My Car Guru Podcast May 5, 2026

The difference between efficiency and effectiveness, and how the speed of your decisions affects your financial health

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Brand

Dodge truck

They’re talking about a Dodge pickup truck they bought. The point is that they made the decision too fast, and they’re using the truck as the example.

Brand

Ram truck

They also mention a Ram pickup truck. It’s another example of a truck they bought quickly, and the story is about making decisions too fast.

Term

check engine light

The check engine light is a warning that something in the engine or emissions system isn’t working right. A mechanic can plug in a scanner to find the specific problem code.

Concept

heavily modified

“Heavily modified” means the car was changed a lot from how it left the factory. If it’s modified to go faster, it may not run as smoothly or reliably as a stock car.

Car

The Chevrolet Chevelle is an older American car that became popular during the muscle-car era. Some versions were made to be faster and more performance-focused. The podcast mentions it because it was a car many people wanted back then.

Car

Ford Torino

The Ford Torino is an older Ford car from the time when many cars were built for performance. People often talked about it alongside other muscle cars. The podcast mentions it as one of the options some buyers wanted.

Car

Dodge Challenger

The Dodge Challenger is a performance car made by Dodge. It’s designed to feel powerful and exciting to drive. The podcast mentions it when talking about Mopar cars people wanted.

Car

Chevrolet Malibu

The Chevrolet Malibu is a regular, everyday car made by Chevrolet. It’s generally focused on comfort and practicality. The podcast brings it up as part of the mix of cars people were interested in.

Car

Chevrolet Camaro

The Chevrolet Camaro is a sporty car made by Chevrolet. People talk about it because it can be built for strong acceleration and it has a long history. The podcast mentions it as one of the popular cars from that era.

Term

two-wheel drive

Two-wheel drive means the truck only powers two wheels instead of all four. That can make it less capable on snow, mud, or other slippery roads.

Term

positive traction rear end

A “positive traction rear end” is meant to keep the truck from spinning one wheel uselessly. It helps the other wheel keep pulling when traction is uneven.

Term

chains

Tire chains are traction devices mounted on tires to improve grip in snow or mud. They’re often used temporarily when conditions are bad, rather than relying on drivetrain features like four-wheel drive.

Term

four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive means the car can push all four wheels at the same time. It helps when roads are slippery, but the point here is that the host thinks it was overkill for the situation.

Term

jacked up

“Jacked up” means the truck sits higher off the ground than normal. That can change how you see the road and how easy it is to drive.

Term

diesel trucks

Diesel trucks are trucks powered by diesel engines. They’re often chosen for pulling and hauling, but the point here is that some people buy them for reasons that may not fit what they actually need.

Term

as is

“As is” means you’re buying the car with the understanding that the seller won’t cover repairs afterward. If something breaks soon after, you may be responsible for the cost.

Term

no warranty

A warranty is a promise from the seller/manufacturer to cover certain repairs for a set period. “No warranty” means the buyer likely has to pay out of pocket for failures like the transmission issue described here.

Term

transmission

The transmission is what helps the car change gears and send power to the wheels. If it breaks, repairs can be very expensive.

Topic

due diligence

Due diligence means taking time to check a car carefully before you buy it. The goal is to avoid buying something that will cost you a lot to fix right after.

Company

Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealer

They’re saying to get the car’s warranty records from the brand’s dealership. Those records can show what repairs were covered and done in the past.

Term

Carfax

Carfax is a report that summarizes a used car’s history. It can help you see things like accidents or title problems that might not be obvious.

Car

1968 Ford Thunderbird

The 1968 Ford Thunderbird is a classic Ford. Here, the speaker mentions it because they used its transmission as a replacement part.

Term

three-speed automatic

A three-speed automatic is an older-style automatic gearbox with three forward gears. The speaker is saying simpler transmissions are often cheaper to rebuild than newer ones.

Term

extended warranty

An extended warranty is coverage beyond the original factory warranty period, typically for major repairs after the car’s standard warranty expires. The speaker recommends it as protection against costly drivetrain repairs like transmission failures.

Term

ownership cycle

Your ownership cycle is how long you plan to keep the car. If you keep it for a long time, longer warranties can matter more; if you sell sooner, they may not be worth it.

