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: So they've got a process as well, right, well, they also have another process that I learned about, michael, and that is the fact that, for instance, if you're going to sell a custom car or some other vehicle let's say a 1970 Camaro that besides the engine block number and besides the tag under the hood or the door, that there can be on some cars a hidden VIN number that they know where it is, but I didn't know that there was one up underneath the fender.
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: Well, that's so rare.
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: Most cars are pretty straightforward as far as how they were built.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: There's usually a VIN tag somewhere and then there's a data tag somewhere.
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: The data tag usually tells you when the car was built, what color it was painted originally, what kind of motor it had in it originally.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: The VIN number doesn't give you that kind of information.
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: So you have to have that data tag and then when you get into high-end collector cars you look for what they call the build sheet and that's a mere piece of paper that at the factory followed that car along as it was built and told them what to put on it.
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: When they got to the end of the line they might throw it on the floor and put the carpet over.
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: They might stick it underneath the back seat, they might glue it to the top of the gas tank Several different places.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: They've found those build sheets in the cars and if you can get a build sheet to back up your car and it's a nice original car you're talking great value.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: Do they still use build sheets on all cars?
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: No, they don't.
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: No, well, it's computerized now, yeah, versus a piece of paper that actually follows the car Can you, let's say, for instance, a 69 Camaro and I know that I just used that, I'm just throwing it off the top of my head that had a bill sheet with it, did it not?
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: It did Okay.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: And so if let's say I can't find the build sheet or it's been lost along the way, can you go to Chevrolet and say can I get the build sheet for that particular car if you've got the VIN number?
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: No.
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: Chevrolet does not have that information anymore.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: There are guys like Galen for the Mopars and various individuals that bought out GM records and Ford records, and Kevin Marty for your Marty reports.
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: What they did was actually buy the archives from GM and from Ford and they housed those so they can go back there with a VIN number and tell you what that car was built with and how many of those cars were built that way.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: Now does the Auto Appraisal Network.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: If I want to, can I use your services to delve into that?
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: To a limited degree.
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: You know we normally, unless there's a lift available, we can't be casting numbers off the transmission and things like that that people like to document along with the motor.
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: When you're doing a 100% original car, you have to have a casting number that matches the date that the motor was manufactured and the car was manufactured.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: Well, since the last time we talked to you, have you run across anything that's a good story about auto appraisals lately?
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: I know you've always got stories.
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: The thing is is these people are spending God's amount of money on building some of these rides.
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: There's one in particular that I did.
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: There's actually a TV show, the Martin Brothers deal.
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: Yes, right, resurrection.
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they built this Hudson pickup truck for a gentleman.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: I remember it.
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: That was absolutely gorgeous, okay, but the guy that commissioned it didn't even live to see it finished.
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: His brother had the car finished and delivered.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: The overall bill was half a million dollars.
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, he had me out to appraise the car and that because he had another one, one or two also and appraise that truck on what he could expect to get for those at auction.
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: We said around $275,000 to $300,000.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: That's all.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: That's it, even though they had half a million dollars into it.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter what you spend.
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: It's what the market will bear.
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: Wow, did you follow it through?
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: Did they get the money for it?
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: No, he sold it for $285,000.
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: Wow, and they put a half a million dollars into it.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: Oh my God.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: It sounds to me like my 77 Corvette that I don't even know how much money I put into it.
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: I bought it brand new for $11,000.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: Custom paint, chrome, all this stuff, and I sold it for next to nothing Nothing.
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: So that's what I tell people now when they say they want to get into the hobby or they want to have a classic car, I tell them to go to Me, them, or, or one of the other options find a car that's close to what you want, have it inspected and buy that car and then change that car to what you want, right, okay, yep, you wanted a red 70 duit grand sport.
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, okay, you can find the yellow one and you can buy it at a reasonable price.
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: It comes across.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: You buy that, put a paint job on it, you've got what you've got and and you've got a good driving classic car that you can use.
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: Or you can go all the way and start showing.
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: You know when you redo those things hey how we're running out of time here.
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: Uh, how are things coming along with the this year's waterfront car show?
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: well, it's going to change a little bit, in that I have a contract Contracted the Houston area Pontiac Club to work the show and handle all the issues for me, gotcha.
