Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:01.060 --> 00:00:09.814
Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30-minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am Central.
00:00:09.814 --> 00:00:22.641
This is the only place to go for all things automotive, the award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Coming up.
00:00:22.641 --> 00:00:25.791
We're going to have another guest from today's show.
00:00:25.791 --> 00:00:29.766
By the way, we're coming to you from the 42nd annual Houston Auto Show.
00:00:29.766 --> 00:00:35.466
Mars, I think you were here for the first one and you were 40 then, so that makes you 82 now.
00:00:35.926 --> 00:00:36.289
Is that right?
00:00:36.289 --> 00:00:41.024
There was a display of Conestoga wagons in the back corner.
00:00:43.042 --> 00:00:47.134
So what you need to do is ask Don, since Don's older than I am what was here before that.
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.625
The Conestoga wagons, caesar, caesar and his horses.
00:00:53.042 --> 00:00:53.765
Also coming up.
00:00:53.765 --> 00:00:57.213
Jeff's going to have the racing calendar.
00:00:57.213 --> 00:01:01.890
Mars has this week in auto history and I'll get you caught up on the stories making automotive news headlines.
00:01:01.890 --> 00:01:04.305
Howdy Along with Mike out of this world, mars.
00:01:04.305 --> 00:01:05.790
We always need more Jeff Zekin.
00:01:05.790 --> 00:01:13.290
Our chief engineer, david Ainsley got out of bed this morning, didn't brush his hair, but he made it here and he's our chief engineer.
00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:14.393
I'm Don Armstrong.
00:01:14.393 --> 00:01:15.665
Glad you could join us today.
00:01:15.665 --> 00:01:16.608
It's a great day.
00:01:16.608 --> 00:01:19.209
It's a beautiful day to get out and really enjoy it.
00:01:19.209 --> 00:01:20.760
Clear skies overhead.
00:01:20.801 --> 00:01:31.069
We've had a week of horrible weather here, several weeks and it's time now this particular past week, and it's time now to get out, enjoy and have fun.
00:01:31.269 --> 00:01:33.570
Air conditioning, yes, and this is a good place to do it too.
00:01:33.590 --> 00:01:42.317
So half of the arena the NRG Center is loaded up with cars, the other half loaded up with boats, and so you get a two-for-one here, Yep.
00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:49.343
Or a BOGO, they as the girls call it.
00:01:49.343 --> 00:01:50.545
What a bogo buy one get one, buy one, get one.
00:01:50.566 --> 00:02:11.135
So you buy a ticket and you get it and not only do you get to the automotive show, but you also get the boats as well you bet I'm gonna stick with the twofer oh, yeah, okay, well, you just do that, so our guest now in the remote studio here of the In Wheel Time Broadcasting Mega Center is Jack's son, Jeff Nicholson.
00:02:11.376 --> 00:02:11.816
There you go.
00:02:13.480 --> 00:02:13.622
And.
00:02:13.902 --> 00:02:15.889
Jeff is from West Point Lincoln.
00:02:15.889 --> 00:02:21.510
I was going to say West Point Lincoln Mercury, but you know, I think that that brand went away a few years ago.
00:02:21.730 --> 00:02:22.894
It definitely did, it did.
00:02:23.641 --> 00:02:24.887
You're too young to know that.
00:02:24.887 --> 00:02:28.429
But yeah, so now it's just West Point Lincoln.
00:02:28.789 --> 00:02:29.091
Yes, sir.
00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:30.768
And Lincoln's back?
00:02:30.768 --> 00:02:32.014
Definitely yeah.
00:02:32.014 --> 00:02:35.026
How many models of vehicles do you now have?
00:02:35.026 --> 00:02:36.150
We have four.
00:02:36.711 --> 00:02:43.062
And they are the Corsair Nautilus Aviator and Navigator, in that order from small to big.
00:02:43.703 --> 00:02:46.485
Oh, I like that little one.
00:02:46.485 --> 00:02:47.507
I like that little one.
00:02:47.507 --> 00:02:50.871
Is that the biggest seller for you, or is it the Navigator, the Navigator.
00:02:50.890 --> 00:02:50.971
The.
00:02:51.010 --> 00:02:51.350
Navigator.
00:02:51.350 --> 00:02:52.353
Of course it is yes.
00:02:53.173 --> 00:02:54.155
I'll tell you what.
00:02:54.235 --> 00:02:55.675
It's been a while since I had one.