Term

vehicle service contract

A vehicle service contract is extra coverage you buy to help pay for repairs. It’s like paying ahead for certain problems, but it only helps if the contract covers what breaks.

Term

extended service contract

An extended service contract is extra repair coverage you buy after the original warranty ends. Whether it’s worth it depends on how long you’ll keep the car and what the contract actually covers.

Term

factory warranty

A factory warranty is the original repair coverage that comes with the car when you buy it. It lasts for a specific time and mileage, and after that you may need other coverage.

Term

powertrain

Powertrain means the main parts that make the car move, like the engine and transmission. Some warranties cover these parts longer than other systems.

Term

bumper-to-bumper

“Bumper-to-bumper” means the warranty is meant to cover most parts of the car. But it can still exclude certain items, like the speaker says about the bumpers.

Term

computer issue

A “computer issue” means a problem with the car’s electronics—like the modules that control how the car runs. Fixing it often needs the right diagnostic tools.

Concept

leasing a vehicle

Leasing means you’re basically renting the car for a few years with monthly payments. You don’t fully own it unless you make a final buyout payment at the end.

Car

Ford F-150 Lightning

The Ford F-150 Lightning is an electric pickup truck. It uses batteries instead of a gasoline engine, but it’s still meant to work like a truck. The podcast mentions it as an example of Ford trying electric trucks.

Concept

EV game

“EV game” just means the competition to make and sell electric cars. It’s about automakers trying to get ahead in the EV market.

Car

Ford F150

The Ford F-150 is a large pickup truck made by Ford. It’s built for hauling and everyday driving, and it can be configured in many ways. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because Ford also made an electric version based on the F-150.

Concept

overwind sticker

“Over sticker” means the dealer sold the truck for more money than the price printed on the car’s window sticker. This usually happens when the car is hard to get.

Term

MSRP

MSRP is the price the manufacturer says the car should cost. The real price you pay can be different—especially when lots of people want the same car.

Concept

market goes up, it goes down

They’re saying car prices aren’t steady—they move with demand. If lots of people want a certain vehicle, prices jump; if interest drops, prices fall and sellers can lose money.

Car

Mitsubishi Galant

The Mitsubishi Galant is a regular mid-size sedan made by Mitsubishi. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because someone is talking about how the price at a dealership can relate to the listed MSRP. It’s used as an example in a pricing conversation.

Concept

pre-delivery inspection

Before you pick up a new car, the dealer does a pre-delivery inspection to make sure everything is set up correctly and the car is in proper working order.

Term

gross vehicle weight rating

GVWR is the maximum total weight a truck is rated to handle. The episode mentions it because tax rules use that weight rating to decide how quickly a business can write the truck off.

Term

accelerated depreciation

Accelerated depreciation means you can deduct the cost of a vehicle or equipment sooner for taxes instead of spreading it out over many years.

Term

IRS

The IRS is the U.S. tax agency that sets the rules for how businesses can deduct things like vehicles.

Term

warranty history

Warranty history shows what repairs were claimed under the car’s warranty. If a car had lots of warranty work, it can be a clue that something may have been wrong more than once.

Term

VIN

A VIN is like a car’s fingerprint—an ID number that uniquely identifies that exact vehicle. Reports use it to look up the car’s history.

Concept

problem vehicle

A “problem vehicle” is a car that has had notable issues in the past. The point is to use records to figure out whether the exact car you’re considering had trouble before.

Term

Experian auto check

Experian AutoCheck is another kind of used-car history report. It helps you see important past events for that car before you buy.

Term

salt and rust

Salt used on roads in winter can make cars rust faster. If a car lived in a salty area for years, it may have more corrosion underneath.

Concept

buyback

A buyback is when a car is taken back by the manufacturer because it had serious issues. It’s a warning sign that the car may have ongoing problems.

Brand

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer is a website where people auction interesting cars online. Listings often include lots of details, which can make it easier to judge what you’re bidding on.

Concept

Speed is the enemy

The point is: don’t rush. If you move too fast without checking details (like a car’s history or condition), you’re more likely to make a costly mistake.

