A Raccoon in the Pool, Money as a Hammer, and $500 a Month Into Almost $2 Million
The Greg Carrasco ShowShow Notes
Greg has been up since 2:50. He's done an hour on the treadmill when he hears screaming from the backyard: the biggest raccoon he has ever seen, reaching into the pool, hissing and charging at him while her baby drowns in the deep end. He fishes it out with the pool pole and then breaks down in the gym at 4:45 in the morning. Jade: "It turns out Greg Carrasco does have a heart."
The spine of the show is something last week's guest Lorenzo said that rattled around Greg's head all week: it's never too late to start something amazing. Make lots of money, help as many people as you can, and have fun doing it. "The money is a tool. A hammer is not the house." He had his fourth kid at 54 and dropped 40 pounds on the jiu-jitsu mats at 55. People don't regret what they do. They regret what they don't.
Hour two, Money Mike shows the math. $500 a month from age 27 comes to just under $2 million at 65. Kids copy what they see, and Starbucks works like a bank. The markets are up 13% even after moving sideways since July. The capital gains calls: whether to hand a son a $70,000 cottage now for about $7,000 in tax, and Tom's $370,000 gain with an OAS clawback. And a couple making $220,000 a year who are still underwater.
The car calls: an F-150 at $39,000 against a Tacoma at $52,000, a 2008 CR-V that has been to the moon and back, Mila's fear of RX 350 theft and why you should marry a six, why Ontario has no cooling-off period, and why your warranty won't cover the battery. Plus Jade's $98 hydro bill from living in the dark, a bench-press meme that wrecked Greg's shoulder, and 27 hours in Cancun for a Rolex Bluesy.
IN THIS EPISODE 1:10 — Good morning, slackers 4:42 — Screaming from the backyard at 4:45 a.m. 5:31 — A baby raccoon in the deep end, and a mother charging at him 9:36 — Lorenzo: "It's never too late to start something amazing" 11:05 — A fourth kid at 54, and 40 pounds gone at 55 13:20 — Tony: trading in a Corolla and an Impreza for one car 15:50 — Mario: Nissan's VQ 3.5, one of the best engines ever made 22:04 — Jade's first hydro bill: $98, and she lives in the dark 25:00 — Donna: put a car mat on the side of your pool 27:17 — Keel: a written-off F-150 diesel, and employee pricing 30:20 — Bill in Belleville: an F-150 at $39K or a Tacoma at $52K 35:46 — Andrew: don't fix the body on a 2012 Civic before trading it 39:41 — Money Mike: "Money is a hammer" 41:25 — $500 a month at 27 comes to just under $2 million 45:47 — Starbucks, one of the largest banks in the United States 48:31 — Markets sideways since July, still up 13% on the year 53:38 — Collectible coins, capital gains, and the honour system 56:57 — 27 hours in Cancun for a watch, and a break at customs 59:52 — Peter: retiring at 53, TFSA or RRSP? 1:02:37 — Chris: give his son the $70,000 cottage now? 1:06:57 — $220,000 a year and still underwater 1:08:48 — Greg and Karina try a no-spend month 1:09:59 — Tom: a $370,000 gain on the cottage, and the OAS clawback 1:21:31 — Josh: a 2008 CR-V with 280K has gone to the moon 1:25:59 — The 225-pound bench-press meme, and a six-inch needle 1:31:20 — Mila: an RX 350, theft, and why you should marry a six 1:34:51 — No cooling-off period in Ontario: you signed, you own it 1:43:13 — Clark: an extended warranty on a 2023 QX50 1:47:17 — The Rolex Bluesy, and dealers taking gratuities 1:52:27 — Steve: why the warranty won't cover your battery
Live every Saturday morning on News Talk 1010 and the iHeartRadio app. Talk or text 416-872-1010.
More from The Greg Carrasco Show
Greg finally answers the Mustang question: he didn't buy it. He bought his wife a Land Rover Defender instead, in the brightest yellow he could find, and it comes with a lesson on luxury leases. Same $110,000 truck, same term: at a 55% residual the payment is about $2,100 a month, and at 77% it's about $1,000. Jade is in the chair after hours stuck in traffic behind the runners who shut down the city.
