Can you drive a stick shift/manual car?

[CaliforniaDreamin]

My dad made me practice the "hold on a hill using only the clutch" maneuver over and over when I was a teen!! I hated it and kept asking him why did I need to learn something so stupid? It definitely came in handy later in life- thanks, Dad! You were right!!

Amen! I hated learning, but I can balance on any hill without rolling back an inch. Dads are pretty smart, huh? lol Now if only I could teach DD16.

 

[golfgal]

Yes I can. We had one manual and one auto transmission car when I started driving. When DH and I bought our first car together it was manual--I had to teach HIM how to drive it. I learned to drive in a river town meaning LOTS OF HILLS.

Our kids do not know how to drive one though.

 

[AlleyKat]

My one and only stick lesson was something that was television worthy! It was in deserted parking lot and was an event I'll remember until the day I die!

I swore I would never attempt to learn a stick again and I never have!

 

[1stluvispooh]

Quite frankly being able to drive a manual is on my list of life skills everyone needs to know.

 

[rlovew]

I learned to drive on a stick and my current car is the first one that has not been manual. DH has a manual truck right now. A few months ago I heard a weird sound in my car and quickly realized it was a transmission problem because of what I knew about transmissions from driving stick. I could have totally killed my car if I hadn't realized what the problem was and had it taken car of quickly.

 

[richsilver]

Learned in a '63 Rambler Classic.Three on the tree.lol

Have had many SVT Fords.Rwd manual ftw.Gets a little crazy though when the clutch pedal is so stiff the wife can't push it in.

Had to find a four door for the kids,so eventually found an SVT Contour that I drive now.

 

[mrodgers]

Do I know how to drive a stick? Heck, I don't know how to drive an automatic. What do you do when it refuses to shift completely down to first gear and it pulls out onto the road in 2nd gear with no acceleration and a car pops over the hill at 70 mph?

What do you do when you are going up on a twisty uphill? Get to the first turn and ease up off the throttle and the auto trans upshifts 2 gears to 4th. Then when you get back on the throttle, it lags before finally downshifting back to the proper gear, meanwhile you just lost all momentum and you are now crawling up the hill.

What do you do when you are driving in the snow or on an icy road and want to slow down? Can't just slow down using the engine, there's no mechanical connection between the engine and the drivetrain.

My first car in 1988 was an auto. My 2nd car in 1990 was a manual and every vehicle since then was a manual until I had to prematurely sell my rusty frame Tacoma before the Toyota buyback and took my wife's auto hand-me-down to buy her something new. Now I'm stuck in an auto again and dread driving the car every day with no control over what it wants to do. I've had more than one scary situation where I had to control the car but didn't have the means to control it because it was an auto.

If only I could get some bills paid off, I would go get my near 200k mile car replaced with something that I am capable of driving rather than this car that is only capable of moving me to where I want to go.

Oh, and for the folks who said stop and go traffic is a pain with a manual? What is such a pain with letting the clutch out and having the engine idle pull you along at a constant pace rather than all the auto drivers mashing the pedal, then braking, then mashing the pedal, then braking continuously. I loved a manual when I was driving rush hour traffic in Pittsburgh. Stick it in 2nd gear and just let the car pull along. Simple, far simpler than constantly having to give it gas then brake.

 

[kacaju]

no and I have no desire to ever drive one

 

[MrsToad]

The rule in our house was that we had to learn to drive the car with the manual transmission or we couldn't get our license. It started that way, but by the time they got to the 4th and final sibling, my parents gave up on that rule.

We always had slightly older cars - I learned to drive on a 1968 Chevy Nomad wagon with a "3 speed on the column" shifter. The car would lock in gear and we had to hit something under the hood to unstick it - picture a young girl driver wacking at the car on the side of the road (such fond memories lol). I couldn't tell you even now what it was I was hitting with the big wrench we kept under the seat.

I think knowing how to drive a standard is an excellent skill to have, especially if one of the cars in the household is a standard. DH's car is a standard; I work closer to the service garage and so drive it in on service days. DS has a standard, but DDIL can't drive it yet; they can't swap cars if there is ever a reason to do so. She is trying to learn, though. My brother was in a pinch one day a couple of years ago and needed me to follow him in one of his work trucks - it was very helpful that I knew how to drive it.

