Mega Meet Madness At Team Gilman AutoPlex!

Want a car meet that feels like a festival and functions like a precision machine? We sit down with Gus Flores of The CarMeet Network to unpack how a free mega show can welcome thousands, run smoothly, and still feel personal. Gus shares the core idea—vibe, connect, grow—and how smart logistics, clear parking sections, and real community-building help people find purpose as much as power. From hot rods to Hondas, WRX clubs to classic Corvette owners, the plan is simple: everyone belongs, and the layout makes every build shine.

We break down the big details at Team Gilman’s north complex: a 10 a.m.–2 p.m. schedule, recommended preregistration that guarantees your spot, and a live three-hour broadcast from the lot. Then the headline-grabber: six vehicles, two from each store, raffled so winners can buy for $1,000 plus TTL. You must be 18, licensed, present, and registered to enter. It’s a bold way to give back and put real keys in real hands, and it’s already lighting up club chats across Subaru, Mazda, Acura, and beyond. Add a DJ, street-style dogs and burgers from Sasa Burgers, and the electricity of builders swapping stories, and you’ve got a meet with momentum.

We also zoom out to the long game of ownership. Which brands are most likely to hit 250,000 miles? Toyota and Lexus lead with deliberate engineering and incremental updates, Honda follows with proven powertrains, and Chevy shows up strong via Suburban and Silverado. We contrast that with RAM and Jeep’s long-term reliability struggles and Tesla’s older-model growing pains—practical takeaways for enthusiasts choosing platforms to daily, mod, and keep. 

To round it out, we map five bucket-list concours events—Amelia Island, Greenwich, Cincinnati, Pebble Beach, and Ironstone—so you can plan a year long show season that spans grassroots grit and world-class elegance.

Bring your ride, your crew, and your appetite. Preregister to lock your spot, tune into the live show on-site, and throw your name in the hat for that $1,000 car opportunity. If this episode sparks a plan, share it with your club, hit follow, and leave a quick review so more enthusiasts can find the show.

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Setup

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast. Welcome to the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show coming up Guts Flores with the Car Meet Network. And our remote in a couple of weeks at Tim Gilman. Hope that you're going to be there to join us. If not person, I hope that you'll join us here on our show on the internet. Jeff's Car Culture. Four vehicles that should hit the 250,000 mile mark, and three vehicles that won't. Guaranteed. Howdy. Along with Mike out of this world ours. We always need more Jeff Zickin. David Easley's still in bed this morning, typing on his computer. And Don Armstrong. Okay. It appears as though that we do. Do we have uh Mr. Flores Mike? We don't we don't even have Mike. Do we have Mike? Mike's there. Mike's there? Okay. Well, um hello, Gus. Are you with us?

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Good morning. Yeah. I was I forgot to click the button.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

Well, well, we're glad that you were membered. We appreciate that. Yeah, good morning, guys.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

How's everybody doing?

SPEAKER_03 1:09

Very good. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:10

I'm doing great. Excited.

What Car Meet Network Is And Why It Exists

SPEAKER_03 1:12

So Gus, tell me about the Car Meet Network first.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Yes, sir. Absolutely. So the Car Meet Network, guys, um, our slogan is we go on the foundation of vibe, connect, and grow. So what we, you know, what we came across, you know, the past few years doing car meets, car events, and stuff. And so what I've noticed is that there was something missing in between, you know, not just car meets, but I wanted to be able to connect people with vendors, with businesses, but also grow. You know, there's people that I know that, you know, uh personally that I know that through car events have uh been able to fight depression. So they build cars, they go to car events. So with this new car me network, we're gonna be able to do that. We're gonna be able to travel to different cities and be able to gather together with different people and not just have a good time with a car me, but also, you know, influence people in a good way.

SPEAKER_03 2:04

Well, that's good, yeah. And so how long have you been in business doing this?

SPEAKER_00 2:08

So we started back in 2019, but officially we started another company in 2021.

SPEAKER_04 2:15

21, okay. So are you connected with Gilman or uh you're just part of Gilman organization on the marketing side? How does that work?

