It’s A Mad, Mad World | #507
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BJ Killeen – Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason opens the show with Alan as they discuss “color” depreciation. Alan quickly wants to know if his choice of color on his new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon was the right one. BJ says, “as long as it’s not yellow, orange, purple, red, green, blue or gray you’re good!” BJ announces that Barrett Jackson is heading to Las Vegas at the West Hall. Showcasing around 650 vehicles, 250 memorabilia, along with auctioning off a 2023 Cadillac Escalade V, serial number 0001, with profits being 100% donated to charity. BJ and Alan are guessing a value of 600-700K. It’s got all the bells and whistles. Alan shares that his newest media car he drove was a 2022 John Cooper Works Mini 2 door coupe. He said it has a 7k trim package and car sells for around $41k. Lots of fun to drive with its 2 liter twin power turbo 228 horsepower engine. He felt like a kid again. Before BJ leaves, she shares news on the passing of Burton Smith. He was the founder and creator of Speedway Motorsports. His story is a rags to riches piece with him donating over 61 million towards charity over the years. Up next is Lauren Fix, Editor-in-Chief for Car Coach Reports. Gas Prices and Gimmicks are her topics. Is the president giving us a ‘Gas Holiday’? Lauren breaks it down for us – 18.4% off regular gasoline and 24.4% off diesel. That’s approximately between $25-$35 dollars worth of savings in 3 months…Whoopie! Only for it to turn around and bite us back when that savings ‘borrows’ the budget from road maintenance. Somehow, someway we will end up paying for it. Lauren briefly switches the topic and shares how there was a Tesla that caught on fire in California and it took 24 hours and over 4500 gallons of water to extinguish the car. She and Alan then discuss what is the best way to purchase a vehicle. Lease or buy? Well, in the world of finance, rates are rising in car loans and the average car payment is around $700 a month. They both agree financing through a credit union may be your best option. Rolling in next is Josh Hancock – JoshCAR Hollywood Car Consultant as he points out that Ford is the only company who is not pledging to become all electric. They plan to be about 40% electric based on customer demand. Josh shares the the European Union is really pushing Germany to become all electric, but Germany refuses to stop producing internal combustion engines. Mic Drop! Josh and Alan talk about provisions in your contract when purchasing new vehicles. For instance, Ford Lightning contract stipulates that you cannot sell the vehicle for a 1 year period. This allows market adjustments for dealerships so they can survive. Purchasing vehicles from the manufacturer and doubling the price to make up for lost revenue. Bringing in the rear and closing the show today is Karl Brauer – Automotive Industry Analyst, Forbes Autos Contributor, North American Car and Truck of the year juror and board member and Executive Analyst for ISeeCars.com. He chimes in with his bit on the “contract provisions’ as he says that when purchasing his new 2022 Ford GT, his contracts states that he can’t sell the vehicle for 2 years. Alan shares his frustration of how he feels that the industry is forcing people to buy electric. Both he and Karl say that is a huge mistake for a manufacturer to say they will be all electric. It’s like saying you can only have one tool to fix everything on your car or in your home. People want choices. Alan inquires, “What is the greatest invention in auto history?” Karl replies that plug-in hybrids like the Chrysler Pacifica, are “fabulous vehicles”. He got to drive the new Volvo Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid that can go 70 miles on a charge and 300+ miles for gas. No range anxiety there.
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