 

[kafitty]

yep, learned how by age 14 on a Mazda Miata. Then drove that car for many many years - right into the ground!

i LOVE driving standard, and i miss it. Way better control over accelerating. And it gets to be second nature after awhile - i still go to slam my left foot on the "clutch" if i have to break quickly.

i do think it's a good skill to have, 'cause you never know...especially in my age group (early 20s), i know i can always drive my dumb drunk friends home, no matter what kind of car they drive.

 

[drag n' fly]

Yes I drive sticks, autos and even tractors lol when necessary!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

If you do your driving test here in a manual/stick car the license covers both manual and automatic but if you do test in automatic you're not covered to drive manual car. We have very, very few automatic cars-nearly everyone uses manual

 

[X and G's mom]

I learned on a 3 on the tree and once I got my license my parents got me a 4 on the floor. As soon as I got the car my dad told me not to take the car into town (yeah right, tell a 16 year old that) so, I took it into town By the end of the night I had it down pat!

It's the only kind of car I will buy now! I've already told my kids that if they want to drive they will learn to drive stick!

Oh yeah, it's actually hard for me to drive automatics! Too much thinking involved! No clutch, no shifting. I usually have to sit on my right hand when I drive my mom's car (I always look for the clutch with my left foot too)

 

[Rora]

I learned but I'm terrified. I probably could do it if my life depended on it.. but would I drive one just for fun? NO WAY!

 

[Luvchefmic]

DH insisted (it was 20+ yrs ago now his insisting about anything falls on deaf ears) we purchased our first new car a Hyundai Excel..cheapest was a stick shift. We drove to the dealer to pick it up and he "explained" on the way there how to drive it. After getting the keys he left in our other car and I had a "baptism by fire" experience.

The car bucked and stalled all the way home. Other drivers cursed me & blared their horns....I cursed him all the way home. I kept envisioning a major crash & trying to explain it to the insurance company.....we laugh about it now. Can I drive a stick, yes, do I like it NO

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

If you do your driving test here in a manual/stick car the license covers both manual and automatic but if you do test in automatic you're not covered to drive manual car. We have very, very few automatic cars-nearly everyone uses manual

I have never heard of that.

I got my license at 17 in a manual (stick) camaro in New Orleans.

It was funny, the tester was very afraid--before we could go she said "Can you get us back, b/c if you can't, I can't and we'll be stuck".

Easiest driving test ever. She was so (unreasonably) concerned that there was absolutely nothing challenging about the course.

My license had no indication of what kind of transmission I was permitted to drive.

I find it good in the off chance of emergency--and my step-father required me to learn. (Have to say that I was taught illegally as I never had a permit.)

While it was scary at first b/c the car did stall out--I was more scared about getting caught than anything else. But I truly enjoyed the opportunity to drive a stick.

I also taught hubby (well his friend did also) how to drive a stick. Minivans are all automatic.

 

[dawson5]

Hubby taught me when I was 16 on his chevette. I haven't had a need to do that in a while, but I can if I need to. My volvo has both auto and manual but no clutch pedal. I don't play with it. Hubby's was the same also (s80).

 

[JessicaR]

Yes I can drive a stick. My first car was a honda accord stick. My 17 year old just got his license and wants to learn but we no longer have any stick shift cars.

 

[MarilIncredible]

I can't drive a stick. When I was learning how to drive, both of my parents' cars were automatic, and the driver's ed car was automatic, so all I know is automatic. I've come to loathe driving, anyway, and I do as little as possible, most of which is around town, where a stick would be a huge PITA, anyway (according to DH, who has a manual car).

 

[kinntj]

A stick is all the school had to teach us on, so that's how I learned. In college I would drive a stick. I haven't driven a manual in 15 years now, but I'm sure I could just pick it back up if needed.

In college it was nice to know how to drive one because the guy who drove us to the clubs drank and we needed to get home. I didn't drink that night (just wanted to dance), so it was nice to drive us out of the city.