The Best of Car Talk - #2493: You're Lyin' Pookie!

Episode Date: November 19, 2024

Theresa's husband is from jolly old England and he's insisting that they buy an expensive Land Rover for their move from Dallas to Ohio. Click and Clack suss it 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/cartalkLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

If you're a regular listener to the Best of Car Talk podcast, then you probably enjoy some of NPR's really good podcasts too. Well, with NPR+, you get perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and more for over 20 different NPR podcasts. So start supporting what you love and stop hearing promos like this one by heading over to plus.npr.org. ["Cart Talks Theme Song"] Hello and welcome to Cart Talk from National Public Radio with us clicking clack the tappet brothers. And we're broadcasting this week from the Center for Creative Secession here at Car Talk Plaza. Creative, yeah. I'm sure you all heard the unfortunate news about the secessionist uprising in Texas

a few weeks ago. Well, at least we thought it was unfortunate news. But leave it to our listeners, one in particular, to look at the bright side of any issue. I happen to have here. An email, right? An email. From Warren Olson? Is that who it's from? No.

Warren Olson from Westboro, Massachusetts. He says, the news of secessionist uprisings in Texas got me thinking instead of working. And having visited the state of Texas a few times over the years, I find myself actually supporting the idea of a Republic of Texas. See, really, see that? The secession of the Lone Star State from the United States has much potential upside for the country as a whole. See, now no one even thought of this. Go ahead. It would provide a friendly country for disgruntled militia members to relocate to, right? Allow us to forget the Alamo, finally, greatly improve the chances of a sane gun control policy,

remove Howdy and Yahoo from the American lexicon, and add a new international flavor to Walker, Republic of Texas Ranger. I mean, the guy has got something there. And in fact, when I read this, I thought, why just Texas? No, that's right. There are some other states that would do the country good if they would secede. Sure, Montana. Montana comes to mind immediately. I mean, the big sky, they want to be all by themselves up there, do whatever they want? Fine.

How about New Hampshire? How about New Hampshire? How about New Hampshire? Well they've always been outside anyway. I mean live free and die young. New Jersey? Why not New Jersey? The penal colony. But if we took like all these different states that wanted to secede and maybe they could

sort of form a new United State of wackos, US of W. United States of... The only problem is there may be more of them than there are of us. It would be interesting to know, wouldn't it? It would be interesting. Well, Warren Olson of Westboro, Massachusetts, you have certainly set us to thinking. Indeed. Indeed.

And believe me, it takes a lot to set us to thinking. And I hope you've gotten the people of Montana and New Hampshire to thinking as well. If you're thinking and you want to call us about your car, the number is 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Teresa. I'm from Dallas, Texas. Teresa. Hi. T-H-E-R-E-S-A?

Yeah, no H. No H. See, I was right in there. Ah, that's the secessionist, Teresa. Yeah. So how does it feel to be part of a new country? New country? Haven't you guys seceded from the Union? Oh, don't bring that up. Okay, we won't bring that up.

Well, I'm having an international incident in my own home. Oh, really? Yes. Did you say you're from Dallas? Yes. Yeah, I'm from Dallas, but my husband's British, see? And we have to move from Dallas to Ohio. Does he have a stiff upper lip?

Yes, he does. I've always wondered. Yes, he does. Yeah, those Brits, they do have it, yeah. Well, that's part of our argument. He's just so, he's just very immovable. I go, well, it's going to snow, we need a new car. He said, I want a truck.

I said, no, you can have a truck. How about a four-wheel drive vehicle? How about a Toyota? He goes, oh, well, we want the best in the world, don't we? We want the Land Rover. Just because you're British, you think everything's great because i you got the best in the new world over there

and i got a lot you do that very well to resign and i'm not sure you know what it's very old him i i i lived in england for a year that i got that down pretty good but i think i mean to come home work and i think we'll like uh... the toyota is a little cheaper but year that i got that down pretty good back in the family did some homework and if it will work out the toyota is a little cheaper bet then maintenance i think it's gonna kill it because we can go and get play

the part pretty easily that the world we're gonna have to go to the dealership and you know i just hate that they did really put it to you with all the money and all the maintenance and i don't know hey that's okay't know i think that they can get a lot of you know i think that you are you getting out there and i don't know and look and i don't do that i think i think that i think that

i think it would be right to do the a yeah boogie thank you the ally in the line well i think he thinks he knows more about car and then i do think that i'm just you know, you're just a woman I'm just a woman from Texas But he just thinks since it's snowy up there, we're gonna need a four-wheel drive vehicle. Well, he's probably right. He is right Oh, so what is the is the choice between the Range Rover and what a Toyota?