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Yeah, so pretty much uh Team Gilman uh had a friend of mine that he used to go to my car meets back in you know 2020 and right right after COVID, and he got hired as a marketing director or media guy, and he reached out to us, you know, Tim Gilman wanted to do an event, and we were the perfect fit for it. So we did it, and so we've done it to three other stores already.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Well, good. Uh, you know, and and you haven't been involved with us, but that's okay, we won't hold that against you. But this is a whole new thing, and maybe perhaps that uh, you know, we'll be able to team with you uh in future events. Yeah. Um so what what car who's invited to the mega meet?

SPEAKER_00 3:02

So this is a mega meet meet, guys. Let me tell you a little bit about the mega meet. So we've done a couple of mega meets here in Texas. Uh we started here in Houston. Our first mega meet, we did it with a couple other people. We brought about 2,500 people. Uh, that's between in and out within six hours. And then yeah.

Mega Meet Format And Crowd Logistics

SPEAKER_03 3:19

I hope we got somebody directing traffic up there.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Oh, yeah, sure did. We had we had about I think five officers and about six uh parking attendants. So every time we do an event, we do have everything, it's a systemized event, you know. So we have uh uh parking attendants, cashiers, I mean you name it, you know, from everything. So we're gonna do that.

SPEAKER_03 3:40

Speaking of cashiers, is this an event? Is you charge a fee? No, not at all.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Not at all. No, so it's free for anybody. Free for everyone, yeah. The other events that I'm talking about is because we have to rent a venue that holds that massive amount of vehicles. So we've done it here in Houston, and then we've done them in uh Bastrop, Texas. So I get together with different promoters across Texas, and we have a venue that holds actually 3,500 people. So we you know we've been able to, it's in Bastrop, Texas called the East 40. So we gather people from Dallas, Austin. So once a year we do our Texas Mega Meet there in Bastrop, Texas, and it's fun and it's free for everyone as well.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

That's cool, that's very cool. So give us an idea of the types of cars that you draw at these mega meets.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Absolutely. So with this, you know, it's a new generation of you know car owners. Obviously, I'm a big fan of you know the hot rods and you know a true muscle car or a true build car, right? And so this what we do is we do gathers. And the the way I used to do it is we used to gather a car meet or a car event, and we used to have sections, right? So we would welcome everyone if you drive from a hot rod to a Honda, you know, let's just call it like that, right? From a hot rod to a Honda. And so what we would do, we would have sections. So in front of the in front of the place where we were at, obviously, we would showcase the really cool cars, uh show ready, exotics, uh, hot rods or classics, and then we would build all the way to the back to where you know from different areas. Uh so we attract all kinds American, import. Sometimes we do get some really cool cars. Sometimes the theme looks like Fast and the Furious, or sometimes it looks like um Toretto, you know, from Fast and the Furious.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

So well, I mean, I'm thinking, okay, so there there is room for us old people that are old. Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

No, absolutely, guys. Uh, one of the things I do have a a guy, him and his wife used to always come to my my events. You know, him and his wife are hot rod builders and collectors, and they used to come to a lot of events that I used to do because I was closer to their area. So, but yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:46

Okay, we would be more of the classics.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

We yeah, we would be in the classic section. Yeah, I love classics. Yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:52

So, Gus, um so uh I'm gonna say that this is a uh four-hour event, 10 to 2, from what I understand. Yes, sir. And is it going to be at the three dealerships?

Who’s Invited And How Cars Are Parked

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Yes, sir. Yeah, so we're gonna host it at their north uh complex location, which is you know, Marla decided, say guys, you know, we've been doing it for Honda. Our last Honda event that we did was at the Team Gilman Honda North. We had 310 registered cars and 700 people that attended that day.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

It was something do we need to register the cars before we come?

SPEAKER_00 6:25

Yes, it's recommended, guys, because with the registration, it's guaranteed for a spot. So our parking attendants will be checking that make sure you got your car registered. They're gonna see like a little notification on their email. So we will prioritize the people that got registered so they can get a spot first.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

So am I gonna be able to take my Corvette and show it up there?

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Yes, yes, you can.

SPEAKER_03 6:46

But I do I have to register it even though I'm gonna do this radio show from up there?

SPEAKER_00 6:50

There, well, you don't have to. We will have a private section. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

I thought, you know, okay. Uh well, I was gonna say, if you need me to register, would you do that for me?

