Free Insurance against a horrible car deal
About this episode
Host Leonard B. Lawson returns from vacation to dive into the massive success of the Ford Maverick and the fascinating history of small trucks in America. He explains the origin of the infamous "chicken tax" tariff and how it shaped the evolution of trucks like the Chevy LUV, Ford Courier, and Dodge Dakota. Lawson also shares a crazy dealership story about a customer who rejected a special-ordered, $120,000 Ford F-150 Raptor R over minor cosmetic defects, highlighting the realities of modern vehicle quality control and buyer expectations.
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Ford Maverick
"I found out one thing is that people are loving the Ford Maverick truck. Nationwide sales are close to 150,000. This is a home run for a brand new segment."
A small, budget-friendly pickup truck made by Ford that drives more like a small SUV than a giant truck. It is famous for getting amazing gas mileage because it comes as a hybrid.
A compact, unibody pickup truck introduced by Ford for the 2022 model year. It is highly notable for its standard hybrid powertrain, exceptional fuel economy (often exceeding 40 mpg in city driving), and highly affordable entry price, which revitalized the compact truck segment in North America.
Chevrolet LUV
"Do you remember the love truck? Who made that? That was a Chevrolet. That was the first parts truck that we had at Lawson Chevrolet back in the early 70s. It was a Chevy love."
A tiny pickup truck sold by Chevy in the 1970s and 80s that was actually built by the Japanese company Isuzu to save fuel.
A light utility vehicle (LUV) sold by Chevrolet from 1972 to 1982. It was actually a rebadged Isuzu Faster, imported to compete with small Japanese pickups during the fuel crises of the 1970s.
Ford Ranger
"...-sized trucks. The Ford, now they didn't have the Ranger. It was called the Ford Courier. Do you remember ..."
The Ford Ranger is a medium-sized pickup truck made by Ford. It is larger than the compact Maverick but smaller than the giant F-150, making it a versatile choice for people who need to tow or haul things without driving an oversized vehicle.
The Ford Ranger is Ford's mid-size pickup truck, positioned below the full-size F-150. Historically starting as a compact truck (and preceded by the Mazda-built Courier), the modern Ranger offers robust towing capacity, modern turbocharged engines, and off-road-focused trims like the Raptor.
chicken tax
"And Mazda and several other companies like Isuzu can make them cheap enough that they could afford the chicken tax. Yeah, that's what it was called the chicken tax."
A special 25% tax that the US government puts on any pickup trucks imported from other countries. It was started in the 1960s during a trade dispute over chicken, and it is why almost all trucks sold in America are built in North America.
A 25% tariff imposed by the United States in 1964 on imported potato starch, dextrin, brandy, and light trucks. While the other tariffs were eventually lifted, the 25% tax on light trucks remains in effect to protect domestic US automakers from foreign competition.
Dodge Ram
"...uilt by Mitsubishi and I think they called it the Ram Charger. I think it was the first actual use of t..."
The Dodge Ram is a line of large pickup trucks and utility vehicles originally made by Dodge. Today, these trucks are sold simply under the brand name "Ram."
The "Dodge Ram" refers to the line of full-size pickup trucks produced by Chrysler under the Dodge brand before "Ram" was spun off into its own standalone brand in 2009. Historically, the name was also associated with SUVs like the Ramcharger, some of which utilized badge-engineered platforms from partners like Mitsubishi in global markets. It is discussed in the context of early truck naming conventions and brand partnerships.
Dodge Dakota
"Dodge, they were late to the game. They started the midsize truck craze. Yes, they are responsible for that when they came out with the Dodge Dakota and it was a really good seller."
A medium-sized pickup truck that was bigger than a compact truck but smaller than a giant work truck. It was popular because you could get it with a powerful V8 engine.
A midsize pickup truck produced by Dodge from 1987 to 2011. It pioneered the 'midsize' segment, sitting between compact trucks like the Ford Ranger and full-size trucks, and was notable for being the first in its class to offer a V8 engine option.