What well the the lower models, the Discovery, Rover, and then the 4- The 4Runner. Yeah. I don't know, you probably have not had a lot of experience driving in snow. No, no. I think you are right in your assessment of

that the dealer is gonna kid you on repairs. But if I had my choice of a Discovery or a forerunner i'd want a discovery too uh... no i would cuz it's cute uh... and they're the best engineers in the world all there in england they are haha that's what they are we were just toying with you you guys are supposed to agree with me

your husband's on the other line he sent us 20 bucks. No, the truth is that you're right. The Toyota will probably have far fewer problems. And they will be less expensive to fix. And the dealer network is much larger, obviously. You can't find a

Toyota dealer anywhere. You're not going to find a Range Rover dealer. But if I were the one who had to drive it, I would much rather be driving a Discovery because I think it's a more interesting, more fun vehicle to drive than a lousy Toyota 4Runner. That's how I feel about it. He's going to be impossible to live with now. He's going to be right. We have to you know say that it will not be as reliable as the forerunner Well, I will almost guarantee you that I think in a left-brain way you are a hundred percent, right? But I don't I'm not sure this is a completely left-brain decision to be made Okay, and don't forget if it stinks you can always sell it That's just a car better yet if it does break down you can blame them every day exactly right say you Brits

breakdown you can blame them every day. Exactly right. Say you Brits engineer my foot. Right, this may be your one and only British vehicle because if it turns out to be a disaster you can tell them that you told him so, Pookie. See ya love. Okay, thanks. Bye bye. And what would she ever do if they bought the Toyota and it broke down every couple of days? Oh that's why she's gonna buy the... You talk away out of that he's got to get the discovery and hope yeah that it's a basket case what 800 332 9287 hello you're on car talk this is Attila Winninger no, it's Attila. As in the Hun. Attila, huh?

Yes. You know, you are the only person I have ever met with this name, or heard of with this name, and one might ask, what were your parents thinking? Well, actually, it's a very common Hungarian name. In Hungary, Attila is much like Bob, Jim, Bill, etc. here in the States. No kidding. Yeah, and my father was Hungarian and my mother is Austrian. Austro-Hungarian, I remember that war very well. Exactly, and I was born in in Salzburg, Austria and it's again just a very common name and that's what I was given at birth.

I didn't have much of a choice. Gee, wow, interesting. Yeah. The reason for my call is I was driving, listening to your show a couple weeks ago from Cleveland where my folks live, back to Chicago. And as I was driving I had the car current cruise control and it dawned on me that to once upon a time i had heard that if your car is on cruise control a relatively high-speed debt fifty sixty seventy

miles an hour but that actually is better for the car and in fact it tunes the car up and i have no idea whether there's any truth to that wives' tale or not. Another rumor. I know if there's any truth to that old wives' tale. No, there isn't. There isn't. Did you hear this through the

underground information railroad? I don't know where I heard it from. I just understood that it was probably better for an engine, that it maintained a steady speed and high speeds will somehow do something better for an engine than stop and go traffic. Oh, well that's true. I mean, a sustained high speed operation is better for an engine because it burns more efficiently, it burns more cleanly, and certainly keeping an engine running at one speed is

probably beneficial to the internal components because there are fewer stresses put on pieces when you don't change the velocity of pieces. But driving at 65 and letting it, if you're not really paying attention, drop down to 63 and then going up to 67 makes hardly any difference to the engine. The little story is complete But driving a steady 50 or a steady 60 or a steady 70 While it may be good. None of those is as good as have being parked in your driveway Save it wear and tear on the engine Thanks, it's all right. Yeah, bye bye Hey, don't go anywhere because we've got a lot more calls.