Car

Ford Maverick

The Ford Maverick is a smaller pickup truck compared with the big full-size trucks. It’s meant to be practical for daily driving while still offering pickup utility. The podcast mentions it to describe the general size of another vehicle being discussed.

Term

battery chemistry

Battery chemistry just means what kind of battery materials are used in the EV. Changing it can make the battery cheaper and can affect how the battery behaves.

Term

electric motors

Electric motors are what actually move the car in an EV. Saying they were developed in-house means the company made its own motor design instead of buying one.

Term

vehicle architecture

Vehicle architecture is the basic design of how the car is put together. A different architecture can change how easy it is to build and fix after damage.

Term

one-piece cast

A one-piece cast means a big structural piece is made as one part. That can make the truck easier to build and sometimes easier/cheaper to repair after crashes.

Term

glued together

“Glued together” means some parts are joined with adhesive instead of only bolts or welding. That can affect how repairs work after a crash.

Term

all aluminum

“All aluminum” means the truck’s structure uses aluminum instead of steel. Aluminum can help with weight, and it can also affect how repairs are done after an accident.

Concept

totaled

“Totaled” means the insurance company decides it’s not worth repairing the car. The host says EVs can get totaled more easily after big crashes because it can be hard to know how damaged the battery and electronics are.

Term

fragile electronic components

This means the EV has electronics that can be damaged by a crash. Even if the damage isn’t obvious, those parts might be affected, which can make insurers more likely to write the car off.

LIVE

Hey folks, Lenny Lawson, the Kar-Guru here to talk to you about the difference between

efficiency and effectiveness and how speed can be the enemy of both.

What am I referring to?

Well, I'm talking about anything to do with a big decision.

Any kind of big decision that you have to make.

Sometimes we pull the trigger before we should.

It's like ready, shoot, aim.

How did I come up with this thing to talk about?

Well, I went to my house at lunchtime yesterday.

They're building a barn for me.

It's 30 by 40 metal structure and the folks at JD Metals are who I purchased the building from.

It's not like you go to one of these places that sell these little barn-like structures made out of wood

that they deliver to your house all done, get it nice and level, set it up on block snow.

I had to pour a big concrete slab, 30 feet by 50 feet, and they started building these.

Well, a lot of the components were built in the factory as far as the sidewalls.

They come in these big sections and then they screw it all together.

But the guys that are doing it are very good at what they do.

They're efficient and they're effective.

But it doesn't mean that they approach all things in their lives that way.

Does it?

Well, case in point, I was talking to one of the guys that's doing the installation.

And he said, see that Dodge truck out there?

Or Ram truck.

I bought that too quickly.

I said, well, tell me about it.

And basically he had purchased the vehicle because it was at the very end of the year.

As a matter of fact, December 27th, I think he said, purchased the vehicle without ever driving it.

Found it online and it wasn't too far away from where we live.

Purchased the vehicle, sewed up the deal.

The vehicle had a check engine light on.

He said, can you turn the check engine light off?

And they said, yeah, we can turn it off.

What's the rest of that question?

Will it stay off?

Because if he had asked that, he would have found out.

Well, no, it won't stay off because this vehicle has been heavily modified by somebody who really just was trying to make it faster.

Maybe make it a little bit more fuel efficient, more than likely, so that he could pull things that he probably shouldn't, you know, like in some type of a tractor pulling competition or whatever.

You know, sometimes these young guys will hook two trucks together and see which one can pull the other one down the road while burning rubber like crazy, pulling against each other.

Yeah, that's what they do.

Back in the old days when I grew up, well, let's call it the 70s.

People wanted, well, most guys wanted like a Chevy Chevelle SS, maybe a Torino, not me.

I wasn't a Ford guy back then.

But Chevy Malibu, Camaros, like a Z28, there might have been some Mopar vehicles like Dodge Challengers and Chargers and Super Bs and things like that.

But they were cars.

Nobody wanted a truck.

That's what farmers use.

And most of the trucks were regular cabs, long bed and two-wheel drive in this market.

Four-wheel drive really wasn't a thing.

All the farmers wanted positive traction rear end though, so if one wheel started spinning, the other would continue to turn.

But that's about it.

You know, when it was real snowy or rainy or the field was wet, they would just like put

chains on while wasting money on four-wheel drive.

