Auction Surprises And Sedan Returns

A $5,500 Cadillac Fleetwood. A $39,900 Pontiac Catalina convertible. A clean 2007 GMC bringing nearly $20K. We jump into the week’s most eyebrow-raising Hemmings sold results and talk through what those numbers say about the collector car market right now, from big-body comfort cruisers to classics that keep climbing. If you’ve been wondering what your project is really worth or what it’ll cost to buy your next toy, these comps are the kind of reality check you can actually use.

Then we get into the bigger automotive news story that’s starting to feel real again: sedans. With average new car transaction prices pushing past $50,000 and fuel economy rules reshaping how vehicles are categorized, automakers are looking hard at the “underserved” car buyer. We talk GM rumors of a Buick sedan tied to the next Cadillac CT5 and Chevy Camaro platform, Stellantis floating a new car under $30K, Ford’s “never say never” posture, and even Infiniti and Mitsubishi signaling a return to four-door options. We also bring it home with the day-to-day side of the debate: do you truly need an SUV, or do you just need a smart, comfortable sedan?

We wrap with our Texas cruise-in and events calendar, plus a blunt look at why dealership service departments are losing ground to quick lube shops, even when some newer vehicles come with “free” maintenance. If you care about value, convenience, and keeping your ride in shape, you’ll want to hear this part.

Subscribe for more award-winning car talk, share this with a friend who’s shopping for a car, and leave a review so more drivers can find us. What would you buy next: sedan, SUV, or something weird and imported?

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Transcript

Cold Open And Garage Banter

Don Armstrong 0:03

From the Dual City Studios in Texas, USA, this is the award-winning in-wheel time car talk show. Just ahead. Guess what the Hemings sold car sell sold for? Okay. Okay.

Jeff Dziekan 0:18

We could do that.

Don Armstrong 0:19

Um we also have our story of the week. And uh later, Jeff has the cruise in and events calendars, and I'll bring you the stories making automotive news headlines this week. Howdy, along with Mike, out of this world Mars. We always need more Jeff Zeken. Master Studio and transmitter engineer David Ainsley.

Jeff Dziekan 0:41

He might even be on with us. We just can't see him. You never know. Well, you never know. You never know.

Don Armstrong 0:45

He he played that trick on us this morning. Guess what I found? What's that, David? Well, you can't see me, but I can hear you and you can hear me. So there may be some ghosts in your in your program.

Jeff Dziekan 0:59

Well, Larry was he was uh messing with Larry this morning. Larry is the cat. Larry is the cat. Black cat. Yeah. He'd like chasing stuff on the TV.

Don Armstrong 1:06

I'd like to say good morning to uh Kansas Candace Sneed and Kathy Cole Thibodeau. They are in town for the Westbury High School class reunion.

Jeff Dziekan 1:14

I read some in the paper. There's a big hoopla, and there was a lot of activity going on.

Don Armstrong 1:18

A lot of drunkenness last night.

Jeff Dziekan 1:21

FBI was involved.

Don Armstrong 1:22

Oh, we only had one margarita. Not well, one picture's gonna say.

Jeff Dziekan 1:43

Are you in a white van?

SPEAKER_04 1:44

It's David Epstein here.

Don Armstrong 1:46

Oh, good lord. No, we don't want to even go there. But uh yeah. So uh did you hear me uh kind of uh uh spill the beans on your new uh found uh fun button over there uh to get into the show?

The Imported Suzuki Wagon R

SPEAKER_04 2:00

I I did, and I'm not gonna turn my camera on because I've been out sweating in the garage trying to clean it up. The spider infestation cell.

Don Armstrong 2:08

Oh, really? Is that weird car that your son bought? Is it still in there?

SPEAKER_04 2:13

It is.

Don Armstrong 2:14

What is that thing?

SPEAKER_04 2:15

It's a uh Suzuki Wagon R. Right hand drive. And it gets 50, yeah, right hand drive. It gets 58 miles to the gallon. What does it got? One cylinder in it? Three-cylinder. A three-cylinder. Top sounds about 85 miles.

Don Armstrong 2:32

That is the weirdest little it looks almost like a uh itty bitty teeny weeny little milk truck, yeah, like a tuk-tuck.

