September 11, 2024 • 38 mins
Welcome to this week's episode of Let's Talk Wheels with Mike Herzing and Jeremy Bierenbaum. If you're on the lookout for a used or slightly used car, stay tuned to learn how to choose the best one. We'll cover that and much more on Let's Talk Wheels!
In this episode, Mike and Jeremy delve into the world of automotive news, including a significant BMW recall affecting nearly three-quarters of a million vehicles. Learn about the risks and what you need to know if you own one of the affected models.
We also discuss the much-anticipated release of Volkswagen's ID.Buzz, an electric vehicle with a nostalgic twist. Get the inside scoop on its features, pricing, and what makes it a must-have for VW enthusiasts.
Our car review segment features the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands. Discover its off-road capabilities, design features, and why it might be the perfect vehicle for you. Plus, we have an exclusive interview with Mike Weller from Ford, who shares exciting details about the upcoming 2025 Bronco Sport and its new Sasquatch package.
Lastly, we dive into the age-old question: Is it better to buy a new car or a slightly used one? Get expert advice on what to consider, from mileage to previous ownership, to help you make the best decision for your needs.
Don't miss out on this jam-packed episode full of valuable insights and tips to keep you informed and entertained. Tune in now!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:21):
It's time to buckle up for this week's Let's Talk Wheels with Mike Herzing and Jeremy Bierenbaum.
Looking for a used or slightly used car? Stay tuned and learn how to choose the pick of the litter.
You're going to learn that today right here on Let's Talk Wheels.
(00:42):
Welcome to your favorite auto show, Let's Talk Wheels. I'm Mike Herzing,
and every week we give you automotive and power sports,
news, interviews, car reviews, and some classic car information from my co-host,
the brilliant Jeremy Bierenbaum, who's based right there in Southern California.
Let's bring him on right now.
Mr. B, what's going on, buddy? Oh, it's going good. I went car shopping with my sister this weekend.
(01:03):
And, you know, before you assume it, it was actually, it was okay. It was fun.
We had a good time, and I learned a lot. You know, I haven't looked for a new car in a while.
Going to a dealer and just asking questions from a salesperson,
it was an interesting perspective.
You know, some dealers are really great. And some dealers, you pull onto the,
in their parking lot, you know, in a parking, a big store and all the salesmen
(01:25):
were out there smoking a cigarette or whatever.
They're out there on the outside and they're looking there and it's like,
they're all lined up and you go to get out of the car and they just,
they're just all over you. Yep.
Yep. I had that experience and what seemed like an uneducated salesperson who
was selling a car that basically sold itself.
So he didn't have any information, which was unfortunate.
But I also went to, I had a really good experience at Hyundai and a really knowledgeable
(01:49):
salesperson and, you know, a really nice dealership. It was kind of fun.
Well, some of the dealerships will actually let you get in the door and say, hey, how can I help you?
You know, and instead of just jumping all over, you kind of feel a little,
I mean, I've had guys, I mean, you pull in and you go to get out of your car
and they open the car door for you.
I mean, I'm like, well, wait a minute. Give me just a second to breathe here, guy.
(02:09):
We actually walked through the showroom. No one jumped on us.
And then I actually went up to the receptionist and I asked,
is there a salesman there? And right away, someone came up and helped us. And it was great.
Well, man, that's how it's supposed to be. We've got really some information
that's going to save people a lot of time and money when they start looking for a car.
This is really going to make it. Before we get ahead of ourselves,
let's get started with the news and notes section of the show.
(02:33):
And let's talk about a huge BMW recall.
How about three quarters of a million BMWs? How about that?
That's a lot of cars. It's basically ranging from 2012-2015 X1s,
2013-2017 X3s, and 2015-2018 X4s.
This issue is the automakers are claiming that the water pump electrical connection
(02:57):
could increase the risk of a fire.
I'm wondering what electrical connection a water pump has on it.
Oh, actually, it's not. They said there's a shield to divert any liquid.
When the water pump starts to
go bad, it starts weeping from a little hole right where the bearing is.
And it starts dripping from there. So you know you got a water pump that's starting to leak.
(03:20):
But if it leaks down onto electrical connectors, it can short them out.
And it could be, of course, anytime there's power, anytime there's ground and
it's shorted, it could start a fire. And that's what they're worried about.
But it's older ones. It's not really anything newer, you know.
That's kind of cool. I mean, 2012 to 2015, you know, talking 12-year-olds going on 13-year-old cars.
(03:47):
And if they're going to take care of that and give you a new water pump,
hey. more power to it. Actually, they're only going to give you a shield.
They're not going to give you a water pump.
Good for them for at least doing something.
But let's talk about the big news that you're all excited about,
Jeremy. You're Mr. Volkswagen.
Tell the folks what's going on with VW. Well, they finally released pricing for the ID.Buzz.
(04:08):
And I'm actually, you know, I've been, when it came out, I was chomping at the
bit. And at this point, I'm like, man, it's been how many years?
And you were telling me you went to the press launch.
Yeah, I went to the launch at the LA Auto Show and they just showed it.
And it was, everybody was just like, man, we want this yesterday.
And that was like six or seven years ago.
(04:29):
It's terrible, but I mean, they're here and it's coming, you know,
and the pricing isn't horrible and the capability looks neat and it looks awesome.
Anybody that had the old Volkswagens is going to want one of these.
I tell you what, and you want one now.
Yeah, I'm surprised they didn't,
you know, launch something more with the heritage of of the old ones.
(04:49):
You know, it looks like one, but none of the inside bits and pieces,
you know, I wish there were some swivel seats in the front, you know,
like the old school one, but I am really excited.
I'm excited to see them on the streets finally.
Yeah. And it's an EV folks. It's electric vehicle. They didn't come up with
a gas engine. There's no hybrid version. There's no plug in or any of that other stuff.
(05:10):
It's just an EV, which is, you know, it's okay. It's a good EV and it's got pretty good range.
They're coming out with a 91 kilowatt battery and rear
drive for the first year 282 horsepower
variant will go the furthest and it manages 234 miles and there's also a 335
horsepower dual motor all-wheel drive that's good for 231 miles which is actually
(05:37):
pretty cool you know it's just a small difference going to the all-wheel drive.
You know, that's, that's really kind of, I mean, they're doing it right and
they'll get me wrong. And this is the vehicle. I mean, maybe they'll bring back the bug.
I think that would be, it's time, you know, maybe it wouldn't be the bug they
brought back. Maybe they'll bring back something better.
But I saw, I saw a Volkswagen bug today.
(06:00):
You know, I've been seeing them in traffic recently going, you know,
that was such a cool design.
And the fact that they did it again, I'd love to see another one.
If they do it electric, it's going to have so much power, so much more power
than any bug previously.
And they're such a fun, special car to drive. Folks, you're tuning in to Let's
(06:21):
Talk Wheels with Mike Herzing and Jeremy Bierenbaum.
We were talking about the new Volkswagen microbus called the ID.Buzz.
Now, what a pricing. We haven't even mentioned it yet. Okay,
what's the price, Jeremy?
The Pro S, which is the base model, is $61,545. dollars
i guess it's not horrible the pro
s plus 65,045 dollars
(06:45):
that comes with a little bit more creature comforts and
then there's the first edition which is you know limited
color uh you can only get it two different ways
inside and that is 67,045 dollars
well you know as long as they as long as they come out with
a westfalia camper van i mean i'm
all that was my first introduction to a camper's way back
(07:08):
then in the 60s or actually you know it's called
the late 60s and it was like a 63 microbus that
was set up with as a camper with all the westphalia stuff in it but it only
had 36 horsepower it would barely go 55 the picture you know it's kind of like
all right how many people we got in here i can't i can't carry the mother-in-law
this weekend you know this kind of stuff because i i'm sorry we're overloaded
(07:31):
and it just didn't take anything i I'm in a stiff breeze.
All of a sudden you can only go 50, 50 on the freeway. It was terrible, but they were cool.
They were cool. And you know, what's cool about this one coming out is very
true to the original and that, you know, in the original, there was just like
a small radio and your center cluster.
And it was very basic dash, very basic, you know, and it was done well.
(07:55):
It wasn't done like cheaply.
And now you look at this one and it's the same thing.
Everything looks beautiful. The seats look super comfortable, heated, ventilated.
The front seats have massage seats, but it's still like very reminiscent of
that Volkswagen bus designed from, you know, 50s, 60s, even even the early 80s ones as well.
(08:17):
Man, that is really cool. All right, before we move on to the next segment,
let's talk about, you know, Monterey, they had the big Pebble Beach Concourse d'Elegance,
which is way out of my price range for anything you would want to buy there.