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Yeah, yeah, I can do it. But definitely, yes, guys. I do have a couple of uh, you know, muscle cars coming out. There's a couple of um Corvettes that actually my friend participates in the Corvette uh event that they have yearly in the woodland, so he's bringing his Corvette out as well.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

Good. So it's an open show. Okay, so I'm sorry. Good. What did you say, Mars?

SPEAKER_02 7:19

I was saying it it is an open show, but the registration is because you've got limited space.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

For sure, yes.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

And we want to make sure that those people get uh comments.

SPEAKER_03 7:28

Do you mean to tell me that these dealerships are trying to sell new cars as well? Oh my god, I guess I mean they do both, you know.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

They they wanna they want to attract a different uh community, not just through social media, but through actual people coming to this. Sure.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

They want to have a little fun, is what it amounts to. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 7:47

So uh I think that we met the representative from the Acura dealership or the Honda dealership. Who was it? It was Mars? Acura. Marla. Yeah Marla. Yeah, and uh great lady and a great spokesperson. And we're thinking, I told her, I said, you know what? I don't get very many Acura's in the press fleet. And she says, Well, we can take care of that. I said, No, that's okay. You just need to get them in the press fleet. That's what we need. But I guess the point that I'm trying to make is they've got hot rod Acura's. I know that they've got hot rod Mazdas, and I know that they got hot rod Subarus as well. So for all of you that really like, you know, the muscle aspect of it, the gussied up ones, they're gonna have those uh up there at that uh Gilman mega meet as well. So, Gus, tell me about this.

SPEAKER_04 8:30

You're gonna sell me a car for a thousand dollars. What is this in the promo?

Event Details: Time, Venue, Registration

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Yeah, this is so insane. Uh, you know, Marlis literally throwing out a big party. So this is what they decided to do. They say, you know what, guys, we're having a big party, we're having a big car meet, a mega meet, right? So let's let's let's see what Gilman wants to do. So Tim Gilman wants to get back to the community. So what what what they did, they came out with this. Each store is gonna have two vehicles. So two vehicles from Subaru, two vehicles from Mazda, and two vehicles from the Accra store. What's gonna happen is those cars are gonna be raffled off for free. People are gonna get a chance to enter, they have to be present to win. You must be present to win, and you have to be 18 years old with a valid driver license. So I am 18 years old, I have a valid driver license, I show up to the event, I register for free, so that's gonna be an entry. Once we draw that entry, whoever wins gets to purchase that car for a thousand dollars plus TTL.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

And what year in these cars are they are they the like uh new ones or maybe pre-owned or something going to the crusher?

SPEAKER_00 9:32

No, not going to the crusher for sure. I'm pretty sure the team gilma doesn't want to do that. Now it's a surprise for me as well. I know Marla was so excited about getting this, you know, two vehicles per store and having a chance to for someone to you know take a car home for a thousand bucks. And I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be a beater, you know.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Yeah, if it's on their lot, you know, it's gonna be well worth it. I understand.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

I just want to get clarification in the rules. So so when I win it, you know, I'm I'm like, you know, think of this.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

Yeah, you're 18 years old, you're in high school, you got your valid driver's license, and dad said that he'd back you up if you won for the thousands. For the thousand bucks. I'm in. I am in there.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Oh yeah. I told I told my friends at the uh, you know, so I have three separate groups on my on my uh social medias, right? From TikTok, they just comment on it. But on Instagram, what I like about Instagram and Facebook, you know, I have a couple of groups where it's individual, you know, car clubs. So I have the Subaru team, I have the Mazza team, and then I have the Honda team. So what I did, I send everyone the same message. I said, guys, by the way, it's not just gonna be a cool event, but someone is gonna have a chance to take a car for a thousand bucks. And so they started going crazy on the comments.

SPEAKER_04 10:43

Wow. So two each from each, uh, two each from the dealer, each dealer should be able to do that.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

I want to know. Oh, yes. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Shut up, Marsh, yes, you know.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

I gotta I gotta have my hot dog.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

I'm sure. You know, you know, they always say a lot of times, you know, you went to the heart with food. I'm those type of guys. I'm that type of guy. So so I'm always bringing, you know, nice vendors. So I have a vendor from from Dallas coming out, they're very popular in Dallas, they became so popular. Um, it's called Sasa Burgers. So what they do, they make those like street style hot dogs and burgers. So they're they do are coming are coming from Dallas, Texas.

SPEAKER_03 11:23

Very nice, very nice. And we won't hold it against them that they're coming in from Dallas. Yeah, yeah, right. You just make sure they register so they got a parking lot. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

By the way, guys, I will take you personally so you can try the food. So you can try that.

SPEAKER_03 11:35

Okay, all right. Yeah, guide us over there. And we're gonna have an extended show that day. Normally we do a two-hour show, but we're gonna do it a three-hour show. So it's a bonus, a bonus hour. And uh Mars Mars arranged that, so uh it should be a good time, a fun time for all. Oh, yeah. We'll take the air at 10 o'clock in the morning when the show opens. Nice. And uh we'll take it all the way till one o'clock, and the show closes at two. So it just seems to work out best for everybody. I'm gonna have a DJ there, and we hope he doesn't play his music too loud because then we won't be able to have our dulcet tones reach everybody. No, no, you can have them out in the parking lot. Won't be learning.

SPEAKER_02 12:14

I was thinking about the cars that uh you've got to sell for a thousand bucks. One of my granddaughters just found out yesterday. She told me she had a hickey boo-boo. Well, the insurance company totaled her car. Oh, I mean, so I'm thinking, okay, so you need to get up. You're not allowed, Mars, to enter in the damn thing. That's right. I need to bring her over there and say, here, here's your job to get you a cheap car, a good car, inexpensively.

The $1,000 Car Raffle Explained

SPEAKER_04 12:37

Yeah, it's just something I can tub out and put an LS in. That that would be great.

SPEAKER_03 12:41

That is not gonna happen. Yeah, that's not gonna happen. No, I think that I think that we're we're forbidden for enter entering any kind of free giveaways.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Yeah, that's that's the first thing I said. Uh, you know, when when they gave me the news, I kind of looked at Marlon and I looked at uh uh Robin and they kind of got the idea, like, yeah, Gus. You're out.

SPEAKER_03 13:01

You're out of tea, you gotta ask, right? So right okay, so what time do the gates open?

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Uh the gates open at for uh general public at 10 a.m. Uh all of our vendors and everyone's gonna be from 8:30 to 9:30. So, but we we're gonna have a few early birds that do show up early. I have some friends that participate in multiple car shows, especially for the Honda ones. And there are some teams coming from uh San Antonio. These guys are man, they're they're rolling pretty deep from from San Antonio. This is the uh the Subaru guys. So, you know, these events that I put together been able to attract people from different cities in a good way because they're like, hey, I want to be part of that. So then, you know, I say, well, this person is coming from this side, this problem from this side. You know, we had uh this past weekend, I mean, this past event for Honda, I had people coming from El Paso, from Brownsville, from Louisiana. Like literally, they messaged the page and said, Hey, we saw the Honda event. I'm a big time Honda, and they drove all the way here.

SPEAKER_03 13:58

Yeah, uh, I've got a friend of mine that I work with. Uh he uh has a uh souped up it's either a Honda. No, I think it's a Toyota. Anyway, uh I I know when I tell him about this, yeah, that he'll probably show up. Yeah, oh yeah. He's got a very nice sweet car. I will tell you that.

SPEAKER_04 14:18

I did not know there were any Subaru car clubs. I did not know that until recently. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:23

You know, those WRX people, they're crazy.

SPEAKER_04 14:27

I just got yeah. Right, Gus? Let's go home back.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Don't hold back. I'm gonna raise my hand on this because I used to have a Subaru. There you go. And sure enough, every time I'll get you know invited to some Subaru, these guys were something else. Like, you know, this is a super owner.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

Yeah, and I I will tell you back when they still made it, they don't make it anymore, the WRX STI. Oh, yeah, STI. I had one of those. That's what I had. That thing was a hot rod deluxe. I fell in love with that cover. Yes, yeah, and no, if that if I could find a deal on that, go buy one of those. That thing is bad to the bug.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

No, those things were really cool. Yeah, I had an 07 because so what happened is they had different models, right? They come from the bug eye, then I forgot what the new one after that, but then they had a hawkeye. So I had a hawkeye, and it was 07. So the 06 was still, you know, you have to wait for the car to cool down and then the turbo to cool down, but 07 they changed the technology where now they they added a line to the turbo so it could be oil cooled, and that was pretty cool. So I like the car.