It just wasn't a big thing.

Oh, but now, now these young kids, all they want is these diesel trucks jacked up.

And really the big trend now is to have the front end jacked up higher than the rear end.

Have you seen those going down the road?

That would be very tough for a short person to drive one of those because they'd have to really raise the seat up as high as they could just to see over the hood.

I don't get it.

But that doesn't matter.

But that is the kind of person that had this struck before my friend that was putting up my building said he bought it.

Welcome to find out.

Let's see, I think it had bought it from a used car dealer, signed all the paperwork, as is, no warranty.

Less than 900 miles later, the transmission goes out.

Calls the dealer, will you help me?

Nope, you bought it as is.

Yeah, but I've only put, I've had it two weeks and, and, you know, it's, I've just put 900 miles on it.

No, you're out of luck.

What did it cost him to get it fixed?

$12,000.

Is speed the enemy of effectiveness?

Yeah.

In that particular case, pretty efficient purchase.

Got it done in record time.

But what should he have done instead of buying that truck when he did?

He should have started three or four weeks before that and done his due diligence.

Pull the warranty history from a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealer.

Pull a car fax.

Call the previous owner.

Get it inspected by a mechanic.

What has been changed on this vehicle?

Call the previous, did I say call the previous owner?

Yeah.

Call them and say, what'd you do to this thing?

They'll tell you.

I wouldn't buy that car or truck.

And so he wasn't effective in his purchase.

Matter of fact, well, I mean, he's still using it today.

So from that standpoint, he's trying to recoup his additional $12,000 investment in the transmission rebuild.

Isn't it just crazy that rebuilding a transmission can cost $12,000?

I rebuilt a transmission in a C, well, it's out of a 1968 Ford Thunderbird that I put in my car hauler.

It's called a C6 transmission.

Three-speed automatic cost me $1,000 to get it rebuilt.

And these new modern transmissions that have all kinds of gears like nine speeds and ten speeds,

when they go south, you better get ready to slap a whole big charge on your credit card or go rob a bank,

because it's going to be expensive.

And it's all the more reason when you buy a modern vehicle, buy some type of extended warranty.

I'm a big fan now, didn't used to be, but I am now.

Don't pay too much for it.

Make sure you know what you're paying for it.

Do the math.

Make sure it makes sense.

Consider your ownership cycle.

You know, when you buy a brand new vehicle and you buy a five-year, 60,000-mile warranty, an extended service contract,

does that really make a lot of sense?

Because you're going to be covered under the factory warranty for three years or 36,000 miles.

And sometimes on the powertrain it'll be five-year, 60.

So what do you buy a warranty on?

The air conditioning?

The cooling system?

The alternator?

You know, sometimes it just doesn't make sense.

But if you're buying a new vehicle, you plan on keeping it for a long time.

You can buy a seven-year, 150,000-mile warranty that covers everything bumper to bumper, except the bumpers.

Maybe that makes sense, because you're going to be keeping it way beyond the factory warranty period.

And all of these components are very expensive to replace or to repair.

You know, sometimes I worry about whether the warranty or the technology to fix it is going to be around by the time it breaks in seven years.

New car dealers tend to keep their tools for anywhere from 10 to 12 years.

Sometimes they get rid of them at that point.

So it's kind of hard for them to fix vehicles that are much older.

I don't do that at my dealership.

I've got stuff here that's 25 years old.

Just in case somebody rolls in here with a 25-year-old vehicle that has some type of computer issue and we need to solve it.

Of course, I'm a little bit of a pack rat in that regard.

But most people don't keep vehicles that long, and they don't have to worry about that.

One of the other guys was talking to me that there is about leasing, and I said,

he said, why would anybody lease a vehicle?

And I said, well, because they buy a new vehicle every two or three years anyway.

They don't put a lot of miles on it.

And so that's why they do it.

I said, yeah, but you don't own it.

Well, you don't own it until you make the last payment to the bank that finances it either.

He said, well, that's a good point.

So you have to really consider a lot of different things when you're thinking about buying a vehicle, especially for business.

But even for personal use, folks, you just got to take your time.

You've got to slow it down.

You've got to give yourself enough time.

