Pre-Paid Leases, J.D. Power APEAL Awards, Plus 2025 Mazda CX-50 Turbo, 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale and 2025 Acura ADX Test Drives

August 1, 2025

Dear CarPro Family,

We start August with a jam-packed newsletter today. This is one you need to slowly scroll down to the very bottom before deciding what to read. First, I want to thank everyone who congratulated me on being a nominee for the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. I appreciate the support and I write more about it in my closing message at the very bottom of the page.

OK OK, YES-the first article is about the pre-paid EV leases I talked about on the air, with specific examples. My advice column today is also about pre-paid leases in general. I have results of the APEAL award winners, one of my favorite studies because it gauges how excited people are about their new cars. I have the top 10 used cars with the biggest price drops, and for you SoCal readers, you probably know Elon Musk opened a drive-in restaurant in Hollywood.

Kim Komando has some great tips for you today and don’t miss Kim’s Quiz, I finally got one right. The answer is at the very bottom of this newsletter. I have a new batch of Quick Shift stories for you today, and don’t forget to go shopping in the Car Pro Merch shop, lots of good stuff there. Get caught up on the tariff news, too. More big deals were struck this week.

In car reviews, I have two very different 5-passenger SUVs. I have the 2025 Mazda CX-50 Turbo, and the 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale. In our third review, Amy Plemons brings you the first-ever 2025 Acura ADX, the brand's new entry-level premium compact SUV.

If you have never read my True Stories from a Former Car Dealer series, may I suggest you do so? People have loved this for a lot of years now. You’ll learn more about me than you probably want to know, you’ll roar with laughter at some, and you’ll likely get a tear in your eyes on others. They are all right here, 40 of them, carefully written by yours truly: True Stories →

If you haven’t perused my FAQ page, please do. There are likely multiple articles you can use, every one of them written by me.

All of our other regular features are below including the Classic Car Contest, our radio station listings, how to connect with us on Facebook and call the show to talk directly to me, and much, much, more.

We very much appreciate you being part of the newsletter family. Without you, there is no Car Pro Show. Let us know how we can help you, and if you haven’t been to our website lately, check it out at CarPro.com. It changes daily.

Have a terrific week. See you on the radio!

As Todd mentioned on the Car Pro Show last Saturday, Jerry is once again a finalist for induction in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Everybody behind the scenes at the show think it is way past time he was inducted since he is starting his 25th year of broadcasting and through those years has helped thousands with car questions, advice, and referrals to outstanding dealerships.

Many have asked if they can help, and how they can vote. Well, here’s how, step by step:

You start by becoming a voting member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. You can become a voting member for $50. To become a member, click here.

IMPORTANT: It takes a day or so for you to get your Texas Radio Hall of Fame number so you can vote. If you have already received your number, make sure you VOTE by going here: Texas Radio Hall Of Fame - Vote

Remember, you have to go back and vote once you get your Official Member Number!

If you are considering helping Jerry get into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, he would greatly appreciate your support. Step one is to become a member, then once you get your Membership Number (up to 48 hours) don’t forget to vote!

Thank you again for your consideration, and feel free to let us know if you voted, especially if Jerry has helped you some time through the years.

We appreciate you listening to the Car Pro Show and thank you for your consideration. We all sincerely want him to win this award, he deserves it.

Besides the Car Pro Show and our weekly newsletter, my other favorite radio show and newsletter is Kim Komando’s. We're on many of the same radio stations across America. She does for her listeners and newsletter subscribers exactly what I endeavor to do: Give you useful information to keep you up to date on the latest in cars, only she does it with technology and there is nobody who does it better. Not sure how she puts out a top-notch newsletter seven days a week, but she does.

Kim’s Quiz:

Guess the gadget: I fit in your palm, snapped open with a click and needed a pencil when things got messy. I captured your favorite songs straight off the radio, commercials and all. What am I? Answer after my closing message at the bottom of this newsletter

Here are some interesting and useful things in Kim’s newsletters from this week I found for you:

Find hidden cameras: Do a quick sweep by turning off the lights and shining your phone’s flashlight around vents, smoke detectors, remote controls, wall outlets and other random objects. Hidden lenses will reflect back at you. Want a pro-level check? This hidden camera detector spots bugs, trackers and cams in seconds.
Ring of suspicion: Police can now request your doorbell footage again, without a warrant, if it’s part of an “emergency” investigation. The program was paused earlier this year, but Amazon quietly flipped the switch back on. So yes, your front porch cam is now part of your local precinct’s surveillance network.
Your shampoo’s big break: TSA may finally drop the 3.4 oz liquid limit. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says it’s “the next big announcement,” but there’s a catch: The tech that makes it possible (3D CT scanners) won’t be in every U.S. airport until 2040. For now, that travel-size mouthwash isn’t going anywhere.
$350M fake merch mess: A sports memorabilia dealer confessed on Facebook to selling over 4 million counterfeit items, then took his own life hours later. Brett Lemieux ran the MisterManCave site, allegedly faking holograms of Kobe, Jordan, Brady and more. The scam allegedly made $350 million.
Price match, expired: Target’s pulling the plug on price matching Amazon and Walmart as of July 28. So if you were banking on a retroactive refund after spotting your air fryer cheaper elsewhere, this is your final week. The company says it’s staying “competitive,” but more shoppers are clicking to cart elsewhere.
Billionaire baby mama drama: Ashley St. Clair, a 26-year-old conservative influencer, is suing Elon Musk (paywall link) for full custody of their son, Romulus (yes, really). She claims he offered $15M and $100K/month to keep quiet, then slashed support when she didn’t. Now the court’s involved, the windows are papered and Elon’s side quest is fully glitching.
Change Alexa’s news source: By default, Alexa plays NPR when you ask for the news. Prefer something else? Open the Alexa app and go to More > Settings > News > My News Channel. From there, you can choose from networks like ABC, CNN and Bloomberg, among others. Oh, you can also ask Alexa to “Play The Kim Komando Show podcast.

Photo Credit: Mecum Auctions, Inc.

We have had a lot of fun with our classic car contest on the Car Pro Show Facebook page. We post the photo of a classic vehicle every Saturday morning and invite people to guess the year, make, and model. The prize: an AutoHeatShield.

This 1955 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster sold for $148,500 at Mecum Auctions Harrisburg on Saturday! Official contest rules →

Our Facebook winner this week, and winner of an AutoHeatShield, is:

CarPro listeners receive a 10% AutoHeatShield discount with the code "CarPro10".
Visit AutoHeatShield here →

If you are searching for a particular new or used vehicle, we can help you! The best news is, if you use CarPro to search, when you find the car of your dreams it will be at a CarPro approved dealership.

Our search feature is simple to use. Choose new, used, or certified. You can select the make and model, or find a price range you are looking at. Choose the number of miles you are willing to travel and enter your zip code. From there, you can look through all your matches, knowing you are shopping at a dealership I have handpicked that adheres to the high standards I require.

Start your search on the front page of CarPro.com. If you don't find the car of your dreams, check back regularly.

have 5 hours to call the show! From 9AM- 2PM Central, 7AM-Noon Pacific, and 10 AM to 3 PM Eastern, the phone numbers are:

DFW Show: 9 AM to 11 AM Central,
- 1 (800) 288-9227
National Show: 11 AM to 2 PM Central,
- 1 (800) 926-7777

Add the numbers to your cell phone; you never know when you are going to need straight talk and honest answers about everything automotive.

So, what is the CarPro Radio Show?

Confused about the car buying process? Worried you won’t get a fair deal? Wondering about which vehicle is best for you? Then tune in to the CarPro Radio Show every week where Jerry Reynolds and Todd Chambless will guide you through the car-buying process with confidence.

No matter where you listen to the show or which station you listen to, you have five hours to call in and ask your questions. We take calls every Saturday from 9 AM-2 PM Central time, 7 AM to Noon Pacific. The phone number is different the first two hours, then changes, so keep that in mind.

We would love to help you in any way possible! Keep in mind, we don’t take mechanical questions, but everything else is great!

The Car Pro Radio Show is heard every weekend all over the United States, and every weekend we deliver straight talk and honest answers about everything automotive. We would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment and tell a friend about the show.

Most of our listeners tell us that they never thought they would look forward to a show about cars. You may have friends or relatives who feel the same way in the cities below, please make them aware.

Here are the DFW markets the show airs in, times, and stations, and don't forget you can now listen to WBAP on the FM dial at 93.3 FM!

Dallas, TX: WBAP 820 AM/93.3 FM/99.5 HD 2, Saturday 9am to 11am Central
Dallas, TX: KRLD 1080 AM, Saturday 2pm to 4pm Central (replay)
Granbury, TX: KPIR 1420 AM, Saturday 11am to 2pm Central
Listen to the WBAP Podcast (up every Tuesday)→

Just a quick thank you to all who sent notes or posted congratulations about me being a nominee for inclusion into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. As I look at the people inducted in years past, it reminds me of those people behind the mic that I admired so much. One such person is my longtime Trusty Sidekick, Kevin McCarthy, who was rightfully voted in the very first year the Hall of Fame was started. Whether my peers vote me in or not, it is an honor to be recognized and nominated.