But it was a car show, but they had a really famous Ford Probe that was a concept car, you know?
(08:41):
And you're the one that told me about this, that they had a fire and they lost
it. But like, it was only one of one, right?
Yeah. Unfortunately, it was a Ford Ghia Probe concept.
It was in the wedge. There were two wedge classes this year.
If you're familiar with the wedge class, it would be like Austin Martin Bulldog,
the Lancia Stratos, which is the car that won. Maybe a Triumph TR7?
(09:04):
No, I don't think there was one of those in the class, but that same design.
But this Ford, which you wouldn't really put Ford in that category of that,
you know, sharp design, burned, unfortunately. It was a 1979 Ghia Probe.
Yep, but that is a shame that they lost it.
All right, folks, coming up on Let's Talk Wheels, we have our car review on
(09:25):
the new Ford Bronco Sport Badlands.
Also picking out a used car.
And we're also going to speak with Mike Willer from Ford about the changes to
the new 2025 Bronco Sport coming up.
So hang on, more Let's Talk Wheels coming up in just a second.
Music.
(09:56):
Back to Let's Talk Wheels. It's Mike Herzig and Jeremy Berenbaum.
This is the section of the show when we do a car review.
And this week, I'm going to talk about the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands.
Everybody talks about the Bronco. It got so popular. But they also have the
Bronco Sport, which is based on the Ford Escape.
(10:18):
So basically, they took that unibody, you know, compact SUV or CUV,
whatever you want to call it.
And they beefed it up and they'd done some really cool stuff with it.
And it's a very capable SUV.
It's a whole lot cheaper than a regular Bronco. I mean, first of all,
and it comes with smaller models.
(10:38):
They have comes out, the base model is a big bend, which is actually what I had.
And that's the base model starts at $33,000 sticker.
You can could probably get a better deal than that. The Heritage version,
which is base pictures, look at it. It looks like an old first-generation Bronco from the 60s.
That one's $34,000. The freewheeling, then they have the Outer Banks,
(11:00):
and they had an Outer Banks Sasquatch.
The Sasquatch, if you'll listen to our interview coming up in the next segment
of the show, he's going to talk about the Sasquatch, which is basically a package.
You add to it, costs a couple thousand dollars, but it's big wheels and tires
and skid plates and things like that.
Then they have the Badlands Then they had the Badlands Sasquatch,
which is off-roadish, brutish, big wheels and tires.
(11:25):
But this model here came with a, like a 1.5 liter EcoBoost, which is the base engine.
Now, if you want more horsepower, you can get the, you can get the 245 horsepower
turbo four cylinder, which is the two liter.
And it's, it's, it's a little bit, man, that's for the upper,
the upper segments, you know, the upper trim levels, but the lower,
(11:47):
the lower price trim levels can have the smaller engine, kind of eight,
both have eight speed transmission.
Transmission they're both you know all-wheel drive or four
by four they want to call it and it's got
all kinds of like off-road modes and things
like that an off-road segment in your dash that comes on when
you're off-roading and and does you know they do a really neat thing
and the Sasquatch package has different shocks on it and a bunch of other neat
(12:11):
things and they're coming back with that but my model the base price was $31,230
then it had $6,000 worth of options which is the The Azir gray metallic tri-coat
basically is $1,000, extra paint.
Black appearance package with the 225-65-17 off-road tires.
(12:33):
It had a black roof, different wheels and things like that. That's a neat package.
Ford Co-Pilot 360 Assist, which is basically their semi-autonomous driving,
keeps you in the lane and the adaptive cruise control. That's $895.
This one had a Class 2 trailer towing package, so it has the big hitch on it.
(12:55):
That was like almost $700.
Then it had a package called convenience package, rear parking sensors,
wireless charging, heated front
seats, fog lamps, universal garage door opener, eight-way power seats.
And that was $1,785, and that's worth it.
So basically this thing is, it has some discounts on it. So basically it's about
(13:17):
$38,000 and then it's $38,940, then you save $1,000. So it's $37,940 is this vehicle.
It's not horribly priced. It drives good. It's quiet on the highway.
The smaller engine does need, be nice if we had the bigger engine.
Okay. But this is very capable off-road, Jeremy. I mean, this really can do,
(13:39):
it's got an enhanced all-wheel drive system.
Okay. but now the Badlands and other ones are lifted and better shocks and things like that.
But the base model did okay. I took it off-road a little bit at the lake and it was pretty cool.
I mean, I see a lot of them rolling around LA, you know, some in the very off-road
trims and then a lot of the other ones, just like the Sport,
(14:00):
you know, as an everyday car, I think that people enjoy that size.
And they've done a really good job to make it feel kind of off-roady with,
you know, the grab handles inside.
And I like they have now these tie-downs that come out of the front fender for
you to, like, latch some hooks to if you got something on the roof, which is pretty cool.
Yeah, it does have a roof rack. It has a very nice roof rack.
(14:23):
I'll tell you about that.
And it does, just like I said, these all-terrain tires and everything,
it's got a one-inch suspension lift on some of the Badlands models.
Models and some of the Sasquatch models and things like that.
But the problem I think is it's the 180 horsepower turbocharged 1.5 liter three-cylinder.
(14:44):
It's kind of a little bit of a weenie engine.
That should be at least coupled to a mild hybrid at some point.
Yeah. And it probably will be.
And then it's the 238 horsepower two liter four-cylinder is much better.
I would think that would be better. So you spend a few thousand dollars more and get something.
But I mean, zero to 60 is like eight and a half seconds or close to nine seconds.
(15:07):
I mean, I was driving and it was kind of like, you know, it's like the toes
up to 2,700 pounds, which is not a lot, but it's, you know, it's probably all
these people are going to do, but like I said, it does very well off-road, got lots of room inside.
You can also buy a little table and the power inverters and and all these led
lights for the tailgate so you can give overhead lighting you know a lot of
(15:31):
neat little things as you can get even as a built-in bottle opener but the best
thing is about the car has got all the safety features it's got ford 13.2 inch touchscreen.
Ford it's called sync that's their system that they use is called sync and it's
the fourth generation and the digital gauges are all 12.3 inches,
(15:52):
but you know, it, it keeps you in the lanes. It keeps you from,
from running into people.
It keeps you, you know, it, it tells you if you're going to,
if you're, if you're backing into somebody, it'll automatically break for you.
It does all kinds of safe things that make driving one of these cars,
especially in traffic, a lot easier, but it doesn't even hold a lot.
I mean, this is like the, the escape that I love I love it so much.
(16:14):
Folks, Mike Herzing, Jeremy Bierenbaum, Let's Talk Wheels.
We're talking about the Ford Bronco Sport, which is essentially the Escape.
Now, they're going to drop the Escape, but they've made the Bronco Sport so
cool, they really don't need it anymore.
This is a little bit more like the older Escape, a little bit more manly, you know.
Yeah. It's got a little bit more off-road chops.
(16:36):
Yeah, it does. It's just designed really well. It's designed very well.
And it's that, you know, in the back, it's a little plasticky, but that's this model.
That's this segment, you know, and they just always that way,
but there's so many extra goodies you can buy for this thing. But the rear seat.
Is not so bad. It's got pretty decent room for the back seat.
(16:57):
And headroom is pretty decent. And you can put, they say you can fold down the
seats and put two mountain bikes in there.
And it's just really a nice design. And it's a handy vehicle.
It really is. I mean, so if you haven't checked out the Bronco Sport, you know, check it out.
You're thinking, you may think, hey, look, there's a Bronco.
(17:18):
But actually, it's a Bronco Sport.
And they're a lot better fuel economy and they're rated for mine was rated for
29 on the highway i only saw,
and it was 25 city and 26 combined
and i think i got about maybe 24 or 25
but you know that little engine when
you're loaded up with people and stuff like that it's it's working a little
(17:38):
bit harder than the than the force owner consider when you said when you get
it maybe by the upgraded one but all right so we're talking about uh is it better
to buy a new or slightly used car we're gonna talk about your situation and
how it makes a difference to what the car works for you.
And I'm gonna explain that to you, my rationale, what I've told people about
it for 40 years, how to do this.
(18:00):
So, and also we're gonna talk about, last week we talked about what time to buy a new car.
Next week we're talking about buying maybe the best used car or slightly used car you can get.
So that's what's coming up next, right here on Let's Talk About It.
Music.
(18:35):
Welcome back to Let's Talk Wheels with Mike Kersing and Jeremy Bierenbaum.
As we talked about earlier in the show, we have Mike Weller.
