The Best of Car Talk

By NPR

Comedy Automotive

What's The Best of Car Talk about?

America's funniest auto mechanics take calls from weary car owners all over the country, and crack wise while they diagnose Dodges and dismiss Diahatsus. You don't have to know anything about cars to love this one hour weekly laugh fest.

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#2295: Roller Derby Diagnosis

11.26.2022

Sean from Michigan lucked out and bought a used '75 Olds Convertible from a little old Lady recently. The only problem with the car is an unsettling rattling noise that Sean is trying to pinpoint using death-defying diagnostic methods while ...

The Best of Car Talk episodes:

11.26.2022 #2295: Roller Derby Diagnosis Sean from Michigan lucked out and bought a used '75 Olds Convertible from a little old Lady recently. The only problem with the car is an unsettling rattling noise that Sean is trying to pinpoint using death-defying diagnostic methods while ...
11.22.2022 #2294: The Roachmobile Marti lives in Hawaii. We bet that life has been pretty good for Marti. But lately, every night Marti's car is covered in giant Hawaiian cockroaches. So much for paradise, eh Marti?! Can Click and Clack Conquer the Cucarachas? Find ...
11.19.2022 #2293: Music to Our Ears There are some among us gifted with a voice that can conjure visions of the angels. Laura from Massachusetts wasn't that fortunate but she can mimic a slipping fan belt on a Ford Escort pretty convincingly! Check out her less-than-dulcet-tones ...
11.15.2022 #2292: Smoke Signals Richard from Intercourse, PA has become a public nuisance with his Ford wagon that belches white smoke every time he accelerates from a stop. Can Click and Clack divine his car's trouble from analyzing the Ford's emissions? Check it out ...
11.12.2022 #2291: The Click and Clack Winterization Kit Alan from Texas is relocating to Burlington, Vermont and wants to know if he can bring his Ford Bronco along, too. Click and Clack give Alan a primer on snow tires, block heaters, tire chains and the most important detail: ...
11.08.2022 #2290: FOR SALE, Classic Car, One Owner, Must Enjoy Long Walks on the Beach Peggy from Washington hasn't had much luck with her personals ad in the local papers. She read somewhere that if you advertise a classic car for sale, guys will practically line up for a chance to buy it and Peggy ...
11.05.2022 #2289: Can I Borrow Your Airbag for a Moment? Back when airbags were a new thing, it was pretty common that cars had only one and it was for the driver. Of course, this meant that front seat passengers were in a relatively vulnerable position in the event of ...
11.01.2022 #2288: The True Meaning of Lifetime Warranty Dick from Texas felt good about purchasing a 'lifetime warranty' along with the replacement alternator for his Ford Van. Sadly, Click and Clack had to inform him that what he actually purchased is a 'lifetime' of having to replace these ...
10.29.2022 #2287: The Mitsubishi Doppelganger Stella thinks one of her two Mitsubishis is possessed of a sinister mechanical nature. It is constantly breaking down and wearing out parts, unlike it's twin. Sound familiar? Our two hosts are each similarly convinced that the other is a ...
10.25.2022 #2286: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste Judy from Arkansas had no sooner described the conditions under which her car was giving her trouble when Tommy confidently and successfully predicted what the car's problem was. Could this be a case of clairvoyance? Or is this the less ...
10.22.2022 #2285: Wendy's Wild Ride Wendy's Acura has been having persistent brake problems on the hilly roads of Sonoma, CA. Her mechanic wants her to 'exercise' the brakes every now and then by simulating an emergency stop. Wendy is a bit puzzled -as are Click ...
10.18.2022 #2284: A 'Tank Half Empty' Kind of Guy Dave from North Carolina is a VW Quantum owner in search of a few quantum mechanics. He's convinced that his car gets worse mileage when the tank is less than half full. Will fixing this one require Heisenberg's uncertainty principles ...
10.15.2022 #2283: Buck Naked! Normally, we would highlight one of this show's more unusual calls -say, Rod who wants to buy an old Checker Cab, or Berniece who's Oldsmobile sounds like an air raid siren. But somehow we knew that we would catch your ...
10.11.2022 #2282: To Shift or Not to Shift Erica's Dad always told her to shift earlier rather than later. Erica's dad also had her believing in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus at one time, so as part of a larger reckoning with dear old Dad, Erica wants ...
10.08.2022 #2281: Either Way You Get Your Dog Back We start off with some listener mail containing probably the best combination business venture we've ever heard of and then the boys practice their own combination of auto repair and driver therapy on a few callers. All this and a ...