Well, a few anyway. And the puzzler answer coming up right after this. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things in other currencies. Send, spend or receive money internationally, and always get the real-time mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Download the WISE app today or visit WISE.com, T's and C's apply. The ocean floor is abundant with minerals needed to power electric cars and other green technologies, but mining those minerals may harm coastal communities.

These metals that are going to be digged out of our ocean will not benefit anyone from here. On the Sunday story from Up First, a look at the opportunity and dangers of mining the ocean floor. Listen now on the Up First podcast from NPR. I'm Jesse Thorn. On Bullseye, Connie Chung, the legend of TV news, tells us about her incredible career and marvels at the convenience of standing

desks. They have these desks here in New York that move up and down. That's on the next Bullseye from MaximumFun.org and NPR. On NPR's Wild Card podcast, comedian Seth Meyers talks frankly about his early career. I was far more temperamental when I was younger. And things ran very hot at S&L. And there were definitely times where my instincts were to say something that would have been relationship-ending to people. I'm Rachel Martin. Seth Meyers is on Wild Card,

the show where cards control the conversation. All right, this is the week you promised to divulge your sneaky secret through remembering puzzlers. Well. Are we gonna have to put Colombo on the case or Murky even? I don't remember that I promised that, did I? But I will tell you what the puzzle was if you want to know about the guy standing outside the factory selling stuff.

But if you want to know my secret, I will tell it to you because it's no secret as I told you, my life is an open book the truth is that I always knew I mean all those times when you said do you remember last week's puzzler I knew that it gave you some kind of pleasure sense of pleasure or superiority for me to say oh jeez I don't remember and it would make you feel good and I was just trying to stroke your ego knowing how fragile it is and I was just trying to make you feel good as an older brother would do oh to a younger brother and now what's the reason for your cutting me down and

and and I just started feeling sorry for myself. I guess I was having a little midlife crisis of my own. And I had to prove that I did know the puzzler and that I was not the bumbling idiot that everyone thinks I am. So anyway, I always knew. I always knew. But if you want me to go back to do that again,

I'll be happy to Yeah, please I will Here it is this was sent in by Jody Favre via Cartalk ready for this dot MSN calm and we'll discuss our new web address later We will the time being is the is the puzzler in the 30s, a young inventor came up with an idea for a little gadget, gadget, that could be installed in an automobile. When he tried to sell this idea to his favorite gadget builder, the guy didn't want to have anything to do with it.

He was afraid, the guy, the gadget builder was afraid that Congress would legislate against it because it would be distracting to drivers. Hints here, all kinds of hints. But the inventor was very persuasive and eventually convinced the guy to build a hundred of these little gadgets, which later sold in front of the factory in like 10 minutes. He sold all hundred of them. A multi-billion dollar business was ultimately built around this little gadget. Yeah. And you'll hardly ever see a car without one now.

Yeah. Well, except for your car. Yeah. I know what the answer is. Is that the question? What is it? What is it called is the one question. For extra credit, who was the inventor?

And what else did he invent? Where does he live now? Does he prefer Showtime or HBO? Well, the little gadget that you have been referring to is none other than the cellular phone. And yes, my car does have a cellular phone. And I don't know the second part, his name and all that stuff, and does he prefer HBO? Of course it wasn't the cellular phone, it was the car radio. Yeah hard to believe, huh? Yeah, and and I was thinking that was the beginning and I agree with the distraction theory And it was beginning of the that was the very first thing put in a car that was not directly related to driving the car

They should never have allowed it because it opened the flood it opened the floodgates And now we got jerks eating bowls of cereal while they drive talking on the phone Getting fax playing with their newtons. Yeah, you got it exactly exactly and all because of whoever this guy was which would be part B Who was he Bill Lear? Bill Lear who of course have best known for is inventing the Lear jet and forming a huge corporation Lear incorporated. He's now Left us you may channel with him if you like. He's on HBO tonight. I will do that.

Anyway. Yeah. Oh, now you're gonna ask me. Who's the winner? You don't know that? We don't have that part of the ready, do you? I don't know. Well, I got it here.