He is from Ford, and he is the Bronco Sport Marketing Manager.
He's going to tell us about some really, really cool changes to one of my favorite vehicles.
Mike, welcome to Let's Talk Wheels, buddy. Thank you.
Excited to be talking about this new 2025 product. As you said,
(18:57):
we're bringing in some really exciting new content.
All right. tell me about what some you know the bronco sports
you know compact suv kind of
based off of the off of the escape but it's it's more
themed toward the bronco so it's kind of
like exactly what a lot of people are looking for they're really not going to
take it off road they really don't want to spend that much money but they want
(19:17):
the look they want the capability somewhat and it seems like ford is i'm driving
one this week that's my review this week and it seems like a really really nice nice vehicle.
And for 2025, you've got some nice changes.
Yeah, we're certainly bringing a lot of changes. I will say though,
I think you'd be surprised with how some of our owners are driving and using the vehicle.
(19:41):
Bronco and Bronco Sports specifically are that product to get you out into the wild.
And the engineers and designers were very purposeful in building out the vehicle
to serve that kind of use case.
So we're seeing a lot of customers that are driving out, carrying stuff like
kayaks and bikes and hiking equipment, and they're taking all that out into more remote locations,
(20:05):
a little harder to get spots to kind of launch out on that adventure,
that fun hike or whatever it is they're doing.
So yeah, I think you'd be surprised with how often customers are taking this off-road.
And then we're really dialing it up with the Sasquatch package.
So Sasquatch package will really dial up the capability and the toughness of the product.
(20:25):
Okay. Now, like I said, you can take it off-road. I wasn't saying you couldn't.
And there are people, you know, I know people that buy the most bad boy Bronco,
Sasquatch, full-size Bronco.
I mean, they spend so much money and they don't even take it on a dirt road.
You know what I mean? They're so afraid. And then you've got people that'll
buy the basic model and just take it anywhere in the world.
I mean, they're practically climbing mountains with it. And there are the same
(20:48):
amount of people going to do that with
this vehicle. It seems it's very user-friendly. It's very comfortable.
It's bigger inside than it seems on the outside.
It's got all the things that Ford is known for.
And being capable and tough is even a cherry on top. Yeah, that's right.
(21:08):
And we've heard it too from customers. You kind of alluded to it.
You know, hey, I want to drive it off-road, but I don't want to damage it.
So one of the upgrades we're bringing for the Sasquatch for 2025 is steel protective
elements beneath the vehicle and in the front and the rear of the vehicle.
So steel underbody protection, steel-plated bumpers, a brush guard that protects the grille.
(21:32):
And we even have now four recovery points. So one on each corner of the vehicle.
So if someone gets stuck, they can very easily get unstuck.
Wow. Okay. Now, people have seen, unless you've been hiding under a rock for
the last few years, you've seen the Bronco Sport.
It's the smaller version of the Bronco. It looks really cool based on the Escape.
For most people, it's just the right size.
(21:55):
But tell us, what are some of the different trim levels?
And you keep saying Sasquatch, but for a lot of people that don't know,
they may not know what it is. Folks, we're talking to Mike Weller. He's from Ford.
He's talking about the Bronco Sport for 2025.
So, all right, go ahead. Yeah. So our trim lineup for 2025 will effectively
(22:16):
remain how it is for 2024.
So our entry-level trim is the Big Bend model.
From there, you can choose the freewheeling, which is a really cool retro-styled 1980s throwback.
I'm all about 80s. Yeah, it's really cool.
Or the Heritage model. So that's a throwback to the original in the 1960s with
(22:38):
the white roof. It's a really cool looking vehicle.
Yeah, it is. So those are kind of our big bend and big bend derivative trims.
And then from there, you can select up to the outer banks model,
which adds some more premium touches on the inside, heated steering wheel,
heated seats, leather seats, and the remote start, things of that nature. Yeah.
(23:01):
And then the Badlands model is kind of our pinnacle, or has been at least,
our pinnacle of off-road driving.
We've now upped that even further with that Sasquatch package that I've been talking about.
So that Sasquatch package will be available on the Badlands,
but we're also making it available on the Outer Banks model as well to make
(23:22):
it available to more people.
So the Sasquatch, it's not really a trim level, it's more of a package.
That's right. Yep. Okay. So it's not one of the trim levels.
It's actually just one of the packages.
So you can add that to a couple of the trims. And what does that give people?
Yeah. So aside from that, the steel protection underneath and in the front and rear.
(23:43):
Okay. Really, I think capability starts with your contact with the dirt or the
rock or the gravel, whatever it is you're touching.
So Sasquatch Bing's a beefy 29-inch Goodyear all-terrain tire.
Really aggressive treading. even on the sidewalls. So that Goodyear tire was
(24:03):
actually like purposely engineered for the Bronco Sasquatch and we adapted it
for the Bronco Sport Sasquatch.
So you'll get that Goodyear all-terrain tire.
And then Sasquatch also brings a suite of suspension upgrades.
So Haas, our high-performance off-road stability suspension,
(24:24):
we have that on the full-size Bronco, adapted that to the Bronco Sport so you're
getting an upgraded suspension system and we're also adding.
Rear shocks on the Badland Sasquatch that are made by Bilstein.
So a lot of people in the off-road space will recognize the name or people have
bought Broncos Bilstein really really credible make great product.
(24:47):
We're now offering a rear shock made by Bilstein on the Badland Sasquatch and
that's going to really give you just a ton of suspension travel travel.
So when you're going over, you know, different elevation changes at high speeds,
it's going to, it's going to help you handle that a lot more smoothly.
I like talking to you. You're talking with your hands and I think it's kind
(25:08):
of cool. It doesn't work for a good old radio, but it's really great.
This guy is so wound up that folks were talking to Mike Weller.
He's from Ford. He's the Bronco Sport Marketing Manager.
We're talking about the 2025 one coming out this month. That's Mike Herzing
and Jeremy Birnbaum with Let's Talk Wheels. wheels.
It is a very nice vehicle. Ford sells the bejesus out of these things,
(25:28):
and people love them. It does everything they want.
And I'm driving one this week. It's quiet. It's nice on the highway.
I got like 24, almost 25 miles per gallon.
And in Texas, you go everywhere at 85. So it's just, it's comfortable.
It's nice. Plenty of room, seats fold down.
(25:48):
One thing about versus the Escape and the Bronco Sport, this thing,
it has the rubber floor mats.
It's all set up for people, for dogs to get in and out of and people that are,
your feet are dirty and this and that kind of stuff.
It has all that. Then it has all these little cubby holes and places on the
dash for you to put stuff, your glasses, your this, your that, you know, extra keys.
(26:10):
It's really a nice personal vehicle and people love them. I mean,
have you heard that from your owners?
Absolutely. And I'll add to that and say it's adventure ready and it's accessory ready.
So we see a lot of our owners doing different modifications,
whether it's appearance related
or functional, and we've made that easier to do with the 2025 model.
(26:34):
So we've added a lot of areas where with a simple Allen key wrench,
customer can remove and replace with something else that they own as well.
We can add in light bars to the front or like a dash-mounted GoPro.
Very easy to add in and customize the vehicle with some of the updates we brought.
Wow. I mean, Ford is so good about doing this stuff. Now, is this vehicle,
(26:59):
this trim package that's the Sasquatch that you're making available for 2025,
it's not available for 2024 yet.
But the 2025s will be coming out in just a few months, right?
Yeah. So actually ordering for this package is open today on August 26th.
Deliveries will begin in early 2025, as you mentioned, but for the 2025 vehicle
(27:23):
without the Sasquatch package, those will start delivering closer to November, December timeframe.
So a little bit sooner in having those units arrive on dealer lots.
Where can we find out more about this? Yeah, so we're live now on Ford.com.
We have a great informational page out as well as our build-in price.
(27:44):
You can select and configure the options you like.
And then, of course, your local Ford dealer is ready to take orders and can
answer all the questions you might have.
Folks, check out the Bronco Sport. Mike Weller, Ford Motor Company Marketing
Manager, thanks for joining us today. Thank you.
All right, guys, more of Let's Talk Wheels coming up right after this short break.
Music.
(28:06):
Thank you for watching.
Music.
Let's Talk Wheels.
(28:27):
Hey, welcome back to Let's Talk Wheels. This is Jeremy Bierenbaum with Mike
Herzing, and we're about to talk about, is it better to buy a new car or a slightly used car?
Mike says he has the perfect method.
I don't have the perfect method. First of all, find out what works for you.
You know, a lot of times people are buying cars because they had a baby,
(28:47):
and maybe it's a two-seater, or maybe they just need more room for all that.
