June 25, 2026

What’s Next For The Houston Auto Show And Local Dealers

What’s Next For The Houston Auto Show And Local Dealers
What’s Next For The Houston Auto Show And Local Dealers
In Wheel Time Podcast
What’s Next For The Houston Auto Show And Local Dealers
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EV hype is easy. Living with an EV in Houston is where things get interesting. We talk honestly about what happens when charging infrastructure feels scattered, pricing feels unpredictable, and road-trip convenience still matters in a city built on long drives and cheap gas. From orange extension cords in the garage to the reality of finding fast chargers when you’re in a pinch, we break down why many drivers are rethinking their next move.

Rochelle Salinas, Vice President of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association, joins us with a dealer update and a behind-the-scenes look at what’s coming next for the Houston Auto Show. We get into early planning, new theme days like Military and First Responders Day and a dedicated Family Day, plus the push to make VIP night bigger by teaming up with the boat show. We also dig into the “tow and go” lifestyle idea, including hands-on towing education and the tech that’s changing how people hitch, back up, and haul safely.

Then we pivot to practical buyer advice: Jeff shares six SUVs experts often flag for reliability concerns, safety worries, and painful depreciation, and we talk about how dealership product specialists help customers learn today’s fast-changing infotainment systems. We wrap with a fun local twist from Mike Marrs: off-road parks and ATV rentals near Houston where you can get your “hidden dirt” fix without owning or maintaining a machine.

Subscribe for more Houston car talk, share this with a friend shopping for a vehicle, and leave a review with your take: are you team hybrid, EV, or gas?

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00:05 - Episode Welcome And Weekend Lineup

00:50 - Rochelle Joins With Dealer Association Update

02:13 - Houston Auto Show Plans And Theme Days

05:55 - Sales Slowdown And Summer Expectations

06:23 - EV Incentives And Houston Charging Reality

13:15 - Service Departments And Tech Training At Dealers

16:48 - Wrapping Rochelle And Teasing Next Segments

19:03 - Six SUVs Experts Say To Avoid

23:28 - Canoe Brute And Old-Scent Nostalgia Break

24:03 - Hidden Dirt Off-Road Rentals Near Houston

30:49 - Where To Watch And Listen Live

Episode Welcome And Weekend Lineup

Don Armstrong

From our dual city studios in Texas, USA, it's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Just ahead, Rochelle Salinas from the Houston Automobile Dealers Association and the latest from the Houston Dealers. How are sales? How are things going? How are you feeling? Ask this question. Plus, yeah. Plus, Jeff has six SUVs you need to be a leary of. Mr. Mars has this week's driving destinations. Howdy. Along with Mike Out of This World Mars, there he is. Over there. We always need more Jeff Seeking. Over here, Chief Engineer, David Ainsley. I'm Don Armstrong. So glad that you could join us on this Saturday for our live show. And uh if you're watching, listening on a podcast, we thank you very much for that as well.

Rochelle Joins With Dealer Association Update

Don Armstrong

Vice President of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association with a dealer update, it's Rochelle Salinas. Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you since January. January.

SPEAKER_00

It has been a little while. Good to see you guys.

Don Armstrong

It's good to see you too. I know this is your favorite and most wonderful car talk show, and you love being on with us. There's no doubt about it. You've said those kudos many times before, and I'm going to reiterate them. By the way, I want you to know that I have I saw a video of you with somebody else doing a was it a car review? Yes, it was a car review. Yeah. Yeah. So what was that about?

SPEAKER_00

You know, we're trying to up our game on our social media on the Houston Auto Show page. And so we're getting a little creative. And we had come across some other funny reels that we wanted to replicate, and that that was one we did. So it's a whole joke about if the salesman's not available and someone else has to fill in, you know, what are they going to make up a lot of cars? And it it came out, and you know, we shot that in one take. And Jamie, who was in the video with me, when I asked her what RHO means, we had not planned that. And she was said, real hot one. And it was so perfect. I was laughing.

Don Armstrong

Oh my God. Well, what a what a great hey, quick thinking. Youth has everything to do. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it was good.

Houston Auto Show Plans And Theme Days

Don Armstrong

So, how have things been since the Houston Auto Show?

SPEAKER_00

You know, we have been trucking along. Things are going really good. We're excited and very early in planning for this year already, actually. And so we just had a meeting with our automotive excellence um alliance. And in that group, we are 20 shows from around the country that are collaborating together to improve and enhance auto shows, our transparency with the OEMs and exhibitors, and to partner in some exhibits so that we can enhance what we're doing at all of our events. And just got back from that like two weeks ago. So some exciting things to come for all of our auto shows across the country that are you know working together to bring back the manufacturers.