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: So they'll be doing the parking, they'll be doing the judging, they'll be doing pretty much all of it.
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: This year and they've got a lot of experience because they do a show down in Galveston.
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: Right, that's March 22nd on the stream Nice show.
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: That show will be out.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: And that's always a good show.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: Well, michael, it's great to talk to you.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for joining us today.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: Good luck with your health and we hope to talk to you again soon.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: You stay in touch with us now you hear.
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: If you want to trade that bet, now's the time to trade it.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: I'm good right now, but I appreciate the offer.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: Thank you, sir.
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Michael Take care you bet.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: You too.
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: Just ahead, mr Bars has a review of the 2025 Chevy Traverse and Jeff has his car culture feature on the Detroit Auto Show.
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: In Real Time Car Talk Show continues in just a couple of seconds.
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: The Tex-Mex dining experience is defined by Loopy Tortilla your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas.
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: Since 1983, loopy Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients.
• 18:22
  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.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail in each and every location.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: Start your Loopy experience with queso flammeado and guacamole, along with a classic frozen margarita.
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: Dine on famous Loopy beef and chicken fajitas, or pepper shrimp brochette, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: Or a fish or vegetarian entree and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: Find Loopy Tortilla in Houston, college Station, beaumont, austin, san Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth.
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: There's a Texas location near you.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: The recipes are authentic and time-tested, the ingredients always fresh.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: Loopy Tortilla it's pretty good.
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: You own a car you love.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: Why not let Gulf Coast Auto Shield protect it?
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: Houstonian John Gray invites you to his state-of-the-art facility to introduce you to his specialist team of auto enthusiasts.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: We promise you'll be impressed, whether you're looking to massage your original paint to a like-new appearance, apply a ceramic coating, install a paint protection film, nano-ceramic window tint or new windshield protection called ExoShield, gulf Coast Auto Shield is where Houston's car people go.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: Curbed your wheels.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: Instead of buying new, why not have them repaired?
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: How about a professionally installed radar detector?
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield does that too.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: Get a peek inside the shop and look at the services offered by getting online and heading to gcautoshieldcom.
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: Better yet, stop by their facility at 11275 South Sam Houston Tollway, just south of the Southwest Freeway, and get a personal tour.
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your place to go for all things exterior.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: Call them today 832-930-5655 or gcautoshieldcom.
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, the In Wheel Time car show hits the road literally when we join the Hot Rod Tour at Texas April 26th.
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: Watch and listen for more information in the coming weeks here on In-Wheel Time.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: Thanks for being with us today.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: Time now for Jeff's Car Culture.
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: This week it's going to be on the Detroit Auto Show.
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and it's not too pleasant for him because the Detroit Auto Show attendance plummeted as glory days fade for the Detroit Auto Show in Detroit.
• 20:29
  Speaker 4: Far more news was revealed at the Brussels Automotive Show and the Tokyo Auto Salon and even CES this past year.
• 20:37
  Speaker 4: Most automakers have abandoned the event, leaving dealers to fill the gaps.
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: Now we were just at ours Autobotive Show with Rochelle Salinas outstanding organization, fantastic show.
• 20:47
  Speaker 4: But the Detroit Auto Show only attracted 275,000 visitors last month.
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: That's a lot.
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: It's down a half a million.
• 20:56
  Speaker 4: Since previous years they were topping out at some big numbers.
• 21:00
  Speaker 4: So the Detroit Auto Show used to be a can't-miss event and its return was barely worth mentioning.
• 21:06
  Speaker 4: The Ford Mustang RTR and the Mustang GTD, Spirit of America, were introduced ahead of the event, leaving the North American Car Utility and Truck of the Year Awards as the only worthwhile news on the media day.
• 21:19
  Speaker 4: Amazing To say, it wasn't worth attending and we're openly questioning whether or not the Detroit Auto Show was dead.
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: We're getting a resounding answer and it's time to break out the defibrillator and catheter, because the event is on life support catheter.
• 21:33
  Speaker 4: I wrote that.
• 21:35
  Speaker 4: Well, while organizers tried to put in a positive spin on things, the numbers are truly terrible.
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: Over the course of 11 days, 275 000 people attended.
• 21:44
  Speaker 4: As the detroit free press noted the pales.
• 21:47
  Speaker 4: In comparison to the 780 000 people who attended in previous years, that's a staggering decline.