I'll tell you what, if you've ever had kids, you realize their stuff grows exponentially.
Jeremy's not there yet. I look at my friends, though, that show up to my house
and they got this and that. And I'm like, you're here for like three hours.
What's going on? But they have to have it.
Yep. You have to have kids. Man, it can take a lot of space up.
(29:09):
And sometimes people have to buy the car. They really hate to get rid of it,
but they've taken care of it. Anything else like that.
When you're looking for a used car or slightly used car, you know,
if you can afford it, go to your dealer, your local dealer, find out what they have on the lot.
Dealers, especially, you know, franchise dealers like Ford, GM,
Chrysler, you know, somebody with a name, Hyundai, VW, any of those other dealers,
(29:33):
they have to be very careful with the cars they bring in.
If they take a car in trade, they check it out, it goes to the service department,
and then it's gone through, okay?
And they went, nope, this one isn't going to work. So, So then they wholesale
it, then they get rid of it.
If it's a good vehicle and it's got records and things like that,
they'll give somebody a good trade in for it, and then they will put it out on the lot.
(29:55):
Now, sometimes you'll see cars that are 10 years old now and 200,000 miles or
250,000 miles on a dealer's lot that they wouldn't see that years ago.
Years ago, you wouldn't even see over 100,000, but now cars last longer.
And I tell people, see what works for you. I mean, don't sit there and go out
and buy a Mustang if you're going to have to carry area, a baby seat, is Mustangs.
(30:15):
Baby seats don't fit in the back of Mustangs. You have to fold the front seat
down on the passenger side.
You have to have your priorities straight. You have to have your priorities straight.
I'm always telling people, you need to be flexible. You need to know what your
must-haves are, and then you need to know what you can bend on.
Right. Right. And then if you're going to afford it, and the best car is going
(30:36):
to be like a certified used car, which has gone through from front to back by
the dealer, and it comes out with with a warranty.
Those are very good. Now, not everybody can afford a two-year-old car or three-year-old
car that's a four-year-old car that's certified used car. So maybe they'll have
to go and just get one that's not.
And then you take it someplace and get it checked out and buy something you
(30:57):
want. I've had customers, they always say, well, I want to get this because it has low miles.
Well, wait a minute. This car has been driven all the time and it's been sitting.
And I mean, I had customers that have these cars that are five years old and
they only have 10,000 miles on them or 6,000 miles on them.
And it's nothing but short trips, nothing but in town and things like that.
(31:20):
And that's the worst kind of miles for these people.
I'd rather have a car that had 45,000 or 50,000 miles on it than one that has 10.
Yeah, there's definitely a threshold. Yeah, where you kind of want some miles,
you want the car to be exercised.
But I look at some of these high-end cars that are really finicky and people
(31:41):
have 1,000 miles on them and they're 10 years old.
And I worry about issues with that.
Sure. You know, we're talking about getting a slightly used car versus a new car.
And, you know, I think the flip situation is sometimes people are in a place
where they don't want to have to pay for anything after they've purchased a car.
Right. And and so going with a new a new car, it's kind of like peace of mind
(32:04):
for a little bit that at least for the first couple of years.
Is, hey, while I'm dealing with, in your scenario, my new kid,
I don't want to have to worry about taking my car to the shop and getting hit
with a $1,000 bill or a $5,000 bill versus I'm going to take it to the dealer.
Everything's covered for the first three years. Even now they're doing oil changes and whatnot.
(32:24):
And so you kind of limit your expenses that way.
Yeah, but all they do is oil changes. That's the problem. Folks,
this is Mike Herzing, Jeremy Bierenbaum. Let's talk wheels. We're talking about
buying a slightly used car.
You know, if you go to a used car lot, which is not a franchise dealer,
just a lot, they're not going to get that.
They're the ones that go to the auction and pick up the cars that the dealers
(32:46):
don't want because they've got a problem.
We were talking about horror stories of people that would go to trade in a car
and it's a four-speed transmission. It doesn't even have the fourth gear.
Yeah. And they trade it in and the dealer takes it. And then eventually they
find out it doesn't have fourth gear.
And then they have to either fix the transmission or they'll wholesale it because
(33:08):
you got to understand that when you go to a used car lot and the car needs a
tune-up, oh, it needs a tune-up, they replace...
One spark plug or two spark plugs, they don't do a complete tune-up.
They find out what's wrong and fix that.
So you're not going to get as good a car. But other people will say,
well, I'll just go and buy one from a private seller.
(33:28):
And that's okay, too, because you get to look somebody in the eye.
You know what I mean? Nowadays, you get a lot of information from Carfax.
Sure you can for a lot of cars. If it's had a repair covered under warranty,
it'll be under Carfax. But a lot of vehicles, a lot of people would say, my kid wrecked the car.
It's got $1,000 or $2,000 worth of damage. That's just right at my deductible.
(33:49):
I'm just going to fix it. I'm going to have somebody fix it cheaply,
just cheaply. Yeah, you get that. And I'm not claiming insurance.
Then it's not on a Carfax.
And so, you know, shops don't put stuff on Carfaxes. The dealers will,
and the insurance companies want you to. Well, you can kind of double check
what people are saying to you with the Carfax.
I'm not saying it's the Bible, but it's another tool that you get to use versus
(34:12):
a classic car where you don't really have that opportunity.
You're absolutely right. You know, you're a thousand percent right.
But people will look at you, you know, the first thing you look at is the car in their name.
If they're just buying, I know people that buy cars and they drive them for
a week, two weeks, and they fix a few things on them, and then they don't change
the title in their name and they flip them.
(34:32):
And okay, but you don't know anything about the car. You don't know how good
it is. You know how bad it is.
And so don't always look at miles. You say, I'm going to get something without
a hundred thousand, less than a hundred thousand miles, less 50,000 miles.
But think about the miles.
Okay. Is it Jeremy miles and Mike miles, or is it somebody like,
(34:53):
you know, my wife, Gina, or, or, or, you know, one or your wife,
Grace, you know, I mean, is that they're kind of miles, which are a lot better
than our miles. A lot better.
I'll tell you, my Mini Coover has 32,000 miles, and they're hard miles because
I live by the canyon, and that's what that car does all the time.
And it's not like I mistreat it, but they're definitely harder miles than just scooting around town.
(35:16):
But you also got to think about, I had a guy tell me a story years ago.
I had this one guy that came in, and the car was just worn out.
It had 10,000 miles on it, and it was just worn. The motor was worn out.
I rebuilt it under warranty.
And I couldn't figure out what it was. And he was a police officer.
This was a Ford Courier pickup truck.
(35:38):
And he worked an extra job, you know, like four days a week at an apartment complex.
He drove, he let it idle all night for eight hours. That car idled.
The air conditioning on, he sat there in it as a security guard.
Okay. And your cop was a police officer.
And he only put a quarter of a mile on it every night, but it ran for eight hours. That's wild.
(36:03):
But think about the one person that takes it and drives out of town and he's
hitting the freeway and he's heading out of town and he's going 65 and in an hour he goes 65 miles.
And then maybe his neighbor has the same car and he takes a right instead of
taking a left and he goes into town.
So in one hour worth of driving, he drives 10 miles.
(36:25):
Think about that. But it's all stop and go. But all stop and go.
The transmissions work and the engines, you know, that.
If the guy on the highway, it's in top gear, it's cruising, he doesn't touch the brakes.
Yeah, I know people that go 100,000 miles on brakes. Easy. Everybody else was
going 30. Well, I don't, mine's all highway miles.
It's better on the oil. It's better on everything. And you look at the mechanical
(36:49):
side, but also, you know, on the flip side, all the bushings and stuff on a
low mileage car that's just sitting around,
they kind of dry out and they never get replaced versus a car that's been running,
you know, they stay in better shape.
But I can tell you the low mileage cars will have a little nicer interior.
Always. That's about it.
You know, that's a big difference. So look, folks, when you get a chance,
(37:10):
when you look at cars, find out who drives them, who owned it.
You know, find out if it's one of their customers when you take it,
go buy it from somebody or find out and get to know the person a little bit.
Most people won't lie to your face.
Some will or some won't know. The best thing is if you're spending so much money
nowadays and you're having to depend on this.
The best thing is that. Now, these returns aren't bad vehicles if you can get
(37:33):
a deal on one, but right now with pricing is still weird.
But either way, either way, folks, if you enjoyed this show,
tune into the same station next week for the following episode next, Let's Talk Wheels.
Yeah, we have one every week and we have a great time doing it.
If you miss part of this show, you can catch the podcast on all major podcast platform.