SPEAKER_03 15:29

See, he knows his stuff. Yeah, I I know, I know about those Subaru guns. You don't have to tell me anything. It just didn't click. Okay, so to let everybody know, again, that's the Mega Meet 2K26 at Team Gilman up on the North Freeway. I think that's in spring, if I'm not mistaken. 18202 North Freeway up there. It's gonna be in two weeks, Saturday, March the 14th, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mega Car Show. Where do we go online to register?

Food, Music, And Extended Live Show Plans

SPEAKER_00 15:58

So, guys, there's two ways that you can go. So, one of the ways when uh we're actually implementing so you can go to the CardMe Network.com. You scroll all the way to the bottom. We're gonna have a form where you can uh submit your email. We can have your email, we can email you right at the at the bottom right. There's our social media. You can click on Instagram and and our social media uh links. Once you click there, it will take you to our especially to our Instagram. And on our bio, there is you click on our bio and there's all three links so you can register. If you own a Subaru, if you own a Mazda, if you're on Acura, if you own an other vehicle, other vehicle, you can use the Mazda link and we'll be able to uh register your vehicle if you don't have a Subaru, Mazda, or Acura. We still uh you're still welcome to the event. So you can see that.

SPEAKER_04 16:42

So that's the car meet network. Yeah, I was thinking that. Yeah. Okay. I don't want to I don't want to take away from the whole show though, Mike. But I do it. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

I I understand.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

Well, Gus, thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate you.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

Absolutely, guys. Thank you guys.

SPEAKER_03 16:57

And we'll see you in two weeks.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Yes, sir. We'll see you there. And don't forget, as soon as you guys are hungry, you come to me and we're gonna go try those hot dogs in the works. You got it, bro.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

We'll arrive hungry. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 17:07

Just ahead in Jeff's Car Culture Cars that'll make a quarter million miles, and those that will not. And Mr. Mars has the top five concours event after this break on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Stay with us. The tailpipes and tacos renowned cruising expands to Baumamont. Golden Triangle cruisers will want to experience tailpipes and tacos at the Loopy Tortilla, high ten south in Baumont near Washington Boulevard. Grab free loopy breakfast tacos with any donation to Shirley's kids. Enjoy a coffee or an adult beverage. Every cruise-in vehicle is automatically entered to win one of the beautiful chili pepper trophies for Best Hot Run, Classic, and Modern Classic. Tailpipes and Tacos Bowman happens Saturday morning, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m. If you're a car cake like we are, this is the event you'll want to attend. The end of the time car talk show will be online live, and you may be interviewed upon your ride. Tailpipes and Tacos Baumont edition Saturday, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Loopy Tortilla 2050 I-10 South in Baumont. The Katie Tailpipes and Tacos happens Easter Saturday, April 4th, 8-11. The Free Tailpipes and Tacos Cruising is a production of Loopy Tortilla Tex-Mex, Beaumont and Katie. He's pretty good. Apple or Android NWL Time podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads. Whether you're on the road or at home and Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try. Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time. Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music. Mm-hmm. InWheeltime.com has a list, and we know you love lists. Join us 10 to 9 Central Time every Saturday for our live show about all things automotive, and we thank you for being with us today. Time now for Jeff's Car Culture. Four brands that should make a quarter million miles, and three brands that probably won't. Yeah, they're they're expected to.

