Listener Guest Book: Tom Magliozzi

Ha! I remember the episode when you and Tom were talking about the old VW bus and how unsafe it was, like a bug on a windshield except from the inside. I laughed so hard, because I know you were talking about my 1969 spray painted blue VW panel van. Ah the memories in that thing. Ah the years and years of memories of Car Talk, my and my wife's constant Saturday companion. We would stop what we were doing (and I mean ANYTHING we were doing) to listen to youz guyz. Thank you Tom and Ray! A life well lived and well served is a good life indeed. If all were so fortunate. Truly sad that he is gone but even more thankful that he was here! We are all better for it. THANK YOU TOM!!!!!!

Our sincerest condolences Ray. Our prayers got out to you and your family. You and Tom's humor enabled many mundane commutes to turn into fun adventures. I cannot tell you how many times we would reach a destination and sit in the car and continue to listen. I have officially indoctrinated the kids and we are going to be sad listening and knowing that a joyful person is no longer with you.

Ray I am incredibly saddened for your loss. I want to thank you both for sharing yourselves with the world. I have listened to the show for my entire life. I've learned more than I probably am aware about cars, life and laughing at myself from listening since I was young, it's a family tradition I've already started to pass down to my kids.

Ray - Sorry to hear of Tom's passing. With you, Tom has provided us an hour per week of thoughts, insights and laughter which allowed us to escape the World's chaos and turmoil. We will surely miss him, and his passing will leave a hole in our lives. All the best to your family.

My fiancé introduced me to the radio show several years ago. I loved listening to Ray and Tom on our weekend road trips, and the jokes from the two made me laugh constantly, along with the stories we heard. Tom, you will be missed, though I'm sure you're enjoying the cars that have passes before you, just don't drive like your brother while you're up there. You'll be missed.

Ray, my sincere condolences to you and your family. Oh, how your dear brother will be missed by all that loved him! I am often trying to remind myself that love is stronger than sorrow and it is obvious to all that listened to your show how much love was present in your relationship. I want you to know that I know absolutely nothing about cars and I tuned into your show just to hear your brotherly antics and humorous banter. Thank you for brightening my Saturday mornings. I just know that Tom is now keeping watch over you and offering his joyful spirit eternally up above!

to Ray, and to all Tom's family and those who loved him, my very deepest sympathies. I have been a long time listener and fan, and my heart today is broken.

I didn't realize signing this guestbook was going to have math involved!I was actually born the year NPR picked Car Talk up, and I think I started listening that afternoon. Now I listen every Sunday as it appears magically on my podcasts. After 27 years of listening I think I know less about cars than the day I began, but I had a lot of laughs and smiles along the way. To his family and friends I am sorry for your loss and until I have heard every call for the 300th time I will continue to defer my selection on Saturday mornings to my chief program advisor Cara Sterio.

I have been listening to the two of you for 20 years. Saturday is defined by Car Talk. I have learned a lot from Tom over the years, and his great humor will be missed.

Listening on Saturday morning to Tom and Ray was one of the highlights of my week for the last decade and more. True, these two boisterous, over-educated and extremely sharp-witted personalities did laugh at their own jokes, but the jokes were always funny. More important, Tom and Ray held a weekly party open to everyone and they showed how a sardonic wit can combine with hard reality in a very humanistic way. They showed how to confront the world and live in it without allowing it to defeat one. Two great guys that will be enjoyed and remembered for a long time.

My sincere condolences for your loss. You gentlemen have been a part of our lives for over 20 years and we have enjoyed every moment we spent listening to you. Ray, you and your entire family will be in our prayers.

I'm in total shock. He was hilarious and his laughter was contagious. So glad we have the Cartalk archives where we can still hear him.

We're a lucky bunch to have heard you and Ray liven up our weekends and through the advent of podcasts, get us through the week. Rest easy.

Thank you for the laughter and some of the best family time we have ever had. Nothing can extinguish that laugh. It lives in the memories of millions. My condolences to the Magliozzi family.

What a loss. Tom's gift of making us laugh and turning a "car problem" into an opportunity to share humor was unique and precious. May his memory always bring his family a smile.

I can't believe it. I am so sad for you and for all of us. Thank you, Tom and Ray, for all the wonderful years of fun, advice, and musings. It feels like a good friend is gone. We'll miss you, Tommy. Love, Marianne

It is with great shock and sadness that I hear the news of Toms passing.As a gear head myself, I can't describe the fun I've had listening to Car Talk over these many years. My heart goes out to the Magliozzi family. Words truly fail. An era is over...