Don Armstrong

And uh, well, listen, uh, congratulations if I haven't said it already. It was a great show this year um out there at uh what is it now? Reliant, the Reliance NRG Center, whatever you want to call it, whatever name it is this week. Yeah, this week. But um, it was a great show and great attendance, uh, especially that Saturday that we were there. We had a hard time getting out of there, fighting the crowds to get all get the get to the emergency exit. It was funny.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that was definitely our busiest day. It was a good year.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, well, I'm glad I'm glad because uh, you know, people in Houston, Texas love cars. And even if they're not in the market to buy one at that moment, want to go see what is the latest. You know, for my generation, it was always in October that the dealers would hide the brand new cars that were coming in. And it was a big reveal when they would put them in. Everybody would get in the car and go to all the different dealers and get all the brochures. Now you've got it all in one place, it makes it so much easier. And uh I always loved to go to those things. Not that I certainly was at any age to buy a new car. Yeah, but uh there were lots of us that did that, and you know it's funny, uh, now that I think about it, you've got a lot of teenagers that are into cars that will go to the show, and we kind of like bypass them, but they really are the next generation that's gonna be buying the cars.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I mean that's part of why we try to make it a whole family atmosphere at the Houston Auto Show. And this year we're actually going to incorporate two new theme kind of days to our event. So Friday is gonna be military and first responders day, and it's not just a day of discounts, we will have a day of full programming of activities. So opening the show with a special presentation of the Star Spangled Banner, and then we'll have some programming throughout. We've already worked with some local officials to bring in some special exhibits of vehicles and first responder vehicles and such on display, and there'll be some different um like exhibits in that whole area. So we're creating that, and then we're also adding on Sunday a family day, and so there'll be some special packages for families and activities for kids and bringing in some kind of new elements to up the experience overall.

Don Armstrong

I'm thinking a rock and roll band, or maybe maybe we could have a build-a-bear there or something, something like that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, I'm looking at some Lego partners and maybe some Hot Wheel partners. We've got some things in the works, but it's early, early planning. And then also, we're gonna partner this year with the boat show officially on the VIP night as well. So we're working on a really cool theme to bring both events together and open up the whole show for that VIP night and kind of bring it, re-revamp it, and bring it back to a really big, uh, exciting VIP night.

Sales Slowdown And Summer Expectations

Don Armstrong

Sounds like fun. How are the dealers doing?

SPEAKER_00

Dealers are are doing all right. We had a good first quarter, and second quarter has been down a little bit on sales, but I think with all we have going on in the economy and inflation and interest rates, that you know, it's sales have slowed a little bit, but I think you know, they're all anticipating coming back um in the summer with some additional sales. I also, you know, just read about some new vehicle releases and things coming out. So I think I think the summer will look good for everybody.

EV Incentives And Houston Charging Reality

Don Armstrong

Well, let's uh we have to talk about EVs and you know, with the now uh defunct $7,500 uh rebate uh that doesn't exist anymore. That hurt. And the fact that uh infrastructure I think hurt and uh the car manufacturers themselves, they went all in and got EVs everywhere, and nobody's buying them. Infrastructure here in Houston is poor to say the least, because I had to deal with that myself. Um I've learned to overcome it though, uh, and that is a 110-volt outlet in the garage, and I just drag the orange extension cord out there. It takes forever to charge it, but at least I got that part of it down. And they've got a new charging station that is a total rip-off out there by Hobby Airport. Uh, it doesn't make any difference how long you have it plugged in for, it's $35 flat fee. Friends, that is just so wrong on every level. But whatever, it's handy. If hey, you know, if you're getting a pinch, there's at least I got a uh a pinch place to go, you know.

SPEAKER_00

There you go.

Don Armstrong

Because before that, I had to drive over to Pasadena to find a hidden EV fast charging station behind a bank drive-thru. Crazy. So I guess they're kind of getting behind a chop shop. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, there and I know that Shell has put up a couple um EV charging kind of lots uh around the city, too. And so they're trying the infrastructure is just slow. And I I know you've heard me speak on this before is that the government wanted to shape shift culture and it with the EV mandates, but you can't shift culture like that. That has to happen organically, and I think they're feeling the repercussions from that.

Don Armstrong

So EV said, not only that, you're talking about Houston, Texas, for gosh sakes. We like our cars, and gas is cheap, and there's a gas station on every corner.

