Customer Reviews

Car Talk

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Great stories of the guys vs gals and a wonderful throw in on a college students response to a candidate college! My only complaint would be that the tape was too short only about an hour of entertainment, but a great hour!!!And if you need a good mechanic in Boston this tape has the perfect guy for you - really!!

I wish I had this book ten years ago. The best $10 you can spend on your car. You should have this book if you have a new car, if you only drive your parents' car, if you have never owned a car and are about to buy one, or like me, if your car has been trouble-free and is now starting to act up. It's useful, it makes complete sense, and is very funny too. I plowed through it in about two hours. And if you think you don't know anything about cars, wait until you read what some other people have done...

I guess you either love these guys or you hate them. My wife finds them incredibly annoying when she hears them on the radio.

Myself, I love them. Their accents are not off-putting to me, and I love how they laugh together.

What I've learned over time, though, is that the 'straight' answers they provide are actually pretty authoritative. They actually know what they're talking about, based not only on their extensive formal education but also based on their hands-on work with many, many cars.

This book distills this expertise into important, relevant items you need to know. Buy it and keep it in the car - you'll be glad!

Click and Clack diagnosed my intermittant start-up problem in about 2 minutes, via this book.

As a result, I could talk to my mechanic more intelligently, and I knew what I was in for before I called the shop. I don't fix cars myself, but this book enabled me to be in charge of the process.

You get a great diagnostic tool, and some cheesy (but still funny) humor, all for under $15. Not a bad deal.

Printed in 1991 by Tom & Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk, this book cost me $10 but is worth a great deal more. The book's material is organized by section. From the table of contents- Introduction, The Big Picture, Shimmies and Shakes, Brakes, Cool It!, Inside The Engine, Electricity-The Final Frontier, Fuel Systems, The Click And Clack Comfort/Luxury/Convenience Trade-Off Matrix, Making It Last, Index. It is just over 212 pages long, counting the table of contents and preliminary pages. The very first thing the brothers chose to say in the book was this- "Aren't cars a pain in the butt?" And I know I'm a long way from the only person who agreed with them wholeheartedly. Cars really are a pain. But we as a species love them and will most likely never give them up. The horse and cart was replaced because the car was faster, didn't get scared or sick, when it did get 'sick' fluids could be changed and parts replaced. But what could ever replace the car? Nothing, so far as I can tell. The Magliozzi brothers love cars just as Patton loved the Army and Roger Ebert loves the movies. If you want to learn about something, it is always best to learn about it from someone who loves it. And if you want to learn about cars, look no further. Seek wisdom in the words of the almighty Click and Clack. This book proves something else, in my mind- the greatest of teachers, in any field, are not afraid to use humor as they work. They make you laugh, genuinely care about getting to know you, and always, always, teach you what they were supposed to. Often, they teach you more than just the material. "Car Talk" contains in each chapter passages of material written solely by the brothers. The textbook material, so to speak, and it's all very useful. Far from boring. Then you will find sets of conversations from calls to the show, relevant to that particular chapter. Click and Clack have a wonderful way of handling calls- they joke around and laugh so much, it's amazing that they always manage to help the caller in any way that they can. All the joking aside, the advice they give is always sound. Click and Clack know what they are talking about. They often offer suggestions or ask things completely irrelevant to the matter at hand, or ones that are. In one case, the owner of no less than two Renault Le Car's called in, and the brothers helpfully suggested he instead call it "Le Heap". In another case, definitely my favorite, the owner of a Chrysler K car calls in. Her first words are, literally, "My car's on fire." Turns out it was just overheating, thankfully. But during the call, when the woman had left the phone to take a closer look at the 'smoke' coming from under the Chrysler's hood, Click and Clack asked one another, "Why did she call us and not the fire department, anyway?" -"The fire department doesn't fix cars." Ain't that the truth. The fire department would probably call Car Talk if one of their engines broke down, anyway. One thing that should be noted about this book is its age. It was printed in 1991, when cars like the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser and Chevrolet Caprice were still being made. The calls and their subject matter discussed are rather aged, as well. But that is not really a bad thing. Much of the book's contents are as relevant today as they were in 1991, and what is out of date is useful as it gives a valuable insight into what cars were around then, and what kind of problems they had, most of which were the same ailments today's cars suffer from. Tom and Ray Magliozzi, just like Patton and Ebert in their respective fields, are more than just two funny guys who were set loose on America's radios back in 1977. They are a priceless gift to the automotive world, America, and radio. And just like Patton and Ebert, I expect they are literally irreplaceable. Someone may come along with similar talent in auto repair and humor, but no one could ever take the place of the Tappet Brothers. Their record- and this superb book- have a record that speaks for itself.

Every day, I will not go to my car until I read my Car Talk calender

Recieved the item in the time provided and it was in good condition and exactly what I expected.

This item arrived promptly, and was in great shape. I would definitely order from this supplier again.

As much as I adore Click & Clack on the radio (I listen to them weekly on NPR), I can't believe how very boring this calendar is. A total waste of money and a bummer of a Christmas gift!

This book could be half as long as it is if all the failed attempts at being funny were removed. The authors seem more concerned with trying to amuse their readers than with providing them with helpful information. While some good information exists within the book, it's buried among lame attempts at humor. I found myself being annoyed over and over again by these unfunny intrusions.

If you're looking for a lot of helpful, well-organized information on car care, I'd look elsewhere (e.g., "Lucille's Car Care", by Lucille Treganowan, which I highly recommend). And to the authors I'd say, "Either be stand up comics or authors of helpful car books, but don't try to be both!" (because you're failing miserably at it!)