Deanna Sclar

Deanna Sclar grew up in Brooklyn and never even drove until she was 25! Then she moved to California and found herself on the freeways in a second-hand car. Terrified that it would break down or blow up because of her ignorance, she allowed herself to be lured to an evening auto class where she discovered that cars are easy to understand and can be maintained with relatively little knowledge and a total lack of manual dexterity. Intoxicated by this discovery, she wrote Auto Repair for Dummies, a guide to car maintenance and troubleshooting for the total novice. Selected as a dividend by the Book-of-the-Month Club, the book has sold over 850,000 copies, proving that there are a lot of dummies who would rather be do-it-yourselfers. Her sequel, Buying A Car for Dummies, covers everything every vehicle owner needs to know about cars and money; including tips on how to buy, sell, rent, finance and insure vehicles; obtain good service; resolve complaints and keep the vehicle from being stolen.

As a Consumer Spokesperson, Deanna Sclar has appeared on over 800 radio and TV shows including "Your Money" (CNN/FN), her own segment on Tom Brokaw’s NBC Nightly News, "Good Morning America" (4 times), "Today" (4 times), a 5-part series for "Alive and Well," "The Home Show," NBC’s "Weekend Today", "Mike Douglas," the Lifetime, and National Public Radio networks and local shows in 30 major cities. She also appeared regularly on "A.M. Los Angeles" with Regis Philbin, and "The Morning Show" in San Francisco.

A former Contributing Editor to the LA Times "Highway1" section, Family Circle, Boys' Life and Exploring, her articles have also appeared in Redbook, New Woman, KnowHow and other national magazines. Her "Auto Repair for Dummies" course at California State University, Northridge drew the largest crowds ever in their continuing education program. Deanna's video, "Auto Repair for Dummies: The Maintenance Tape" was a finalist in the National Home Video Awards.

The former "Thumbs Sclar" has restored two classic cars, a truck and a house. A passionate blue-water sailor, she’s crewed her way across the Pacific, through Polynesia and up the Great Barrier Reef. Her book, Housemates: A Practical Guide to Living with Other People, was published while she was dismasted for 6 weeks in mid-Pacific and a forthcoming book is based on that experience. An inveterate gypsy, she’s made solo treks for 9-months through S.E. Asia and 5 months through Brazil and has sailed across the Atlantic and the Pacific coast of Mexico with one other person and a cat. She recently returned from China.

"My goal is to prove that we have control over our lives," she says. "Whether you are working on a vehicle or making a life-long dream come true, it's a do-it-yourself world. Knowing this has turned my life into a great adventure and I want to pass the good news on to everybody else!"