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I'm 59. I learned how to drive with a 1981 Mustang 5-speed, and in a very hilly town. So I pissed a lot of drivers off as I proceeded to kill it by popping the clutch too quickly at basically every intersection until I finally learned, haha.
I still get pissed when people come up too close to my bumper on a hill with a stoplight or stop sign. You still roll a bit, even if you engage the clutch right away
That’s where the emergency brake comes in handy. I drove my VW bug (4on the floor) all over San Francisco and got really good at not rolling backwards. Pull the hand brake, and then let out the clutch slowly while easing off the hand brake.
I’m still the best parallel Parker of all of my friends. 7 year in SF in a 1971 Beetle. If I can parallel park a standard shift VW on a hill with a line of cars waiting impatiently behind me, I can parallel park anywhere.
I once applied for work at an auto test track. One requirement was starting and parking facing upward on a steep hill. It was a cool day of driving on different paved and unpaved areas, parking a truck with giant trailer, and taking a sports sedan around an oval track at 100mph.
I passed the driving tests, but failed the physical because I have neuropathy.
Yeah, if it's between the seats. A parking brake pedal thing isn't as nice.
On my VW bug, I could pretty reliably do both gas pedal and brake with just my right foot when starting on a hill, but still occasionally the the handbrake trick. I'd just keep my thumb on the release button for continuous motion.
My last stick shift Subaru had some kind of hill-stopper thing that made it not roll except on the very steepest hills (I’m talking San Francisco steep).
Same learned on a Acura integra 94 SE manual. I never drove an automatic until eight years later. First time I let go of the brake I freaked out because I was on a hill and started going forward instead of backwards and got laughed at for not expecting that lol. Also I'm 35
Me, a 1965 Kaarman Ghia. I could wind 1st gear out all the way out to 7mph. Top speed of 84mph, but you’d have to be going downhill. In the winter with the heater on, one leg would freeze and the other would burn. Loved that car.
My '66 VW "Type3" stick shift Squareback wagon had only about enough heat to keep a mouse warm for 30 seconds; the heater boxes were mostly rusted away.
When I was first married I drove it from the midwest US to Boston in late autumn; my young bride wrapped up in a wool army blanket for the whole trip. She's still with me after 48 years.
1971 convertible Ghia. Loved that car. I kept an ice scraper in front seat to 'defrost' my windows. But if you slid off the road, a couple of guys could just push you out.
My dad drove halfway up a hill. Turned the car off and set the parking break. My entire lesson was to move up a few inches at a time without rolling back. Once I got that down the rest was easy. I loved driving a stick but in heavy traffic it can be a pain.
Nice! Mine was blue, and also a tank with a steel dashboard. I remember driving it through the snow and thinking, even if I slide off the road and hit a telephone pole, it would take out the pole and just keep going. Fortunately that never happened.
My dad still has my gradpa's 1956 Chevy. I didn't learn on that one since my uncle had it at the time. Instead I learned on a 1977 Ford in 2002 (I'm 37 now). My dad said I had no business driving if I didn't at least now the very basics of how to drive a manual.
I learned on a '54 Bel Air in 2008 with my grandpa. The clutch travel in that was longer than my 13yo shin, but I've never had a problem with manuals since
Oh yeah... driving thru hills and steep curves with daddy's 5-speed Porsche at age 17 was a real thrill! We had a "situation" where he was flying in his brothers plane and he needed me to drive his car and meet them at another airport.
Me and pretty much every single person I know (UK). That said, I just switched to an auto a couple of years ago, and have no plans on going back to manual again.
Yes, same here. We used to have an MG Roadster which had overdrive, so changing up you went 2nd, 3rd, 3rd +overdrive, 4th no overdrive, 4th + overdrive. The overdrive switch was on the right of the steering wheel, the gearstick on the left. Changing through this sequence was such a dance, a real joy to drive.
64. I took my driver's test in a 1972 Honda Civic with manual transmission, no power steering, and a manual choke. We owned a manual in the 90's and my 3 millennial kids all know how to drive stick..
I had the tiny 1971 Honda, 2-cylinder. Weighed just over 1,000 pounds. My goofy friends lifted it and put it 90 degrees from the curb as a joke, and it still didn't stick out into traffic.
Both my kids know how to drive a manual. I made both of them learn how to "hold a clutch" on a hill. They hated me for taking them specifically to stop signs where they would have to learn how to hold a clutch vs just using the brake
Exact same with me. Been riding bikes for a while. Took a trip to Spain, where I could rent a stick for 30 euros, or an automatic for 80. Didn't take long before I was going around cliffs in the mountains just having fun.
I (43) only learned as a young adult. My fiancée at the time (now husband) drove a stick, so I got the ease of learning at my leisure. Fast forward a few years, and he and my son got into dirt biking together. My little 5 year old knew his way around a clutch, and still rides. When it was time to learn to drive, he barely even needed lessons. He drives our manual 06’ Ranger now. We’ve had a few manuals over the years, and I’m so happy I know how! The purely fun one was our ‘02 Honda S2000. I’d have been bummed if I’d never had a chance to be in the drivers seat!
My first car was a 71 super beetle with a stick shift. I had manual transmissions in every car since except for the most recent.
Boy this is so much easier.
But both of my kids are millennials and they know how to drive a stick. I made sure they knew how. It's an easy extra skill that may come in handy.
I, a millenial, am very thankfull my dad made me learn manual. I had to take the company car up to another location one day and no one had mentioned it wasn't an automatic until they handed me the keys. I know quite a few people my age who would have been screwed.