You don't just wake up on a Saturday morning and say, let's go buy a new car.

What?

I'm not done with my pancakes yet.

Yeah, that's not a good move.

It's too fast.

Speed.

It kills effectiveness.

Yeah, I mean, you get it done quickly and then you regret it for the next six months to six years.

That's what happens.

I'll be back in just one minute.

Okay, I am back.

So Ford apparently did not learn their lesson.

They're $12 billion lesson on their EV experiment with the Ford Lightning truck and the Ford Maki.

These were Ford's, I guess, attempt to compete with Tesla and jump into the EV game.

I'm a Ford dealer.

I was along for that ride.

You know, it's funny how people will jump on things.

We got one of the lightnings in, which is the Ford F-150 that was all electric and it was loaded.

It was a platinum edition.

We felt very blessed at the time.

This was during the pandemic.

So we put it online.

It wasn't two hours later.

We get a lead from a guy in California and he said he wants it and he will pay us.

I hate to even say this.

It makes me look bad.

$30,000 overwind sticker for it.

And I said, what?

You know, I knew that they were scarce.

I knew that ours was extremely scarce.

Well, rare, I should say, because it was a platinum edition.

Most of the dealers had XLTs and vehicles that just didn't have that much of equipment.

We had a ruby red platinum edition.

And at the time when I looked out on my lot, which normally has maybe 400 vehicles on it,

I think I had about 25 new vehicles.

I mean, the pandemic was going to put me out of business.

I had nightmares.

Then we come in one day, we get this platinum truck in and this guy calls up from California and says,

I'll pay you $30,000 overwind sticker for it.

And he's willing to wire us the money.

And so is that a crime to sell a vehicle for that much over MSRP?

I can hear some of you saying, yes, that's awful.

Well, when you are just really questioning whether you're going to be able to survive the market,

just imagine having something in your front yard.

A really nice, well, maybe it's a five-year-old lawn mower, John Deere.

Somebody drives by and they just got to have it.

Their dad had one.

And they're willing to pay you double what you paid for it.

You're going to sell it.

And so don't be judging.

So we sold it to him.

He wired us the money.

He even paid for the shipping.

You know why he did that?

Because he shopped at a bunch of other dealerships in Southern California and the Southwestern United States.

And he couldn't find one for less than $40,000 over sticker.

That's how hot they were.

Boy times change, don't think.

The last EV we sold, I think we lost about $15,000 on.

So I lost half of what I made on that lightning truck.

That's the way the market goes.

It goes up, it goes down.

MSRP is a suggestion.

That's why they call it the manufacturer's suggested price.

Isn't that weird?

Why they call it suggested?

Why don't they just call it manufacturer's price?

Well, they say it's suggested because the law says they have to say that.

They cannot dictate to a dealer what he can sell his inventory for.

But so that's important for you to know what the MSRP is because it lets you compare one dealer to another

and make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

You know, because if you're looking at a Mitsubishi Galant at one dealership and the MSRP was $25,000,

you're looking at another one, MSRP is $26,000, you know, there's got to be some type of equipment difference.

Because the dealers don't, well, they really can't jack around with MSRP.

Now they can mark up the vehicle.

You know, that lightning was sitting out here in the, well, as a matter of fact, when we sold it,

it still had plastic all over it and had been dropped off by the truck.

And we hadn't even done the pre-delivery inspection on it.

It still had plastic all over it and on the interior.

And we pretty much knew that in this market we could probably get MSRP for it

until somebody reached across the fruited plane and made us that offer.

Oh, we felt really good about it.

But the market changed.

And that's what happens.

And that's really what happens to the early adopters.

The people say, oh, I've got to have that, I've got to be the first one.

It's not very effective.

It's better to slow down.

You know, if that guy that bought that, that Dodge or that Ram truck,

if he had started that process, like I said, in late November,

he probably could have found a better truck that hadn't been modified, that would do the job.

But no, he had to wait until four days before the end of the year.

Why did he have to do it in that calendar year?

Because of the business tax deduction that you get if you buy a piece of equipment,

or like a truck, it has to have a certain GWW in order, or gross vehicle weight rating,

in order to be able to write it all off in one year.

