The Best of Car Talk

NPR

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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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475 episodes

#2609: Rum Runner Jim

Jim is a rum distributor in Florida who’s having trouble with his boat engine. Probably needs to squeeze a few more horsepower out of it in order to evade the Coast Guard! Click and Clack the bootleggers try to help on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

37m
Jan 31
#2608: Where Engines Never Warm Up

A lot of cars don’t like operating in the cold of a normal winter and Matt and his Delorean are having a tough go of it… at the South Pole. ‘Penguin in the tailpipe?’ Perhaps. Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

37m
Jan 27
#2607: House Call

David lives practically around the corner from The Good News Garage and he’s found a mechanic who not only has customers bring their cars to his house, but he makes them dinner, too! The customer service gauntlet has been officially thrown down on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

36m
Jan 24
#2606: A Blended Car Family

Nan just married her new guy and moved into his house but her car isn’t welcome. Hubby has an Audi and ‘his baby’ -a Triumph TR6 taking up both spaces in the two-car garage and he thinks that Nan should keep her’s in the driveway. Will Click and Clack suggest hubby join his cars in the garage, too? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

34m
Jan 20
#2605: The Family That Parks Together

Al and his brother are about to come to blows… over parking. He wants to know if it’s possible to navigate into a parking space that you can’t back out of, and Click and Clack want to use this opportunity to settle an old score on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

36m
Jan 17
#2604: The Whoop Tube

Lee’s Lincoln Town Car feels like it wants to brake on it’s own when cruising down the highway. His mechanic decided that it’s a problem with the “Whoop Tube”. Click and Clack and the rest of us hoping to find out what the heck a “Whoop Tube” is on this very episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

36m
Jan 13
#2603: Back to Nature

Holy ‘Mutual of Omaha’, Marlin Perkins! Spiders and Cats and cell phone calls from the top of a California Redwood on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

32m
Jan 10
#2602: Lincoln Logs or a Lincoln Continental?

Charlotte and her husband have woven a tangled web, indeed. They just adopted four kids between 10 and 6 years old and the little darlings are getting into everything! Charlotte wonders if they should buy a junk car for her little mechanics to while away their young days taking it apart in the driveway. Click and Clack relive their youth on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

37m
Jan 06
#2601: Customer to Dealer Incentive

Leslie’s family was about to upgrade in more ways than one. They were on the prowl for a minivan when Leslie, 9 months pregnant, had a sudden, urgent need to make a very memorable impression on everyone at the local Chrysler dealership parking lot. Was the birth of their daughter sufficient downpayment on a new ride or did she have to make her case to the service manager, too? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

33m
Jan 03
#25104: Dang Skippy

A merry melange of motor maladies on this end of the year episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

38m
Dec 30, 2025
#25103: Bryology Anyone?

Typically when arbiting marital car disputes, it helps to know what each spouse does for a living. Lawyers, for instance, are always right because lawyers can sue radio hosts. Physicists and other scientists are usually wrong because they’re know-it-alls. And then there are Bryologists -whatever they do. Click and Clack are just as clueless as the rest of us, so let’s all find out together on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

34m
Dec 27, 2025
"What a Sled!" A Holiday Car Talk Bonus

Happy Holidays from the Best of Car Talk! We had our eye on a really ugly holiday sweater for you, but they didn’t have your size. Instead, we thought you might like to take a break from all the holiday hustle and bustle and revel in the merry misery of someone else’s car trouble. Ray has been taking car questions of late and Kyle and Chloe were lucky enough to catch him in the studio. These calls are usually for NPR+ supporters only, but in a very uncharacteristic moment of magnanimity, we decided to spread the schadenfreude around and let everyone listen in. If you have a car question for Ray, call 888 522 5478, and have a wonderful holiday season.Get access to occasional new calls like these and other prehistoric Car Talk gems, as well as about 1000 episodes of Car Talk, by heading over to plus.npr.org Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

12m
Dec 25, 2025
#25102: Happy Camper

Katie is a hiker and camper but she called the least ‘outdoorsy’ guys possible to find out if it’s safe to pour her old camp stove fuel into her car’s gas tank. Click and Clack the Wilderness Brothers ‘break camp’(and a few other things) on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

36m
Dec 23, 2025
#25101: Diana's Dodge Biohazard

Diana’s dyin’ to ditch her Dodge unless our dummies can decode her dilemma: a smell so bad that it almost defies description. Hold your nose and open your ears for this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

36m
Dec 20, 2025
#25100: Parts and Labor

Eric has a modest proposal: Shouldn’t the cost of the $4 part that his mechanic is replacing on his car also bear some resemblance to the cost of the labor to do the job? Afraid not, piston puss! How would mechanics ever pay for their boats if that were the case? Click and Clack expound upon various schemes- uh, theories!.. on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