• 21:54
  Speaker 4: As a result, it's hard to judge and make up the lackluster lineup and the return to January has impacted everything.
• 22:00
  Speaker 4: Despite the awful attendance, organizers proclaimed it was one of the largest auto shows in the US.
• 22:05
  Speaker 4: However, the numbers aren't much to brag about.
• 22:08
  Speaker 4: In the former Motor City, Juul barely beat the 2024 Chicago Auto Show.
• 22:14
  Speaker 4: The Chicago one was shorter by a day and it attracted 260,000 guests, so it was a little bit more and less days.
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: The lackluster showing isn't much of a surprise for most automakers.
• 22:27
  Speaker 4: It declined to Detroit and it was a worthy effort to do it, but as a result, dealers, four indoor tracks and randomness included the Army, the Marines and a Polish investment and trade agency helped fill the leftover space on the board.
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: Did they have any?
• 22:44
  Speaker 4: pierogies in there.
• 22:44
  Speaker 4: I hope they did, because those are awesome.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: This didn't stop officials from proclaiming what is the whole thing with the dinosaurs?
• 22:50
  Speaker 4: there.
• 22:50
  Speaker 4: I don't know, it's just some event that this, whatever Ford or whoever, well, I was just going to say because, like a dinosaur, Is that like a Bronco back there?
• 22:57
  Speaker 4: I don't know it could be a Bronco.
• 22:59
  Speaker 4: They didn't stop officials from proclaiming that the show had a true energy and a robust lineup of vehicles.
• 23:08
  Speaker 4: While that's enough to make your eyes roll, the event had estimated economic impact of $370 million.
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: It cost them that much, that is actually down.
• 23:17
  Speaker 4: Organizers also said there were 34 brands on display as well as nearly 500 vehicles.
• 23:22
  Speaker 4: They're turning it into a different kind of show, evidently.
• 23:26
  Speaker 4: The latter figure appears to include 150 modified personal vehicles that were shown in partnership with Modded Detroit.
• 23:35
  Speaker 4: That's a club, evidently, there.
• 23:36
  Speaker 4: While it's easy to write off the show as a major disappointment, the charity preview raised $1.7 million for the children's charities around the area.
• 23:45
  Speaker 4: That's good news, although the show's future looks far from bright if things do not improve.
• 23:51
  Speaker 4: With all this being said, is the detroit auto show dead or is it just transitioning into a post auto show era?
• 23:56
  Speaker 4: Uh, not much new, and it's hard to justify a trip to the motor city.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: That's a shame yeah, it really is all right time now for this hour's car review.
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: Mr mars has the chevy traverse he wants to talk to you about.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: All right, michael yeah, buddy.
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: So I was really interested in this vehicle because we had kind of a run with the Chevrolets and this is the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse High Country.
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: Now, this is a new trim level.
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: This year it's been available in several other vehicles.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: They dropped their baseline and kept it at four trim levels by including the High Country.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: It's an LT, a Z71, the, the new high country, and then there's the rs uh, the one we had.
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: The high country is front wheel drive.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: There is an all-wheel drive available now.
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: This is classified as a standard suv three row.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: Now I would look at it as a mid-size but, being that's what the government calls it, that's what the government calls it, it is a seven passenger seating in this vehicle.
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: Up front you're going to find the LED lighting all around.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: You've got the walk up and the exit lighting that comes on whenever you're approaching or getting out of it, which makes it kind of nice if you're out in the dark world.
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: It's got the trailer and package, and I mention that here because it has the hitch view and hitch guidance option that comes with that.
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: And when you look at this vehicle, it's got a lot of nice lines to it and you look at the size of it it's.
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: Technically it is actually on the same wheelbase as the Tahoe, but it's not as long.
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: The body's not as long but it is the same wheelbase.
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: It came with roof rails.
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: It's got the hands-free liftgate, which works extremely well, as in, you get out of the driver's pass and you run around the back of it to run into the store.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: If you walk too close you might look behind you and see your lift gates open, or you might come out of the store and the lift gates open because you didn't realize it opened up.
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: But it works really well.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: We were rolling on some 22-inch wheels that were really nice, absorbed a lot of the road imperfections.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: Getting inside of it.
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: We had the leather seating.