THE GREG CARRASCO SHOW — September 19, 2026 Greg has one question this morning and he gives it all three hours: what was your first car? His was a silver 1983 Dodge Reliant with red velour interior that hit 400 degrees in July and stuck to the back of your legs like a hug from a stranger. He was 21. He has never loved a car more. The argument underneath it is that the first car was never really the car. It was the first place on earth that was yours, and the exact second a kid turns into a person is the first time they back out of a driveway alone. Slacker Nation calls all morning to prove him right: a '67 Beetle, a rusted-out '76 Rabbit his mother called cute, a 1966 Triumph Herald no mechanic in northern Manitoba could touch, and Bob in Caledon, who bought a 1980 Camaro Z28 new and still has it at 86,000 kilometres. Hour two turns. Greg met Lorenzo Pellicciotta at a car show in Oakville the week before — a collision shop owner of forty-one years who had just ridden 25,000 kilometres to the Four Points of Canada for the CNIB, because his daughter Olivia was born with vision loss. He clogged his rad with Yukon mud, got caught in an ice storm in the Northwest Territories at minus one, and was waved into a stranger's pickup truck to warm up by an American who spent the whole time apologizing for his president. He could have written a cheque for less than the ride cost him. He explains why he didn't. The car calls: whether the Highlander is $15,000 better than the Santa Fe, whether Nissan's CVTs are still a problem, Kicks against Rogue against HR-V, Frank's $1,800 Mustang out of a Toronto auction and what "as is" really costs, and Debbie two years from retirement with 140,000 kilometres on her Rogue. Plus why the Beatles are terrible and Greg plays them anyway, Ian calling from Cuba who gives away $50,000 a year, and the 280ZX whose T-tops leaked onto Greg's left leg every time it rained. IN THIS EPISODE 1:13 — Good morning, slackers 6:46 — A silver 1983 Dodge Reliant with red velour interior 8:20 — The exact second a kid turns into a person 11:59 — Paul in Brampton: a '67 Beetle, and too much chicha 14:39 — Why a $10,000 used car is the most expensive car you'll ever buy 17:46 — "Google isn't there to tell you the truth, it's there to prove you right" 18:36 — Jonathan: is the Highlander $15,000 better than the Santa Fe? 22:16 — John in Innisfil: a 1975 Ford Granada Ghia 26:43 — Alan: a 1966 Triumph Herald with an engine like a sewing machine 27:55 — Bob in Caledon bought a 1980 Camaro Z28 new and still has it 29:43 — Are CVTs still a problem? "My mother-in-law drives a 2024 Kicks." 30:53 — Cam: a 2023 Subaru Ascent, and why where you service it matters 34:09 — An engagement ring at a flea market, and the Porsches at Costco 37:08 — Lubo calls in to fight about dealer servicing 41:21 — "Most people don't want advice, they want a witness" 42:19 — Meeting Lorenzo at the Oakville car show 42:57 — 25,000 kilometres to the Four Points of Canada for the CNIB 46:23 — Eight degrees to minus one in the Yukon 49:33 — What his daughter's vision loss taught him 1:01:39 — "I could have cut a cheque and been further ahead" 1:11:33 — Rob from Ohio, and a 1970 Nova with a 396 1:19:29 — "I didn't vote for Carney, but hoping he fails is goofy" 1:22:56 — Ian from Cuba, and $50,000 a year given away 1:28:35 — Frank: an $1,800 Mustang at auction, and "as is" 1:33:27 — Alex, the sermon, and the Holy Shift 1:36:52 — Debbie: 140,000 kilometres, two years from retirement 1:40:35 — John in Milton: Kicks, Rogue, HR-V or the Kia 1:46:35 — The 280ZX with the leaky T-tops 1:48:20 — A kid he will never meet Live every Saturday morning on News Talk 1010 and the iHeartRadio app. Talk or text 416-872-1010.
Greg has an answer on last week's cherry-red 1968 Mustang: he didn't buy it. Then it was a yellow 2022 Challenger with a black hood stripe, then a detour to the mall for another watch, and each time he heard the same voice: drive home. He opened his safe instead and counted the watches he never wears. Jade is in the chair for all three hours of Thanksgiving weekend.