Jeff Dziekan 2:40

A tuk tuck, there you go. But but you know what? The Chevy Trax has a three-cylinder in it, but I don't think it gets 50 miles to a gallon.

Don Armstrong 2:48

Well, there you go. Yeah, so what year is your tuk-tuck?

SPEAKER_04 2:52

Tuk tuck is a 1999, I believe.

Don Armstrong 2:56

Wow. Yeah, so it's over 25 years old. Sport model. Yeah, so you're able to import those after 25 years. Apparently, pardon me?

SPEAKER_04 3:05

There's a cool place near Austin that deals these things, and they get them in, I guess, after you know.

Don Armstrong 3:11

You know, I believe that he's been a guest on this show one time. Is that correct, Mr. Morris? Mike is muted, Mars. Mike is muted. Way to go, Mars.

Mike Marrs 3:20

Yeah, he's been on a couple of times because uh we talked to him whenever he was trying to work with the legislature to try and get some rules changed.

Don Armstrong 3:26

Yeah, I remember that. Interesting. Okay. Well, thank you, David, for joining us.

SPEAKER_04 3:33

Well, I will, and I'm I'm waiting for the uh for the uh the big pro car.

unknown 3:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 3:40

He wants to buy a car.

Hemmings Sold Car Price Roundup

Don Armstrong 3:42

Let's do that. Let's let's do this first. Go ahead, Mike. We're gonna do the sold car roundup from uh Hemings, and this happened uh last week.

Jeff Dziekan 3:50

Well, we got Jeff uh Heitzman and hopefully George is on the line.

Don Armstrong 3:54

Okay, good. All right. So our first car up this morning is a 1988 Cadillac Fleetwood. Now we're talking about a big car here, but it's a it's a sharp-looking car with square headlights. Look at that beauty. But somebody put black walls on that.

Jeff Dziekan 4:11

Now they're probably getting ready to tub it out.

Don Armstrong 4:15

Oh, good. That's wrong.

Jeff Dziekan 4:17

And it's got the landauroof. That's all right, too, because that's a that's a brome. It's a broham. Broham.

SPEAKER_04 4:26

I bet you that feels like a marshmallow when you're going to.

Jeff Dziekan 4:28

Oh, you bet. I'm I'm I'm drooling a little bit. So how much do you think that that car sold for? That car sold for$17,000. Okay. How much? David?$10,000. Jeff Heisman says$33,000.

Mike Marrs 4:42

George is up in Kansas, so I don't I'm not sure he's okay.

Don Armstrong 4:46

All right, all right. So that's all right. Because this car sold for$5,500. It doesn't even need any interior work. Well, the driver's seat is a little rough, but that's okay. But we but leave it, just drive it. That's the that's the whole goal there. All right, next up. A 1963 Pontiac Catalina convertible. That, my friends, is a car that Don Armstrong would look really good driving. Waving, waving, waving down the street.

Mike Marrs 5:17

Doing doing your your queen wave from the back seat.

Don Armstrong 5:22

Yeah, oh stop. It just makes my heartbeat fast.

Mike Marrs 5:25

Both hairs flowing in the air.

Don Armstrong 5:27

Yeah, both hair. Yeah, that's right. 1963 Pontiac Catalina. How much did it sell for? 21. 28. How much? 28, did you say?

Mike Marrs 5:36

Yep.

Don Armstrong 5:37

Okay, 28.

Mike Marrs 5:38

That's a nice looking car.

Don Armstrong 5:39

Jeff says 19. Okay, get this. Everybody sitting down? It sold for 39.9. Wow. That is a nice car. It is. I got another nice car. Uh, this would be perfect for George. A 1941 Cadillac 62. Not big on the uh Mexican blanket uh cover up on the seat there, but 41 Cadillac 62. It's a two-door fastback, wide whites. How much did that sell for? The green color would turn me on. I couldn't do green. No green.

Mike Marrs 6:13

Uh green kind of I don't I'm not sure that's a factory color, even.

Jeff Dziekan 6:16

Well, we don't care. We know the blanket's not. Yeah. How much did that thing sell for?

Mike Marrs 6:21

It could have been built in Mexico.