B-Series B3000
"... called it the Mazda B2300 was the four-cylinder, B3000 was a small V6 and B4000 was a larger V6, all of ..."
The B-Series is a line of small pickup trucks made by Mazda. For many years, these trucks were virtually identical to the Ford Ranger, differing mostly in their badging and minor styling details.
The Mazda B-Series is a line of compact pickup trucks produced by Mazda, which in North America became closely related to the Ford Ranger through a partnership starting in 1994. Models like the B2300, B3000, and B4000 designated their engine displacement (2.3L, 3.0L, and 4.0L respectively) and are highly regarded for their simple, rugged reliability. They are discussed as classic examples of badge-engineered compact trucks.
Stellantis
"That's really happening right now on a larger scale with a company called Stellantis. You know, when you buy a Dodge, a Chrysler, I started to say Plymouth, but they've been gone for a while, or a Ram or a Jeep for that matter, do you realize that you're buying a foreign-owned vehicle?"
A massive global car company formed in 2021 that owns many famous brands you know, like Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler, even though its main headquarters is in Europe.
A multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 by the merger of Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. It owns iconic brands including Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Peugeot, and Maserati.
Ford F-150 Raptor R
"Okay, so we had this guy probably eight months ago. He wants to order a vehicle from Ford called a F 150 Raptor R. The R means it's really rapid. It's fast. It's got a big, big horsepower."
An incredibly powerful, expensive, and fast version of Ford's popular F-150 truck. It has a massive supercharged engine and giant off-road tires, built to drive fast over sand dunes and rough terrain.
The high-performance flagship version of Ford's full-size pickup, featuring a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine producing over 700 horsepower. It is designed for high-speed off-road desert running with long-travel suspension, massive bypass shocks, and aggressive styling.
dealer holdback
"Well, there's something called hold back, which is a discount. It's a rebate that we get. It runs from anywhere from a percent and a half to 3% of the MSRP."
A secret refund that car manufacturers give to dealerships after they sell a car. It means a dealer can sell you a car for exactly what they 'paid' for it on paper and still make a couple of thousand dollars.
A percentage of the MSRP (typically 1% to 3%) that a manufacturer pays back to a dealership after a vehicle is sold. This financial cushion allows dealers to sell cars at 'invoice price' while still making a profit on the transaction.
gap insurance
"And I'll even look in an extended warranty gap insurance if I feel like I'm upside down."
Special insurance that protects you if your new car is totaled in an accident and you owe more on your loan than the car is actually worth. It pays off the 'gap' so you don't have to keep paying for a wrecked car.
Debt cancellation coverage that pays the difference between the actual cash value of a vehicle (what auto insurance pays if it's totaled) and the outstanding balance on the car loan. It is highly recommended for buyers who put little to no money down on a rapidly depreciating vehicle.
dealer addendum
"but when they come to our dealership, they're still going to see an addendum on the sticker, well, a sticker beside the sticker. They're still going to see that."
An extra sticker a dealership puts next to the official factory price tag. It usually lists overpriced add-ons like nitrogen in the tires, fabric protection, or just a flat markup to make the car more expensive.
A supplemental sticker placed next to the official factory window sticker (Monroney sticker) by a dealership. It lists dealer-installed accessories, paint protection, or 'market adjustments' that inflate the vehicle's final asking price above MSRP.
payment buyer
"They are in coats with one another to pull the wool over innocent payment buyers. You know, they, they're just looking for a monthly payment they can afford, but they fail at hitting the four targets. They don't negotiate the deal. They negotiate the payment."
A car buyer who only cares about how much they have to pay each month, rather than the total cost of the car. This is risky because dealers can make you pay way too much overall just by stretching the loan out over many years.
A car shopper who focuses primarily or exclusively on the monthly payment amount rather than the total purchase price of the vehicle. Dealerships often exploit this by extending loan terms (e.g., to 72 or 84 months) to meet the target payment while hiding high interest rates and markups.
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