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: Now the front is heated and ventilated.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: The second row was the bucket seats and both of them are heated, and the third row is a one-touch fold flat.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: That's pretty easy to get into.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: We had the 11-inch driver display.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: Now this is a big screen for the driver to configure however you want your information, your speedometer and everything.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: But in the middle was this big 17.7-inch LCD display where you're going to find your nav system, your convenience controls, all those kind of things that you're going to be looking for, easy to find here Now.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: It does have the wireless cell phone charging, with Apple, android and Google's making some inroads into the GM.
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: It has a digital rearview mirror, which works really well, and a Bose 10-speaker audio system.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: Now, up under the hood, the only thing you're going to find in a Traverse, regardless of the trim level, is a 2.5-liter turbo that does have 328 horsepower, 326 pound-feet of torque, which is pretty good for an inline-four.
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: Eight-speed automatic transmission in this vehicle, with the trailering package will tow 5,000 pounds.
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: This EPA says.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: In the city city you should be looking for 20, the highway 27, and then combined 23.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: Now I drove this vehicle.
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: I enjoyed driving this vehicle.
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: I drove it 490.7 miles Dang.
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: Nice, where'd you?
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: go.
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: I had to park it.
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: Well, I came here, went to the beach.
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: I mean I had fun.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: I liked driving this vehicle.
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: I got 21.8 miles per gallon across that and I thought that was pretty good.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: You know, hauling kids around, grandkids and everything.
• 27:17
  Speaker 4: Again it's comparable.
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: I've got grandkids.
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: Do you have kids?
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: No, yes, I do.
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: They're grown, he's not sure.
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: I kind of skip them and go straight to the grandkids nowadays.
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: So again, it's comparable in size to me, to the Tahoe.
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: The Tahoe is actually physically bigger but it gets the same wheelbase and it's got a much more CUV type ride, because it is more of a CUV than the Tahoe is or the Suburban or those kinds of vehicles.
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: But body-wise the Tahoe is like seven inches longer.
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: Just to give you an idea, now the base model price on this vehicle is $40,600.
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: Now the trim price for the High Country starts at $53,600.
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: But because everything that was on it is part of that trim package, there's really no options.
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: So the MSRP is at $54,995.
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: If you're looking for something to compare it to, the Kia Tay ride starts at $36,390.
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: The Palisade from Hyundai starts at $37,000.
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: And the Toyota Grand Highlander is at $40,000.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: So they're all pretty comparable in price riding through there.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: But I did enjoy this vehicle and I think if I was looking for a three-row midsize or standard size vehicle, I would definitely encourage you to look at that one.
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: I liked it.
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: It looks really good too.
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: Hey.
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: The In Real Time Car Talk Show continues right after a quick break.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto Accessories has been serving Houston's auto enthusiasts since 1984, providing world-class products for sports cars, european sedans and American muscle.
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is known as the place to go to find exclusive and hard-to-find parts and accessories.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is one of the very first distributors in the USA for brands such as Recaro, redline, momo Corbo and Simpson.
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: Located in the heart of Houston's premier retail and service corridor, the Galleria area, pro-am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000-square-foot warehouse, showroom and installation bays.
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: Pro-am not only sells parts and accessories, but also offers installation and service.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: Pro-am not only sells parts and accessories, but also offers installation and service.
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is now reaching a worldwide audience through Pro-Amcom, taking its local reputation to the rest of the world.
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: At Pro-Am Auto, you'll be dealing with a small group of professionals who truly want to help you with your automotive needs.
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: If you don't see what you're looking for on the website, call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand.
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto, 6125 Richmond at Greenridge in Houston's Galleria area.
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: Call them at 713-781-7755.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: The award-winning In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show now reaches 5.3 million folks each year.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: Check us out on InWheelTimecom, the Odyssey Radio app, youtube, Facebook and just about every other entertainment source out there, including our live broadcast every Saturday 10 to noon Central Time.
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show has informative automotive guest interviews, new car reviews, along with popular features, including Jeff's Car Culture, the latest new cars, cruise ins and racing dates.
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: It's InWheelTimecom.
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: Join us.
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 30:10
  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.
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify, stitcher, iheart Podcast, podcast Addict, tunein, pandora and Amazon Music.
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: Keep listening and we'll see you soon.