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“Go away,” Kris tells me every Saturday morning. “This is my time.” She turns on the radio in the kitchen, busies herself with some kitchen-y task (baking, canning, crosswords), and she spends the next couple hours listening to her favorite National Public Radio shows: Car Talk and Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.
I’m happy to leave. Ray and Tom, the Car Talk guys, drive me crazy. They’re like a couple of loud geese with Boston accents. Even I have to admit, however, they can be pretty funny, and they dish out good advice.
Car Talk isn’t just a radio program — the show actually has an excellent web site, too. Any time a GRS discussion turns to automotive repair, readers are sure to recommend the Mechanic Files, Car Talk’s “ultimate guide to finding a great mechanic”, where users can leave reviews of their favorite (or not-so-favorite) mechanics, or search for a place to take their vehicles.
The site also has tons of other great information, including:
- The auto advisor, which helps you decide which model might be right for you
- Secret tricks of car salesmen
- The Car Talk model survey lets you see what others think of your 2000 Ford Focus, for example
- The Car Talk do-it-yourself guide
- Car Talk’s guide to better fuel economy
- Click & Clack’s tips for selling your car
I love tools that let you enter desired qualities and then automagically provide a recommendation in return. Here are my results from the Car Talk auto advisor, which attempts to match cars to users:
Will you look at that? The Mini Cooper tops the list. I am not making this up. I didn’t do anything to steer the tool other than enter what I wanted in a car: good gas mileage, high reliability, excellent safety, etc.
I’m sad that Kris casts me out of the kitchen every Saturday morning, but since she’s spending her time listening to Car Talk, I guess I can forgive her.
This article is about Cars Saturday, 11th October 2008 (by J.D. Roth)
October 11th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Hey! Thanks for reminding me! Click & Clack are on right now!!!
My favorite radio program….
But…umh…i didn’t think the minicooper was highly rated for its reliability…. On the other hand, BMW has a smokin’ warranty. One friend who had one told me as soon as the warranty ran out she was getting rid of the vehicle, which spent a lot of time at the shop.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:31 am
J.D.,
I guess it is time to have your own show every Saturday morning.
Cheers,
A Dawn
http://www.adawnjournal.com
October 11th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I totally agree with A.Dawn. I also think that you have to host a morning show. Just few adjustments here and there and it perfectly suits you.
October 11th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I have a 2005 Mini Cooper convertible that I’ve had for 3 years and have loved every minute of it. I average around 32 MPG. I don’t really drive on any highways, so I experience a lot of stop-and-go driving, MPG would be even better otherwise. It’s only in the shop for scheduled maintenance, haven’t encountered any issues with it. I recommend it. The convertibles are great.
October 11th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Hmm… I bought a BMW 323 convertible last year. It was a tossup between a Mustang or BMW ragtop, but I kept seeing “2002 Mustang, 98K miles - new engine” or “1998 Mustang convertible 20K on new motor”.. Then I checked Craiglist for BMWs, and these were more typical “2001 BMW 3 series. 250K miles and doesn’t use a drop of oil”.
I bought mine with 98K miles on it, I now have 110K miles. I did a round trip to New Orleans from California. There are 75 MPH areas in Texas and we took a lot of mountain roads as well. Six Thousand miles and the dipstick didn’t even drop. 26 MPG overall.
I’ve never considered owning a BMW, as I always thought they were ‘yuppie’ cars. This car is extremely reliable, good on gas,and has a ton of pep. On the negative side… Well, it has warning lights, warning beeps, warning buzzers. And it also has some peculiar Germanic construction oddities, such as the ‘guibo’, a rubber u-joint, which is a paint to install.
Anyway.. Click and Clack… I’d like to have a pizza and beer with those two.
jegan
October 11th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Oh wow, that’s kind of neat! Thanks for posting this I’ve been getting that “oh my god I want a car” feeling for awhile (bad financial planner, bad!) and this looks like it would make it easy to find models to start researching!
October 11th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Heh…I guess I could see why you find them annoying, but personally, I find that their nonstop laughter picks me up. Besides, they’ve given the best advice I’ve heard on finding a trustworthy auto mechanic…you have to find one who will say no to the question: “Do you own a boat, or are you planning to buy one?”
October 11th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Is this one of those paid articles… cause i don’t see any close relation between car talk and get rich slowly… made me feel very bad. sorry mate.
October 11th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I just wanted to point out that Car Talk also has a great podcast. It’s basically just a recording of an hour of their weekly show (not sure how long the actual show is). that’s how I listen to Car Talk.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I love the Car Talk guys… especially the one that seems to just randomly snort at odd intervals of time.
And I think you subconsciously answered so the Mini Cooper would pop up
October 11th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
They were just on some PBS show (NOVA?) about alternative-energy cars of the future.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
@IT Freak
Get Rich Slowly has never done paid articles, and is unlikely ever to do so.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Anca… Then I guess in the year 2050, we’ll be listening to click And Clack, the Hydrogen Brothers.
jegan
October 12th, 2008 at 6:43 am
The part of their site that I’ve used multiple times are their mechanic files. I’ve found two great mechanics with this.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/
October 12th, 2008 at 10:51 am
We love love love our MINI Cooper S (it’s a ‘96). We just got a supercharger reduction pulley put on it and an air intake (actually Mr Chiots did). Fun little cars. (he did get rid of his motorcycle for a MINI). We’re hoping to be driving it for years and years to come.
On a positive note, the insurance for MINI’s is dirt cheap (cheaper than our 10 year old ford contour sedan). It’s also a super safe little car.
We’re also saving up to purchase a classic MINI. Can’t wait till that fund is full and we’re really in the market for one.
October 12th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
i wanted a mini, but the car advisor is rigged and put me into a honda or jetta.
October 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Tim… Seeing as this is a ‘Click and Clack’ article, you’ll be happy to know that I **heard** them tell a guy to buy the Mini if that’s what he really wanted. Their thinking was; sure it might be higher maintenance, but sometimes you just have to buy the car you want to own and drive! Aside from that, every person I know that has one loves it.. They also say that it is remarkably roomy… Which was my reaction the first time I drove the original Mini in England ..Ohhhh about 35 years ago. The original looked like one of those clown cars, where you’d expect to see about 30 clowns come out of. It was smaller than the new BMW Mini … But we could still fit 5 in it..
jegan
October 12th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
@JEGAN: well, we could fit 6 people in a vw rabbit with ski gear, too, when i was in high school (crazy kids). i’m not getting a mini. it’s a nice car, but we have been living so long with only one car, i’m not sure how we would live with two cars. i guess, i will have to continue driving around our 2004 bmw 325i and just know that i should be driving a honda or vw according to the rigged car advisor. the mini will have to remain out of reach.
October 12th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Tim.. No way would I give up my 323ci for a Honda or VW… Wouldn’t happen.. jegan
October 12th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
…beginning of second paragraph. beginning of last paragraph.
October 12th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Ha! I guess my emotions are mixed, Katie.
October 13th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Another vote for the MINI Cooper!! I bought my 2004 used last year, and I love it!