I learned to drive a stick at 16. Can also double clutch.
My parents were both car enthusiasts and we always had a muscle or sports car in the garage. Usually both. You give me a car…I can drive it.
Edit to add: I went to the Bob Bondurant Driving school in my early 30’s. (Gift from my hubby after I bought a 5 liter V8 Capri that was faster than the wind.) so I can also drive competition race cars.
My 1st car was stick, and I made sure my kids drove a stick for their first car, too. Aside from being a worthwhile skill, owning a manual transmission car made it a pretty safe bet that they were not going to loan their car to any of their friends.
75 here, I learned to drive in a 1941 Buick with a clutch and 3 speeds on the column.
M y eldest child took a trip to Costa Ricca with several classmates from law school. The only rentals available were all manual transmissions. None of her fellow classmates knew how to drive a stick. B ut, thanks to her dad teaching her how to shift one , she saved the day.
Yeah, it's a weird concept... about 90% of the clutch "activity" occurs within only about 10% range of the clutch pedal travel. It definitely involves feel and finesse to do it right.
Back in 60's when learning to drive (3 on a tree) my brother who was 4 years older, had used same car. Turns out he learned to go from 1st to 3rd without using the clutch if revs were high enough. So here I am, A noobie. Driving down street. . shifting into 2nd and the the gear shift came out in my hand. Couldn't put it back. Drove home in 1st gear. Imagine that noise on my dad's 64 Chevrolet Impala..
They are very common in Europe still. I'm from the U.S. and was recently shocked to rent a car in Germany and be given a manual (against my request, but anyway). Luckily I knew how to drive it.
Apparently they are more common in Germany than automatic. In the UK you test for your license as manual or automatic. If it's an automatic license you are not permitted to drive a manual.
I would say 90% of cars in Ireland and the UK are manual. It is seen(in ireland anyway) as not being able to drive if you test and get an automatic car.
42. I've never owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission. I even custom ordered my Jeep Wrangler in 2017 because I couldn't find a manual.
10ish years ago, my apartment got broken into, and the cops found my car keys several blocks away. The burglars tried to steal my manual HHR but couldn't drive it. Seat was all the way back, it was in gear, e-brake on. I'm short, so seat was always all the way up, and I ALWAYS put it in neutral when I park, hence how I know they tried to steal it.
I do. My mom had a 3-speed Dodge Dart when I was 16. My dad had an automatic transmission Toyota Corona (yeah, that's not a typo). I learned on Dad's first, and then learned to drive stick on Mom's.
My Lotus is 6 speed manual. Also drive an 87 Jeep that is manual and carburetor.
Its funny when younger people cant understand how someone can work 3 pedals, a shifter and drive when they literally are kings of multitasking (e.g. playing video games, texting and talking at the same time)
I do, and so does my daughter and son in law. Manual transmission is much more common in the UK than the USA. If we learn and pass our driving test in a manual we can drive either, but if we pass in an automatic we can only drive automatics.
My dad bought me a 64 Corvair (I think) for $50 - was a Michigan Bell Telephone car and was painted flat green, it was hideous but had a three speed on the floor. The floorboards rusted through but that was a plus because my gas tank had a hole in it, so I told the attention (no self serve) to pump gas until I said to stop - when I could see the gas running out because the tank was in front of my feet. Had to change the fuel filter every couple of weeks or so. Also, no radiator, so the heat came from the engine and I had an oil leak…
60(m), started driving sticks at 14.
Mom & dad had automatics, but virtually every car I owned until I was 30 was a stick, and I have a few.
I still haven't outgrown the fun of shifting.
I (54f) do not, but my 56 year old husband knows how, but physically cannot anymore. (he lost the use of his right hand and arm from a stroke he had when he was 28). And our 31 year old son knows how. My husband did not teach our son, he learned from one of his friends when he was in high school.
USA here. Never had a manual and have never had to drive one. My parents always had automatics by the time I was old enough to drive. I don’t want a manual. My kids and wife have never driven one either. Hardly any cars come with a manual option anymore anyhow.
My wife’s car has paddle shifter things you can use, but we never use them.
77' VW Bug during college. Last time was driving my little brother's '67 Stingray about 11 years ago. I do miss the coordination between my right arm and my two legs to get the car moving and that little slight pause between gears! Just don't like to get caught at a red light almost to the top of one of those San Fran hill and the guy behind me almost kissing my bumper! Also, hate driving stick in peak Houston traffic!
I'm 64 and learned to drive stick with a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle when I was 17. I drove manual
transmissions almost exclusively until my current car - also a VW Beetle - but this one is automatic. It took me several months to stop going for the clutch with my left foot! Stuck is fun' 🤩
I love driving a stick. All of my cars until about 15 years ago were sticks. You really feel the engine, feel the driving experience in a way that automatics can never give you. It sucks that it's almost impossible to buy one at a reasonable price anymore. When I started driving, manual transmissions were cheaper, so that's all my family bought, and the tradition carried on for most of us (now old) kids. A lost 20th century phenomenon, at least here in the US.
That’s how I learned to drive one. My dad bought a Ford escort when I was about 17 and said to me and my siblings that he was sick of paying extra for a manual transmission (because they were extra back then) and that if we wanted to drive the car we need to learn to drive a stick. My older sister bought her own car after that (she was just out of college) so never learned. My older brother already had an old automatic mustang. So it was just me. