Kyla will be looking for a new ride soon and she has her sights set on an odd class of vehicle that includes the Geo Tracker and the Suzuki Sidekick, which were supposed to look like off-road vehicles. Well, they got the 'off-road' part sort of right: they never should have been allowed on roads of any kind. But it will take some careful persuasion to talk Kyla out of this potential purchase. That, a new puzzler and more calls on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

Every car repair shop has that old, grizzled mechanic who's willing to be strapped to the hood of a moving car in order to listen for a noise, or to hold two wires together with his bare hands in order to check for high voltage current. At Car Talk, that mechanic was Krusty. Krusty could not only tell you -with a taste off his fingertip- whether that oil stain was 30 or 40-weight , but he could do it while wafting tailpipe smoke into his mouth as a way of double checking the shop's exhaust gas analyzer. The legend that was Krusty was a feature of the puzzler for decades and here is one of his early mentions.

'Sonja Henie's Tutu'? A 'Full Chicago'? For the uninitiated, Tom and Ray take a moment to provide an insider's guide to a few of Car Talk's shorthand phrases while still finding time to 'help' Toni and others with their car problems. Also, the first mention of perennial puzzler foil 'Krusty' the mechanic as part of the new puzzler on this episode of The Best of Car Talk.

Being the owner of a French car can be, well... challenging. Poor Karen. Her Renault Encore has been in the shop regularly for major work and her most recent problem sounds like a doozie. The car is making a bunch of noises(in French!) that have her worried. Comment dit-on "paiement du bateau" en français? Check it out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

After taking delivery of his recently purchased BMW, author and friend of the show Daniel Pinkwater struggles to interpret a few clues: Strobing dashboard lights, an overflowing ashtray, a pile of corn chips and the curious behavior of the dog. From Car Talk's 'Pinkwater Files' comes, "The Tale of the Three Mikes." Can Tom and Ray make like Holmes and Watson and solve this puzzler(and a few others)? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

Deb's 12 year old Volvo has served her well but it's starting to show it's age. She's ok with driving a 'beater', but an oil leak in the area of her hot exhaust pipes has her pretty concerned. Is she going to go out in a 'blaze of glory' while bopping down the highway? The brothers attempt to calm her fears and have a little fun in the process. All this and the story of the 'Princess of Unidilla, New York' on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

The Puzzler usually goes off the rails when the brothers' grasp of the concept is 'imperfect', shall we say. This time it's the demonstration of the concept that almost gets them in trouble. Good thing they have 'faces made for radio' or the FCC would be all over them. That, and more, on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

Today the boys try to help Erin from Maryland with her Honda's oddly-timed noise and then they say hello to one of the show's all-time favorite callers: Lyle from Alabama, who's suffering from a stuck dipstick. Imagine the possibilities. All this and a new puzzler on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

Sheila's husband is running for President of the United States and the two of them are about to embark on a barnstorming tour of the US in Sheila's Chevy Chevette. So, yeah, we're guessing this has got to be a longshot campaign. Sheila says that her mechanic recently fixed something in the car's electrical system with his wife's earring and some epoxy and now Sheila and her Presidential hopeful husband want to know if they should reconsider at least the Chevette's candidacy? Check it out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

"Ford or Chevy?", "Standard or Auto-magic?", "Two-door or Four-door?", "Hard-top or convertible?", "Does She or Doesn't She?". Add to this list of great automotive choices Jerry and his girlfriend Mari's, "To wash or not to wash?" Is it really necessary in the middle of a New York winter to wash your car when it will be just as dirty within a few days? As luck would have it, the brothers disagree with both choices. Check it out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.