Jeff Dziekan 6:23

I'm thinking$10,000.

Don Armstrong 6:26

$29.

unknown 6:27

$29.

Jeff Dziekan 6:28

Wow, we're all over.

Don Armstrong 6:29

And Jeff says$41. Well, it sold for$18,375.

Jeff Dziekan 6:33

Yeah.

Don Armstrong 6:34

Now it needs a repaint. If I was gonna buy it, it'd have to go to Randy.

Jeff Dziekan 6:38

Yeah. It's some mechanical work there on the other one. I don't know what that is.

unknown 6:42

Whatever.

Jeff Dziekan 6:43

All right. Next up.

Don Armstrong 6:44

A 1961 Chevrolet Apache.

Mike Marrs 6:48

There's that green again.

Don Armstrong 6:50

There's yeah, I know. A 61 Chevy Apache. Now, this is what we called a step side, not a fleet side. The fleet side was smooth. The step side, I don't know why anybody bought those things, but they did. Because it narrowed the bed. 61 Chevy Apache. It looks clean. How much? 15. 18. And Mr. Heitzman says 12. It sold for six sixteen thousand eight hundred dollars.

Mike Marrs 7:25

It's a pretty nice drive.

Don Armstrong 7:27

Well, you know, it might not be a V8. It might be a straight six.

Mike Marrs 7:31

No, it's it's got a V8. How do you know? Oh, I see. It's in the picture.

Don Armstrong 7:36

Well, I wasn't looking at the damn picture, okay? He doesn't have the first shot, evidently. Okay, next up, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air four-door.

Mike Marrs 7:48

Hard top.

Jeff Dziekan 7:49

It's a hard top.

unknown 7:51

Yeah.

Jeff Dziekan 7:51

Four-door hard top. 21. I'm just gonna blurt it out. Blurt it out. Blurred it. I blurted 21. 17. I think you might be on there, Dave. We might be on.

Don Armstrong 8:03

So uh is Mr. Heights. I'm still contemplating. Yeah, I guess.

Mike Marrs 8:09

But we want to give him time to get the data in there. There you go.

Don Armstrong 8:12

There you go. 9,000. So it's Jeff is spot on 17,325.

SPEAKER_04 8:19

David.

Don Armstrong 8:20

Oh, I'm sorry, David. Whatever. Have some coffee, Don. Here, here, here's here's a Don Hook. Here's a Don Armstrong car. A 1955 Studebaker E7. We talked about the Studebaker not that long ago on this show. 55 Studebaker E7.

Jeff Dziekan 8:39

I have no idea.

Don Armstrong 8:41

And uh Studebaker made pickup trucks for a very short period of time. And um it kind of has an automobile look to it. It does be honest with you.

Mike Marrs 8:51

Big wide fat fenders on it.

Don Armstrong 8:52

Yes. But they're smooth. Anyway, 55 Studebaker E7. How much?

Mike Marrs 9:00

I'm gonna go uh it's got a V8 in it as well. It's not a modern, not a new one, but A V8.

Jeff Dziekan 9:06

Jeff Heisman says 11. I'm gonna go 18. I'm gonna go 22.

Don Armstrong 9:11

How about 14175?

Jeff Dziekan 9:14

We're still all over the board.

unknown 9:16

Yeah.

Don Armstrong 9:17

Okay, we're getting down here to the end. Next up is a 1981 Mercedes-Benz SL SL class. 81 now. 81.

Mike Marrs 9:26

That's like 8 bucks. 8 bucks. It's got a manual transmission in it.

Don Armstrong 9:32

Convertible. Pretty slick looking. It looks brand new.

Mike Marrs 9:36

And what year again?

Don Armstrong 9:37

This is an 81.$12,000. Okay. Jeff says$25. It's 19425. Heitzman, this could be your car. You'd look really good pulling up to NASA in the front of the one on that one. All right, next up, a 2007 GMC 1500. It looks extremely clean. It looks extremely stock. 07 GMC 1500. Half-ton pickup truck. And this is the four-door version.

Jeff Dziekan 10:15

I want to say$8,000. What?

Don Armstrong 10:18

$21. You've been smoking some. No. Yeah.$21. I just don't know. David says.