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:00.741
But the seats in that.
00:03:00.781 --> 00:03:01.042
Navigator.
00:03:01.042 --> 00:03:08.435
Oh my God, it's like you took that leather, your favorite leather chair that you watch TV and game with, and put it in a vehicle.
00:03:08.435 --> 00:03:10.846
It's comfy.
00:03:10.846 --> 00:03:12.819
So where do you want to start?
00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:14.788
What's down there in the West Point?
00:03:14.788 --> 00:03:16.507
Well, it's actually the Lincoln booth.
00:03:16.507 --> 00:03:18.706
I assume that you're just manning it today.
00:03:18.706 --> 00:03:22.751
Yes, sir, You're not trying to sell cars down there.
00:03:22.751 --> 00:03:24.963
You are a product expert.
00:03:24.963 --> 00:03:25.745
He's an educator.
00:03:25.745 --> 00:03:26.687
Yes, definitely.
00:03:26.687 --> 00:03:29.051
Well in our language it's edumacator, Edumacator.
00:03:29.072 --> 00:03:29.633
But that's okay.
00:03:30.174 --> 00:03:30.433
All right.
00:03:30.433 --> 00:03:32.967
So, Jeff, where do you want?
00:03:32.986 --> 00:03:33.408
to start.
00:03:33.408 --> 00:03:37.379
So we have the 2025 Navigator over there on display.
00:03:37.379 --> 00:03:47.544
It is open for everybody to look at, sit in play with, and we do have some salespeople over there that will be happy to answer any questions, even me as well.
00:03:47.544 --> 00:03:50.771
We're not going to push you to sell for anything, um.
00:03:50.771 --> 00:03:59.144
We're just going to give you some product knowledge and make sure that you have a great time at the automotive and so do you, I mean obviously to me.
00:03:59.503 --> 00:04:13.556
In my mind, the main competitor is the Chevy Suburban, the Cadillac Escalade, as I like to call it, and the GMC version of it.
00:04:13.556 --> 00:04:14.997
Right, yes, sir.
00:04:14.997 --> 00:04:23.634
And when you do your product review if you will, for somebody that's looking at it, do you compare?
00:04:23.634 --> 00:04:29.151
You say, well, our vehicle does this and has this and priced this way.
00:04:29.151 --> 00:04:41.548
And if you're comparing it to the Navigator and comparing that with the Cadillac Escalade, here's what you're going to find in our vehicle Do you do that?
00:04:42.009 --> 00:04:52.420
Yes, because I want to know that, because if I'm shopping the navigator, I'm shopping the escalade too definitely aren't they priced competitively they are um.
00:04:52.459 --> 00:04:58.081
The price of the 25 navigator did go up a little bit, but it starts at a hundred thousand dollars and goes up from there.
00:04:58.302 --> 00:05:07.108
But it definitely is very, very comparable or even better than the escalade is very, very comparable, or even better than the Escalade, as you call it.
00:05:07.108 --> 00:05:08.290
Well, and I want to know that thing.
00:05:08.290 --> 00:05:16.841
You know, and we tout on the show.
00:05:16.841 --> 00:05:22.293
The really nice part about the Houston Auto Show is the fact that you can learn all of these things and compare these vehicles in one venue.
00:05:22.293 --> 00:05:32.209
I don't have to drive out to West Point and then go down the way to the Cadillac dealership, plus, I don't have to have that sales pressure put on me.
00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:45.423
I want to come here and I want to find out about it and that's the really cool thing to me about it, as long as I've been coming to it, which has been at least 55 years, because Conestoga wagons, you know.
00:05:45.423 --> 00:05:48.485
That's the nice thing about it, definitely.
00:05:48.505 --> 00:05:49.728
Yeah, I love it here.
00:05:49.728 --> 00:05:52.350
We have a ride and drive outside for the 25.
00:05:52.350 --> 00:05:53.331
Nautilus yes.
00:05:53.511 --> 00:05:54.351
Oh, for the Nautilus.
00:05:54.351 --> 00:05:56.194
Yes, sir, and where does the Nautilus fit in?
00:05:56.194 --> 00:05:57.894
Is it underneath the Navigator?
00:05:58.156 --> 00:05:59.617
So it is underneath the Aviator.
00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:09.023
It is our midsize two-row SUV.