Travel Crews And Brand Clubs Rolling In

How To Register And Final Invite

SPEAKER_04 19:10

That's what they say. But Toyota is the undisputed longevity champion. Uh Toyota demon uh dominates the 2025 uh list of these vehicles. Uh what makes Toyota vehicles last so long? It comes down to the deliberate engineering, the choices that they make. And when they make those choices, they stick to it. It's reliable systems instead of chasing every new trend. They improve the cars little by little instead of rushing big changes and carefully monitor every step of building that Toyota. Toyota Corporation, they receive nine model awards every year, including the Lexus AS, Lexus IS, Lexus NX, and it goes on through that, through the Toyota Camry, Toyota Tacoma, and the Toyota Tundra. The brand's approach the quality control and incremental improvements rather than just radical designs, which other people do, uh, is pay dividends for the owners of those vehicles and a long haul that they use them for. The next one up would be uh the Lexus, the luxuries that last. Uh Kathy's got one and she loves it. Lexus ranks the highest level in the vehicle dependability for a second consecutive year. Toyota's Luxury Division, which is Lexus, brings the same reliability DNA wrapped in the premium materials and refined driving dynamics. The brands consistently across both new and used vehicles set it apart from competitors. In 2026, Lexus is the most reliable brand for used cars, seeing a higher score across older vehicles than the new ones. A luxury brand owner by Toyota, it was also ranked in the top three most reliable new cars that they have. So that's good for Lexus. Keep it going. Honda's the next one. Proven durability across the segments for Honda, it ranks second for the most vehicle rankings, demonstrates a strong longevity potential. The Japanese automaker has built a reputation similar to Toyota, focusing on practical engineering and reliable powertrains. Hint all the other manufacturers. The Honda Odyssey Pilot and Ridgeline are the twelfth, eleventh, and tenth most likely vehicles to make it beyond the quarter million mile mark. Honda's approach to reliability mirrors Toyota's philosophy of consecutive updates and proven technology. The brand consists of performance across sedans, SUVs, and trucks. The next one we have, which is the last one in the group of four, and it's kind of surprising. Chevlet, the American contender. Only General Motors managed to break the Japanese stranglehold in longevity, with the Chevrolet model showing a surprising durability in certain segments. The Chevrolet Suburban remains a reliable choice in the full size SUV category with a chance of reaching 250,000 miles. And its iconic SUV, which has been around since 1935, continues to be a favorite for families of those who need a vehicle building. To last. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 rounds out the chance of reaching 250,000 as the only American-made half-ton vehicle to make the list. So there you go. Keep it up. Buick ranks second among uh the challenges for the small SUVs. It's the Buick Encore, Chevrolet Equinox, and Chevrolet Traverse all make that list, contending for the 250,000 mile mark. The ones that didn't make it, Mike, are the struggling uh long-term reliability would be the Dodge Ram. Uh despite marketing emphasis, toughness, and capability, the RAM trucks face reliability challenges that prevent them from achieving a quarter million mile longevity rate at the rates compared to its competitors. Moving on to the next one, Mike, we're gonna wrap this up for the Jeep off-road uh prowess on road problems. Jeep's reputation for ruggedness doesn't translate to long-term reliability with the brand consistently ranking near the bottom of dependability studies. The focus of off-road capability and lifestyles marketing hasn't resulted in the vehicle to rack up that many miles without significant mechanical issues. Now, the one thing I see also in this is that they use them for other things. I mean there's a lot of events you can take your your Jeep to and and you know those things tend to destroy parts and pieces of the body. The last one, Mike, Tesla. Innovation beats growing pains. Tesla ranks in last place among twenty-six brands for its used model, driven by numerous issues with older models, and while Tesla's new vehicles rank ninth across the new cars reliability, they plummets meaning uh the plummet, uh given several issues with older models. The electric vehicle pioneer faces significant reliability challenges, and they're working on it as best they can. So there you go.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

That's interesting. Yeah. Uh yeah, unfortunately, uh I've heard about RAM and I've heard about Jeep uh having some serious uh issues uh in in multiple fashion uh with uh reliability issues across the board, not just one thing, not just an engine, not just a transmission, uh, not just with electronics, but a combination of all those things.

Sponsor Spots And Show Bumpers

SPEAKER_04 24:03

There's many more out there, Don. These are just uh some that pop up uh consistently and the ones that will make it and the ones that won't. So Mr.

SPEAKER_03 24:09

Morris now has a special for us, and that would be the top five concours events. Is that across the United States, Mike? Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 24:21

I kind of broke it out into um time of year just because of these take a little planning because of where they're at. So, for example, in the spring, the Amelia Concours de Eleance is down in Amelia Island in Florida. Now, this is normally is this driving destination?

SPEAKER_04 24:36

I don't have the right slide up.

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Uh how about this one? Oh, yeah, I got it.

SPEAKER_03 24:44

Okay. All right, got it. Great.