Jeff Dziekan 10:23

It doesn't do anything for me. I I just think of it as a very inexpensive work truck. Yeah, well, guess what? It's not. Okay.

Mike Marrs 10:31

Well, Heitzman's still drilling over the red one, but he's here he is. 16.

Don Armstrong 10:35

16. It's sold for$19,950. So it's probably got some relatively low value.

Jeff Dziekan 10:41

That vortex scares me.

unknown 10:42

Okay, well, whatever.

Don Armstrong 10:44

So that is your sold car roundup for this week. Right. Thank you to Hemings for that. Thank you to Automotive News for our news stories this morning. And thank you for being you. And don't go changing to try to please me.

SPEAKER_05 10:56

That's right.

Are Sedans Making A Comeback

Don Armstrong 10:57

There's a song in that somewhere. Okay, next up. All right. Story of the week. It's uh kind of long, but um, I think that you'll appreciate it. The Detroit 3 and some other automakers that largely walked away from sedans during the stampede to SUVs and crossovers are thinking about staging a car comeback.

unknown 11:16

Okay.

Don Armstrong 11:17

Soaring vehicle prices and proposed fuel economy rules that would categorize crossovers as cars instead of light trucks, are helping sedans look tra attractive again. General Motors plans to introduce a Buick sedan built on the same platform as the next generation Cadillac CT5 and Chevy Camaro. Okay, a source at uh GM told Automotive News. Stillantis, whose chief design guy says he's gotten tired of SUVs, is considering a new car that would cost less than 30 grand. Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley answered never say never when asked whether the automaker would revive sedans as an affordability play. Infinity plans to re-enter the sedan market in 2027 with a high-powered Q50S. And Mitsubishi, of all people, in November told dealers of a strategic shift in its product plan that could involve getting back into sedans. Sedans from Toyota and Honda were among the strongest performing vehicles in the U.S. during the first quarter of this year, while small crossovers lost share. No one expects cars to take overtake utilities as the average U.S. consumer's vehicle of choice again in the foreseeable future. But as transaction prices across the industry continue to rise, analysts see a sizable market for sedans that's become underserved. Light trucks have dominated at U.S. dealerships since the mid-2010s. The crossover craze was fueled by relatively low gasoline prices and consumers' desire for more space and ride height than a traditional sedan could offer. According to Mark Wakefield, global automotive market lead at Alex Partners. Last year utilities accounted for 58% of the new vehicle market, outselling sedans by about 3 to 1, according to SP Global Mobility. Sedans dwindled from 42% of the market in 2000 to fewer than one out of every five vehicles sold in the U.S. today. Toyota sold 78,000 Camry sedans from January through March, up 11% from the first quarter of 25. Honda sold 37 accord 37,000 Accords, up 22%, and sales of the Kia K5 rose 19% to 18,800. In the first quarter, since the late 2017 model year, that the Camry was Toyota's number one seller, topping the RAV 4 crossover. The Camry, Accord, and K-5 all have starting prices around 30 grand, appealing to price conscious consumers as the average U.S. transaction price for a new vehicle tops 50 grand.

Jeff Dziekan 13:52

So with that being said, your thoughts on the Well, you said they're going to be building a car for under 30 grand?

Don Armstrong 14:01

Under 30 is the well, they're going to be building a lot under 30 grand because the average price now is at 50 grand. Now, whether it's sedans or not, they're not really showing their hand, but they're saying we've got a lot of S.

Jeff Dziekan 14:13

There's a lot of SUVs, but in the back is part of the story, the SUVs are the ones that are selling.

Don Armstrong 14:17

My daughter that owns a um rogue is looking to buy another vehicle. Okay. Um because the lease is up on this. And I told her, I said, you know what? I want you to do me a favor and at least consider looking at a sedan. She's got a little one, my grandson, who's three years old, that sits in the back seat anyway. What does he care? Does she need an SUV? SUVs are expensive. There's more to an SUV than a car. Could it cost more? So look at it at a sedan.

Jeff Dziekan 14:49

Well, you also have to look at your driving style too. SUVs, you sit higher up in the vehicle, you have a better radius of view. Uh some of them are built specific for uh not necessarily the the child, but they're constructed in a way that they're having more uh safety features in the back.