Greg has found the car. A caller's buddy is selling a cherry-red 1968 Mustang coupe, the one Greg has wanted for years, and when the garage door goes up it is screaming "Greg, I'm yours." He brings Technical Tom and Raj Mistry along for perspective, leaves the chequebook at home on purpose, and finds the asking price is about $15,000 over what comparable cars have sold for. He owed the seller an answer last night. He still hasn't told us what it was.
Greg has a bone to pick. His satirical "Lake America" Nissan commercial got pulled off the air after the phones lit up, and he opens the show on why being offended is a choice. Jade, the deal slayer, is in the chair for all three hours, and Money Mike takes over the second hour. The spine of the show is one rule: if you cannot explain the deal simply, it is probably not a good deal. Dealers who can't convince you will confuse you. A good deal is one breath. A bad deal needs a spreadsheet and a guy in a short-sleeve dress shirt. If it doesn't fit on a napkin, walk away. Hour two is money. Steve wants to pay cash for a used Rogue Platinum and Greg won't let it go, which sets up the whole hour with Money Mike. Then Tony in Vaughan calls in with $1.3 million in the bank, no mortgage, a defined pension, and a 3.7% return, and gets an on-air intervention. As Greg puts it, being good at accumulation doesn't mean you're good at growth. Also: Alan on whether to break his mortgage, Don with half a million and no trust left in advisors, Dylan who lost $200,000 on penny stocks at 28, and the calculation that puts Jade at $2 million by 65 for $500 a month. The car calls: John choosing between a 4Runner, a Pilot and a Pathfinder, Jim's 2019 Pacifica, Anil on the new Rogue hybrid and Toyota's manufactured scarcity, Rose deciding between an Acura ADX and a Lexus UX when the Kicks would do, Susan's 14-year-old E350, and David's scrap Buick. Plus a ten-year-old-tires text, Greg's summer diving for sea snails in Chile at 13, Jade on living alone for the first time, the guy who keeps sliding into her DMs, and Greg's verdict on what all her exes have in common. IN THIS EPISODE 1:19 — Good morning, slackers 2:58 — The "Lake America" commercial, and why being offended is a choice 7:15 — John: 4Runner, Pilot or Pathfinder, and is the 4Runner $25,000 better? 14:18 — Jade's ChatGPT bestie has a name 15:40 — Jim's 2019 Pacifica: "Cars don't break down. Owners don't service them." 20:04 — If you cannot convince, confuse: the napkin test 21:09 — Eight subscriptions, and the four you forgot about 26:10 — Anil: the new Rogue hybrid, and Toyota's false scarcity 32:42 — Steve: Crosstrek vs Rogue Platinum, and why Greg won't pay cash for a car 40:24 — Money Mike is in the house 41:18 — Baris: pay cash or take the 0%? 49:27 — Tony in Vaughan: $1.3 million at 3.7%, and an on-air intervention 57:18 — Alan: break the mortgage, or invest? 1:01:44 — Don: half a million and no trust in advisors 1:07:21 — Dylan, 28, lost $200,000 on penny stocks 1:11:30 — $500 a month at 26 is $2 million at 65 1:16:28 — "Most Carrasco men don't live past 60," and three more kids 1:17:36 — Wesley, 22, with $1,000 a month to put somewhere 1:23:55 — Ten-year-old tires: never skimp on what's between you and the ground 1:25:48 — Rose: Acura ADX vs Lexus UX, or just buy the Kicks 1:29:00 — The most expensive driveway ornament you will ever buy 1:32:13 — Sea snails, sewing machines and the Army: Greg's crazy life 1:37:10 — Jade on living alone 1:42:02 — Susan's 2012 E350: if it isn't broken, don't fix it 1:45:46 — David's scrap Buick, and a spaghetti dinner offer 1:47:43 — The guy in Jade's DMs 1:51:56 — "All your previous boyfriends have one thing in common" 1:56:51 — Stop waiting so long to make decisions Live every Saturday morning on News Talk 1010 and the iHeartRadio app. Talk or text 416-872-1010.