00:06:09.023 --> 00:06:16.487
The mid-size, yeah, seems to me that that would well that and the smaller one would be inching up on sales, probably because of the price for one and what you get in it, because now you're competing with things like Jaguar.
00:06:16.487 --> 00:06:17.569
Yes, yeah.
00:06:17.569 --> 00:06:18.072
Correct.
00:06:18.091 --> 00:06:23.531
Correct Jaguar, porsche, cadillac, volvo, all of them, yeah.
00:06:23.531 --> 00:06:27.843
And let's not forget Buick, buick uh, cadillac, uh volvo, all of them, yeah.
00:06:27.862 --> 00:06:28.685
And let's not forget buick, buick.
00:06:28.706 --> 00:06:31.274
Oh yeah, buick's creeping up, for sure, because he owns the dang view.
00:06:31.293 --> 00:06:33.279
That's why, so don't feel bad, it used to be cadillac, yeah.
00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:36.326
Now it's beauty, that's beautiful that's beautiful it could be.
00:06:36.387 --> 00:06:37.329
Lincoln could be.
00:06:37.329 --> 00:06:38.721
Lincoln, it could be definitely.
00:06:38.781 --> 00:06:39.884
You should definitely come check us out.
00:06:39.884 --> 00:06:41.629
Yeah, down there at west point.
00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:42.531
Where is west?
00:06:42.571 --> 00:06:53.208
point west point is off of i-10 in Kirkwood, right, okay, we also do have a Sugar Land location which is 59, roughly around West Airport area, and it's very nice down there.
00:06:53.208 --> 00:06:56.348
It's right next to the old Texas Direct Auto that used to be down there.
00:06:56.427 --> 00:06:56.649
Right.
00:06:57.170 --> 00:06:59.262
That's right, yes, I know exactly where you are.
00:06:59.382 --> 00:07:00.204
And which one are you at?
00:07:00.504 --> 00:07:02.468
I am at the Kirkwood location in I-10.
00:07:02.468 --> 00:07:06.134
Well, business should be pretty good out there.
00:07:06.134 --> 00:07:08.120
Definitely.
00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:11.480
We are the energy corridor of Houston, exactly, and we got all those people coming through.
00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:12.401
Do you live out there?
00:07:12.822 --> 00:07:13.685
I live in Richmond.
00:07:14.326 --> 00:07:15.711
Oh, not far, it's not far.
00:07:17.641 --> 00:07:18.403
On I-10?
00:07:18.403 --> 00:07:18.403
.
00:07:18.423 --> 00:07:19.769
Yeah, i-10 and Kirkwood.
00:07:19.769 --> 00:07:21.064
What time are you supposed to be at work?
00:07:21.064 --> 00:07:22.600
Every day, 9.30.
00:07:22.821 --> 00:07:23.240
So you get up at 4.
00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:24.923
What time are you supposed to be at work every day?
00:07:24.923 --> 00:07:25.202
9.30.
00:07:25.202 --> 00:07:25.644
So you get up at 4.
00:07:25.644 --> 00:07:27.586
So he's at the tail end of morning drive.
00:07:27.586 --> 00:07:29.206
Yeah, and he's walking in with his tie.
00:07:29.247 --> 00:07:31.468
He'll be like that Got to make sure I look spiffy?
00:07:31.468 --> 00:07:33.490
Yeah, exactly.
00:07:33.550 --> 00:07:34.952
How long have you been in?
00:07:34.973 --> 00:07:38.216
the car business Almost seven years, really.
00:07:38.255 --> 00:07:38.896
Almost seven years.
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:43.490
And did you raise your hand to get in the car business?
00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:44.112
Where did you start?
00:07:44.112 --> 00:07:51.333
I started at uh auto nation, uh cdjr in katie, and then just moved around from there looking at different cars.
00:07:51.392 --> 00:08:19.523
I worked at cadillac, um, even kia for just a little bit, for a week so when, when you were, when you were in high school, you said I want to be a car salesman I wanted to work in the car industry, did you particularly because that's that was me, because I was in high school I wanted to be in the service department, gotcha, because I was in new car make ready at a place called richardson chevrolet it doesn't exist anymore, but uh.
00:08:19.824 --> 00:08:27.095
So I worked at a very, very busy dealer, yes, and they sold a ton of Chevys, definitely.
00:08:27.095 --> 00:08:38.447
And so, you know, I started New Car Make Ready Washing, getting cars ready to go out to the customer that just bought it, yes, and then graduation came along.
