Ask the Expert – Larry Dawson: Data Breaches, Car-Buying Privacy, and Why Local Still Matters

On this edition of Ask the Expert, Larry Dawson joins Dale Cooper for a candid and far-ranging conversation about the modern car market — and the growing risks everyday consumers face when they hand over their personal information to national chains and online platforms. Larry warns about massive data breaches, shares examples of clients burned by automated systems, and explains why he keeps every transaction one-on-one, on paper, and locked away rather than in a cloud database. The two dig into December dealer incentives, Carvana’s true costs, Facebook Marketplace “jail,” rental-car data leaks, AI-driven customer service, and why older buyers increasingly prefer dealing with a trusted local professional. A thoughtful, relatable, and often funny hour about technology, trust, and the car business.