10.04.2022 #2280: Great Balls of Fire The boys suggest that Jim's Corolla might be warmer if he lit a little fire up front, while Barry's backfiring pick up sets much of South Carolina ablaze and Mary might call out the locals to burn down Car Talk ...
10.01.2022 #2279: Helen's Wholly Moldy Rollers Mold problems are a regular feature on Car Talk. Moldy seats and carpeting, mold in the vents and the mold in Tommy's beard are the top three on the Click and Clack mold 'sporecard'. But Helen has a new fungi ...
09.27.2022 #2278: Repossessed or Just Possessed? Liz has a practically brand new car that won't go into gear sometimes. When it does, she hears a gut wrenching clunk. The dealership is scratching it's collective head and various other body parts and Liz is wondering if the ...
09.24.2022 #2277: Rodney's Mobile Recording Service At least once every show, Click and Clack goad some unlucky caller into imitating the unfortunate noise that their car is making. This week, Rodney from Colorado was that unlucky contestant, but he did the boys one better. Check it ...
09.20.2022 #2276: Running on Empty Barbara's husband was in the middle of changing the oil on their truck when he suddenly felt an urgent need for a haircut. Upon returning, he finds only the truck's oil pan filled with oil and no pickup truck. Barbara ...
09.17.2022 #2275: A Darker and Stormier Night "It was a dark and stormy night." In his never ending quest to make the puzzler 'less lousy' each week, Ray decides to appropriate the consensus pick for 'worst opening line of a novel', penned in the 1800s by Edward ...
09.13.2022 #2274: Never Listen to Your Brother Tanya from Virginia has the good fortune to have a brother advising her on whether or not to junk her seven-year-old Mazda. Unfortunately, her brother is also a car salesman. Does the sibling bond overcome the sleaze factor in this ...
09.10.2022 #2273: More Important Than a Clutch Adjustment Stuart from Tennessee has been experiencing premature wear out of the clutch on his Nissan. One of our hosts, while helping Stuart understand why he should fix this immediately realizes that he is also experiencing wear out due to insufficient ...
09.06.2022 #2272: The Until Death Do Us Parts and Service Warranty Greg from South Carolina is a former car salesman who once sold a car to his now current wife and it's giving her problems. Will Greg have any luck with, 'I'm sorry honey, but you're beyond the warranty period', or ...
09.03.2022 #2271: Grandma Croaked Your Engine! Jodi fr New Jersey bought her Chevy from her dear old Grandma ...and then the troubles began. Click and Clack try to determine if Granny is blameless or should be arrested for trying to fleece her granddaughter. Also, more calls ...
08.30.2022 #2270: Never Listen to Your Husband About Cars Hubby takes it on the chin today! The show starts out with Amy from Illinois whose husband is trying to convince her that driving an automatic with two feet is better. Next, Sam receives last rites on his jalopy and ...
08.27.2022 #2269: Too Cool for School Fletcher from Detroit is a wonderful, wide-eyed 16 year old kid who can't wait to get his first car. Unfortunately, Dad thinks that a 1980 Plymouth Volare is a perfectly fine car for Fletcher. Hard to believe Dad was ever ...
08.23.2022 #2268: Donna's Hyundai Donna from Virginia used to be a REAL Donna in the Car Talk mold: She owned a couple of Camaro's and was perfectly happy. But Donna decided to tempt fate and bought a Hyundai and now all is not well ...
08.20.2022 #2267: High Stakes Genie from Kentucky thinks that her hubby shouldn't be stepping on the gas every time he starts their car and she's betting him a steak dinner that Click and Clack will side with her. And Rich from DC thinks he ...
08.16.2022 #2266: The Double Groan Janice from Pasadena has a Mercedes that can't climb hills. She has taken it to several mechanics who are trying to help but can't figure it out. It could be the transmission or it could be the engine. Will Click ...
08.13.2022 #2265: Pretty Bird Susan fr California managed to stick her ex-husband with a pet parakeet and kept the Mercury Lynx in their divorce settlement. But now, instead of having to clean up the birdcage and hearing 'Pretty Bird' all day long she's driving ...
08.09.2022 #2264: A Lifetime of Hand Me Down Cars Victoria from DC has spent her adult years driving a series of hand-me-down cars from her family. Her latest choice -if you can call it a choice- is between her current AMC Spirit and a Chrysler K car. Click and ...
08.06.2022 #2263: Sister Mary Anne's Tire Fund On the occasion of moving to their new fair city of Cambridge, MA the brothers tempt fate by weighing in on Sister Mary Anne's problems with her Plymouth as well as Karl's Honda horn and Scott's unalignable minivan. All this ...
08.02.2022 #2262: Really Low Cost Air Travel Carl from California has the urge to fly. But instead of buying an airline ticket or maybe taking a few flying lessons Carl wants to build his own airplane. Ol' Carl is certainly up for a challenge. So he called ...
07.30.2022 #2261: One Million Original Miles Julie from Maryland is trying to sell her much-beloved Chevy SUV but all her potential buyers are scared off by the car's high mileage. She needs a new sales strategy and Ray shares the story of trying to sell his ...
07.26.2022 #2260: Don't Forget the Sunscreen David likes to drive his Mercedes Diesel from Los Angelas to New Mexico occasionally and he thinks the car is having some trouble on his long trips through the desert. He adds that he only notices the problem after he ...
07.23.2022 #2259: Sherry's Menopausal Mercury Sherry has an older Mercury that is becoming menopausal(Sherry's words -not ours!). She says that it exhibits 'hot flashes' with the dashboard gauges spiking up and down at random times. Don't worry: as usual, all wisecracks about 'irritability, moodiness and ...
07.19.2022 #2258: A Laser-like Focus In order to help callers figure out what ails their cars, Click and Clack have to keep a lot of details straight. This, the boys assure us, requires a truly laser-like focus. From show-to-show we're never quite sure what that ...
07.16.2022 #2257: Are We Really Brothers? The Brothers Magliozzi disagree about many things. Old cars vs New cars, Ford or Chevy, fix or replace, boxers vs briefs. Car Talk exists to explore these differences, but you would think that there were at least a few things ...
07.12.2022 #2256: Self Soothing Behaviors of the Modern Male Driver Dani's husband has taken to unnecessarily shifting her automatic transmission Toyota as if it were a standard shift whenever he drives it. Is she right in blaming him and his 'neanderthalish' and unnecessary need to 'shift something' for the car's ...
07.09.2022 #2255: How Cheap is Too Cheap? Dick from California has kept his Volvo going for 20 years and he wants to know if he should spring for a new engine and go for another 20. Is this a case of overvaluing a Volvo?.. persnickety penury?.. or ...
07.05.2022 #2254: Little Honda on the Prairie Margaret from Minnesota has a Honda with an 'old-timey' steering problem. When she comes to a stop her steering wheel jumps in and out directly at her as if she were "churning butter". Has Margaret been watching too many episodes ...
07.02.2022 #2253: The Engine Oil Thief Nancy from Colorado has a thirsty engine. Her GMC Jimmy consumes a quart of oil every 200 miles. Her local dealership is running out of ideas and they are starting to doubt Nancy's veracity to the point that they have ...
06.28.2022 #2252: Don't Bother Us With Details Mary from Illinois has been offered a company car by her employer . She can have either the reliable Mercury Sable, a sporty Jeep Cherokee or the vehicle of choice for seniors: the Chrysler New Yorker. Tom and Ray want ...
06.25.2022 #2251: Driveway Diplomacy Chip lives in a congested suburban area where his next door neighbor is in the habit of warming up his car every day for 20 minutes in the driveway that's right between their two houses. Chip isn't sure whether to ...
06.21.2022 #2250: He Broke My Nose! On this episode of the Best of Car Talk more callers with car questions and a story from the Magliozzi family facial-reconstruction files. Ray recalls how his older, wiser brother Tom turned a friendly game of catch in their yard ...
06.18.2022 #2249: Sixty, Sexy and Single Ann from Minnesota needs a new car that helps her maintain her self image as 'sixty, sexy and single' without making her look like she's trying to compete with her daughter. '63 Dodge Darts are few and far between, so ...
06.14.2022 #2248: The Games of Ancient Grease WBUR management used to make us host a party for our listeners about once a year as a way of apologizing for our lousy show. Having had our fill of Sock Hops and other themed events in previous years, we ...
06.11.2022 #2247: Steve's Fowl-Smelling Caravan Steve from Virginia couldn't locate the turkey that he was sure he had just picked up at the grocery store the other day, so he went out and got another. About one week later, the guys at his local repair ...
06.07.2022 #2246: Have Another Starter! Susan from Virginia took her trusty Dodge Omni on a long trip recently and encountered starting problems after stopping every few hours. A local mechanic at her destination talked her into replacing the starter but the problem persisted on her ...

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