SPEAKER_00

And we like our road trips, and EV road trips are not easy.

Don Armstrong

But I will say this: I have become a huge fan of hybrids. I think that's the way to go.

SPEAKER_00

Always.

Don Armstrong

Have you driven any?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I've I've driven a couple, and I mean it really is the way the way to go. It's the happy medium.

Don Armstrong

Yeah. 30 miles per gallon on most of the ones that I drive now on average, and that's what I get. There's no fooling around with that sort of thing. I'm driving now a gasoline motor that gets 17 miles per gallon. Uh no, and not at the price of gas. I understand that that's going to be coming down, but it's not gonna, it's not gonna come down as fast as it went up.

SPEAKER_00

Right, right.

Mike Marrs

Yeah. And you talk about city dwellers like my wife, there's very few days she drives over 30 miles in a day. Most of her trips are two miles, three miles, and that's it. So, you know, she could literally go a month without burning any gas.

Jeff Dziekan

Back back to the show for a minute. Are you still gonna combine with the uh the boats? These are gonna be auto-botive still.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, this is um will be our fifth year for twenty in 2027 to be the auto-botive show. So half the show is the boat show, half the show is the auto show. Also working on a really special exhibit um that is gonna be a tow and go kind of lifestyle type exhibit. So, what you'll be able to see there is learning towing 101, how to backup the car, what the technology is like today, how to hitch the tow, uh, the trailer. But then also we'll have on display, you know, various towing capacity vehicles with their towing items. So an SUV with a small camper or a jet ski, a big truck with a horse trailer, or a trailer with flares on the back, or a boat. All of that is going to kind of be on display. And then, God willing, and and financial support will also create a towing course that people can practice and use these this new towing technology that's out on all these vehicles.

Don Armstrong

You know, all I all I can think of is Rochelle, is is and I'm sure that you've seen them online, these races at uh, you know, uh three-quarter mile dirt tracks, yeah. Where they where they where they're yeah, where they've got some old boat trailer in it, and it's a race. And so they race the car and the towed trailer around the track, and it's absolutely hysterical. There is trash everywhere. The boats are destroyed. It is so much it's so much fun. We need to somehow incorporate that into this.

SPEAKER_00

That sounds dangerous.

Jeff Dziekan

It does. There's also one where the there's a uh like a tow truck pulling a trailer, an empty trailer, and the cars behind it are racing to get on the trailer. Whoever gets on the trailer just wins. It was hilarious. One one one thing for me, uh but the manufacturers at the show, I think, and I've we've given a lot of suggestions to her, and she's taken none of them. Um have each manufacturer give away a car. I think that's a great idea.

SPEAKER_00

It isn't it to be like a $100,000 car. Like I said, we're already planning on a lot of things early this year, but I don't want to say too much because you know, some some ideas just don't become reality each time. So, yes, there is a potential that we're working on a car giveaway this year, too.

Jeff Dziekan

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

We're we're busy. And and and when we're not doing the auto show, we just wrapped up our scholarship program at HADA and gave them gave about 90 different scholarships out um to dealership employees and their children all across the city. And then we're working on our big student technician competition that comes up in November, where we pair high school students with dealerships to mentor, and then they all compete and have to debug a vehicle to win scholarships, uh, cash, tools, prizes in advance to the North Texas competition. Where last year our Houston team beat uh 65 North Texas teams, and I was very proud of that.

Don Armstrong

See, there you go. It's kind of like the Scots playing uh FIFA uh football. Yeah, I got it. Uh go Scots. I mean, they sold out every every pub in Boston, and they had no beer in Boston when the Scots get emergency deliveries, yeah. Emergency deliveries. Did you see that?

SPEAKER_00

No, but I was almost late to today's interview because I was at the march for the Netherlands bus uh route. Oh, yeah. The big orange bus?

Don Armstrong

The big orange bus. Well, I'll tell you what, it's it's brought a uh a gift to me because obviously Armstrong Scotland it's one and the same.

Jeff Dziekan

He's actually wearing a kilt right now.

Don Armstrong

I am, I am wearing my kilt, and uh it's great. And I've never known so much freedom in my life, but uh that's another subject for another day. Um tune in after midnight. It's the it's the off-air show and tune in after midnight. Um all right, so let's talk back again uh with the dealers.