Don Armstrong 15:08

It's kind of like in the old days with the station wagon that proceeds down right stuff like that. But see, that's going to stop. But you also have to remember the newer sedans, the back seats you could fold down and it opens up all the way to the right, and they've got the ski, the ski port, the little arms, all that stuff.

Mike Marrs 15:21

But uh I just went through a a deal with my oldest granddaughter, or not the oldest one, but the one that's here. She's 21, she needed to buy a new car, did not would not even consider a two-door. Had to be a sedan, and but you know, but it's a sporty-looking sedan, and she's got some twin sisters that are 19, same thing. They don't want two-door cars, they want four-door vehicles, but they want something that looks sporty.

Don Armstrong 15:49

And they don't want an SUV because that's what mom and grandma drive. Yeah.

Mike Marrs 15:53

Well, and maybe it's too big, or it's you know, they you're right, but they don't want it for a variety of reasons, but they're they're all into sedan, so it may be a just a generational thing where they're realizing a sedan's pretty good.

Jeff Dziekan 16:07

Well, they're making SUVs sleeker, slope in the back to make them look more like a sedan, but they're SUV. Right, and but they're considered SUV when you go to register and they're an SUV.

Don Armstrong 16:19

Well, I just think it's an interesting concept, and I I read the story, and then I told my daughter, hey, check it out. May find something there that you like, and at the affordability prices, yeah, there's that.

Jeff Dziekan 16:30

It well, what also uh made me think is that they're gonna they're gonna have cars for under 30 grand. Where are they gonna buy them? From Ford?

Don Armstrong 16:38

No, because it'll be recalled.

Jeff Dziekan 16:40

Yeah, exactly. Buying from other manufacturers.

Don Armstrong 16:44

Would you consider a sedan, Mars?

Mike Marrs 16:45

Absolutely. Uh I don't think I would go back to a two-door unless it was like a Corvette or something very specialized, but otherwise, I mean they've got some of them that you can you can't even tell it's a four-door hardly. Right.

Don Armstrong 16:57

Well, I will tell you, and I think that I may have mentioned this to you guys before, but you know, I'm not getting any younger. I am really getting tired of shifting. I have a six-speed manual transmission in the Corvette. It's getting harder and harder to sit down on the ground from a standing position because that's basically what you do in the Corvette.

Jeff Dziekan 17:14

And that's a good point, too, because Kathy's Lexus, it's hard for me to, you know, bend down in the in the you got the door open and somebody push you in. So I I thought, what would I like?

Don Armstrong 17:24

What would what would and I'll tell you, don't laugh. You know what I'd consider? Go for it. A Cadillac. Yeah. Cadillac four-door sedan. A newer one. Not brand new, don't get me wrong.

Jeff Dziekan 17:37

Get a nice pre-owned, uh, CT5, CT CT.

Don Armstrong 17:41

Do they make a four anymore? Uh I don't know, but whatever. Get something that's, you know, within seven, eight years old, something 35,000, 50,000 miles. I think I'd kind of like that. Yeah.

Jeff Dziekan 17:52

Let me know. I can get you some V badges. I know you can get the V badges. I don't need that either. I can't I know a guy. Yeah, I know.

Don Armstrong 18:01

It's funny because I, you know, horsepower is important, but not like the Corvette. I don't need that.

SPEAKER_05 18:06

Yeah.

Jeff Dziekan 18:06

You don't even have to have a VA, just get a nice uh six-cylinder in a Cadillac.

Don Armstrong 18:10

Or a four-cylinder with a turtle.

Jeff Dziekan 18:11

Yeah, you're not going to be a good one. And GM makes a good one, I will say that. They also make Buicks, so there you go. But they don't make a sedan anymore on that. Yeah. Barnes, what are your thoughts?

Mike Marrs 18:21

Well, I'm thinking that uh Bobby popped back in.

Don Armstrong 18:24

Yeah.

Mike Marrs 18:25

I saw that.

Don Armstrong 18:26

And what does he have to say?

Mike Marrs 18:28

I don't know. I have a clear.

Jeff Dziekan 18:30

Well, why not? He went in and out. There he is.