39m
Dec 16, 2025
#2599: The Lincoln Lawyer

Bruce’s son is a lawyer in Orlando, Florida who, like most of the other lawyers in the area,  drives a Lincoln Town Car. Except this one is not really helping his image. Instead of looking stylish and high class, paint is falling off in sheets leaving Bruce wondering whether repainting it would even work. Grab a brush or a can of spray paint and check out this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

37m
Dec 13, 2025
#2598: The Not-So-Itsy-Bitsy Spider

Gina was tooling along a local country road when an humongous spider descended in front of her eyes and into her lap. She doesn’t have any questions about removing stains from upholstery but there is the matter of the hedges and lawn furniture she wiped out as she careened down the embankment towards the waterfront. Brace for impact and check out this episode of The Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

35m
Dec 09, 2025
#2597: We're Part of the Solution

Ivan was enduring an attempt to upsell him on a special oil treatment when he heard this doozy from the mechanic-turned-salesman: “We’re not the problem. We’re part of the solution.” We agree, if the solution he’s referring to is a sleazy soup of grease and jargon. Click and Clack wade through this and other messes on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

38m
Dec 06, 2025
#2596: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Karen from Virginia has two problems: Her Ford Taurus wagon shakes something awful from time to time. The second problem is her physicist husband’s theories about the source of the shimmy. We ain’t Fakin’, Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ on in this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

41m
Dec 02, 2025
#2595: The Big Hair Problem

Jessica and her mom both drive their VW but every time Jessica goes to start it she gets a shock. Is this some kind of anti-Fahrgvergnugen that only Jessica has to endure, or is their another possible answer? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

32m
Nov 29, 2025
#2594: Having Fun with a US Census Agent

Paula from Virginia mostly wanted help with her Toyota Camry but, as a US Census agent she couldn’t resist wagging her finger to remind all of us to cooperate with the upcoming census collection. Fun ensues on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

38m
Nov 25, 2025
#2593: Driving Blind

Lori’s man is acquiring old vehicles at an alarming rate. He loves working on them but, since he’s blind, he can’t drive them. Should Lori be putting the brakes on this hobby or practice kickstarting the Harley instead? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

37m
Nov 22, 2025
#2592: How to Divorce Your Car

Ellen from Boston has had enough and wants to divorce her Honda. It's been in 3 accidents, vandalized repeatedly and been hit by a falling tree. Will Click and Clack agree that this union was simply not meant to be, or will they suggest some expensive counseling sessions at the Good News Garage first? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

36m
Nov 18, 2025
#2591: Customer Fleecing Systems

Who doesn’t like a good flush? Certainly not us. Unless it’s our $ being flushed into some unscrupulous car dealer’s pockets via some newfangled Rube Goldberg device. Ann from Colorado thinks she might be a victim and wants Click and Clack to assuage her fears on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

33m
Nov 15, 2025
#2590: Automotive Family Planning

Our ‘Family Planning Division’ has been busy! a few weeks ago it was Anne from Georgia playing ambulance driver with her post-vasectomy-reversal hubby moaning in the back seat. This time, Kara is pregnant with twins as a result of a botched vasectomy. Urology is a tougher racket than we thought. Boy have we got questions on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

34m
Nov 12, 2025
#2589: Help Me Rhonda

Rhonda’s minivan needs help, Mike’s Subaru shuns Sundays and Gwen’s van has literally gone to the dogs on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

33m
Nov 08, 2025
#2588: A Family Affair

Terri has a teenage son and he’s wearing her resistance down at the same time that he’s saving up for a muscle car. Rather than take the easy route, Click and Clack invite Tom’s son Alex to provide the teenage boy perspective. That and other big mistakes on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

37m
Nov 04, 2025
#2587: Daniel's (Got) Back

Show favorite Daniel Pinkwater returns to detail his latest automotive claim to fame as the ‘uber-butt’ by which all other posteriors and car seats are measured on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

35m
Nov 01, 2025
#2586: A Truck?!

Shakespeare famously tried to woo a maiden by comparing her to a summer’s day. Tommy - No Bill Shakespeare he- tries comparing his wife to a truck. Will he be sleeping on the couch or in the garage this time? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.  Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

35m
Oct 28, 2025
#2585: Reversal of Fortune

Anne’s husband was under heavy sedation following a very delicate medical procedure and lying on a mattress placed in the back of their minivan for a seven hour drive home. In order to spare him the pain, Anne floored it the entire way and now hubby and the van don’t sound so good. Did she wreck the car? Did hubby survive? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

35m
Oct 25, 2025