Service Departments And Tech Training At Dealers

Don Armstrong

Um, you know, there's there's a push, I think, uh a foot where you know dealerships have a generally speaking, have a very uh impressive service department. And service is a big part of every dealership as far as I am concerned. Absolutely. And I I know that uh dealerships are in transition as well as the entire auto industry, and uh trying to keep up with the Joneses with the latest technology coming from the manufacturers. I'm now driving a uh Jeep Grand Cherokee, a beautiful vehicle, but the technology on the infotainment system has completely changed for Stellantis. And that in itself is an educational opportunity right there because I I I'm having to I'm struggling through it because of the new technology in the infotainment system. And you know, prior to this, with the new uh infotainment system that they've got in in the Stellantis cars, um, it was easy to use. It's still easy to appoint, but there's just more stuff in it. And and um, you know, I can only imagine what's going on at the dealerships trying to keep everybody trained up. How are things going in that regard? Because I know with the dealers, you hear all everything.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I there's each manufacturer operates a bit differently in that, but all of them have some sort of training that they put their staff through when it's time to to launch a new product or or to reveal it in the dealership so as that it's for sale. And so they even have product specialists that come in and train the sales people on all of it, and then usually they've got at least one or two sales staff that is what they call their in their product specialist. And when you go in and buy a dealership and pick up or buy a car from the dealership and pick it up, they'll have that product specialist come and give you a lesson on all the technology and features in the vehicle. So when you buy it, you might be like, Oh, yeah, I like that, I like this. And then you sit down and you really learn it with that product specialist. That's when you go home and go, Oh wow, this car had so much more than I thought it did.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, and and that's I guess it's what I'm I'm saying to you is the fact that you know, I get a new car every week of some sort different. And um, some of them, the learning curve is a lot stiffer than other ones.

SPEAKER_00

Um, take it over to the dealership and tell them to show you how it is.

Don Armstrong

Yes, I thought too. Yeah, well, there is that, but I will tell you this that Land Rover, Range Rover, absolutely stunningly beautiful, but my God, the infotainment system and trying to understand all the different pages. And I can only imagine here's Don Armstrong going down the freeway at 70, 75 miles an hour, trying to change the radio station, and I've got it on climate control.

SPEAKER_00

You're showing your age, Don. You're showing your age.

Don Armstrong

I know, I am. It's the kilt. It's the kilt this morning. That's what it is. Yeah, Rochelle, it's always great to talk to you. Thanks so much for joining us.

SPEAKER_00

A pleasure. I can't wait to catch up more when we've got things even further solidified for the auto show.

Don Armstrong

And I'm gonna try this year to make the preview party. I haven't been in a couple of years, and I'm I'm we've missed you. Yeah, I bet. Like a sore toe. But I can like uh like I said, uh, I'm looking forward to it and working with you again and and getting folks out there to the car show. We appreciate you. Take care of yourself. Thank you very much. We'll talk to you again soon. You bet. All right, Rochelle Selena, vice uh Selena's uh with the uh Houston Automobile Dealers

Wrapping Rochelle And Teasing Next Segments

Don Armstrong

Association. All right, just ahead. Jeff's Car Culture, the lemon list of six SUVs you may want to avoid. And Mars has his driving destinations feature this week, Hidden Dirt in Hidden Houston. After this break, when the N-Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues. Stay with us. The Tex-Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Loopy Tortilla, all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in Houston. Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail at each and every location. Start your loopy experience with queso flameato and guacamole, along with the classic frozen margaritas. Dine on famous loopy beef and chicken fajitas or pepper shrimp rochette, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert. Find loopy tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, Fort Worth. There's a Texas location near you. The recipes are authentic and time-tested. The ingredients always fresh. Loopy tortilla. Eats pretty good. Apple or Android In Wheel Time podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads. Whether you're on the road or at home and searching for a fun 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, mics 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. Inwheeltime.com has a list, so check us out. Invite you to join us 10 to noon Central Time every Saturday for our live show about all things automotive. It's a fun ride. And you'll get story ideas for this summer's vacation trip to see Aunt Mary. Or Aunt Martha. Or Martha.

Jeff Dziekan

If she's not injured anymore.

Don Armstrong

She's the next door neighbor. Oh Martha. Like Gladys. Like Gladys. Okay. Well, Gladys, I think, lived across the street. I kind of mixed up.

Six SUVs Experts Say To Avoid

Don Armstrong

All right. Um time now for Jeff's Car Culture. This week's six SUV lemons.