00:08:38.447 --> 00:08:42.850
I thought you know what I want to get into the service side.
00:08:42.850 --> 00:08:45.346
So I was a service advisor.
00:08:45.346 --> 00:08:59.488
They sent me to GM Training School, learned a few things there and got skated on by all of the other people that were in the service department and that didn't work out too well for me, but I learned a lot and it was an interesting thing.
00:08:59.488 --> 00:09:01.508
It's not that way anymore.
00:09:01.508 --> 00:09:05.730
Dealerships are a lot different than they were back then.
00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:09.105
And the very successful ones.
00:09:09.105 --> 00:09:10.910
They got their act together.
00:09:10.910 --> 00:09:11.972
They know what they're doing.
00:09:11.972 --> 00:09:14.729
They have a lot more tools in the sales department.
00:09:14.729 --> 00:09:17.749
I mean, you got computers.
00:09:17.749 --> 00:09:20.427
You can shop what you're selling.
00:09:20.427 --> 00:09:23.028
You can shop around and see what other people are asking for.
00:09:23.028 --> 00:09:26.020
You know, yeah, selling.
00:09:26.020 --> 00:09:27.365
You can shop around, see what other people are asking for.
00:09:27.365 --> 00:09:27.905
You know, yeah, um, it's um.
00:09:27.926 --> 00:09:42.149
It's an interesting market today, and to go into a new car dealership is an experience my first was a service rider at a cadillac dealership in ann arbor, michigan and that was when you had five copies press hard you know, to all the service riders all the parts and things like that.
00:09:42.149 --> 00:09:44.796
Now, getting to your computer I so vast differences and it didn't take that.
00:09:44.796 --> 00:09:49.416
Now, getting to your computerized so vast differences and it didn't take long to get to the computer age but that's not where you started.
00:09:49.456 --> 00:09:50.745
You started on an assembly line.
00:09:50.745 --> 00:10:03.765
Well, I started for uh yeah, I've worked it for fisher body in the car industry on an assembly line, but so far as public and on in dealerships was the cadillac tuition did you have somebody paved the way to get in there?
00:10:03.765 --> 00:10:06.130
I went to high school with a guy.
00:10:06.130 --> 00:10:10.568
His dad was the GM and he worked in service and they needed somebody else in service.
00:10:10.568 --> 00:10:13.188
So I applied and got it Nice.
00:10:13.188 --> 00:10:15.144
So we rode together in high school and all that stuff.
00:10:15.505 --> 00:10:16.548
Yeah, it was kind of like me.
00:10:16.548 --> 00:10:21.280
I had a friend of mine, so you didn't have a friend in the car business, you just went for it yourself.
00:10:21.301 --> 00:10:21.981
Yep, I just went for it yourself.
00:10:21.981 --> 00:10:24.325
Yep, I just went straight for it and said, hey, I want to work.
00:10:24.325 --> 00:10:27.087
You know, I went straight into work and I was like, let's do this.
00:10:27.488 --> 00:10:27.708
Yeah.
00:10:28.570 --> 00:10:30.631
Well, you seem like a very approachable kind of guy.
00:10:30.631 --> 00:10:34.416
Thank you, yeah, I mean, if I was going to buy a car, I'd rather buy it from you.
00:10:34.416 --> 00:10:35.620
Oh, thank you.
00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:42.469
Some old gray-haired fart that is like you know curmudgeon, that's been in the car business all his life.
00:10:42.469 --> 00:10:43.890
Yeah, what do you want?
00:10:43.890 --> 00:10:45.272
Oh, you want one of those.
00:10:45.272 --> 00:10:47.335
Yeah, we got a couple of them out there in the back lot.
00:10:47.335 --> 00:10:48.035
You want to go take a?
00:10:48.035 --> 00:10:50.846
Look at if you like something, sign this, sign right here.
00:10:50.846 --> 00:10:53.071
You want to drive it, you really?
00:10:53.130 --> 00:10:56.365
want to drive it and speaking of that, you keep saying sign it and sign it.
00:10:56.365 --> 00:11:03.729
When I bought my vehicle, they gave me uh usb as all the documents.
00:11:03.729 --> 00:11:06.053
They don't hand you paper anymore or an envelope.
00:11:06.053 --> 00:11:06.923
They give you one of these.
00:11:06.923 --> 00:11:08.912
They give you a flash drive with all your documents on it.
00:11:08.912 --> 00:11:09.942
That's it.