Just look for Let's Talk Wheels. The podcast contains this show and a bonus
(37:57):
segment with an extra car review, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out.
And if you have any topics you want us to cover or questions you need us to
answer, email Mike at Let'sTalkWheels.com.
We'll always respond, and we'd love to hear your car questions.
We absolutely do. As always, folks, on behalf of Jeremy Bierenbaum,
Matt Peralt, and myself, thank you for joining us today on the Let's Talk Wheels Radio Network.
(38:19):
Have an awesome Labor Day.
Thanks for joining us on another edition of let's talk wheels we'll see you next.
Music.
Music.
(00:21):
It's time to buckle up for this week's Let's Talk Wheels with Mike Herzing and Jeremy Bierenbaum.
Looking for a used or slightly used car? Stay tuned and learn how to choose the pick of the litter.
You're going to learn that today right here on Let's Talk Wheels.
(00:42):
Welcome to your favorite auto show, Let's Talk Wheels. I'm Mike Herzing,
and every week we give you automotive and power sports,
news, interviews, car reviews, and some classic car information from my co-host,
the brilliant Jeremy Bierenbaum, who's based right there in Southern California.
Let's bring him on right now.
Mr. B, what's going on, buddy? Oh, it's going good. I went car shopping with my sister this weekend.
(01:03):
And, you know, before you assume it, it was actually, it was okay. It was fun.
We had a good time, and I learned a lot. You know, I haven't looked for a new car in a while.
Going to a dealer and just asking questions from a salesperson,
it was an interesting perspective.
You know, some dealers are really great. And some dealers, you pull onto the,
in their parking lot, you know, in a parking, a big store and all the salesmen
(01:25):
were out there smoking a cigarette or whatever.
They're out there on the outside and they're looking there and it's like,
they're all lined up and you go to get out of the car and they just,
they're just all over you. Yep.
Yep. I had that experience and what seemed like an uneducated salesperson who
was selling a car that basically sold itself.
So he didn't have any information, which was unfortunate.
But I also went to, I had a really good experience at Hyundai and a really knowledgeable
(01:49):
salesperson and, you know, a really nice dealership. It was kind of fun.
Well, some of the dealerships will actually let you get in the door and say, hey, how can I help you?
You know, and instead of just jumping all over, you kind of feel a little,
I mean, I've had guys, I mean, you pull in and you go to get out of your car
and they open the car door for you.
I mean, I'm like, well, wait a minute. Give me just a second to breathe here, guy.
(02:09):
We actually walked through the showroom. No one jumped on us.
And then I actually went up to the receptionist and I asked,
is there a salesman there? And right away, someone came up and helped us. And it was great.
Well, man, that's how it's supposed to be. We've got really some information
that's going to save people a lot of time and money when they start looking for a car.
This is really going to make it. Before we get ahead of ourselves,
let's get started with the news and notes section of the show.
(02:33):
And let's talk about a huge BMW recall.
How about three quarters of a million BMWs? How about that?
That's a lot of cars. It's basically ranging from 2012-2015 X1s,
2013-2017 X3s, and 2015-2018 X4s.
This issue is the automakers are claiming that the water pump electrical connection
(02:57):
could increase the risk of a fire.
I'm wondering what electrical connection a water pump has on it.
Oh, actually, it's not. They said there's a shield to divert any liquid.
When the water pump starts to
go bad, it starts weeping from a little hole right where the bearing is.
And it starts dripping from there. So you know you got a water pump that's starting to leak.
(03:20):
But if it leaks down onto electrical connectors, it can short them out.
And it could be, of course, anytime there's power, anytime there's ground and
it's shorted, it could start a fire. And that's what they're worried about.
But it's older ones. It's not really anything newer, you know.
That's kind of cool. I mean, 2012 to 2015, you know, talking 12-year-olds going on 13-year-old cars.
(03:47):
And if they're going to take care of that and give you a new water pump,
hey. more power to it. Actually, they're only going to give you a shield.
They're not going to give you a water pump.
Good for them for at least doing something.
But let's talk about the big news that you're all excited about,
Jeremy. You're Mr. Volkswagen.
Tell the folks what's going on with VW. Well, they finally released pricing for the ID.Buzz.
(04:08):
And I'm actually, you know, I've been, when it came out, I was chomping at the
bit. And at this point, I'm like, man, it's been how many years?
And you were telling me you went to the press launch.
Yeah, I went to the launch at the LA Auto Show and they just showed it.
And it was, everybody was just like, man, we want this yesterday.
And that was like six or seven years ago.
(04:29):
It's terrible, but I mean, they're here and it's coming, you know,
and the pricing isn't horrible and the capability looks neat and it looks awesome.
Anybody that had the old Volkswagens is going to want one of these.
I tell you what, and you want one now.
Yeah, I'm surprised they didn't,
you know, launch something more with the heritage of of the old ones.
(04:49):
You know, it looks like one, but none of the inside bits and pieces,
you know, I wish there were some swivel seats in the front, you know,
like the old school one, but I am really excited.
I'm excited to see them on the streets finally.
Yeah. And it's an EV folks. It's electric vehicle. They didn't come up with
a gas engine. There's no hybrid version. There's no plug in or any of that other stuff.
(05:10):
It's just an EV, which is, you know, it's okay. It's a good EV and it's got pretty good range.
They're coming out with a 91 kilowatt battery and rear
drive for the first year 282 horsepower
variant will go the furthest and it manages 234 miles and there's also a 335
horsepower dual motor all-wheel drive that's good for 231 miles which is actually
(05:37):
pretty cool you know it's just a small difference going to the all-wheel drive.
You know, that's, that's really kind of, I mean, they're doing it right and
they'll get me wrong. And this is the vehicle. I mean, maybe they'll bring back the bug.
I think that would be, it's time, you know, maybe it wouldn't be the bug they
brought back. Maybe they'll bring back something better.
But I saw, I saw a Volkswagen bug today.
(06:00):
You know, I've been seeing them in traffic recently going, you know,
that was such a cool design.
And the fact that they did it again, I'd love to see another one.
If they do it electric, it's going to have so much power, so much more power
than any bug previously.
And they're such a fun, special car to drive. Folks, you're tuning in to Let's
(06:21):
Talk Wheels with Mike Herzing and Jeremy Bierenbaum.
We were talking about the new Volkswagen microbus called the ID.Buzz.
Now, what a pricing. We haven't even mentioned it yet. Okay,
what's the price, Jeremy?
The Pro S, which is the base model, is $61,545. dollars
i guess it's not horrible the pro
s plus 65,045 dollars
(06:45):
that comes with a little bit more creature comforts and
then there's the first edition which is you know limited
color uh you can only get it two different ways
inside and that is 67,045 dollars
well you know as long as they as long as they come out with
a westfalia camper van i mean i'm
all that was my first introduction to a camper's way back
(07:08):
then in the 60s or actually you know it's called
the late 60s and it was like a 63 microbus that
was set up with as a camper with all the westphalia stuff in it but it only
had 36 horsepower it would barely go 55 the picture you know it's kind of like
all right how many people we got in here i can't i can't carry the mother-in-law
this weekend you know this kind of stuff because i i'm sorry we're overloaded
(07:31):
and it just didn't take anything i I'm in a stiff breeze.
All of a sudden you can only go 50, 50 on the freeway. It was terrible, but they were cool.
They were cool. And you know, what's cool about this one coming out is very
true to the original and that, you know, in the original, there was just like
a small radio and your center cluster.
And it was very basic dash, very basic, you know, and it was done well.
(07:55):
It wasn't done like cheaply.
And now you look at this one and it's the same thing.
Everything looks beautiful. The seats look super comfortable, heated, ventilated.
The front seats have massage seats, but it's still like very reminiscent of
that Volkswagen bus designed from, you know, 50s, 60s, even even the early 80s ones as well.
(08:17):
Man, that is really cool. All right, before we move on to the next segment,
let's talk about, you know, Monterey, they had the big Pebble Beach Concourse d'Elegance,
which is way out of my price range for anything you would want to buy there.
But it was a car show, but they had a really famous Ford Probe that was a concept car, you know?
(08:41):
And you're the one that told me about this, that they had a fire and they lost
it. But like, it was only one of one, right?
Yeah. Unfortunately, it was a Ford Ghia Probe concept.
It was in the wedge. There were two wedge classes this year.
If you're familiar with the wedge class, it would be like Austin Martin Bulldog,
the Lancia Stratos, which is the car that won. Maybe a Triumph TR7?
(09:04):
No, I don't think there was one of those in the class, but that same design.
