My Car Guru Podcast Nov 26, 2025

The Thanksgiving Special....it's extra special because my two Car-Daughters are in the studio!

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Term

direct injection

Direct injection is a way of getting fuel into an engine that can make it run better and use less gas. However, it can also cause problems like carbon deposits building up inside the engine.

Term

carbon deposits

Carbon deposits are like dirt that builds up inside an engine over time, especially on parts like the valves. This buildup can make the engine work less efficiently.

Car

Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is a famous American sports car that started being made in 1964. It's known for its powerful engines and stylish design.

Car

Ford Model A

The Ford Model A is an old car made by Ford between 1927 and 1931. It was popular because it was reliable and affordable for many people.

Concept

classic car investment

Classic car investment means buying old cars that you think will be worth more money in the future. It's like putting money into a savings account, hoping it grows over time.

Car

Datsun 280Z

The Datsun 280Z is a classic sports car made by Nissan. It's popular for its good looks and performance, and many people love to collect and restore these cars.

Car

Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair is an older car that was made in the 1960s. The 1965 model is special because it has a different engine layout compared to most cars, which makes it unique.

LIVE

Hey folks, welcome to another edition of My Car Guru, but it's really not just another

edition.

It is the Thanksgiving edition.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody, and it's special for me because I'm not by myself.

I've got my two girls with me, Abby and Audra, and you can say hello combined if you want

to.

Go ahead.

Hello.

See?

It's not just me, and I know that it may seem weird for some of you who have listened to

this show for a long time, but what I thought I would do is get these two girls in here.

First, Abby, you've got the microphone in your hand.

Tell them who you are and how long you've been here, and that's enough.

My name is Abby.

I've been here since 2012, started out as the receptionist, moved into finance, worked

in the internet for a while, and now I am in the accounting office.

I do all kinds of things right here.

Kept getting fired, got my job back, and here I am to stay.

And we're glad to have you now.

Audra, it's your turn.

This is my youngest daughter, Audra.

Who just turned 57?

No.

Let's see, Audra, you turned 38.

Is that correct?

I did.

Okay.

So who are you and what are you doing here?

I'm Audra.

I'm the youngest of the Lawson children.

I started working here in 2013, and I used the term working very loosely.

I was up at the body shop helping at the desk.

When we had a body shop.

When you had a body shop, and then I moved up here and was the receptionist, then I moved

over to be a service advisor.

Then I moved into the office, and now I do HR.

You make sure that people that work here get paid.

I do.

Isn't that right?

I do.

And it's a very important job.

And one of the reasons I wanted to have them in here today is to give you a young female's

perspective on things, because sometimes we don't get that.

We don't.

You know, sometimes in the car business, we think it's a man's game.

Is it a man's game, girls?

I just appreciate you still calling us young females.

Is it kind of a man's game, the car business?

I think it's the most familiar to men, more familiar, more comfortable, but there are

a lot more women represented in dealerships now than there ever were.

But why are there so many more male salespeople, do you think?

Why is it hard for females to succeed selling cars?

I think that the hours are difficult for some women, especially if they're mothers.

There can be late nights in the car business, always working on Saturdays.

And I also think that a lot of people believe that you have to have a tremendous amount

of mechanical automotive knowledge to work in a car dealership.

And I disagree with that fundamentally because I know not a whole lot about the mechanics

of vehicles, but I still work here.

Dixie, the dealership dog, she's licking my leg right now.

That's Abby's dog.

And Dixie lives at the dealership all day long.

She's a dealership dog, isn't she?

So I think you're right.

But it's not easy for guys either as far as the hours is it, Audrey?

You've got a guy that is my sales manager and he works here and it's tough, isn't it?

It can be very hard, especially when he has to stay late at work.

We have three young kids and I really need his help a lot of the time.

So but he makes up for it in different ways, being the one who primarily does

the things early in the morning.

Do you want me to fire him so that he can spend more time at home?

Absolutely not.

OK, OK.

We won't do that, but it is a challenge.

It's tough to get, well, most of the guys that are working here as salespeople

are younger when you say that's that's accurate and they don't.

Well, a couple of them are married, but it's tough.

It really is.

And it's the salespeople that have been in it for a really long time.

I guess their wives have gotten used to it and they are not trying to survive

based on just how many people walk on to the lot to buy cars.

A lot of their businesses repeat and referral.

So that does make it easier.

OK, so when you just look at the challenges that you have faced in the

business and also what you think the average female faces when they come into

buy a car to car dealership, I talk about it a lot.

You know, I have the my car guru guidebook that teaches people how to buy,

sell, trade, you know, do all this stuff, which you can get all you have to do.

Send it, send me your email address to four, two, three, five, five, two,

and I'll get you a copy of it for free.

That'll be my Christmas present to you.

But what do you think, Abby?

I think one of the most interesting things that happens to me is when a

customer has a question or something is escalated and they need a manager's input.

If I answer the phone and say, this is Abby, how may I help you?

They automatically do not think that I'm in charge for some reason or that I can

help them discrimination.

I think that's a little, a little bit of it.

They just think that calling in a dealership and talking to a guy is going to solve

their problems. And I think the reverse is also true on some lots.

When women come in to buy vehicles, they think that the guy is the decision maker.

The male is the one that's going to call the shots.

And as far as the data is concerned, women are the most influential in a household

when it comes to making some of these big ticket purchases.

If the men listen to them, if the men are smart enough to listen to them.

Sometimes we tune them out.

According to my wife, occasionally, you know, she has to repeat things.

Did you hear me? You hear what I said? Oh, yeah, I heard.

What did I say?

I'm not exactly sure.

So I think it affects women on both sides of the car buying and the car management

experience. Fortunately, I have

a I get along with men.

Well, I can relate to men.

I don't really have a confidence issue so I can win them over and they'll

eventually listen to me.

I get it. OK, Audra, I'll get to you in just a minute.

We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.

OK, I am back.

You know, family businesses, they don't always work that well.

And one of the problems with that is that the discussions at business

bleed over into the home, don't they, Audra?

They do.

And so I mean, this has always been an issue, right?

I mean, when I was coming home and you kids were little and I would come home

and talk about business issues, your your mom would would gently inform me that

that, you know, can can we just focus on the family?

And it's hard.

It's hard to leave work at work.

So how do we do that?

How do we do a better job leaving work at work?

I mean, we we really do have to work at because Thanksgiving, you know,

today's Thanksgiving, we're supposed to be sitting around a table eating.

A lot of our conversations involve work.

That's true. I mean, you just have to set up and hold boundaries as far as,

you know, what you're going to talk about when.

I think that it's important, especially in in Ben's, in my case is,

you know, we see things differently and we see different things.

And so when we get into conversations,

having the ability to feel the room, understand one another,

is this the best time to have this conversation?

If it's not, you know, saying we're going to put a pause on this,

we're going to come back and talk about it.

Maybe when one or both of us is a little

less in our feelings.

Yeah. And and so being at work and the things that we deal with at work,

create emotions that spill over into the home.

And that's just a fact, isn't it?

You know, it's just it's it's avoidable, though, and it's something you have to

agree on. And I think that's one of the things that that we have been able to do.

I think we just have to agree that we're just not going to talk about it.

We're going to keep them separate.

I'd say there are plenty of families around East Tennessee today that are

deciding not to talk about politics at the Thanksgiving table.

Yeah, thank.

So if you know that it's a hot thing, you don't you just don't touch it.

So sometimes we just don't talk about it.

Now, the advantage, the advantage of a family business,

what have you have you seen advantages here?

Not just work environment and stuff like that, but just how it feels and and what

it means to our customers.

I've noticed that it the new employees that come in say that it truly does feel

like a family. And once they realize how many of us there are

Lawson's and and now Nelson's,

they're they're amazed that not only can we work together and still love each other,

but outside of here, once we leave the dealership,

we're just going to go hang out somewhere else together.

Right. So they I think they can't get away from each other.

They appreciate that and they can feel that.

But also at the same time, there is such a feeling of support across our whole

dealership and how long we've known people.

I think about our parts manager.

He was friends with my brother.

He came to my apartment when I was at UT.

I've known him for over 25 years.

Diane has been here for over 25 years.

We we've just been together and around each other for a really long time.

And that impacts how we treat one another, how we respond to one another.

We have an employee right now that is as she's just had a baby.

And we are so supportive because we genuinely,

truly care about her and and love her and she knows that.

Yeah. And it was a tough situation too, as far as the baby was concerned.

And so I mean, it's just not your normal delivery.

And it was I guess a normal delivery, but just not a normal scenario.

And so lots of times when you have team members,

and that's what I prefer to call them instead of employees,

you know, they have a whole life that's outside the dealership.

And too often we don't know what's going on.

One of the things that has really been disruptive in in in all businesses.

And I wouldn't say especially in ours, but it's very noticeable,

has been the cell phone.

And, you know, we've,

Audra, we've thought about banning the cell phone from the dealership.

How much do you think it affects people's productivity?

Oh, I think it affects people's productivity a lot.

Yeah.

Especially in situations where maybe they don't have,

they're not actively working on something.

They'll get on their phone instead.

When they could find something to do at work,

they're grabbing their phone instead of being,

I guess, proactive in doing something relating to work.

It's very easy to just grab your phone.

People goofed off 40 years ago, too.

You know, when I first got into the car business, well, it was 47 years ago.

Smoke smoking was much more prevalent than it is now.

People took a lot of smoke breaks.

You know, instead of the sales people being out there watching the lot

on their phone, they were just staring off into space smoking cigarettes.

It's just, you know, something else.

I don't know that it's the thing about the cell phone is that it allows you to

completely go into a different realm.

You know, I mean, I'm talking about Facebook or

or Instagram or the news, whatever's going on.

And that's just not where you want your employees to be,

especially if they're working on somebody's car.

And who's to say which one is worse for your overall health, to be quite honest?

Yeah, and very true.

And Audra, I did want to ask you this question.

So let's get to a technical question here.

So what do you think about the impact of direct injection

on the buildup of carbon deposits on the intake valves?

I mean, I think that that's something that the audience would would really love

to have your opinion on.

Well, I'm going to withhold my opinion and and give the microphone to Abby

and let her tell you hers first, because I want the better opinion to come last.

In other words, you don't know anything about what I just said.

Well, thank you for passing the microphone to me,

because I know the answer to that question.

Oh, bull, you just have to get out in your car and make sure there's not a lot

of traffic coming and floor it and blow it out.

Alps, blow it out.

Yeah, I have been told to blow it out several times in my life.

You know, I guess you could say that that is getting into the weeds.

Like I sometimes do.

You know, on this show, you know, I try to avoid that because the audience

early on when I first started doing this program, when I was driving to Johnson

City and going to the radio station and sitting there, I would do.

Let's say I would record the show or live on Tuesday and then I would sit there

and do four more back to back.

And I would talk about

carbon deposits on intake valves.

Did you tell your listeners yesterday the picture that I sent to you?

No, no, but Abby sent me an emotional picture

of Tim Cable and I in the studio doing this show.

Of course, before Tim Cable and I did the show, it was Bill Mead.

Bill Mead and I did the show for what?

Twenty, well, probably 20 years.

And then he passed the baton to Tim Cable, who is a wonderful human being.

And unfortunately, he got COVID.

He had back surgery.

And the surgery was successful.

So he and his wife, Christina, decided to go on a little trip

to celebrate and why he was on that trip.

He got COVID and he went to the hospital and he lasted two weeks.

He was the first person that I knew that passed away from COVID.

Was he? He was.

He was an outstanding human being.

You know, his show Cable Country on I think it was WJHL and CBS and the Tri-Cities was,

you know, it was just a wonderful way to celebrate the culture of East Tennessee.

And so after he passed away, I just lost a lot of enthusiasm at that point.

It was depressing and I just didn't want to go to Johnson City anymore.

I just couldn't imagine going into that studio and recording.

So I asked the people at the station.

I said, can I just do this by myself in my office?

They said, you think you can do that?

I said, yeah, I mean, I got GarageBand and an Apple computer and I can.

I've got a microphone or I can get one and I can do this show.

And so that's what I did.

And so far it's been it's been great most of the time.

I don't think well, there's some people get tired of listening to me.

I'm sure I know you girls do.

Never.

Well, in honor of Thanksgiving,

since you're the one who's on this mic by yourself all the time here,

I would like to thank you for all the opportunities that you have given to us.

The the jobs that we have, obviously.

But I hope that your listeners can recognize through your radio show what type

of man you really are and see what a good person you are.

I think they can.

I know they can.

They come in here, your listeners come in here all the time.

But your listeners love you and your employees love you and your customers love you.

And this is a selfless thing that you do to sit in here and provide advice to people

that are inexperienced and you have all the knowledge to be helpful to people.

