They normally mean the same thing. But there's a grammatical difference between them. "Car" is a coordinating conjunction, so it coordinates two clauses. "Parce que" is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a subordinate clause. They both express cause. You should look at this : http://www.italki.com/answers/question/38693.htm and this : http://www.ccdmd.qc.ca/correspo/Corr10-4/Car.html

http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/conclusions.htm I hope this is helpful :)

ne vous compliquez pas la vie. c'est la même chose...

That's a good question. I've always thought "car" is kind of like the English "cuz."

Here is a link of a french site who explains the difference, but me (and i'm french), i don't realy see the difference enter "car" and "parce que" : http://bit.ly/REf2ox