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Calvin’s father owned a used car lot, and he promised the 22-year-old college student that he’d give him one of the best cars in his lot upon graduation, as long as he could prove that he’d learned something. Knowing that Cal had trouble with logic (and had failed a statistics class the first time around), his dad decided to give the young man a true challenge. He’d provide some clues to the vehicles he considered, and then give Calvin a choice between two cars. If he chose correctly, he’d receive that car as a gift. If not, he’d have to leave college on foot. As Cal and his father left the Wossamatta U. graduation ceremony and ambled their way to the parking lot, the elder man prompted him:
“I’d buy you a Camaro, but not a Mustang.
I’d buy you a Tundra, but not a Ram.
I’d buy you a Miata, but not a Cherokee.
I’d buy you a Focus, but not a Civic.”Then, Cal pointed to two vehicles in
the parking lot: a Continental and a Crossfire.“Which one do you choose?” he asked.
Calvin answered correctly, and happily drove away.
Which car did he choose, and how did he know?
Comments (14)
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the solution doesn’t come up when I click on it.
posted by Diana on 4-9-2009 at 8:28 am
It didn’t for me either!
posted by erininhouston on 4-9-2009 at 8:31 am
Just add /2 to the URL above.
posted by Parkylondon on 4-9-2009 at 8:38 am
No solution for me either, but I’m gonna go with the Crossfire!
posted by sandie on 4-9-2009 at 8:38 am
The answer is the Crossfire.
Chevy Camaro (both start w/ C)
Toyota Tundra (both w/ T)
Mazda Miata (M)
Chrysler Crossfire (C)
but the Lincoln Continental (nor any of the others) fit that.
Hope that’s it – I can’t see the real solution either.
posted by SlackJack on 4-9-2009 at 8:40 am
I’ll save you the drama…I think.
Camaro, Tundra, Miata and Focus are all models that are alliterative with their makes (Chevy, Toyota, Mazda and Ford, respectively).
The Crossfire is made by Chrysler and the Continental is made by Lincoln, so he picked the Crossfire.
posted by Katie on 4-9-2009 at 8:40 am
Sandie, Jack, and Katie – you’re absolutely right. And everyone else should find the answer now. (’Twas a coding error; my apologies.)
posted by Sandy Wood on 4-9-2009 at 8:45 am
Well, that calls for extra kudos for people who can figure this out with no chance to peek at the answer!
posted by Miss Cellania on 4-9-2009 at 10:08 am
Fun puzzle, Sandy!
posted by JD on 4-9-2009 at 11:10 am
Good one. That was fun. Based on previous puzzles, I was doing a whole lot of letter checking (ends in vowel, repeating letters, consonants/vowels in any sort of order) when I realized that the Make was additional info that would help.
Poor kid… too bad there wasn’t a Chevy Camaro, Mercedes Maybach, Lexus LS, or a Ferrari F430 :)
posted by Josh on 4-9-2009 at 12:08 pm
Thanks, JD and Josh – I love to hear that!
posted by Sandy Wood on 4-9-2009 at 12:17 pm
Due to my disturbing lack of knowledge about cars, I came to a different conclusion…
Mustang (horse), Ram (battering), and Cherokee (Indians) were all involved in military campaigns, which perhaps he learned in his Civic(s) class. Don’t get caught in the Crossfire!
Whereas Camaro (Cameroon) and Tundra (treeless plain) speak to the enduring value of land. He must Focus on the reward (Miata means reward in High German). And in land-speak, what greater reward is there than Continental land?
I know, it’s a stretch.
posted by Lynn on 4-9-2009 at 1:01 pm
I love Lynn’s reasoning!!!!!! :D
Awesome!
posted by ariaDne on 4-9-2009 at 2:43 pm
Like Lynn, I know next to nothing about cars. I have never even heard of a “Crossfire”, let alone know who makes it. But thanks none the less, Sandy!
posted by PJ on 4-10-2009 at 5:36 pm