Can you "drive stick"?

[RogueX]

My husband tried to teach me, however, I just couldn't quite get it. He's got a car with a manual and will teach our daughter to drive both manual and automatic, so she has options.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

The short answer is "NO"... I suppose if were ever in the situation where I had to, I could get a phone mount and stream a youtube "how to" video

 

[DoryGirl1963]

Yep !

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Yes. I learned to drive when I was 15 on a stick-shift VW, with very little pick-up, when every other car on the road was a behemoth. On California freeways. When the closest freeway entrance to our house took cars directly into the left lane.

Of course I grew up when our playground equipment was sited over asphalt, we played outside all the time without supervision, and kids commonly piled into the way-back of station wagons with no thought of seatbelts. So, yeah, it's a wonder any of us grew up.

 

[jlmarr]

Yes. Learned on a “Root Beer Float” 57 Chevy.

While moving out of our apartment, I backed through and demolished a neighbors wooden fence. Dad in the passenger seat said let’s just go and I’ll come back to deal with it later. I’m sure he did that.

 

[mrodgers]

Graduated high school in 1990 and parents gave me the car I was using to trade on my own car. That car I traded was an automatic, traded for a 4 speed manual. A month ago I purchased the first automatic I've ever purchased for myself. 32 out of 34 years and almost a million miles driving manual. I'm still at the trying for the missing clutch with my foot and reaching for the shifter stage, and probably will be for a while yet, LOL.

I despise normal automatic transmissions. I'm a control freak with driving a car and they do weird things. Going to an auto I could only do one of 2 choices. VW or Audi with their DSG transmission. Luckily I like VW/Audi.

Taught both of my daughters how to drive manual the past few years. Oldest because it's all I had available to take her driving. The youngest I had access to the ex's car to take her. She was concentrating on the wrong things so I put her in my car to divert her attention to see she didn't need to concentrate on what she was.

 

[Mle8308]

Yep! I wanted to save money on the first car I bought. I couldn’t even drive it off the lot, my BF had to do it! We went to a church parking lot and I learned quick because I had to drive to work the next day. The first few days were a little jerky, but I figured it out! The next car I bought was a standard, too because I liked driving one. Last few have been automatic, I do mostly city driving now so it’s easier, and sticks are hard to find!

 

[disneyseniors]

Or as it's also known, drive a manual car? Very different to an automatic.

Yes, like others, I learned on a manual shift! I drove a couple of manual shift cars until I got married and we got an automatic. I actually love to shift especially 5 on the floor, LOL. We have automatic just like most everyone else now.

 

[disneyseniors]

Yes. I learned to drive when I was 15 on a stick-shift VW, with very little pick-up, when every other car on the road was a behemoth. On California freeways. When the closest freeway entrance to our house took cars directly into the left lane.

Of course I grew up when our playground equipment was sited over asphalt, we played outside all the time without supervision, and kids commonly piled into the way-back of station wagons with no thought of seatbelts. So, yeah, it's a wonder any of us grew up.

LOL, I did all those things too!
I learned on a stick shift at the age of 14!
My first 2 cars were stick shift VW bugs, which I loved My first one was so old and worn out that a snail could pass it, but I loved it
I wish I would have kept my old VW now.

 

[Walt's Dream]

Yes. Drivers training at my high school (way back in the day) included a VW Bug!. I remember driving up into the hills, stopping on the incline, and having to get going again without ending at the bottom of the hill!

One of my favorite cars was an 89 Saab. Gosh, that was fun to drive!

 

[bcla]

Yes. Drivers training at my high school (way back in the day) included a VW Bug!. I remember driving up into the hills, stopping on the incline, and having to get going again without ending at the bottom of the hill!

One of my favorite cars was an 89 Saab. Gosh, that was fun to drive!

These days it might be too easy. Of course there are synchronizers and some automation. Some systems are integrated where they do automatic rev matching when downshifting. And many these days have automatic braking where they hold on a hill so there's no more backsliding. I test drove a newer (used) car with such a system, and it took some getting used to. There was no manual parking brake handle. It was just a switch on the center next to the shifter and mechanically set/released. So it just becomes part of the system when one is stopped on an incline and needs to move uphill again.

There's nothing more interesting than driving a stick in San Francisco up and down hills. But the newer braking systems will make it easier.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yes, learned on a 1984 mazda hatchback as my first car and glad it was as I prefer manual transmissions. A vast majority of cars I've owned have been manual, but sadly they're very difficult to get nowadays.

 

[North of Mouse]

The short answer is "NO"... I suppose if were ever in the situation where I had to, I could get a phone mount and stream a youtube "how to" video

Sorry, not quite that easy lol!

Yes, my first car (1966 Impala Sport) new, after starting my first job - loved it, and DH & I had some after we married also. His last was a Toyota Supra that was fun to drive, then we started the automatic route. For the past several years we've bought automatic, but now stick shift is only fun for awhile, not in stop and go traffic at our ages - sort of rough on leg muscles.
We taught our children with stick shift (which was fun on inclines lol) so they they too could drive both if needed.

 

[ncc1701]

Yes. Haven't done it almost 20 years but remember the drill. The first couple of cars I owned were stick. It made them less expensive than automatic at that time.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

No and neither does my husband. My sister-in-law does but it's been several cars since. She only learned for that one car she had.

 

[GreatLakes]

My current vehicle is stick so yes, I can drive it. My wife's last car was stick so she can drive it as well.

 

[Squirlz]

Recently bought my first automatic in 25 years, but we still have 3 stick shifts between us.

 

[DVC-Don]

Yep. First vehicle I drove was a 1949 Ford tractor. Had manual cars/trucks for years.

 

[gncntry]

Yes. We had a Datsun B210 when I was a kid and my dad taught me to drive it.
one of my cars is a Toyota Corolla 2006 with a manual transmission. At the time it saved me $1000 by our chasing manual. It still gets 35 mpg.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

Nope. My dad tried to teach me when I was 16 but his constant "NO"'s scared me. I think if he would've taken me and dropped me off out in the country alone, I could've figured it out, but he likely would've needed a new transmission once I got home