#1142: Do Cars Have Souls?

Oct 15, 2011
This week on Car Talk, does a car have a soul? That's the auto-philosophical conundrum underpinning the engine transplant Jeff's Isuzu needs. And if a car does have a soul... where does it live, anyway? In the engine, the gas tank... or maybe the fuzzy dice? Meanwhile, Andy's Jeep overheated in the desert, and since he had no water, he used the only fluid he had on him to top off the radiator. Yep, that one. Which leads to his question for our hosts: just what are the corrosive effects of a pint of urine? Elsewhere, Mary's Camry is quacking, Diane's Thunderbird is fish-tailing, and Helena and her husband just picked up a '66 Rambler that's perfect - except for the fact that it can only go in reverse. All this and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

Show Open Topic

Hear what happens when a ferret runs up your leg. On live TV.

This Week's Puzzler

What did the pharmacist know about his customer's car, just from looking out the window at it?

Last Week's Puzzler

How did the curator know the supposedly historic letter was boo-gus?

As Read on Car Talk



4 Comments

Where does the car's soul reside?

In the radio, silly. Any teenager will tell you that both the rhythm and the soul of a car reside in the radio.
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good show

Are "heart" & "soul" the same thing? If your battery is dead, nothing else on or in the car works.
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the whole show.
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Heater core alternative

Jim had a 93 Civic with a leaking heater core. You recommended an alternate heat source, but were unaware of a source. Neither was I until I went to Harbor Freight Tools yesterday, and there at the checkout stand was a "12 Volt Rubberized Heater with Fan" ON SALE for $14.99 (Item #96144). It plugs into the cigarette lighter socket and claims to be able to defrost windshields, so this should tide Jim over until his engine dies as you predicted was imminent.
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Show Review - 1750

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