Ooh, wow, I can't pronounce this. The winner is Dean Sockley-Benn. Sockley-Benn. Sockley-Benn. Sockley-Benn. pronounce this the winner is Dean Sokleben. Wow that's an interesting word. How about Sokleben? Sokleben? Sokleben? Dean? Okay, Dean. And for having your correct answer chosen at random from among all those correct answers that we got for Dean, you're gonna win a free copy of the second best of Cartalk. Dean would have won the brand new Pontiac Grand Prix, but my brother took that, so all you're gonna get is the lousy CD, Dean, and that's the way it goes. Hey! Yeah? Yeah, how do you like the Grand Prix?

Oh, not bad. I like it very much, as a matter of fact. When it's free, take it every- take everything. I like the red paint. It's great. Red's good. Red's good. Anyway, we have a new puzzler coming up during the second half of Car Talk. In the meantime, it's an automotive puzzler. Semi-quasi, somewhat related to cars. We get fewer nasty comments

when we have purely automotive puzzles. We always get nasty letters when we have non-automotive puzzles. Especially when the answers are wrong. Anyway, in the meantime, we can take your car questions at 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, my name's Harry MacArthur. Hi, Harry, how are you?

I'm doing just fine. How are you guys? No last names, please, Harry. Great. Where are you from? Flanders, New Jersey. Flanders? It's in the northwest corner of New Jersey about oh

about 50 miles due west of the George Washington Bridge got it yeah okay I can see you right there okay I'll tell you I've got a kind of an interesting story here I feel a little guilty but telling you this but I've I've always believed that what you do comes back to you and I've got a guilt-ridden tale of oh, don't tell me that's true Oh, I hope not. I've been counting on it not being true. It's just a rumor How long does it take actually? Well, it's pretty fast. Oh, all right. I've had these two Hondas an 85 Honda With about a hundred thirty eight thousand miles on a tail of two civics

i can see it now right no record all take the ball the courts eighty five honda hatchback accord which i've i've owned for a of eleven years meaning eighty eight uh... honda accord four door and i've had to make a difficult choice by uh... one of the cell one of the automobiles and mine twenty three-year-old nephew

who lives up in binghamton uh... was interested in buying one of the car and i think that well i'm gonna try to help fill up the uh... the junk box a junk box the eighty the uh... eighty five without the higher mileage and i'll just kind of keep we have a new one making you know i could a little a little longer

well uh... philip uh... take the bus down from binghamton hanged his peg on the eighty-five and drive it away and i haven't heard anything from the last uh... month and i'm assuming it's running just fine well uh... i said well i'm gonna dress up the eighty eight and i change the oil uh... the fight to change the oil in the car

and instead of that nice characteristic charcoal black oil draining out of the pan. Mocha ice cream. It kind of looked like, well I guess, I don't know if it was mocha ice cream, but it was a light brown color. And I said, now wait a minute, this doesn't look right. And I started putting a couple things together. I had noticed the car was running a little rough.

Cafe latte. Did it look like a frappuccino? Yeah, you guys got it, cafe latte. And I said, well, this looks like it could be maybe antifreeze mixing with the oil. And I just wasn't sure. Nah. You said, this could be bad

this could be bad to be real bad well anyway i call that jeff at the local honda dealer and i've been bringing my car there for a good number of years and i think that this is the situation i described it just like describe it to you guys and i think that uh... you know what what could be the problem and said well you got it you probably got a cracked head or a blown head gasket and i said well how much would it cost to replace the head gasket for example

and he said well a hundred thirteen thousand miles on that that car i wouldn't recommend doing it he said you need a new engine he's right all now well he is i mean well you could not use what he is and he isn't right what i certainly would at the past i would advise against doing a valve job Well he is, I mean, you could, no, he's, well he is and he isn't right. I certainly would advise, I would advise against doing a valve job on it, although it seems kind of foolish to take the head off at 113k and not do a valve job, but I don't think

I'd want to disturb too much. Well this is what he told me, he said if he, if he puts a new head gasket in, let's say it was a blown head gasket, and he said I changed the compression in the engine. Not going to change it much. And I'd mess up the other cylinders because they're kind of worn and tired and I'd create other problems. No, that's not exactly right. He won't change the compression much by just replacing the head gasket.

However, he might change the compression a lot if he also does a valve job while he's got the head off Which would be the prudent in quotes thing to do Except it isn't very prudent right now with 113 K Did he give you a price for just slapping a head gasket on the slapping a head gasket? Just slap a head gasket on tell him I'll give you 250 and that's it Well, he said said you know either a new engine for $4,500 and he's probably worth more than the car he said I'll recommend you to Mary Beth upstairs and she'll give you a good trade you can buy a new Honda Mary

Beth huh you'll be waking up in your sleep calling her name up. Oh boy oh boy. So do you guys think I should just take this to the local shop and have a new head gasket put on? I think you ought to call Philip and see if you can get the 85 back. Maybe he doesn't like it. Here's what you need to do. You call Philip you say, hey Phil, want to trade up 288 what the hell I mean you screwed him once you might as well give it to him again. No I would I would take it to this fellow to whom you referred and ask him to put just a head gasket on it just a head gasket just take the head off put a new gasket on it slap the head back on and off you go. Well what if it isn't a head gasket? What else could it be?

Well obviously when they have the head off they're going to check it for flatness. So you should put a straight edge on the head, make sure the head isn't warped. If it is warped they're going to have to have it milled and that's the kiss of death. Once they have it milled, your compression is going to go way up, you're going to burn oil and you're going to have to talk to Mary Ann. Mary Beth. Oh yeah, I wouldn't lose Mary Beth's number if I were you. So your best bet is to hope that just the head gasket does it. If they tell you the head needs to be milled, you're going to have to take a chance and do it. And call Philip. Call Philip. Call Mary Beth. Call everybody. Call us too. See you, Harry.

Okay, guys. Great talking with you. Good luck. Take care. Bye-bye. Right after these messages, you'll hear more calls and a new puzzler coming right up. On the TED Radio Hour, on December 24th, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will touch the sun. The spacecraft will hit the closest approach ever to the sun. Astrophysicist Norah Awafi leads the mission. We will be making history. To this day, it's still like magic to me.

Ideas about the sun. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Hey, it's Peter Segal, the host of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Now, if you like Wait, Wait and you're looking for another podcast where the hosts take self-deprecating jabs at themselves and invite important guests on who have no business being there, then you should check out NPR's How to Do Everything. It's hosted by two of the minds behind Wait Wait who literally sometimes put words in

my mouth. Find the How to Do Everything podcast wherever you are currently listening to me go on about it. Support for NPR and the following message come from the Walton Family Foundation, working to create access to opportunity for people and communities by tackling tough social and environmental problems. More information is at WaltonFamilyFoundation.org. Every weekday, NPR's best political reporters come to you on the NPR Politics Podcast to explain the big news coming out of Washington, the campaign trail, and beyond.

We don't just want to tell you what happened, we tell you why it matters. Join the NPR Politics Podcast every single afternoon to understand the world through political eyes. Hi, we're back listening to Car Talk on National Public Radio with us, click and clack the Tappert Brothers, and we're here to discuss cars, repair and our new web address yes yes yes yes our new address is 31 1313 blueview Terrace you know Lincoln's getting the Gettysburg address. 1600 Gettysburg Street. Now, our new web address is cartalk.msn.com. For those of you unfamiliar with that, MSN is Microsoft Network.

No kidding, is that what that stands for? Yes. Yeah, we actually made a deal with Microsoft so that now you can get to our site by just typing up cartalk.msn.com, and you'll get to our site by just typing up car talk dot MSN dot com which is and you'll get to Where you always got but? But why did we do this one might ask well? Here's why we did it We heard that Bill Gates had tons of money. I mean it's well known the guy's a billionaire

We figured he must throw it around like a drunken sailor, right? We figured he must throw it around like a drunken sailor, right? Well, we didn't get any. It sounded like a good idea at the time. It did sound like a good idea, and he does have tons of money, and he has promised, he personally, he came to my brother's house the other day, and he has personally promised to do many, many new, exciting, wonderful things on the website, which we couldn't afford to do and the one that excites me the most is this they are going to translate get this now you know the web is a worldwide phenomenon yes that's why it's called the world wide web however most of the people who come to the websites they

don't understand what's there because it's mostly written in English right right just as our website is all English get this Bill Gates personally who speaks 23 languages I understand well computer languages including HTML and Fortran he is going personally is going to translate the entire website into these 23 languages. Now, that whole- So now, people living in England will be able to get to our website and understand what's on the site.

