Cars, Trucks And Bucks

Our guests are David Thomas and Mike Hanley of auto information site Cars.com. David and Mike were at the New York Auto Show, and were able to get up close and personal with the new models introduced there.

Grand theft auto isn't just a game. It's a real life experience for thousands of Americans whose cars get swiped each year. Our guest is Frank Scafidi of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. He will discuss what car thieves are looking for, and what you can do to make it harder to swipe your car.

At most car dealerships, the real selling begins in the finance and insurance office. You could face a barrage of sales pitches for GAP insurance, extended warranty, tire and wheel insurance, paint protection and more. But do you need this stuff? Phillip Reed of Edmunds.com will get you prepared to face the F & I Office.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and we will highlight that event by discussing distracted driving with David Teater, senior director of transportation initiatives for the National Safety Council.

Patrick DeHaan of Gasbuddy.com will explain why gas prices have shot up in recent weeks, and when they might start to come down. Then, automotive journalist and certified master mechanic will discuss what you can do to improve your fuel economy.

Some car dealers are moving to a no-haggle, one price approach for new vehicles. Larry Mullinax will explain why this pricing style has worked at his family's dealership.Them Dale Pollak of vAuto wll talk about why more dealers need to adopt this approach.

Jeff Bartlett of Consumer Reports offers advice on where to look for a used vehicle and what to look for. He will also identify some of the used models Consumer Reports recommends.

Tom Appel of Consumer Guide Automotive identifies some capable new models that cost less than 20K and might fit your small budget. We'll also discuss smart shopping strategies for new an used vehicles and other mone saving topics.

John Davis created the Motorweek program and has served as host and executive producer since it started more than 30 years ago. We talk with him about the state of the auto industry and what he sees for the future.

Many car buyers no longer judge vehicles by horsepower or fuel economy, but by how connected they are. We interview GM's Phil Abram about their new 4G LTE mobile technology, and Jake Nelson of AAA, who will talk about the plusses and minuses of infotainment systems in vehicles.

We discuss some of the new models revealed at the Chicago Auto Show, including the Kia Soul Electric Vehicle, and the redesigned Ford Transit Connect. We will also take a look at the future of cars and driving with a discussion on autonomous cars.

Pete Reyes, the chief engineer of the F-150 highlights the key changes. Then, we speak with Richard Truett of Automotive News, who has done several stories on the F-150, and the challenges Ford faces.

Patrick Olsen of Cars.com discusses the Best of 2014 awards recently announced by his website, how some key new models fared in recent comparison tests, and share other insights into the world of wheels.

Safety should be a priority - if not the priority - when choosing a vehicle. But how do you know whether one vehicle is safer than than another. We'll talk with David Zuby of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety about crash tests, accident avoidance systems and other safety issues.

We talk about year-end car deals and other shopping tips with Jeff Ostroff, founder and editor or carbuyingtips.com, a comprehensive guide to buying a new or used vehicle.

More than 25-percent of new vehicle sales are actually leases, but is it the right choice for you? What ar ethe key considerations you need to make before you decide whether to lease or buy? We will discuss those and other questions with Anthony Giorgianni of Consumer Reports.

My guest is Mark Williams, editor of Pickuptrucks.com, where they cover nothing but trucks. A lot has been happening in the world of full-size pickups lately, and Mark will bring us up to speed on recent changes, and what's coming next. Image courtesy of Pickuptrucks.com

How do dealers determine the value of a used car? we talk about that today with representatives from two well-known and respected sources of used car values - Larry Dixon from the NADA Used Car Guide, and Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

We discuss how you can determine how much you can safely afford to borrow when you buy a car, the pitfalls of long term loans and how to calculate the true cost of your vehicle with credit counselor Dennis Johnson and Caroll Lachnit of Edmunds.com

Do you have the right tires for your vehicle? Do you need new tires but don't know what to buy? We address those and other questions with John Rasetter and Woody Rogers of the Tire Rack

Larry is the author of numerous articles and books on automotive diagnosis and repair. He is a noted authority on maintenance topics and will share his knowledge about what you need to do and what you don't to keep your car in shape.

We're joined by Chris Kukla, senior vice-president of the Center fro Responsible Lending, a nonprofit group that provides research and policy recommendations from abusive lending practices.

Is your car falling short of it's EPA estimates? Is it because of the way you drive, are the estimates unrealistic or are automakers gaming the system? We'll discuss those questions and others with John O'Dell, senior editor of Edmunds.com.

Using the right car seat sounds like a no-brainer, but it's not that easy, The National Highway Administration says three our of four kids are either in the wrong seat, in an improperly installed seat, or aren't in the best location in the vehicle. Jennifer Newman and Jennifer Geiger of Cars.com are both certified child passenger safety technicians, and they are here to talk aboiut some of the most common problems, and best solutions.

A lot is going on these days with electric vehicles and hybrids, and we have a large and growing number of green vehicles to choose from. We'll talk about it with our guest John Voelcker, the editor of Green Car Reports.

Mike VanNieuwkyk of JD Power and Associates talk about how new models and ew technology affected this year's Initial Quality Study, Power's widely quoted rating of vehicle brands and models. Also in this segment: Auto News You Might Be Able to Use.

Jeff Bartlett of Consumer Reports gives his perspective on first-year models, and what advice Consumer Reports has on that subject.