And I hope that you know how valuable you are to not only your daughters

and your grandchildren and your wife, but all of your employees and and your

customers, you you are generous beyond compare for all of us.

And I want to thank you for that on this.

I appreciate that Thanksgiving show.

You know, I'm thankful for the the opportunity to be able to do it, to have,

you know, the Internet, which spreads the show all over the globe, you know.

But mostly in East Tennessee.

I mean, that's that's where it's it's I think been the most beneficial for people.

Well, and I've talked to you before about how, you know, people come to you and listen

to you for many different reasons and they they really value your opinion and your

knowledge, just like your family does.

We come and talk to you all the time about work and

how to deal with our kids and, you know, how to just do pretty much anything.

And you always give such wonderful, calm

advice and people trust your advice and your opinion because of the things that you

have been through and we are just thankful for

your knowledge, the time that you take, the thought that you put into the things

that you do just is is a wonderful thing to get to be a part of.

Well, you know, I'm humbled by that and the fact that my two girls feel that way.

And I appreciate it very much.

It is an honor, though, for me to be to be able to get on this radio show

and on the podcast and share things that I know that will help people.

That's that's a blessing in and of itself to have a platform to be able to do that.

So I'm grateful for that.

OK, I'm going to take my last break and I'll be back in just one minute.

So one of the things that we say around the dealership that everybody who works

here knows what we mean when we say it is, well, that one's a linear deal.

Oh, and that means that we don't know anything about it.

Some somebody is going to be wired in for a car that we didn't have an inventory

or he's going to I'm going to get a service bill for some antique car that I've

never seen that he picked up somewhere.

And so what that's listen, that's the benefit of age.

And experience, I should be able to get to get a pass on some of my behaviors.

You do.

And fortunately for you, you and I think a lot alike.

So I can kind of figure out what you meant to do or what the plan was.

Yeah.

But what is the ultimate plan for all of these vehicles?

You mean the old cars, the old cars?

Well, right now there's there's three in the Ford show showroom.

The 34 Ford, the 1930 Ford and the model A and the Mustang.

And they continue to go up in value.

So it's kind of like a 401 K.

There's money invested, but it's increasing in value.

And so when I'm not around anymore,

you'll be able to contact the Meekum auto auction and sell them and generate the cash.

You think that's what will happen?

Or do you think you guys will keep some of these cars like the 280 Z that's over

there or the 49 truck project or, you know, I mean, I know I've got too many.

I have promised.

Let's see, you wanted the Corvair, right?

You want to go dependent.

So I probably won't be able to turn Lucy anything.

OK, so 65 Corvair convertible is the it's the oldest.

I mean, the first antique car that I had.

And the only one I'll see here.

That's the one I drove around for an hour with the emergency break on.

Yeah, you burn it up. Yeah.

Audrey, I'd say my oldest bow was going to want some kind of one of your vehicles.

Oh, sure. You know, it'd be nice.

But you know, here's what happens, girls.

Here's what happens happens.

And it's a council with people all the time.

They keep this car forever.

They're going to give it to their kids when it's time to give it to the kids.

The kids don't want it.

You know, and that may happen with you all.

I mean, this is kind of like a museum right now, because we have more

antique cars in the showroom than we have new cars, but we've got plenty of new

cars out on the lot, that's for sure.

But yeah, so this is something that people have to figure out.

On a total unrelated note, I don't know if you listeners can hear the smacking sound

in the background. What's she liking?

She has eaten every dust bunny off of your office floor.

Well, good.

It keeps smacking her lips because the cleaning people don't take care of them.

So she,

Audra wanted me to clarify that I'm talking about the dog and not her.

Audra is not eating dust bunnies off the floor.

It is Dixie, the dealership dog has cleaned the floor and it is looking good.

All right. Well, at least we'll have a clean office.

Well, folks, thanks for listening and enduring this family affair that we have going.

I want to wish all of you

a very happy holiday with your family and just be careful because, man,

there's a lot of traffic out there.

There's a lot of crazy drivers out there.

And if you have any car issues over the holidays and you live within a stone's

throw of Gateway, I'll be happy to take care of it for you.

I can't guarantee it'll be free, but it'll be a massive discount.

OK, well, thanks for listening to this edition of my car guru.

And there's only one more thing to say.

Happy Thanksgiving.

We'll see you next time.