Sputtering Ahead

Did you get any response from Congress?
Tom: A bunch of compliments and a few pieces of hate mail. We get that every week. [Laughs]
Ray: It's usually directed at Tom! Because of the way he looks. [Laughs]

You guys started as a call-in show for people with busted cars. Now you're writing letters to Congress, trying to effect policy change. How do you feel about becoming activists?
Ray: We're not activists.
Tom: We call a spade a spade. If they happen to be senators and they're jerks, we tell 'em they're jerks. They need someone to tell them they're jerks.
Ray: I don't think anyone can really argue the fact, although there will be plenty of people who try, that it will be beneficial for everyone if all of our vehicles get better mileage. If scaling down the size of the vehicles is what does it, that's clearly what we should do first. There are some people who argue that the best way to do that is to let the marketplace take over. I think it's a combination. People will make decisions based on what makes sense for their pocketbooks. At the same time I think they need a little prodding. It was about time we said something, because we felt very strongly about it.

Do we need 200-horsepower cars?
Ray: No, we don't. But if we're going to differentiate this year's model from last year, what do the ads say? "Twenty-five more horsepower this year." The newest Volvo, which is a six-cylinder, gets better mileage than the previous five-cylinder. They made some great breakthroughs, and they could have taken that and they could have diminished the power a little and used that technology to get even more miles to the gallon. But the automakers use that new technology to get more power instead of more economy. They'll rethink that a little.
Tom: Now, it's sad that the foreign companies have taken on the same things. They know they have to compete with General Motors, and the only way they can do that is to have one that goes fast.

You're fortunate enough to live in a city with a decent public transportation system. Do you take advantage of that?
Tom: I walk.
Ray: I ride my bicycle a lot when the weather's nice. I probably drive more than I should.

How many cars do you own?
Ray: I own three cars. One I never see because my son borrowed it a year and a half ago.
Tom: I don't own any.

But what about the Dart you always mention on the show?
Tom: The Dart was totaled by a truck many years ago. I sort of have access to a 1973 Fiat Spider. Nice car. But it won't start. [Laughs]

When I saw the title for this special, "Nova: The Car of the Future," I thought it was an ad for a Chevy Nova.
Tom:[Laughs] When that car first came out, everyone who spoke Spanish said, "Don't you know what 'no va' means?" [Laughs]

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