Hello and welcome to Card Talk on National Public Radio with us clicking

Clack the Tappet Brothers and we're broadcasting this week from Squatters Beach here on Martha's

Vincenzo with a not so elite meat. It wasn't easy to get in here. I'll tell you. Like everyone else here my brother and I were unable to use our considerable fame and influence to get even the smallest glimpse of the president and his family. So we're gonna camp out here in Squatters Beach and wait until the next ferry to the mainland. Hey I think that's ex-governed do caucus over there. Hey Mike that's not do caucus. You knucklehead. He's over there. Can you see him? Oh yeah yeah the guy on the green speed old bathing suit. Yeah in the tank right?

Speaking of all wet. Can you mail this week? You know the mail has been it's I mean it's a desperate. All time low and all time. And it's nature. You might say that and it's low point as well. This is interesting. I don't know if I should even mention Vivian Margolis PhD's name. No I don't think so. Columbia Merlin says. Dick Lincoln. I'm an old old woman. How about sending me an egg?

Extra extra large t-shirt to be buried in. It would mean a lot to me. My husband is 88 and he says I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those damn full things. Some people have no tank no taste. Thanks in advance Vivian. Well it's on the way. It's on the way. It's an interesting idea isn't it? It is. I mean most people get buried in just like suits.

That's what you think. I mean it isn't. No no no. I think that they undertake us a stealing of suit. Well you have a gold who's clothing store in the back.

Exclamation. That's why. I mean they lay that baby. Johnson's funeral. What do you do? What do you do? What do you do? You go out and buy my new suit. He doesn't eat and he doesn't need a new suit. I mean why can't bury you in a new suit? These undertakers most look at these new suits to say. Can you believe this Frank?

It's gonna bury this guy in a 500 all a Brooks Brothers suit. No they're not. Oh no they're not. Oh no blue jeans and a sweatshirt. So that's the ideal combination of business.

It's not used. I mean it's hardly used. Right. Right. It wasn't even. Was it even sat in? If you want to call us about your car numbers 1-800-332-9287. Hello you're on car talk. Hi this is Kathy. Hi Kathy.

Don't tell us just tell us where you're from and we'll tell you if it's Kathy with a C or Kathy with a K. Where you from? I grew up around Cleveland Ohio but I now live in the Veda Missouri. Oh it's with a K. Wrong. I don't think so. No of course I just just wrong. Well you're just right.

I just say I don't think so. You just jumped right in. Look what I wrote. What have I got there? Is that a C or K? Cleveland. All right Kathy what's up? Well on your recommendation last March I bought a mercury sable. Uh-huh.

My brother's recommendation. Whatever. Whatever. But my problem is not with the sable really before that I drove an 82 B.O. C. S. Yeah. And every time I get in the car before I would turn on the ignition I would step on the accelerator pedal. Yeah. And when I took my test drive in my sable I did this and the salesman said don't do that. And I want to know why and what happens if I do?

Well you had to do it in your 82 La Sabre because that was carburetored and you had to do that in order to set the choke. That's old technology however Kathy. Right I know that you need to do it on the sable but it certainly wouldn't hurt anything. I mean it's not like my god you're going to ruin the engine. It's not necessary. And it is counter intuitive. I mean you think that when you get into the car you must do something with the gas pedal because we've been conditioned to do that with the gas pedal for years and years you get in you pump the gas.

You roll the window down. Well you old guys have been conditioned. A snooge drivers. I mean since I've been driving that's been fuel.

What's that two weeks? Yeah. Wait. So I don't know what his words were if he said don't do that what he should have said is you needn't do that.

Okay so I'm not really hurting it if I do not hurting it but you're not making it start either. Okay. Right. I mean if what you've been doing is stepping on the gas pedal once and then letting go of it and then turning the key. Right.

Then you've done nothing and you if you if you feel better doing that Kathy keep doing it. Okay but do not put the gas pedal to the floor and hold it there. Okay. I've kind of broken myself of the habit but then I went home this summer and was driving the La Sabre again and had to do it again.

Yeah. So now I'm kind of back in the head. Well you know I'm kind of it's kind of a tradition. It's not a habit and I think that it's it's unconscionable for the automakers to deprive us of one of our national traditions.

It's like throwing out the first ball if you want to step in the gas pedal Kathy you go ahead and do it. I mean that was the very first thing that my father taught me when he taught me to drive.

Sure. And I don't think that those traditions should be lightly tossed aside. And there are several generations of people who are driving cars now who feel and feel that this is important.

Also it makes you feel like you're doing something like you have some control over whether the car starts and on. I mean turning the key any idiot can do that. I do. Yeah I guess so.

But stepping on the gas pedal just the right way I mean there was a whole history people knew how to step on the gas pedal in their cars so that the car would start. Right. Yes. So I think you should you should continue this tradition and more importantly pass it on to your progeny. Okay. See you Kathy. Thank you very much.

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