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Porsche GT Pricing Scam(?); Zack's M3 Tariff;  EV Charegers Cancelled

Porsche GT Pricing Scam(?); Zack's M3 Tariff; EV Charegers Cancelled

The Smoking Tire Mar 19, 2026 108 min
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About this episode

The hosts share stories from a recent sailing trip and discuss frustrations with tech upgrades and tariffs on small car parts. They dive into a detailed investigation of Porsche GT3 pricing practices, revealing a complex dealer network inflating prices through consignment and resale. The episode also covers the cancellation of EV charger mandates due to domestic manufacturing requirements, the launch of a new car newspaper, and various automotive topics including hybrid adoption, nostalgic car builds, and practical scooter advice. Listener questions round out the show with insights on auctions, watch durability, and car storage.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Term

tariffs

"And there's a bill from the Department of Homeland Security for a tariffs owed on Those three tiny clips that are about the size of a bottle cap"

Tariffs are extra taxes you have to pay when buying things from other countries. This makes the imported stuff more expensive.

Term

Supreme Court ruling

"There's a lot of articles about the tariff in Supreme Court. Oh, no, so the tariff this the Supreme Court ruling was February 23"

The Supreme Court is the top court in the U.S. When they make a decision, it can change important rules, like taxes on imports.

Term

country of origin

"The country is this company company in I guess Manufacture ID oh country of origin TW I think that's Taiwan"

Country of origin means the country where something was made. This can change how much tax you pay when buying it.

Car

Aston Martin Valhalla

"...at's so silly. I don't know what's wrong with me Valhalla awesome It's great. I almost like don't even rem..."

The Aston Martin Valhalla is a very fast and fancy car that uses both gas and electric power. It is made to be a top-level sports car.

Car

Hyundai Ioniq

"...ike a year So well, I went to create a drive the Ioniq 5n and they're keeping the Ioniq Ioniq 5n in the ..."

The Hyundai Ioniq is a car that uses electric power or a mix of gas and electric. Some versions are made to be faster and more exciting to drive.

Car

Hyundai Ioniq 5

"So well, I went to create a drive the Ioniq 5n and they're keeping the Ioniq Ioniq 5n in the Un..."

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is an electric car that looks different and has new technology. Some versions are made to be faster and more fun to drive.

Term

EV chargers

"Evie chargers with crucial minerals and computing stuff and like who knows where the circuit boards come from who knows where like right you You have to you'd have to design an all-new Evie charger and you'd have to design"

EV chargers are machines that put electricity back into electric cars so they can drive. Different chargers can fill up the car's battery faster or slower.

Term

lithium

"Yeah, but if we don't have if we don't have a cache of like Lithium's a bad example. I don't cobalt Yeah, if it literally doesn't you know come from our ground then we we it's impossible to make it here"

Lithium is a special metal used to make batteries for electric cars and chargers. Without enough lithium, making these batteries is hard.

Term

cobalt

"Lithium's a bad example. I don't cobalt Yeah, if it literally doesn't you know come from our ground then we we it's impossible to make it here"

Cobalt is a metal used inside electric car batteries to help them work better and last longer. Getting cobalt can be tricky because it comes from only a few places.

Company

BaT

""Consignment stores that sell on bat sort of have a circle a Swirly hot tub of of hot potato with new...""

BaT is a website where people can buy and sell special cars by bidding on them, like an online auction.

Car

Porsche 911 GT3 Touring

""GT3 and GT3 touring units in order to Serve a couple of needs basically what happens is There this person has done a lot of research following like a hundred plus GT3 sales...""

The Porsche 911 GT3 Touring is like the GT3 sports car but looks less flashy. It still drives very fast but doesn't have the big wing on the back.

Car

Porsche 911 GT3

""GT3 and GT3 touring units in order to Serve a couple of needs basically what happens is There this person has done a lot of research following like a hundred plus GT3 sales...""

The Porsche 911 GT3 is a special, fast sports car made by Porsche. It's designed for racing and driving on tracks, and only a few are made, so dealers get just a few to sell.

Concept

Dealer allocation

""The franchise dealer will get an allocation on a really hot car specifically a GT3 touring""

Dealer allocation means the car company gives only a few special cars to each dealer because they don't make many. Dealers get to sell only those few cars.

Term

MSRP

""Which I buy at MSRP. That's what is required by Porsche AG, right? You buy it at MSRP you then immediately...""

MSRP is the price the car company says a car should cost when you buy it from a dealer. It's like the sticker price on a new car.

Concept

consignment

"Consign it back consign it on bat through a another Consignoring dealer right so you would have consign it back through another dealer So it's gonna be appeared as listing listed by someone almost like Westside, but I'm not a I'm not a dealer"

Consignment means you let someone else sell your car for you. They show it to buyers and handle the sale, but you still own the car until it sells.

Term

franchise dealer

"franchise dealer Will pay a bunch of money under another pseudonymus username buy that car back"

A franchise dealer is a car dealer officially allowed to sell new cars from a certain car company, like Porsche or Ford. They also sell used cars and offer repairs.