I owe so many laughs to Ray and Tom. So many long trips made better with them along. When I drove from GA to NJ, I would often hear the same show 2-3 times as I wandered into different air space, and I'd laugh at the same comments again and again.

Growing up, I loved listening to Car Talk with my dad, and continue to love listening to it with my boyfriend. Probably not surprisingly, we always listened to it in the car. It is truly a show of going places. My condolences to the Magliozzi and NPR families - Tom will be missed. Thanks for the time that we got to have with him.

I will be sad for a while because the world is now less funny and fun. Then I will listen to one of the old shows. laugh and get over myself... My condolences to all.

What great memories Tom has left for all of us friends and family. My thoughts are with you today and forever. You guys always asked where we were calling from. I'm "calling" from Rice Lake WI. Say what? Where is that? About 100 miles northeast of Minneapolis, MN. Sorry, Tom, I don't know your friend Les Block.

Ray: I've wasted many a perfectly good hour listening to Car Talk, and will continue to do so through the rebroadcasts. The two of you made radio special. Thank you for that. Condolences to you and your families.

I know so little about cars, and mechanical apparatus (ii) in general, that I believed everything I ever heard on Car Talk, and still will. i am sorry to hear such a great voice will only be talking to the Angels now, but I am so happy for the times he talked to me. Love to all of you, and Godspeed to Tom-- I am sure he will have His Chariot ready for the trip to collect us all.

Rarely does a celebrity death bring me to tears. This one did. My condolences to his family, friends, and fans.

90% of what I know about cars I learned from these guys and their Saturday morning Car Talk show. I would arrange my weekends around the show and have spent many hours on the Car Talk website. Tom's laugh was infectious and many times I laughed at his jokes until my ears hurt. One of the more memorable times of listening came on a trip with my son, they were talking about" Book Titles that never went to Press". Both my son and I laughed for miles. Tom you will be truly missed and Ray hope keeps your memory alive with the show. RIP Tom and thank you for the Knowledge and Laughter.

My dad introduced me to Car Talk when I was very young, so I've been listening to the two brothers every weekend for nearly 30 years now. You two have enriched my life tremendously. Tom will be deeply missed. Public radio will never be the same. Rest assured I will help carry on Tom's strange obsession with classic cars, and will drive mine as often as possible, assuming I can keep the oil from all spilling out.

Sorry Ray to hear about Tom's passing. We have listened to the show for so many years. We had some time when I was located miles away and the showed allowed to us to be connected even with that distance. What we always liked most about the show was that it was not a show. It was two brothers that everyone would invite into our homes and share a story or two. That's what make the show so special. Prayers to all the family and friends. Tim and Julie, Porterfield, Wisconsin.

Sorry Ray to hear about Tom's passing. We have listened to the show for so many years. We had some time when I was located miles away and the showed allowed to us to be connected even with that distance. What we always liked most about the show was that it was not a show. It was two brothers that everyone would invite into our homes and share a story or two. That's what make the show so special. Prayers to all the family and friends. Tim and Julie, Porterfield, Wisconsin.

Sorry Ray to hear about Tom's passing. We have listened to the show for so many years. We had some time when I was located miles away and the showed allowed to us to be connected even with that distance. What we always liked most about the show was that it was not a show. It was two brothers that everyone would invite into our homes and share a story or two. That's what make the show so special. Prayers to all the family and friends. Tim and Julie, Porterfield, Wisconsin.

Ray, you and your bother made my Saturday morning full of laughs and joy (and still do with reruns). I always scheduled my yard work / house fix ups around your show. Radio by my side at all times, many times stopping what I was doing to make sure I heard you clearly. My wife could not understand why I like the show so much. Because it made me laugh, gave me insight to marriage relationships, and just made my day. Thank you for your time, your wit, and of course your laugh. Know that we, the listeners of NPR, mourn with you and your family.

OH My..... I am so sorry for your loss....I am always in the car listening to MPR when the show is on. I am not a car girl, but I always thought your Brother, you, and your Mom were hilarious... Bless your whole family during this hard time....

It comes with aging that there are fewer friends who can really laugh loud and hard together, enough to cry we're laughing so hard. It is very sad news to read about Tom's passing. It grieved me no end that our local NPR station in Albany dropped Car Talk from two days a week to one. I loved listening to Car Talk on Mondays, my day off, at 1:00 PM. I loved how Tom "laughed his _ _ _ _ off," as you put it, and made you and the rest of us laugh. We'll make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association in memory of Tom. I'll probably cry every time I hear him laugh from now on, but we'll all be laughing together when that time comes when all God's children come together for the Car Talk that knows no end.