But more importantly, the people at Peugeot, I mean, Peugeot thought they were going to escape by simply pulling out of the US market, and now we are tracking them down on their own territory. We, people in France, are going to be able to dial up www.cartalk.msn.com and they're gonna be able to hear about Pujos. You thought you had escaped us with my little cupcake? My little cupcake, no, no, no! Yeah, so that's it.

Wow. Wow. How do you decide which language you want? They pick it for you. It's random. It could be anything. It's a browser option. Oh, it is?

Yeah. No kidding. And if you don't choose one, they pick one for you. That's all that is. All right, look, it's time for the new puzzler. Yeah, I'm excited to hear this too. Well, I am too. All right, pay attention.

I will. I always do. In 1918, a man was arrested for a crime and sentenced to life in prison. 30 years later, don't forget, life in prison. 30 years later, with the help of a lifelong friend, the prisoner comes up with an escape plan. The friend was to leave a getaway car in a nearby

field, a field near the prison. The escape goes like clockwork. The convict finds the car just where his friend said it would be, and all he has to do is get in the car. And drive away. And drive it away. Oh is get in the car. And drive away. And drive it away. Oh, I got it already.

You spoil everything. No, I got the question and I got the answer. All right, go ahead. He doesn't make it. Duh. And why? Duh-duh. You want me to elaborate further?

He can't start the car. He can't start the car, yet there is nothing wrong with the car. And when he finally figures it out, by the time he figures it out... They've shot him. They shot him dead like a dog! Yeah. So if you think you know the answer to this, send it to us at Puzzler Tower, Car Talk Plaza,

Box 3500, Harvard Square, Cambridge, our first city, Math 02238. By the way, you can email us your answer from cartalk.msn.com by clicking on the Talk to Car Talk section. If you'd like to call us with a question about your car or anything else, our number is 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Beth from Holliston, Massachusetts. Yeah. You are from Holliston? I am from Holliston, yes. Where is that? It's southwest of the city, really close to Framingham and Hopkinson where the Boston Marathon starts. Of course.

Oh, Holliston and Hopkinson, that's right. Yes, yes, yes. Sister cities. Yeah, the H's. Yes. What's up, Beth? Well, I have a problem and I was hoping that you guys could help me. I have a 1993 Ford Taurus and it's cranberry. It's really beautiful. Cranberry is a nice color. Yes, it is. Except that I cannot parallel park it. It's horrible. I, this is a problem because I live i live in holliston but i work in boston so if i need to drive in i need it either need to park in a garage and pay about eighteen dollars a day

or drive around on all the streets until i can find two spots in spots to pull into not can you not park it because of you are because of the poor visibility i'm not entirely sure because the poor visibility visibility like i can't the out the back of it i mean i can't be out the window but i can't be the back of the car right because of the way it's shaped right i'm

always afraid i'm gonna hit the car behind me the truck slopes down right and i don't see any of the trunk and somebody suggested that i get those little metal things that go onto the bumper you could do that but i would be so embarrassed of the trunk and somebody suggested that I get those little metal things that go onto the bumpers. You could do that. But I would be so embarrassed to drive around. Here's what you do. Yeah, you have to disguise them.

Forget the back window. Okay. Back up using, park using the side mirrors. Okay. Oh, here comes theory number 17. You're looking for my brother. No, obviously, you're trying to rely on something that is not going to benefit you. You can't see out the back. Forget the back. Forget the back. For that matter, why look out at all? I don't. Just wing it. I mean pull up

alongside the car. Mostly if you just looked to your right and looked out the side window at the car next to you, you would have enough information to do it. So when do I need to cut the wheel? When your chin, when you look out the passenger window and your chin is even with the back of that car, the car in front of you, the car that you're going to hit. Because it's a car. The car that you already hit.

