Nooo! One of the Car Talk guys passed!

[MBAustin]

My favorite was when they did couples counseling.

+1

Even the "reruns" they are running now are hilarious. But it does sound weird for them to be talking about cars from the 1980s sometimes.

 

[TromboneAl]

I don't get it. Just two years ago they were still producing the show, and now Tom has died from complications of Alzheimer's? Did he already have it back then, or did it progressed very quickly in just two years?

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[aja8888]

Hope I don't get flamed to much, but not a fan. If you liked comedy, then yes, it was very entertaining. But if you really needed to fix your vehicle, then I felt they came up lame compared to internet advice you can get.

They were the "Dave Ramsey" of car repair...basic stuff.

 

[MBAustin]

Al - my husband and I noticed several years ago that Ray was doing the vast majority of the talking. We heard or read somewhere a year or so before they went to reruns that Tom had Alzheimer's. Very sad.


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[samclem]

They were the "Dave Ramsey" of car repair...basic stuff.

Well, they seemed pretty darn good at knowing the foibles of various car types ("Oh, you've got the 2010 model with the manual transmission. The clutches on those sometimes get a little glitch in their travel . . . "). I'm sure they had help from a research staff, but still.
I don't think anyone would tune into a radio program hoping to hear the exact answer to a particular problem with a particular car brand. It was ostensibly about cars, in general, but really it was clearly about people. Cars were just the "vehicle", something most of us have and some of us enjoy, and which provide a handy excuse to have a fun conversation.

 

[aja8888]

Well, they seemed pretty darn good at knowing the foibles of various car types ("Oh, you've got the 2010 model with the manual transmission. The clutches on those sometimes get a little glitch in their travel . . . "). I'm sure they had help from a research staff, but still.
I don't think anyone would tune into a radio program hoping to hear the exact answer to a particular problem with a particular car brand. It was ostensibly about cars, in general, but really it was clearly about people. Cars were just the "vehicle", something most of us have and some of us enjoy, and which provide a handy excuse to have a fun conversation.

I have to agree, the show was mostly entertainment. That's why you never heard any certified mechanics calling in and asking about a real technical problem they were stumped with. Most callers were screened, I am sure, and were asking about their real issues that could be answered with a simple answer.

 

[Brat]

My favorite was when they did couples counseling.

Did you read Tom's obit? Wife one, wife two and long time companion...