Not sure I really believe NPR on this one. Getting my folks to become regular listeners after me, AND learn to really enjoy (and look for in other public radio broadcast areas) Car Talk - and occasionally listen to repeat broadcasts when switching stations between Philadelphia and NYC. Very warm feelings and I even was thinking of the wonderful show - and found some video on the Web - when Martha Stewart was a guest - Fantastic. Best wishes to the Magliozzi family and many, many thank yous to Tom and Ray

I have listened to Car Talk since it went national years ago. Our children grew up to the show being broadcast on Saturday mornings and hearing me laugh at the comments made by the Brothers Magliozzi. I would drive the kids bananas looking for the show when we would be on vacation. I simply refused to miss my weekly fix of laughs and engineering. While I still can do nothing for any of our cars other than put gas in the tank, I have learned a lot about how to keep them running, what to look for, and what to avoid. Tom and Ray did a lot for a lot of folks with their humor and their presence. Tom will be missed by all of us.

I grew up listening to Car Talk, it was always the brightest spot on an otherwise sedate (good but not as funny) Saturday of listening to NPR. Goodbye Tom, thanks for all the laughs. My heart goes out to everyone who got to know you for more deeply than the 3 hours a week allowed to the rest of us.

Dear Ray, very sorry to hear the passing of your brother Tom. You both put a smile on millions of persons face and he will be fondly remembered. He was an educated, entertaining and fun loving person, and that is how we be remembered.

Tom's laughter will echo in many hearts for as long as those hearts beat. He was a blessing, in a very quirky way, and placed so many smiles on so many faces. A fine legacy.

It's the only radio program (maybe Wait...Wait) that makes your face hurt from smiling. The contagious laugh made it impossible to keep a straight face. The clips they ran on Hear and Now today brought it all back even in the sadness of the hour. The world really was a better, happier place because of Tom.

Thank you, for shaping the very way I think. It is from you guys that I learned to be analytic, and not take myself too seriously when doing so. I learned to love the puzzle, especially the ones I get wrong. Thanks. I miss you already.

What a sad week for us in Boston. First the death of our beloved mayor, Tom Menino, and now the death of beloved Tom Magliozzi. I feel I have lost a friend. Thank you, Ray, for all the years you and your brother gave to us radio listeners, and for all the laughter. I used to stop the car sometimes, I was laughing so much. Lucille Newton MA

I am shocked and saddened. All things, even the lives of people we love, must end, but the Tom-and-Ray thing felt like it would go on for ever, and in a more just world, would have, too. Ray, I expect that going on solo would be hard for you, but please think about it anyway. It's my guess that Tom would want there to be a Clack helping and entertaining the fans even without a Click. One Tappet Brother is better than neither.

I've been a fan for decades--since before I could drive. I feel like I lost a beloved uncle--one of those uncles you really like as a kid but learn as an adult that he made all the other older relatives nervous at family gatherings because you never knew what he was going to say. But you knew it was going to be funny. Ray, my best to you and your family. The world is a sadder place today.

RIP Tom. You guys provided many many laughs and even a valuable tip or two along the way. I'll miss you.

I have been listening to you guys for years! I loved how the two of you laughed together and the simple joy that you brought to me. I am a NPR supporter, my dad was not, but car talk was something the two of us were able to share. Much thanks to you and love to your family.

Thank goodness Tom is not really gone for us, thanks to the thousands of hours of recordings. Please don't stop airing them. Tom and Ray, two guys with unbelievable talent and brains, and frankly, American role models. Our condolences to the family, to Ray, to the extended Car Talk family and community...oh, and please, oh please never remove the gold leaf on the window in Harvard Square.

I'll always consider Tom part of my family growing up. Thank you for brightening the world.

Deepest condolences, Ray, to you and all your family on your brother Tom's passing. Loved your show, your column, and your pieces for PBS. Thanks for the knowledge, the laughter, and the advice. May the pain of Tom's passing be swift to fade, while his memory lasts as long as anyone who knew him remembers. Ciao, Tomasso.

So long, Tommy, and thanks for all of the 'bad' car advice. I'm going to miss you. I've been listening to Car Talk since 1987, when I was a senior in high school. I've learned a ton about cars, and car repair, from the Tappet Brothers, mostly without even noticing, because I was too busy laughing.

I loved listening to the two of them... I started when I was in my car but over the years it became a favorite. So sad to learn that Tom is gone. Sympathies to his family

Tom...thanks for all the car advice, the life advice, and all the belly laughs. Sincere condolences to the Magliozzi family.