Family Car Buying Reality Check

Don Armstrong 18:35

Bobby Sparkman, are you back with us again? No. You know what he did? He butt dialed us.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

I don't know if you guys can hear me. I can't hear you.

Don Armstrong 18:48

Yes, we can hear you, Sabro.

Mike Marrs 18:51

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

We made it to 40 Dogs Garage. 40 Dogs Garage. Turn around and show you a little bit of the stuff that they have here. Like I said, I can't hear you, but I hope you can hear and see.

Don Armstrong 19:02

Yes, we can hear you.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

This is a huge place, and these people are very kind to let us come here.

Don Armstrong 19:09

How many, how many dogs? 40 dogs. 40 dogs. 40 days and 40 night dogs. Well, we can't see you. So we can't see your we can't see your picture, but uh I will tell you that the hot rod tour is on its way tomorrow. It wraps up. Uh they take off from Frederick headed to Fredericksburg right now. So uh 40 Dogs Garage. So check them out and uh check out the Hot Rod Tour of Texas on Facebook. Hey, coming up, Jeff has the cruise in and events calendars, and I'll have a couple stories making automotive news headlines. We're gonna wrap things up for today's show. Stay with us. The In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues right after this quick break. The Tex Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Lupi Tortilla, all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in Houston. Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you will see the same attention to detail in each and every location. Start your loopy experience with queso flamingato and guacamole, along with a classic frozen margarita. Done on famous loopy beef and chicken pajitos or pepper shrimp brochette, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious vlon for dessert. Find loopy tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas Fort Worth. There's a Texas location near you. The recipes are authentic and time-testing. The ingredients always fresh. Loopy tortilla is pretty good. The N-Wheel Time Car Talk Show thanks you for 15 wonderful years. Yep, our first show aired May 7, 2011 on the local radio station. Then it was a move to the digital world and social media, and you followed. Thank you. We continue to build and grow our fan base, and it's all because of you and your auto-enthusiast friends. We appreciate your support. It's always great to see you at our remote broadcast, too, and we hope you'll continue to stop by and say hello. It's been a great ride, and we hope to bring you more fun and adventure right here on the Edwheel Time Car Talk Show. Did want to mention that uh we'd love to Mr. Mars, could you could you uh mute uh Sabra, please? Or whoever that is. Is that David or somebody else is on their line with us? Thank you. All right. Hey, be sure and join us for a regular live show every week. In Wheel Time airs Saturdays, 10 to noon on Facebook, YouTube, and inwheeltime.com. And of course, if you miss it, you can catch 30 minute podcasts from this show at your favorite podcast store. It's free. Free. F-R-E-E, a four letter word.

Hot Rod Tour Update And Where To Watch

Jeff Dziekan 21:52

Free is good. Free is good. So you're not getting your money back. Put it that way. No, you're not.

unknown 21:56

No.

Don Armstrong 21:56

All right. Uh time now for the cruise in and events calendars, Jeffrey.

Cruise Ins And Cars And Coffee

Jeff Dziekan 22:00

Okay, here we go. So this is for next weekend, May second from nine AM to eleven A.M. uh at Frida's Cafe. It's the Crossroad Cruisers Car Club, Cars and Coffee. Um it's hosted by the Cruisers. It's a Tex-Mex restaurant. The event takes place the first Saturday of every month from nine AM uh to uh eleven AM and it's in Victoria, Texas, eighty-nine oh one Navarro Street. Uh on the Well everything is on Navarro Street very much. It's a big old street. Uh then you got Gears and Grounds. It's this May 2nd also. It's a 13150 Brenton Ridge Street in Houston. Uh gathering is promised to be good stuff for classic cars, sports cars, exotic race cars, imports, so on and so on. Gears and grounds. Gears and grounds, yeah. Coffee grounds and grinding the gears. Uh so for more information, you can go to speedadvocates.com. And then you got one by George. I think George is going to be at this one. Temple Malton Motors, monthly cruise in at Bold, and that's Bold Republic Brewing Company in Temple, Texas at 7060 Stone Hollow Drive. That goes from 11 to 2. George is a big drinker. No, but he can go out there and enjoy the cars. Uh the event occurs the first Saturday, like we said. Uh winter hours are different, but we're not in the winter. It's summertime. Look out the window. Uh, including cars, trucks, and motorcycles, uh, enjoy craft, uh craft brews, food, music, and good company. And then here's one that I kind of feel left out. Uh, Ford versus Chevy. This is uh in May 3rd, so it's next Saturday. The events open to both cars and trucks. Registration of$25 per vehicle. It's at 13150 Brenton Ridge Street in Houston. Again, uh trophies will be awarded for the top 10 Fords, top 10 Chevy vehicles, selected by Northside Mustang and Katie Cruisers. Where is it? It is at Brenton Street in Houston.