I am blessed to have had two tremendous careers. I achieved everything I ever wanted to do in the car business. This award would be the pinnacle of career #2 in radio. The Car Pro Show has made it in many places they said it couldn’t be done, like in Los Angeles. “You are too Texan sounding” everybody said. “You can’t relate to people in California” was another common thing I heard. But my belief that there was a hunger for the truth about the car biz, and a need for people to have somewhere to turn to for real help, kept me pushing ahead.

The joy of helping people make good decisions keeps me coming back every week, way past the years I planned to work. Then there are epic moments on the show that drive me to keep going. We had three of those last week that impacted me. On the WBAP show, my first caller was a guy who inherited $25,000 for a car from his Mom. He did not have any credit and sought advice. I suggested he purchase a vehicle for more than the inheritance, put all that money down and have really low payments to get his credit established. Turns out he’d been in the penitentiary and just got out. I think I was successful in helping him have hope, and I tried to reassure him he’d paid his debt to society and could hold his head high. I hope he is successful getting his life and most of all, his dignity back.

In hour three of the national show, I had a sweet older gentleman who was in poor health, seeking advice on what to buy to make sure he would leave his wife a reliable and safe car after he was gone. He was just so sweet about it, and you could tell it was real. We discussed facing your mortality and I shared I had done that myself with two bouts of cancer, being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and the loss of a child. No doubt he will get his wife a new RAV4 hybrid very soon and I truly hope he has many years of happiness ahead with his “princess” as he called her after decades of marriage.

Also in that hour, a man whose father was 87 years old, went to a bad dealership that talked him into purchasing a new Nissan Rogue with $17,000 down ($1000 of that was on a credit card because they drained his savings completely) and he signed a note for 72 months at $385 per month. I was flabbergasted, I was angry, and I had to hold him over until another segment, which I rarely do. His family had complained to the dealership, and they took the vehicle back, but kept $12,000. I suggested small claims court to recapture all or a great portion of his money. I certainly hope they are able to do so. There is a special place in Hell for car dealers like this.

So, these are the things that keep me going. I thank you for being along for the ride, and again, thank you for the good wishes on the nomination! Fingers crossed.

Sincerely,

Kim Komando Answer:

Cassette tape. Before Spotify playlists and Bluetooth speakers, we had a pocket-size plastic rectangle to hold our music.

Kids, you’d sit by the radio with your finger on the “record” button, hoping the DJ didn’t talk over the intro to your favorite song. And if the tape got chewed up? Grab a pencil, stick it in the hole and twist like a pro surgeon. Bonus points if you ever made a breakup mix or hand-labeled your tapes in bubble letters.

Cassette tapes have side A and side B. It’s only logical their successor would be the CD.

Vote For Jerry To Get Into Texas Radio Hall of Fame!

On-Air Follow Up: Pre-Paid EV Lease Bargains

Straight Talk and Honest Answers

CarPro Advice: So What Is A Pre-Paid Lease?

Used Cars

Top 10 Used Cars With Biggest Price Drops

Read more→

Tariff Talk: Big Deals Struck This Week

Enter To Win A 2025 Chevy Trax & Help Veterans!

On The Road: Test Drives

2025 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus

Read Jerry's review→

2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale

2025 Acura ADX A-Spec w/ Advance

Read Amy's review →

Quick Shifts

Each week I bring you the top stories in the auto industry along with my commentary or sometimes amusing thoughts about the craziness that goes on in the world of cars.

Bumper to Bumper: Industry News

J.D. Power 2025 APEAL Award Winners List Porsche, MINI win top brand honors.

Read more→

Autotrader Names Top 10 Interiors Under $50K

Honda Announces Insurance Solutions For Customers

Read more→

Study: Buyers Want More Self-Driving Features

Top 13 Best Looking Police Cruiser Winners

Say Hello To The Refreshed 2026 Acura Integra

Elon & Tesla Open Diner w/80 EV ChargersYou can also catch a flick at its drive-in theater.

Read more→

Weekly Recalls

Our Incentives Guide

Kim Komando's Quiz and Tech Tips

Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

Exclusive Approved Products & Services

It's Here! The CarPro Merchandise Shop!

Subscribe to the free DFW Newsletter

Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

Click here for the WBAP DFW podcast →

Searching For A New Or Used Vehicle?

FAQ: Research Your Questions Before You Shop

You Have 5 Hours To Call The Show!

Where to Find Us

My Must-See Video Of The Week!

Todd's Video of the Week!

Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds

J.D. Power 2025 APEAL Award Winners List
Porsche, MINI win top brand honors.

Elon & Tesla Open Diner w/80 EV Chargers
You can also catch a flick at its drive-in theater.