But this Ford, which you wouldn't really put Ford in that category of that,
you know, sharp design, burned, unfortunately. It was a 1979 Ghia Probe.
Yep, but that is a shame that they lost it.
All right, folks, coming up on Let's Talk Wheels, we have our car review on
(09:25):
the new Ford Bronco Sport Badlands.
Also picking out a used car.
And we're also going to speak with Mike Willer from Ford about the changes to
the new 2025 Bronco Sport coming up.
So hang on, more Let's Talk Wheels coming up in just a second.
Music.
(09:56):
Back to Let's Talk Wheels. It's Mike Herzig and Jeremy Berenbaum.
This is the section of the show when we do a car review.
And this week, I'm going to talk about the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands.
Everybody talks about the Bronco. It got so popular. But they also have the
Bronco Sport, which is based on the Ford Escape.
(10:18):
So basically, they took that unibody, you know, compact SUV or CUV,
whatever you want to call it.
And they beefed it up and they'd done some really cool stuff with it.
And it's a very capable SUV.
It's a whole lot cheaper than a regular Bronco. I mean, first of all,
and it comes with smaller models.
(10:38):
They have comes out, the base model is a big bend, which is actually what I had.
And that's the base model starts at $33,000 sticker.
You can could probably get a better deal than that. The Heritage version,
which is base pictures, look at it. It looks like an old first-generation Bronco from the 60s.
That one's $34,000. The freewheeling, then they have the Outer Banks,
(11:00):
and they had an Outer Banks Sasquatch.
The Sasquatch, if you'll listen to our interview coming up in the next segment
of the show, he's going to talk about the Sasquatch, which is basically a package.
You add to it, costs a couple thousand dollars, but it's big wheels and tires
and skid plates and things like that.
Then they have the Badlands Then they had the Badlands Sasquatch,
which is off-roadish, brutish, big wheels and tires.
(11:25):
But this model here came with a, like a 1.5 liter EcoBoost, which is the base engine.
Now, if you want more horsepower, you can get the, you can get the 245 horsepower
turbo four cylinder, which is the two liter.
And it's, it's, it's a little bit, man, that's for the upper,
the upper segments, you know, the upper trim levels, but the lower,
(11:47):
the lower price trim levels can have the smaller engine, kind of eight,
both have eight speed transmission.
Transmission they're both you know all-wheel drive or four
by four they want to call it and it's got
all kinds of like off-road modes and things
like that an off-road segment in your dash that comes on when
you're off-roading and and does you know they do a really neat thing
and the Sasquatch package has different shocks on it and a bunch of other neat
(12:11):
things and they're coming back with that but my model the base price was $31,230
then it had $6,000 worth of options which is the The Azir gray metallic tri-coat
basically is $1,000, extra paint.
Black appearance package with the 225-65-17 off-road tires.
(12:33):
It had a black roof, different wheels and things like that. That's a neat package.
Ford Co-Pilot 360 Assist, which is basically their semi-autonomous driving,
keeps you in the lane and the adaptive cruise control. That's $895.
This one had a Class 2 trailer towing package, so it has the big hitch on it.
(12:55):
That was like almost $700.
Then it had a package called convenience package, rear parking sensors,
wireless charging, heated front
seats, fog lamps, universal garage door opener, eight-way power seats.
And that was $1,785, and that's worth it.
So basically this thing is, it has some discounts on it. So basically it's about
(13:17):
$38,000 and then it's $38,940, then you save $1,000. So it's $37,940 is this vehicle.
It's not horribly priced. It drives good. It's quiet on the highway.
The smaller engine does need, be nice if we had the bigger engine.
Okay. But this is very capable off-road, Jeremy. I mean, this really can do,
(13:39):
it's got an enhanced all-wheel drive system.
Okay. but now the Badlands and other ones are lifted and better shocks and things like that.
But the base model did okay. I took it off-road a little bit at the lake and it was pretty cool.
I mean, I see a lot of them rolling around LA, you know, some in the very off-road
trims and then a lot of the other ones, just like the Sport,
(14:00):
you know, as an everyday car, I think that people enjoy that size.
And they've done a really good job to make it feel kind of off-roady with,
you know, the grab handles inside.
And I like they have now these tie-downs that come out of the front fender for
you to, like, latch some hooks to if you got something on the roof, which is pretty cool.
Yeah, it does have a roof rack. It has a very nice roof rack.
(14:23):
I'll tell you about that.
And it does, just like I said, these all-terrain tires and everything,
it's got a one-inch suspension lift on some of the Badlands models.
Models and some of the Sasquatch models and things like that.
But the problem I think is it's the 180 horsepower turbocharged 1.5 liter three-cylinder.
(14:44):
It's kind of a little bit of a weenie engine.
That should be at least coupled to a mild hybrid at some point.
Yeah. And it probably will be.
And then it's the 238 horsepower two liter four-cylinder is much better.
I would think that would be better. So you spend a few thousand dollars more and get something.
But I mean, zero to 60 is like eight and a half seconds or close to nine seconds.
(15:07):
I mean, I was driving and it was kind of like, you know, it's like the toes
up to 2,700 pounds, which is not a lot, but it's, you know, it's probably all
these people are going to do, but like I said, it does very well off-road, got lots of room inside.
You can also buy a little table and the power inverters and and all these led
lights for the tailgate so you can give overhead lighting you know a lot of
(15:31):
neat little things as you can get even as a built-in bottle opener but the best
thing is about the car has got all the safety features it's got ford 13.2 inch touchscreen.
Ford it's called sync that's their system that they use is called sync and it's
the fourth generation and the digital gauges are all 12.3 inches,
(15:52):
but you know, it, it keeps you in the lanes. It keeps you from,
from running into people.
It keeps you, you know, it, it tells you if you're going to,
if you're, if you're backing into somebody, it'll automatically break for you.
It does all kinds of safe things that make driving one of these cars,
especially in traffic, a lot easier, but it doesn't even hold a lot.
I mean, this is like the, the escape that I love I love it so much.
(16:14):
Folks, Mike Herzing, Jeremy Bierenbaum, Let's Talk Wheels.
We're talking about the Ford Bronco Sport, which is essentially the Escape.
Now, they're going to drop the Escape, but they've made the Bronco Sport so
cool, they really don't need it anymore.
This is a little bit more like the older Escape, a little bit more manly, you know.
Yeah. It's got a little bit more off-road chops.
(16:36):
Yeah, it does. It's just designed really well. It's designed very well.
And it's that, you know, in the back, it's a little plasticky, but that's this model.
That's this segment, you know, and they just always that way,
but there's so many extra goodies you can buy for this thing. But the rear seat.
Is not so bad. It's got pretty decent room for the back seat.
(16:57):
And headroom is pretty decent. And you can put, they say you can fold down the
seats and put two mountain bikes in there.
And it's just really a nice design. And it's a handy vehicle.
It really is. I mean, so if you haven't checked out the Bronco Sport, you know, check it out.
You're thinking, you may think, hey, look, there's a Bronco.
(17:18):
But actually, it's a Bronco Sport.
And they're a lot better fuel economy and they're rated for mine was rated for
29 on the highway i only saw,
and it was 25 city and 26 combined
and i think i got about maybe 24 or 25
but you know that little engine when
you're loaded up with people and stuff like that it's it's working a little
(17:38):
bit harder than the than the force owner consider when you said when you get
it maybe by the upgraded one but all right so we're talking about uh is it better
to buy a new or slightly used car we're gonna talk about your situation and
how it makes a difference to what the car works for you.
And I'm gonna explain that to you, my rationale, what I've told people about
it for 40 years, how to do this.
(18:00):
So, and also we're gonna talk about, last week we talked about what time to buy a new car.
Next week we're talking about buying maybe the best used car or slightly used car you can get.
So that's what's coming up next, right here on Let's Talk About It.
Music.
(18:35):
Welcome back to Let's Talk Wheels with Mike Kersing and Jeremy Bierenbaum.
As we talked about earlier in the show, we have Mike Weller.
He is from Ford, and he is the Bronco Sport Marketing Manager.
He's going to tell us about some really, really cool changes to one of my favorite vehicles.
Mike, welcome to Let's Talk Wheels, buddy. Thank you.
Excited to be talking about this new 2025 product. As you said,
(18:57):
we're bringing in some really exciting new content.
All right. tell me about what some you know the bronco sports
you know compact suv kind of
based off of the off of the escape but it's it's more
themed toward the bronco so it's kind of
like exactly what a lot of people are looking for they're really not going to
take it off road they really don't want to spend that much money but they want
(19:17):
the look they want the capability somewhat and it seems like ford is i'm driving
one this week that's my review this week and it seems like a really really nice nice vehicle.