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SPEAKER_02 24:46

All right. So uh the Amelia kicks off the concourse season. Uh typically held in March, and it happens at the oceanside Ritz Carleton down there. Now, this of course has got your blue chip collector cars, motor sports legends, auctions, and a lot of seminars, but it's all in that coastal area with the spring weather. So it makes it really nice for uh open top cruising around and going out on the beach evenings and stuff. It makes it for a real nice event to happen there. And uh, if you're down there and you want to do something else while you're down there, you might go explore Fort Clinch State Park for coastal drives and some Civil War history while you're enjoying it. Now, in late spring or early summer, Greenwich Greenwich Concours to Elegant. Greenwich, Connecticut, typically this happens in late May, early June. Now this is on the Long Island Sound waterfront, and uh it's in the Northeast, so it doesn't really have all the moderate crowds per se, but it's got a lot of carefully curated classes from the pre-war classics up to the modern hypercars. And it's kind of a smaller show, but it makes it easier to see everything if you're down there only for a day, and you can get some VIP luxury receptions if you want to get into those, or some showcases if you really want to go for an over-the-top event. And uh, if you're up there in that area and you want something to do while you're there, take a quick train into New York City and go check out Broadway. Now, during the summer, you want to go to the Cincinnati Concours de Elegons. Now, this is typically in June, so down south it's a little warmer. Nice time to be up, maybe a little further north. And this is a a mid-west concourse that handles brings in a lot of prestige with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere with over 200 vehicles that compete across their theme classes. Now, the park's got a hilltop pavilion, so it creates a nice view looking down over the whole setting there. And if you really want something to go see with some top-tier cars without having to go to the coast on either side of the country, this is one that's typically in the middle of the world that you can see. Uh, there's also the National Museum of the United States Air Force if you happen to want to do something else while you're in that area. Now, late summer, this is whenever you can start looking for the Pebble Beach Concours de Elegants. Now, this is out in Pebble Beach, California, of course. Now, this is considered the crown jewel of the American Concours events. Now, this is held during the Monterey Car Week, and it showcases the rarest and the historically significant cars in the world. Now, they do this on a golf course, and the 18th Fairway overlooks the Pacific Ocean, so it really gives a nice surrounding there of elegance as well as seeing the beach and things. So they have auctions, they have unveilings during this thing, and they do a lot of satellite events actually to bring things in now to really round out the full automotive festival week. Then uh in the fall, if you're looking for something up there, go to the Iron Stone Concourse to Elegance. Now, this is up in Northern California, Murphy's California. Typically, this is in September, and it's considered California's gold country at the Iron Stone Vineyards. Now, this combines vintage automobiles with line country hospitality. They have over 300 classic cars, motorcycles, historic race machines, and it's in a really nice, relaxed vineyard setting. So with the cooler autumn weather, it makes it really comfortable to go out and uh be in the scenic landscape. And they have a lot of other things going on in that area, including this year of foothill back roads and uh places to nicely drive and enjoy the vineyard and the surrounding part of the country there. Very cool.

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SPEAKER_03 28:22

All right. Thank you, sir. All right, time now for a quick break on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show. We are back with another 30 minutes right after this. The Easter bunnies coming. To the tailpipes and tacos cruise in at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Max in Katy, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m. And you're invited to. Bring the kids and grandkids. It's a cruise in like you've never attended before. With a donation to Shirley's Kids, you'll get a free Loopy Tortilla breakfast taco. There'll be coffee and adult beverages, plus chili pepper trophies for the best hotbot, best modern classic, and best classic. There's no entry fee and no registration. Just bring your ride and the kids. Bad bunnies aren't allowed, but the Easter bunny will be there, and he'll be full of joy to help make this Tailpipes and Tacos a very special one. Photo opportunities abound. The Invil Time Car Talk Show will be streaming around the globe, and you can be selected to tell your car story to a global audience. It's the Tailpipes and Tacos Cruise in Easter Medition, Saturday, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Mex in Katy, located on 99 the Grand Parkway, just south of I-10, the Katy Freeway, in Katy. Make plans now. Loopy Tortilla is pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

Houston, get a ready. We're collaborating with the Car Mead Network, so you know it's gonna be crazy. And that's not enough. We're gonna be recording up six cars to be sold at$1,000 each. See below for more details. You're not gonna want to miss this Houston March 14th. We can't wait to see you here.

SPEAKER_03 30:02

That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheelTime.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.