The cartalk.com TIME KILL WEEKLY Special 1.7 Million Defects Edition ______________________________________________ Killing Time, Unencumbered by the Work Process ______________________________________________ Maury Maille, Editor
What's new at Car Talk Plaza? Actual important car news, that's what. In the past few days, there have been three major recalls, involving a whopping 1.7 million vehicles. If you or someone you care about owns a Nissan Frontier, Xterra, Chrysler PT Cruiser or a Mercedes CL or S Class... then forward them this note, and send them scurrying to http://www.cartalk.com for the details of the safety recalls. Then again, if there's a despised boss or pesky in-law with one of these cars, one could understand if forwarding this message just slipped your mind. After all, what's the big deal about a little engine fire, sudden engine shut down or melting fuses? C'est la vie, right? Seriously... this is important news, and we hope you'll share it with anyone who might be affected. As you probably know, we can't afford to lose any more listeners. In other news, NHTSA has just released their first-ever rollover ratings that involve actual, real-world driving scenarios. See how your car fared, and check out the winner and losers at http://www.cartalk.com Rollovers happen in only three percent of all accidents-- but they're terribly dangerous, resulting in a third of all fatalities. Here in Our Fair City, summer is finally here. Our office canines are moving more slowly, the AC is cranking, and Tom and Ray have made the switch to iced cappuccino. Is your jalopy ready for the heat? Their ever-popular summer driving tips will make certain your car can handle the inevitable 90 degree traffic jam without blowing its top. Drop by anytime, at http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/Summer-Driving-Tips/ Yours in a summer free of scalding coolant, Maury Maille Chief Safety Officer Car Talk Plaza P.S. Here's this week's Lame Joke of the Week, courtesy of Gerri McGowan: A hip young man goes out and buys the best car available: A brand new Ferrari GTO. It is also the most expensive car in the world, and it costs him $500,000. He takes it out for a spin and stops at a red light. An old man on a moped, looking about 100 years old, pulls up next to him. The old man looks over at the sleek, shiny car and asks, "What kind of car ya' got there, sonny?" The young man replies, "A Ferrari GTO. It cost half a million dollars!" "That's a lot of money," says the old man. "Why does it cost so much?" "Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!" states the young dude proudly. The moped driver asks, "Mind if I take a look inside?" "No problem," replies the owner. So the old man pokes his head in the window and looks around. Then, sitting back on his moped, the old man says, "That's a pretty nice car, all right... but I'll stick with my moped!" Just then the light changes, so the guy decides to show the old man just what his car can do. He floors it, and within 30 seconds, the speedometer reads 160 mph! Suddenly, he notices a dot in his rear view mirror. It seems to be getting closer! He slows down to see what it could be, and suddenly... Whoooooosssshhhhh! Something whips by him, going much faster! "What on Earth could be going faster than my Ferrari?" the young man asks himself. He floors the accelerator and takes the Ferrari up to 250 mph. Then, up ahead of him, he sees that it's the old man on the moped! Amazed that the moped could pass his Ferrari, he gives it more gas and passes the moped at 275 mph. Whoooooosssshhhhh! He's feeling pretty good until he looks in his mirror and sees the old man gaining on him again! Astounded by the speed of this old guy, he floors the gas pedal and takes the Ferrari all the way up to 320 mph. Not ten seconds later, he sees the moped bearing down on him again! The Ferrari is flat out, and there's nothing he can do! Suddenly, the moped plows into the back of his Ferrari, demolishing the rear end. The young man stops and jumps out, and unbelievably, the old man is still alive. He runs up to the mangled old man and says, "Oh my God! Is there anything I can do for you?" The old man whispers with his dying breath... "Unhook...my...suspenders... from...your...side view mirror." ******************* Doing some car research? Via our lousy, little homepage you can... *Check important safety recalls *See what your car is worth right now *Check rebates and incentives on new cars *Search your town for new or used cars for sale *Place an ad to sell your car that'll actually be seen by people in your area *Research and compare new vehicles *Get the latest car news *Kill time until 5:00 pm rolls around and you can pack it in. *It's all at http://www.cartalk.com ******************** Got more time to kill? This past weekend's new, lousy Car Talk show is now on the web site, at http://www.cartalk.com/Radio/Show/ ******************** Miss the puzzler? Losing sleep over it? Add your e-mail to our Car Talk Puzzler Psychic Friends Network and we'll personally hand deliver Ray's new puzzler to your inbox every Monday. http://www.cartalk.com/ct/maillist.jsp?puzzler_list=subscribe#psychic ******************* Embarrassed by having e-mails from Car Talk in your inbox? Can't say that we blame you. Unsubscribe any time, via http://www.cartalk.com/ct/maillist.jsp?mailing_list