And for 2025, you've got some nice changes.
Yeah, we're certainly bringing a lot of changes. I will say though,
I think you'd be surprised with how some of our owners are driving and using the vehicle.
(19:41):
Bronco and Bronco Sports specifically are that product to get you out into the wild.
And the engineers and designers were very purposeful in building out the vehicle
to serve that kind of use case.
So we're seeing a lot of customers that are driving out, carrying stuff like
kayaks and bikes and hiking equipment, and they're taking all that out into more remote locations,
(20:05):
a little harder to get spots to kind of launch out on that adventure,
that fun hike or whatever it is they're doing.
So yeah, I think you'd be surprised with how often customers are taking this off-road.
And then we're really dialing it up with the Sasquatch package.
So Sasquatch package will really dial up the capability and the toughness of the product.
(20:25):
Okay. Now, like I said, you can take it off-road. I wasn't saying you couldn't.
And there are people, you know, I know people that buy the most bad boy Bronco,
Sasquatch, full-size Bronco.
I mean, they spend so much money and they don't even take it on a dirt road.
You know what I mean? They're so afraid. And then you've got people that'll
buy the basic model and just take it anywhere in the world.
I mean, they're practically climbing mountains with it. And there are the same
(20:48):
amount of people going to do that with
this vehicle. It seems it's very user-friendly. It's very comfortable.
It's bigger inside than it seems on the outside.
It's got all the things that Ford is known for.
And being capable and tough is even a cherry on top. Yeah, that's right.
(21:08):
And we've heard it too from customers. You kind of alluded to it.
You know, hey, I want to drive it off-road, but I don't want to damage it.
So one of the upgrades we're bringing for the Sasquatch for 2025 is steel protective
elements beneath the vehicle and in the front and the rear of the vehicle.
So steel underbody protection, steel-plated bumpers, a brush guard that protects the grille.
(21:32):
And we even have now four recovery points. So one on each corner of the vehicle.
So if someone gets stuck, they can very easily get unstuck.
Wow. Okay. Now, people have seen, unless you've been hiding under a rock for
the last few years, you've seen the Bronco Sport.
It's the smaller version of the Bronco. It looks really cool based on the Escape.
For most people, it's just the right size.
(21:55):
But tell us, what are some of the different trim levels?
And you keep saying Sasquatch, but for a lot of people that don't know,
they may not know what it is. Folks, we're talking to Mike Weller. He's from Ford.
He's talking about the Bronco Sport for 2025.
So, all right, go ahead. Yeah. So our trim lineup for 2025 will effectively
(22:16):
remain how it is for 2024.
So our entry-level trim is the Big Bend model.
From there, you can choose the freewheeling, which is a really cool retro-styled 1980s throwback.
I'm all about 80s. Yeah, it's really cool.
Or the Heritage model. So that's a throwback to the original in the 1960s with
(22:38):
the white roof. It's a really cool looking vehicle.
Yeah, it is. So those are kind of our big bend and big bend derivative trims.
And then from there, you can select up to the outer banks model,
which adds some more premium touches on the inside, heated steering wheel,
heated seats, leather seats, and the remote start, things of that nature. Yeah.
(23:01):
And then the Badlands model is kind of our pinnacle, or has been at least,
our pinnacle of off-road driving.
We've now upped that even further with that Sasquatch package that I've been talking about.
So that Sasquatch package will be available on the Badlands,
but we're also making it available on the Outer Banks model as well to make
(23:22):
it available to more people.
So the Sasquatch, it's not really a trim level, it's more of a package.
That's right. Yep. Okay. So it's not one of the trim levels.
It's actually just one of the packages.
So you can add that to a couple of the trims. And what does that give people?
Yeah. So aside from that, the steel protection underneath and in the front and rear.
(23:43):
Okay. Really, I think capability starts with your contact with the dirt or the
rock or the gravel, whatever it is you're touching.
So Sasquatch Bing's a beefy 29-inch Goodyear all-terrain tire.
Really aggressive treading. even on the sidewalls. So that Goodyear tire was
(24:03):
actually like purposely engineered for the Bronco Sasquatch and we adapted it
for the Bronco Sport Sasquatch.
So you'll get that Goodyear all-terrain tire.
And then Sasquatch also brings a suite of suspension upgrades.
So Haas, our high-performance off-road stability suspension,
(24:24):
we have that on the full-size Bronco, adapted that to the Bronco Sport so you're
getting an upgraded suspension system and we're also adding.
Rear shocks on the Badland Sasquatch that are made by Bilstein.
So a lot of people in the off-road space will recognize the name or people have
bought Broncos Bilstein really really credible make great product.
(24:47):
We're now offering a rear shock made by Bilstein on the Badland Sasquatch and
that's going to really give you just a ton of suspension travel travel.
So when you're going over, you know, different elevation changes at high speeds,
it's going to, it's going to help you handle that a lot more smoothly.
I like talking to you. You're talking with your hands and I think it's kind
(25:08):
of cool. It doesn't work for a good old radio, but it's really great.
This guy is so wound up that folks were talking to Mike Weller.
He's from Ford. He's the Bronco Sport Marketing Manager.
We're talking about the 2025 one coming out this month. That's Mike Herzing
and Jeremy Birnbaum with Let's Talk Wheels. wheels.
It is a very nice vehicle. Ford sells the bejesus out of these things,
(25:28):
and people love them. It does everything they want.
And I'm driving one this week. It's quiet. It's nice on the highway.
I got like 24, almost 25 miles per gallon.
And in Texas, you go everywhere at 85. So it's just, it's comfortable.
It's nice. Plenty of room, seats fold down.
(25:48):
One thing about versus the Escape and the Bronco Sport, this thing,
it has the rubber floor mats.
It's all set up for people, for dogs to get in and out of and people that are,
your feet are dirty and this and that kind of stuff.
It has all that. Then it has all these little cubby holes and places on the
dash for you to put stuff, your glasses, your this, your that, you know, extra keys.
(26:10):
It's really a nice personal vehicle and people love them. I mean,
have you heard that from your owners?
Absolutely. And I'll add to that and say it's adventure ready and it's accessory ready.
So we see a lot of our owners doing different modifications,
whether it's appearance related
or functional, and we've made that easier to do with the 2025 model.
(26:34):
So we've added a lot of areas where with a simple Allen key wrench,
customer can remove and replace with something else that they own as well.
We can add in light bars to the front or like a dash-mounted GoPro.
Very easy to add in and customize the vehicle with some of the updates we brought.
Wow. I mean, Ford is so good about doing this stuff. Now, is this vehicle,
(26:59):
this trim package that's the Sasquatch that you're making available for 2025,
it's not available for 2024 yet.
But the 2025s will be coming out in just a few months, right?
Yeah. So actually ordering for this package is open today on August 26th.
Deliveries will begin in early 2025, as you mentioned, but for the 2025 vehicle
(27:23):
without the Sasquatch package, those will start delivering closer to November, December timeframe.
So a little bit sooner in having those units arrive on dealer lots.
Where can we find out more about this? Yeah, so we're live now on Ford.com.
We have a great informational page out as well as our build-in price.
(27:44):
You can select and configure the options you like.
And then, of course, your local Ford dealer is ready to take orders and can
answer all the questions you might have.
Folks, check out the Bronco Sport. Mike Weller, Ford Motor Company Marketing
Manager, thanks for joining us today. Thank you.
All right, guys, more of Let's Talk Wheels coming up right after this short break.
Music.
(28:06):
Thank you for watching.
Music.
Let's Talk Wheels.
(28:27):
Hey, welcome back to Let's Talk Wheels. This is Jeremy Bierenbaum with Mike
Herzing, and we're about to talk about, is it better to buy a new car or a slightly used car?
Mike says he has the perfect method.
I don't have the perfect method. First of all, find out what works for you.
You know, a lot of times people are buying cars because they had a baby,
(28:47):
and maybe it's a two-seater, or maybe they just need more room for all that.
I'll tell you what, if you've ever had kids, you realize their stuff grows exponentially.
Jeremy's not there yet. I look at my friends, though, that show up to my house
and they got this and that. And I'm like, you're here for like three hours.
What's going on? But they have to have it.
Yep. You have to have kids. Man, it can take a lot of space up.
(29:09):
And sometimes people have to buy the car. They really hate to get rid of it,
but they've taken care of it. Anything else like that.
When you're looking for a used car or slightly used car, you know,
if you can afford it, go to your dealer, your local dealer, find out what they have on the lot.