00:11:09.942 --> 00:11:10.563
That's all your paper.
00:11:10.563 --> 00:11:11.226
What do you sign?
00:11:11.226 --> 00:11:14.629
You sign electronically on the computer.
00:11:14.629 --> 00:11:15.971
You just sign the screen.
00:11:16.315 --> 00:11:21.826
With your finger, with your finger or toe, whatever you want to sign it with, and then they give you the flash drive at the end.
00:11:21.826 --> 00:11:23.692
Do you do that?
00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:25.623
Yes, that's the way you do there.
00:11:26.183 --> 00:11:28.389
That's technology, you know five copies.
00:11:28.450 --> 00:11:34.206
Press this index finger Doesn't work, the same as a pin and that signature on there.
00:11:34.347 --> 00:11:36.010
I know who's is that.
00:11:36.171 --> 00:11:36.913
Oh, that's mine.
00:11:36.913 --> 00:11:41.446
With a finger doesn't work, so how is?
00:11:41.446 --> 00:11:44.938
Oh, look at there, that's your granddaughter.
00:11:46.294 --> 00:11:47.097
And there's your wife.
00:11:47.097 --> 00:11:49.879
Yeah, and there's Donna.
00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:52.134
Look, they made it in.
00:11:52.134 --> 00:11:53.696
They let you guys in this place.
00:11:53.696 --> 00:11:58.499
We told them not to, so somebody didn't do their job, but it's good to see you.
00:11:58.499 --> 00:12:00.793
She's wearing her.
00:12:01.115 --> 00:12:02.293
A&M shirt Texas A&M.
00:12:02.313 --> 00:12:07.220
Yes, you see that I remember my daughter went to Alabama, uh-oh, got a rivalry.
00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:08.383
Yeah, there's that.
00:12:08.383 --> 00:12:10.476
So that's another story for a different day.
00:12:10.476 --> 00:12:16.182
Anyway, how is inventory at your dealership?
00:12:17.051 --> 00:12:20.991
We have a bunch of inventory to get rid of All of our cars.
00:12:20.991 --> 00:12:24.640
We have like 50 to 80 navigators.
00:12:24.941 --> 00:12:25.743
Really yeah.
00:12:26.510 --> 00:12:27.676
So we're trying to get rid of them.
00:12:27.676 --> 00:12:31.456
We do have 0% for 72 months or for 84 months.
00:12:31.456 --> 00:12:32.138
It's 1.9.
00:12:32.929 --> 00:12:34.738
Are they offering any kind of show specials?
00:12:34.738 --> 00:12:37.320
If you come back to our dealership, we'll give you X amount off.
00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:38.145
Come see Jeff.
00:12:38.669 --> 00:12:40.893
No, but they will give you a free tote bag, tote bag.
00:12:40.912 --> 00:12:42.293
Yeah, a tote bag All right.
00:12:42.293 --> 00:12:44.616
Yeah, all right, yeah, I'm in.
00:12:45.597 --> 00:12:48.701
Those are ones that he stole from the other manufacturers, from the.
00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:49.081
Kia.
00:12:49.361 --> 00:12:49.481
Here.
00:12:49.481 --> 00:12:51.423
Let me go out to the car and open the trunk.
00:12:51.504 --> 00:12:55.774
I got one for you from the Jeep people he's a Kia for a week.
00:12:56.856 --> 00:13:02.951
Oh my God, you know your boss is going to get this and he's going to go.
00:13:02.971 --> 00:13:04.932
what the hell did they do to my poor salesman?
00:13:04.932 --> 00:13:05.272
They're going to.
00:13:05.272 --> 00:13:08.913
Jeff, could I see you in my office, but I didn't do it.
00:13:08.913 --> 00:13:09.774
It wasn't my fault.
00:13:09.835 --> 00:13:10.495
I'm so sorry.
00:13:10.495 --> 00:13:12.456
He's an old guy, mike.
00:13:12.456 --> 00:13:13.515
Yeah, these are old people.
00:13:13.956 --> 00:13:14.697
I couldn't help it.
00:13:14.697 --> 00:13:17.357
They run me out of there.
00:13:18.158 --> 00:13:19.219
Well, he's got to be doing something right.
00:13:19.219 --> 00:13:21.581
He came back, he's still there, he's still with West Point.
00:13:21.660 --> 00:13:24.782
So do you have 24s that you're trying to get rid of?
