The Automotive World Loses Tom Magliozzi of Car Talk

The automotive world has responded to Tom’s death on Twitter.

Many people have their own stories of Car Talk as a radio show.  I’ll share mine.

I was late to the Car Talk game.  I had never heard of it, nor bothered to explore it, even with access to the internet.  My car world was all about Fifth Gear, Top Gear, Motorweek, and F1 racing.  I took my car world seriously.  Anytime I would speak to anyone about cars, I did so in order to learn more.  I am an only child, and no one else shared the car world with me.  I had to create my own.

One day, I bothered to look up automotive podcasts.  Motorweek had one, but under NPR, Car Talk was there.  I subscribed.  As a first time listener, I admitted it was a bit corny and loose, but I found a sense of humor with the automotive world. Not everything was about being the fastest, going the fastest, and having the latest technologies.  It was also about just trying to get to Point B.  Sometimes it was done slowly.  Sometimes the car sputtered to get there.  But the car would get there, and Tom and Ray were always there to laugh about the event.  They were there to laugh about the car.  Sometimes, they were there to laugh about the people.

I learned a lot from them.  I learned about the crazy car stories from other people that called in.  I learned about their crazy car life, how indestructible they felt certain cars were, and how self-deprecating they were about their own knowledge.

They were very smart.  Where else are you going to find car guys that attended MIT?  Tom has a Masters Degree in Business and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and Economics.  Ray graduated from MIT.

Yet, on the show, they were regular guys.  They were down to earth people.  They were the neighbors that were annoyingly loud at night, but you were okay with it.  You knew they were doing something suspicious, but ultimately knew they were good guys.

It’s a crazy world out there.  Sometimes, it’s hard to find people to aspire to. There is something to be said about a couple of guys, who seemingly led a simple life, but had tremendous education, lived a car-guy life, and enjoyed it all the while.

Rest in Peace Tom.  I know you are out there, laughing at a broken down car on the side of the road.