Barney & Clyde by Gene Weingarten; Dan Weingarten & David Clark for April 14, 2024

Four on the floor or three on the tree?

I’m in my 80s and I’ve never owned a car with an automatic transmission. Somebody would have to teach me how to drive it.

Cynthia, have you mastered your bicycle yet?!

For sporty driving…….nothing beats a stick shift! A Porsche with an automatic transmission…What a waste!

When you learn to drive, you always want to start with the sports car.

The advantage of learning on an automatic is you can fully focus on managing the car and watching the road. Then go learn to drive a stick.

This helped me get today’s Calvin & Hobbes rerun, a joke I’d never understood until now. Thank you.

I assume “fud” is short for “fuddy-duddy”…

Miss Cynthia. When you get old enough to drive, most cars and nearly all sports cars will be electric. There is no transmission because electric motors have constant torque at all speeds. They are wicked fun to drive. Don’t worry gearheads, Stilantis is adding fake engine sounds to their new electric challenger—if there is anything more pathetic. Unfortunately by the time you are old enough to drive many cars will be self-driving. You have the experience of being chauffeured. These cars will not be as charming as your’s.

Everyone should know how to drive a stick shift, but automatics are much easier, especially for driver’s tests.

Like in “Calvin & Hobbes,” the cars hover.

i learned with a stick shift