Can you drive stick?

loria · Post by **loria** » Fri May 28, 2010 10:06 pm

i JUST got my first automatic car--I have been driving fora kabillion years--i LOVE a standard--makes me nuts--i am still looking for the clutch

Chet · Post by **Chet** » Mon May 31, 2010 9:55 am

Grew up in the country. By 11 years old I was operating farm trucks, tractors, farm equipment. My current vehicle is a Baby Bronco I've had since 1989. Mrs Random drives the big auto-matic. It's the preferred ride to the beach.

JT is right - everyone should learn to drive a stick.

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Mon May 31, 2010 11:39 am

I am proud to say that i can drive my husbands Ford F150 with no problem at all.

I learned in my teens driving a stick on the column.

Luckily I have long enough legs to drive his truck as oppossed to my daughter who is 5'2" and would have a chance at all.

P-600 · Post by **P-600** » Mon May 31, 2010 5:51 pm

I bought my 1987 Pontiac Lemans with NOOO idea how to drive a stick. I bucked??? all the way home and figured it out on my own with my future husband driving behind me.. I have owned many cars since then including the "minivan" UGH and some SUV's that is still my favorite car ever. It cost me $5,700 brand new with NO radio, no AC!! My last car a Navigator was idk $57,000! Still love my red Lemans:(

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Mon May 31, 2010 7:18 pm

I don't know how to drive a stick, I will admit it. I tried to learn but I could make the gears scream like you would not believe. But I don't like to drive anyway, I never have. I didn't even get a license until I was 20, and I only drive locally unless I don't have a choice. I take the train to work and walk a lot.

John drove a stick for a while and so I asked him this question. He said that he actually prefers a stick because you feel more in control and are more aware of the driving process. But of course he has an auotmatic so I can drive it if I want to.

Marcia (Mrs. Pete) · Post by **Marcia (Mrs. Pete)** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:25 am

I drive a manual car and have for most of my driving career (way too many years to count). I enjoy it for the sense of control and "fun" factor. In bumper to bumper traffic it S#CKS though. You are terminally caught between needing to be in first or second gear and your left leg gets exhausted clutching repeatedly.

Of our three children who drive, only my daughter took the time to learn it. In just under a few hours, she had it down. Including hills. I truly believe everyone should learn. As has been mentioned, it could be a "life or death" situation where the only option is to drive the car with the stick shift.

As an aside, some cars just beg for manual...like my first and only favorite car (I'm not into cars ~ I drive a 10 year old Saturn with almost 100K miles on it), the '88 Honda Prelude. I LOVED that car. It just would not have been the same if it were an automatic.

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:27 pm

I LOVE driving a stick. I just think it's more fun. It feels more like "real" driving. Although I do recall with my first car (stick) and first job (got there via toll road) that I stalled alot when stopping to pay tolls until I got used to driving a stick. Some interesting moments stopping and starting on an incline, too.

I had some good laughs in London with a friend when we drove a rented stick shift. It was so funny driving on the left for the first time AND having the steering wheel on the right and the stick on my left. Yes we did stay on some roundabouts for a few extra rotations trying to figure everything out!

SS in NC · Post by **SS in NC** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:57 pm

I learned on a stick and loved it...still do, but currently do not have one. I prefer the control you have with them, especially trans braking in quick thinking situations. I did not like the 3 on the tree's though...what a challenge those were!

waterguy · Post by **waterguy** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:10 pm

The memories of the 3 on the tree a girl sitting tight next to you your right arm around her shifting with your left hand those were the days!!!!

linne · Post by **linne** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:51 pm

This topic is funny for me. In the beginning I didn't know what you were talking about - " drive stick" never heard that expression. But I have now found out what you mean and can see how different USA and Denmark are concerning cars.

In Denmark there are fewer cars with automatic gear than cars, which have manual gear shift. I drive in a car with manual gear, and when hubby got one with automatic gear, I didn't think I would like to drive his car. But I do! It's very relaxing and it's easier to concentrate about the traffic when you don't need to shift the gear.

But I still like to drive my own car in the town, because it's smaller and easier to park, which I'm not talented for.

Linne

Larry · Post by **Larry** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:50 pm

Standard is the best. Best for snow, best for rain, best for mountains and hills, best for beach. Terrible for stop&go traffic.

I'd never buy an automatic though, and I live in NY. An hour or two in traffic every now and then will never outweigh how comfortable and in control manual transmissions are the rest of the time.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:56 pm

Larry wrote:Standard is the best. Best for snow, best for rain, best for mountains and hills, best for beach. Terrible for stop&go traffic.

I do remember the comfortable feeling of control on the dirt roads and in the snow when driving a standard. I lived in a very rural area with lots of driving on dirt, mountain, township roads and keeping it in a low gear was the way to go.

cypressgirl · Post by **cypressgirl** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:16 pm

Heck yeah!! I learned to drive on my grandma's '56 Chevy. I don't think they even made automatic back then, did they? I drove my dad's "extra" car, his '60 Ford pickup, to school. No ac, no power anything. Then I thought I'd be cool and get this red '98 Audi 5 speed (I think that's the year). I worked myself to death shifting and clutching in stop and go traffic. It's fun for a while, but not in my real world.

bubblybrenda · Post by **bubblybrenda** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 1:08 am

I learned on an automatic in 1981. But back in 1982 when I bought my first car, standards were cheaper than automatics so I bought a 5-speed Chevy Chevette. Never even test drove it because I didn't know how to drive a stick. Living in Vancouver is hilly. I took that first test-drive trying to get that car home from the dealership, going up a hill, around a corner onto a 2-lane bridge. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why it kept stalling out in 5th gear (meanwhile cars are honking because it's afternoon rush hour and I'm holding up the commute). When I got home I called my Dad and explained the situation. It was then that I learned that 5th gear is high gear and 1st gear is low. I would've never figured that out on my own.

Drove my 2nd Standard for 13 yrs. Lots of life left in it but the transmission was about to go. Not worth repairing it. Now I'm in an automatic and can't even fathom driving a standard on these hills any more. I don't miss it.

verjoy · Post by **verjoy** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:10 am

I learned to drive on my boyfriend's 1941 Ford. It was perfect for learning because the transmission was so loose that you could sometimes shift without the clutch being engaged. Most of the time he had to prime the carburator to start it, and the passenger side window crank was kept in the glove compartment. It had no heater, and there was no such thing as a seat belt. To sound the horn you had to touch a loose wire to something metal. It looked like it had been painted with a broom. We liked to go airborne in it going over railroad tracks. In spite of his wheels, I married him.

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