Don Armstrong 23:45

Okay.

Jeff Dziekan 23:45

Uh I feel left out because there's no Buick in the title, so that's okay. Or Cadillac. And then you got one, Mike. This one's for you, buddy. Uh Mauriceville Cruisins, May 3rd. It's in Orange, Texas, at 11261, Texas 12. How far is Orange from you, Mike?

Mike Marrs 23:59

Uh about 15 miles.

Jeff Dziekan 24:01

This event occurs first Sunday of the month. Uh participants are encouraged to bring their classic cars, hot rods, rat rods, resto mod, muscle cars, or custom cruisers. Which one's Orange. It's Orange, Orange, Texas. That's right. It's a typos, Orange, Texas. So go out there. You know, there's plenty around. You know who's from Orange? Uh uh the guy on the radio thing. No, Sheila May. Sheila May's from Orange. I didn't know that.

Mike Marrs 24:26

She's from Orange Field, I thought.

Jeff Dziekan 24:28

I I don't know about Orange Fields. Oh, the strawberry fields.

Mike Marrs 24:32

Uh well, that's next door to Orange Fields. Okay. Which is next door to the field.

Jeff Dziekan 24:35

But there's a lot going on. All you gotta do is just you could Google anything about car cruises or whatever the case, and they'll pop up. There's plenty to do out there every weekend, even on Thursdays and Fridays and stuff like that.

Don Armstrong 24:45

Dealership service departments are losing customers to Quick Lube shops, and pricing strategy is largely to blame, according to new data from global research and consulting from Ducker Carlisle. What's your name? Ducker. I'm Ducker. I'm Ducker Don. Uh, Quicklubes are what everybody should be worried about, according to Nate Chinenko, a principal and leader of global benchmarking. I think all these titles. Dealerships made less money in 2025 than in 2024, and QuickLubes made more. Driving factor, sending more customers to Quick Lube Shops is price, he said. Independent repair facilities, quick lube shops, and tire chains, not the chains that you put on the tires, but people that sell tires, yeah. All gain market share from January of 25 to January 26, primarily at the expense of dealerships, according to Ducker Carlisle. Data doesn't distinguish between types of jobs and quick lube shops are doing. The regardless of the data, the data shows quick lube shops are getting a higher percentage of service dollars than they were in the past, while dealerships are getting less. Only way quick lube shops can grow is to take market share from someone else. Uh since the average driver gets two oil changes a year, and given growing number of electric vehicles, it's particularly striking that uh quick lubes are getting more business. Quick lube shops' growing share of oil changes should alarm dealerships because a high percentage of new vehicles have maintenance paid for by the manufacturer for some period of time. Almost every vehicle zero to two years of age has free maintenance paid for by the OEM. Uh, even when a dealership is giving away free maintenance for two years, you still seem to have be having a hard time retaining those companies, according to that person. So keep that in mind.

Jeff Dziekan 26:41

Time also that Ford was notorious for this. Actually, Ford started the quick lanes. Remember the fat the fast lanes? The fix yeah, quick lanes is what they called them. They actually took old dealerships and remodeled them and reconverted them. But to that point, yes, you're getting a little bit better buy, a little bit better deal, but you're quicker. It's called quick lane, you're in and out, so you get more volume on the people coming in. You may have a lesser hourly rate, not the eleven hundred dollars like uh Bugatti, but the standard rate is a little less, and they don't make a lot on oil changes. They they make very, very little on oil changes. So there you go.

Sponsor Break And How To Reach Us

Don Armstrong 27:13

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