One caller wants a new car to get through his pre-retirement years while another wants to chuck it all except for the car. Could they both have the right idea? Find out on this mid-life crisis edition of the Best of Car Talk.

Ok, perhaps we exaggerate a bit, but Doug from Oklahoma really does have black smoke coming out of his vents which are filled with dead bugs. Find out what’s cookin’ on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

Poor Tommy! It’s tough enough trying to properly diagnose car problems over the phone without suddenly finding yourself sitting at the wrong end of a long limb that your brother is in the process of sawing through. Lookout below on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk

Andy and his girlfriend were driving across the desert when their Jeep began overheating. Having already consumed all of the water they brought with them, they also needed to relieve themselves at the same time. Find out how good their aim was on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk

We've all seen old jalopies wobbling down the road and we've heard their familiar 'death rattles', but Ellen has a mechanic who claims to be able to smell the imminent demise of her old Dodge. Who is this sommelier of soon-to-be clunkers? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk

Paul has just moved next door to 'Our Fair City' of Cambridge, MA and is embarking on a career as a struggling musician(that's redundant- we know). He's got the band together and he even managed to find a cheap van to haul everything from gig to gig. He did, however, forget one little detail before buying the van. Will Paul's band break up before the van does? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk

Dana has a German friend who can't figure out how to get a big piece of history out of the trunk of his Dad's brand new BMW. Grab a jelly donut and check out this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk

Janet fr Charlotte(or maybe it was Charlotte from Janet?) had a simple question: automatic or stick for her 16 year old daughter's new car? But when Click and Clack find out that the new car is a BMW Z3 M Roadster -it's fireworks time on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk

Gary was about to go pick up his Jeep from his mechanic when they called him to say that there had been a 'mishap'. Turns out that this shop's idea of a 'mishap' also includes dropping vehicles from great heights off of the lift. Find out if THAT's gonna 'buff right out' on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk

Judith is in possession of a machine that can determine when a person is lying just by measuring intonations in the voice. This is a mechanic's worst nightmare. Will Click and Clack pass the test, or can they find a way to deceive this devious device? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalk