Dear Tom and Ray:

Why don't starters have a safety feature on them which would prevent them from engaging once the engine is already started? It seems to me that this feature would be fairly easy to implement. I'm convinced that I ruined the starter on my '88 Chevy Beretta by grinding it just one time. Chris

Ray: It is a very good idea, Chris. And we have to credit Volkswagen for their good sense here, because they've had this feature in their cars for years.

Tom: Unfortunately, in order to do this, they had to put all of their engineers on the project, so none were left to figure out how to make the radio go off when you shut off the car.

Ray: But rumor has it they've put both technologies together for 1993, which makes them instant front-runners for a Nobel prize this year. Stay tuned.

Everybody wants a new car. But from a purely financial point of view, there is no question that buying a used car is always cheaper, even in the long run. To learn more, order Tom and Ray's pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1993 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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