Dealers, especially, you know, franchise dealers like Ford, GM,
Chrysler, you know, somebody with a name, Hyundai, VW, any of those other dealers,
(29:33):
they have to be very careful with the cars they bring in.
If they take a car in trade, they check it out, it goes to the service department,
and then it's gone through, okay?
And they went, nope, this one isn't going to work. So, So then they wholesale
it, then they get rid of it.
If it's a good vehicle and it's got records and things like that,
they'll give somebody a good trade in for it, and then they will put it out on the lot.
(29:55):
Now, sometimes you'll see cars that are 10 years old now and 200,000 miles or
250,000 miles on a dealer's lot that they wouldn't see that years ago.
Years ago, you wouldn't even see over 100,000, but now cars last longer.
And I tell people, see what works for you. I mean, don't sit there and go out
and buy a Mustang if you're going to have to carry area, a baby seat, is Mustangs.
(30:15):
Baby seats don't fit in the back of Mustangs. You have to fold the front seat
down on the passenger side.
You have to have your priorities straight. You have to have your priorities straight.
I'm always telling people, you need to be flexible. You need to know what your
must-haves are, and then you need to know what you can bend on.
Right. Right. And then if you're going to afford it, and the best car is going
(30:36):
to be like a certified used car, which has gone through from front to back by
the dealer, and it comes out with with a warranty.
Those are very good. Now, not everybody can afford a two-year-old car or three-year-old
car that's a four-year-old car that's certified used car. So maybe they'll have
to go and just get one that's not.
And then you take it someplace and get it checked out and buy something you
(30:57):
want. I've had customers, they always say, well, I want to get this because it has low miles.
Well, wait a minute. This car has been driven all the time and it's been sitting.
And I mean, I had customers that have these cars that are five years old and
they only have 10,000 miles on them or 6,000 miles on them.
And it's nothing but short trips, nothing but in town and things like that.
(31:20):
And that's the worst kind of miles for these people.
I'd rather have a car that had 45,000 or 50,000 miles on it than one that has 10.
Yeah, there's definitely a threshold. Yeah, where you kind of want some miles,
you want the car to be exercised.
But I look at some of these high-end cars that are really finicky and people
(31:41):
have 1,000 miles on them and they're 10 years old.
And I worry about issues with that.
Sure. You know, we're talking about getting a slightly used car versus a new car.
And, you know, I think the flip situation is sometimes people are in a place
where they don't want to have to pay for anything after they've purchased a car.
Right. And and so going with a new a new car, it's kind of like peace of mind
(32:04):
for a little bit that at least for the first couple of years.
Is, hey, while I'm dealing with, in your scenario, my new kid,
I don't want to have to worry about taking my car to the shop and getting hit
with a $1,000 bill or a $5,000 bill versus I'm going to take it to the dealer.
Everything's covered for the first three years. Even now they're doing oil changes and whatnot.
(32:24):
And so you kind of limit your expenses that way.
Yeah, but all they do is oil changes. That's the problem. Folks,
this is Mike Herzing, Jeremy Bierenbaum. Let's talk wheels. We're talking about
buying a slightly used car.
You know, if you go to a used car lot, which is not a franchise dealer,
just a lot, they're not going to get that.
They're the ones that go to the auction and pick up the cars that the dealers
(32:46):
don't want because they've got a problem.
We were talking about horror stories of people that would go to trade in a car
and it's a four-speed transmission. It doesn't even have the fourth gear.
Yeah. And they trade it in and the dealer takes it. And then eventually they
find out it doesn't have fourth gear.
And then they have to either fix the transmission or they'll wholesale it because
(33:08):
you got to understand that when you go to a used car lot and the car needs a
tune-up, oh, it needs a tune-up, they replace...
One spark plug or two spark plugs, they don't do a complete tune-up.
They find out what's wrong and fix that.
So you're not going to get as good a car. But other people will say,
well, I'll just go and buy one from a private seller.
(33:28):
And that's okay, too, because you get to look somebody in the eye.
You know what I mean? Nowadays, you get a lot of information from Carfax.
Sure you can for a lot of cars. If it's had a repair covered under warranty,
it'll be under Carfax. But a lot of vehicles, a lot of people would say, my kid wrecked the car.
It's got $1,000 or $2,000 worth of damage. That's just right at my deductible.
(33:49):
I'm just going to fix it. I'm going to have somebody fix it cheaply,
just cheaply. Yeah, you get that. And I'm not claiming insurance.
Then it's not on a Carfax.
And so, you know, shops don't put stuff on Carfaxes. The dealers will,
and the insurance companies want you to. Well, you can kind of double check
what people are saying to you with the Carfax.
I'm not saying it's the Bible, but it's another tool that you get to use versus
(34:12):
a classic car where you don't really have that opportunity.
You're absolutely right. You know, you're a thousand percent right.
But people will look at you, you know, the first thing you look at is the car in their name.
If they're just buying, I know people that buy cars and they drive them for
a week, two weeks, and they fix a few things on them, and then they don't change
the title in their name and they flip them.
(34:32):
And okay, but you don't know anything about the car. You don't know how good
it is. You know how bad it is.
And so don't always look at miles. You say, I'm going to get something without
a hundred thousand, less than a hundred thousand miles, less 50,000 miles.
But think about the miles.
Okay. Is it Jeremy miles and Mike miles, or is it somebody like,
(34:53):
you know, my wife, Gina, or, or, or, you know, one or your wife,
Grace, you know, I mean, is that they're kind of miles, which are a lot better
than our miles. A lot better.
I'll tell you, my Mini Coover has 32,000 miles, and they're hard miles because
I live by the canyon, and that's what that car does all the time.
And it's not like I mistreat it, but they're definitely harder miles than just scooting around town.
(35:16):
But you also got to think about, I had a guy tell me a story years ago.
I had this one guy that came in, and the car was just worn out.
It had 10,000 miles on it, and it was just worn. The motor was worn out.
I rebuilt it under warranty.
And I couldn't figure out what it was. And he was a police officer.
This was a Ford Courier pickup truck.
(35:38):
And he worked an extra job, you know, like four days a week at an apartment complex.
He drove, he let it idle all night for eight hours. That car idled.
The air conditioning on, he sat there in it as a security guard.
Okay. And your cop was a police officer.
And he only put a quarter of a mile on it every night, but it ran for eight hours. That's wild.
(36:03):
But think about the one person that takes it and drives out of town and he's
hitting the freeway and he's heading out of town and he's going 65 and in an hour he goes 65 miles.
And then maybe his neighbor has the same car and he takes a right instead of
taking a left and he goes into town.
So in one hour worth of driving, he drives 10 miles.
(36:25):
Think about that. But it's all stop and go. But all stop and go.
The transmissions work and the engines, you know, that.
If the guy on the highway, it's in top gear, it's cruising, he doesn't touch the brakes.
Yeah, I know people that go 100,000 miles on brakes. Easy. Everybody else was
going 30. Well, I don't, mine's all highway miles.
It's better on the oil. It's better on everything. And you look at the mechanical
(36:49):
side, but also, you know, on the flip side, all the bushings and stuff on a
low mileage car that's just sitting around,
they kind of dry out and they never get replaced versus a car that's been running,
you know, they stay in better shape.
But I can tell you the low mileage cars will have a little nicer interior.
Always. That's about it.
You know, that's a big difference. So look, folks, when you get a chance,
(37:10):
when you look at cars, find out who drives them, who owned it.
You know, find out if it's one of their customers when you take it,
go buy it from somebody or find out and get to know the person a little bit.
Most people won't lie to your face.
Some will or some won't know. The best thing is if you're spending so much money
nowadays and you're having to depend on this.
The best thing is that. Now, these returns aren't bad vehicles if you can get
(37:33):
a deal on one, but right now with pricing is still weird.
But either way, either way, folks, if you enjoyed this show,
tune into the same station next week for the following episode next, Let's Talk Wheels.
Yeah, we have one every week and we have a great time doing it.
If you miss part of this show, you can catch the podcast on all major podcast platform.
Just look for Let's Talk Wheels. The podcast contains this show and a bonus
(37:57):
segment with an extra car review, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out.
And if you have any topics you want us to cover or questions you need us to
answer, email Mike at Let'sTalkWheels.com.
We'll always respond, and we'd love to hear your car questions.
We absolutely do. As always, folks, on behalf of Jeremy Bierenbaum,
Matt Peralt, and myself, thank you for joining us today on the Let's Talk Wheels Radio Network.
(38:19):
Have an awesome Labor Day.
Thanks for joining us on another edition of let's talk wheels we'll see you next.
Music.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.