Cut all the way like crazy and now the car should just ease right into that spot. And as soon as you see your right fender. Crushing the. Almost crushing the rear fender of the car next to you, then you start turning the wheel madly to the left and you'll just glide right in. But what about the front right fender? Well here's the first thing, well the front right fender, you have to watch out for that because you don't want to cut

so sharply that you hit that. But that eliminates the rear problem that you're talking about. We've transferred your problem from the back to the front. You notice how deftly we did that. The first thing you have to do is be able to judge whether or not the spot is big enough for the car. Now in the early stages,

you may have to get out and pace it off. So listen. That's a little embarrassing, but it's a lot. After a while, you'll be able to recognize that this is a spot for a Hyundai, or this is a spot for a Taurus, this is a spot for a Lincoln Town car. Yeah. Okay.

And go for it. And listen for the noises. Turn the radio off, that's the most important thing. Okay. Yeah. Cause you wanna try to avoid those long, screechy noises. Scraping, yeah. Oh! Those are bad because that means that you've wiped out, perhaps, an entire side of a car.

What do I do in that case? Oh, you run. You go to the next parking space. You go around the block. Okay, Beth. Woohoo! We've given some pretty good advice today, I'd say. Yes, we have. Another successful day of lawyers calling us tomorrow. Good luck, Beth.

Thank you very much. Woohoo! Well, you've wasted another hour of your precious youth listening to Car Talk. Our esteemed producer is Doug the Subway Fugitive, not a slave to fashion, although he's wearing a beautiful new sweater yes Doug you look very nice and we know that he didn't buy it it was a gift from his mother our associate producer and Dean of the College of Automusicology is Ken Babyface Rogers our assistant producer is Katherine Cathode Ray our engineer is

Karen Given and our technical, spiritual, and menu advisor- Not mental, menu. Menu is John Bugsy, free lunch lawler. Our public opinion pollster is Paul Murky of Murky Research, assisted by statistician Margin O'Vara. Our director of new product repair is Warranty My Foot. Our director of staff pay increases is Save Your Breath.

Our staff butler from the Car Talk Bombay Division is Mahatma Kote. Our document security expert from the island of Jamaica is Euripides Uppmann. Our director of upward mobility in Eastern Europe is Zbigniew Kreisler. The director of the Car Talk Animal Rescue League is Karen Feeding. Our marriage counselor is Marion Haste. Our head of used car purchasing is Youll Be Hoofnit. Our behavior consultant is Wyatt Behuvzia. The chairman of the Federal Lubrication Board is Alan Griespan. Our head of used car purchasing is you'll be hoofing it our behavior consultant is Wyatt behooves

Yeah, the chairman of the federal lubrication board is Alan greasepan our head of auto theft deterrents is Heather lock rear The manager of our weekly shrimp buffet is Sheldon Devane and the curator of Tom's car collection is Rex Glore someone wrote to us saying whatever happened to mr. Gigi We don't mention and mr. Gigi does a hair. He says does no one do your hair anymore. Well, no one does yours. He defected Yes Who's he worked for? Garrison Key Our chief counsel from the law firm of Dewey Cheatham and Howell is Hugh Lewis Dewey known as he crashes the graduation party says Huey Louie Dewey, thanks so much for listening

We're clicking clack the tappet brothers and remember don't drive like my brother remember this don't drive like my brother We'll be back next week. Bye. Bye And now with an important announcement here is car talk Plaza chief mechanic Vinny Gumbach Hey, if users looking for tapes and stuff for this here show, which is number 20, you can get one by clicking on the Shameless Commerce Division at cartalk.msn.com or by calling 303-823-8000. You got that? 303-823-8000.

You can get the best of Car Talk, another Car Talks jumped the same way to cartalk.msn.com or by calling 303-823-8000. You got a problem with that or something? Car Talk is a production of Do We Cheat Him and How and WBUR in Boston. And even though sophisticated listeners everywhere grimace when they hear us say it, this is NPR National Public Radio. You care about what's happening in the world. Let State of the World from NPR keep you informed.

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Each day we transport you to a different point on the globe and introduce you to the people living world events. We don't just tell you world news, we take you there. And you can make this journey while you're doing the dishes or driving your car. State of the World podcast from NPR. Vital international stories every day. Big news stories don't always break on your schedule.

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