Jeff Dziekan

They're calling them lemons. They're just giving you a forewarning to watch out. So experts tend to flag certain SUVs as risky when they share three consistent warning signs that's an impact overall on the ownership experience. One of them is mechanical reliability, leaning concerns, particularly in vehicles prone to engine stalling, erratic transmissions, or a glitchy infotainment system like Donna's been talking about. So here we go. Take the first one, Mike. Uh the Volkswagen TOUS, often flagged by experts of a mixed mechanical and safety concerns that can impact everyday driving. Some owners have reported sudden power loss at high speeds. Serious issues can create dangerous situations on the road. Taken together, these issues can make the TOUS of vehicle buyers uh worse experienced and want to approach with certain cautions, especially when considering long-term reliability and overall safety. So be careful of that one. The next one is the Chevy Equinox. It raises two key concerns for buyers mechanical reliability again and long-term value. Reports point to issues such as excessive oil consumption and reoccurring fuel system problems, both of which can drive up maintenance costs over time. On financial side, the equinox also faces steep depreciation. Estimates suggest that a 2026 model could lose 52% of its value within five years. Oh my gosh. That's a lot. The next one, Mike, is a Nissan rogue. Uh I don't have a lot of passion for this vehicle. I've got personal issues with it, but despite its modern styling and advanced technical features, it is drawing increasingly scrutin increased scrutiny from the experts. It's a three-cylinder engine, is under investigation, filing reports of bearing failures, raises concerns about long-term durability. The models continuously variable transmission also adds those worries as well. Given its history and premature failures that can be costly to fix or replace. In some cases, repair bills can run into several thousand dollars, significantly increasing its ownership costs. On the next one, number four, we have a Ford Explorer. It remains a popular SUV, but experts caution that ongoing transmission issues continue to affect its reliability. Drivers have reported harsh shifting, jerking, inconsistent performance. We have that every day. Problems can be reduced both comfort and uh confidence behind the wheel. Beyond the drivetrain, the explorer's uh driver assistance systems can also uh show uneven performance in real-world conditions. That's inconsistency across both mechanical and technical features adds a layer of uncertainty for the owners. Then we have the Jeep Cherokee, it's often talked about, it's often singled out by experts as one of the most concerning SUVs, largely due to the volume and seriousness of reported issues. Among the most alarming are Sudden losses of engine power and unpredictable transmission behavior, both of which can create safety risks in everyday driving. These reoccurring problems have led uh some analysts, uh some analysts I should say, to rank it among the vehicles to avoid in 2026. While the modern model still benefits from strong brand appeal, the buildup of reliability concerns has weighed heavily on its reputation. And lastly, the Infinity QX 80 is often cited as a luxury SUV, but may not hold its value over time. Experts point to a steep depreciation as a major drawback for this vehicle. Projections suggest that they lose up to 60 69% of its value within five years, leaving owners a significantly lower resale price. So be careful of that one as well. If you're looking for a car to you know keep the value, that's not one of them. There we go. That's quite a list. Back to you.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, those are pretty popular vehicles. Yes, they are.

Jeff Dziekan

They also have a uh lemon list of pre-owned vehicles. I was gonna get into that, but maybe maybe next week.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, could be by the way. Uh we're taking the July 4th off with a live show, and we're going to have a repeat and uh a show, and uh Mars is gonna dress it up and make it fun and exciting. Cologne on it and makeup, some cologne on it. So some brute or English leather. English leather, yeah. There's that.

Canoe Brute And Old-Scent Nostalgia Break

Jeff Dziekan

I got a lot of uh just off topic. When you walk into a a restaurant or a store or something, and and you you have uh an aroma and it reminds you of uh what does that smell like? And it smells like English leather or brewed or something like that.

Don Armstrong

Canoe canoe. Canoe canoe. Do you canoe?

Jeff Dziekan

It had a flag on it. The canoe had a flag on it. And you know you can find those old scents at Walgreens. Well, there's also a sh a store in the mall. I haven't been there. Remember, I got you some for Christmas like 10 years ago or something like that. Oh my god, yeah. Uh we still have I'm still a specialty store that sells it, and they're quite expensive now.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, well, the ones at Walgreens are not anyway.

Hidden Dirt Off-Road Rentals Near Houston

Don Armstrong

All right, time now for Mr. Mars driving destinations. This week it's Hidden Dirt in Hidden Houston.