That's called accelerated depreciation.

You know, typically a business will buy a vehicle and they'll appreciate it.

The IRS lets you depreciate it over five years.

But under their accelerated depreciation rules, in order to spur economic development,

they will let businesses buy a piece of equipment.

I think it has to be a certain value.

Or a vehicle, as long as the GWW is over 6,000 pounds.

Then instead of having to depreciate it over five years,

they can take all the depreciation in this year.

And if they had a big year, and their tax bracket is like 30%,

then basically they deduct all of that.

Governments paying for 30% of that new truck.

That's pretty cool.

So that's what he was doing.

And then he gets to pay $12,000 for a new transmission in January.

Because he was in a big hurry.

He didn't do the things he needed to do.

So what are those things again?

If you're thinking about buying a used vehicle,

go to the dealer that sells that brand.

Like if you're thinking about buying a Honda and you're at a Chevrolet dealer,

get the Venn number, call the Honda dealer,

and have them check that Venn and the warranty history on that particular Venn number.

And they can tell you whether it was a problem vehicle or not.

And how often it was maintained.

If it was maintained at their dealership or it came from someplace else,

they can tell you a lot of different things.

Then you pull a car fax or an Experian auto check.

Either one of those reports will do.

Get the full report and see where the car originated.

Was it sold new in Michigan?

And it's been up there for a long time.

And then it was transported down to Atlanta where you live.

Do you really want a vehicle that lived in Michigan for five years

with all the salt and rust and stuff?

No.

Was it a rental car?

I don't really want to buy an X rental car.

Unless it has extremely low miles.

Was it a buyback?

A vehicle that was a problem and was purchased or repurchased by the factory.

I don't want that one either.

That information will be discovered based on the warranty history

or it'll be on a car fax or an auto check.

And then you test drive the vehicle.

You know, if you're buying a used car and it's in St. Louis, Missouri

and you live in Boston, kind of hard to test drive it.

And if it's used, just don't buy it.

Surely there's a vehicle very similar to that within driving distance

of where you live.

There's no reason to go cross country to buy a common vehicle.

If it's something really unusual.

Like right now I'm bidding on a 1932 Packard.

And I've got all the history right there.

There will be no car fax history or anything like that.

But I've got the history on Bring a Trailer.

And I've checked the vehicle out.

I'm probably not going to buy it.

It's going to be too expensive for me.

And I bought too many lately and I'll get in trouble.

But man, it's pretty.

And I don't have any...

Well, when I finished my new barn, I'd have some place to put it.

Well, no.

You've got to do your due diligence on anything.

Speed is the enemy.

And don't you forget it.

I'll be back in just a minute.

Well, I forgot to tell you about Ford.

So what Ford's doing now is they're jumping back in.

They didn't learn from the $12 billion right off of all their EV stuff.

And so they're building a new small truck.

As if we didn't have enough trucks.

This one's going to be electric.

It's going to be about the size of a Ford Maverick.

And it's going to use a different type of battery chemistry, which is cheaper.

The electric motors were developed in-house.

And so they will be less expensive.

Its architecture, the way it's built, is completely different.

It has a one-piece cast for the whole front of the vehicle.

A different one for the center.

And for the bed, it's a completely different casting.

All aluminum, all bolted together or glued together.

However, they marry all of those different components.

It's supposed to be cheaper to fix it when you wreck it.

The insurance companies are excited about it because they won't have to total as many vehicles.

They'll be able to fix them.

I mean, when you take a pretty big hit in an EV, it's totaled.

Because they have no idea what it's done to the battery.

And to all the other fragile electronic components in the vehicle.

So Ford is jumping right back in.

We're supposed to have it in about two years.

Maybe a year and a half.

I'm so excited.

But I seriously doubt that anybody will pay $30,000 over Windows sticker for that.

But we'll see.

Will I sell it to them?

You're darn tootin', and you would too.

Well, thanks for listening to this edition of My Car Guru.

If you need me, text me 423-552-2020, and I'll see you next time.

0:00

21:55

The difference between efficiency and effectiveness, and how the speed of your decisions affects your financial health

computer issue

problem vehicle

Speed is the enemy

glued together

fragile electronic components

About this episode

Original notes