Term

CPO (Certified Pre-Owned)

"List it as CPO on their lot and at each step in the process Ten to twenty thousand dollars is added So this car goes from being sold as a new unit"

CPO cars are used cars checked and fixed by the dealer to make sure they are in good shape. They usually come with extra guarantees to protect you.

Term

independent dealership

"Yeah, and then there are the independent dealerships. Yeah, and so Porsche X of one city would"

Independent dealerships are car sellers that don’t work for a specific car company. They sell used cars from many brands but not new cars from one company.

Concept

muscle cars

"60s in 2005 that's one muscle muscle cars really peaked Yeah, I think 60s people have max spending power and they retire usually Retiring and they want to recapture their youth."

Muscle cars are old American cars that were made to be really fast and cool-looking. People like to collect them, and sometimes they become more valuable over time.

Term

four-cylinder hybrid

"Yeah, because they're I mean they're the four-cylinder hybrid thing like my meat and potatoes of AMG is always the C 63"

A four-cylinder hybrid is a car engine that uses a small gas engine and an electric motor together. This helps save gas but can sound different from bigger engines.

Brand

Yamaha

"I had a Yamaha zoom-o 125 that I thought was kick-ass and I thought that was the shit when I had it and it was it was Actually quite fabulous"

Yamaha is a company that makes motorcycles and scooters. The Zuma 125 is one of their small scooters that many people like because it works well and is reliable.

Car

Vespa

"So that's really important. Why do I like a Vespa? In the city just light to light stops and a stop sign like having a manual transmission doesn't make my life better... I love my Vespa, and I'm getting the new one So I'm pro Vespa..."

A Vespa is a type of small scooter that is easy to ride in cities. It has a comfy seat and is less tricky to use than a motorcycle, making it good for short trips and stop-and-go traffic.

Term

manual transmission

"In the city just light to light stops and a stop sign like having a manual transmission doesn't make my life better It actually makes my life a little more annoying like sport motorcycle"

Manual transmission means you have to change gears yourself when riding, which can be harder and more work, especially when stopping and starting a lot.

Concept

platform sharing

"What do you think of the rumors of Porsche merging the Taycan and Panamera onto the same platform for the next gen of cars? That makes sense. I don't I don't I don't really see a downside to that. It's coming out. He does right. Yeah, they just have so many things in Mercedes too. Yeah I I Mean they're they're not gonna make all of it EVs obviously they have to have Some kind of modular construction so that you could do a gas version as well"

Platform sharing means different cars are built using the same basic parts and frame. This helps car companies save money and make cars faster.

Term

turbocharger

"Have you run across? Surprising every day cars that have had superchargers turbochargers or other surprising performance oriented options"

A turbocharger is a part that uses the car's exhaust to spin a fan that pushes more air into the engine, making the car faster and more powerful.

Term

supercharger

"Have you run across? Surprising every day cars that have had superchargers turbochargers or other surprising performance oriented options"

A supercharger is like a pump that pushes extra air into a car's engine to make it stronger and faster. It helps the engine burn more fuel and create more power.

Car

Buick Regal GS

"I recently found out that the Buick Regal GS from the 90s had a factory blower on the 3800 v6"

The Buick Regal GS is a car from the 1990s that was faster than normal because it had a special part called a supercharger that helped the engine make more power.

Term

turbocharged

"What was the Shelby Omni had a turbo? Oh the GLHS. Yeah, I think was turbocharged. Yeah weird"

Turbocharging means using a special fan powered by the car's exhaust to push more air into the engine so it can go faster.

Concept

reserve price

""But your reserve should be low I mean it it's you shouldn't be if the if the car sells for reserve like you shouldn't be happy""

The reserve price is the lowest amount the seller wants to get for the car. If bids don’t reach this amount, the car might not be sold.

Concept

F1

""Under the cuff says would Porsche ever rejoin F1 and if they did would IW switch IWC switch from their patronage from Mercedes to Porsche""

F1 is a type of car racing where the fastest and most advanced cars race on tracks around the world. It's like the top level of car racing.

Concept

IMSA racing

""But their meat and potatoes is their IMSA racing is always really strong. Yeah""

IMSA racing is a type of car race in North America where cars race for a long time to test their speed and durability.

Car

Pontiac Aztek

"He's like like a like he would love an Aztec that kind of thing How about this when I traded my Ford Raptor for a Chevy Volt and my life got instantly better perfect"

The Pontiac Aztek is a type of SUV that looks different from most cars and some people think it looks strange. It was made to be useful and practical.

Term

EV

"Yeah, I think when I realized that it was like more like a Tesla than a Prius And it was like made really well and GM was losing money on all of them and I was like, oh wait really and Yeah Going from a Raptor from an EV in my life getting instantly better was a was really a thing"

An EV is a car that runs on electricity instead of gas. It uses batteries to move and does not make smoke like regular cars.

6 cars featured

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