Mike Marrs

So I thought about how occasionally you want to get out and you want to go off-roading, you might want to be uh uh uh ride a four-wheeler, you can't ride three-wheelers anymore, or even the side-by-sides, but you don't want to own one. You don't have a place for it, or it just has a lot of maintenance to it. So these places uh we got five places here around the Houston area that you can go, and most of them you can rent a vehicle that you can ride. Now we're gonna start with number one is Extreme Off-Road Park and Beach. Now, this is up in Crosby. Now it's just outside of Houston, and it's really the best known off-road destination in southeast Texas, all the way over on my side of the world. Everybody knows about this place. 1,600 acres of trails that go through the mud, uh sand, wooden train, water crossings, and it's all part of the San Cacinto River Valley. Now you can get beginner-friendly routes just like uh snow skiing. You got easy, you got beginner, and then you got the ones that are really hard. They have camping, you can get cabins. There's a few food vendors there if you are going to stay there all day or all weekend. And uh you can get to the river, and it makes it pretty much anything you want to do in the off-road part of the world. And there's several rental operators on side. So you can actually reserve an ATV or a side-by-side so that you don't have to bring your own. You don't have to clean it up either after you leave. You just can go out there and utilize uh their vehicles out there in that territory and get your off-road fixed. Now, the second one that we wanted to look at was Creekside Off-Road Ranch. Now, this is up in Splendor. It's about 45 minutes northeast of Houston, a little bit further out. It's on 400 acres, includes creek crossings, got wooded trails, lots of sand, got some hill climbs, and some mud pits. Now, it's particularly appealing for families because you know, with newer riders, they they got their trails that are maintained. They maintain them a little bit wider and it's a little bit more family friendly. It's not quite so hardcore. Got plenty of camping, RV hookups, so you can spend the week, spend the weekend, whatever you need to do. And there are rental operators nearby that make it easy to get the kind of vehicle that you want to utilize and learn how to take some of these riding opportunities. The third one is the unlimited off-road park up in Conroe. Now, this is situated in Conroe's just north of Houston, and it caters to ATVs and dirt bikes, and side-by-sides, and four-wheel drive vehicles. So you get a mixture of easy trails, mud sections, got a little bit of beach-style riding areas with some sand on them. And of course, they've got some challenging obstacles set up for experienced riders. Unlike some of the smaller parks uh that are kind of like a this is more like a full-day destination that you can go to. It's not necessarily for the long term, but you can get rental RVs on it. I mean, uh ATVs that are on site, so it makes it a lot easier. Again, if you don't have that off-road equipment and you want to go out and ride an ATV, then here's your opportunity to go out and get some experience and work with some other people that are kind of in the same level that you are as far as riding experience goes. This next one, number four, is I found this really interesting. It's H Town AT Rentals at HTX Adventure Park. Now, this operation specializes in guided ATV experiences. Now, this isn't just the traditional admission parks where you go out and you got all these acres. You go out there, here's the trails, take off and go. Now, up in Crosby, you get you got access to a lot of extensive trail systems. They got a thousand acres, but uh they are guided. AT the kind of like ATV tours. You got Honda, Rancher ATVs, you got a lot of safety equipment, but you're guided to go through the trails through the mud and the forest section and a lot of the open area riders. So this is a great place to go for beginners, particularly maybe if you want you got your date, first time uh you've taken her out on the off-road and you want to get some experience at it, do something different. Here you go. Great for family visitors.

Don Armstrong

And she's all dressed up to go to the symphony.

Mike Marrs

Yes, yes. So, you know, now you turn that white dress into a brown dress because of all the mud. Yeah, you want to go get buried. They have all the machines and they have guides that are all included, so it's a great way if you're new or you're just really uh trying to get somebody new into it. Now, the last one we want to talk about is Crosby ATV rental. Now, this is uh again at the extreme off-road part, but they don't have their own equipment. And this rental operation provides all the equipment for you. So if you're one of those people, again, back to I don't have the ATV, I don't have a place to put it, I don't have a trailer to put it in to haul it off up there. I'm gonna go up there though, every once in a while, every quarter or once a month. I can go up there and rent it and have all the off-road fun that I would like. So these are just some places around the Houston area that you can go and find some time to play in the dirt. Hidden dirt. Yep.

Don Armstrong

In hidden Houston. Thank you, sir. Summertime. In real time car talk continues right after this quick break. Stay with us. Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance. Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your save the paint company. John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint. Searching for real experts in window tent or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Dash cans, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Got a new car? Get it protected as soon as you take delivery. If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't sell you something you don't need. John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot. He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too. See the state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway. Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full-service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com. Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea: a hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists. Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one. Bill Sites will be happy to guide you through the process. No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home. Call Bill today, 832-922-0963. That's 832-922-0963.

Where To Watch And Listen Live

Don Armstrong

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.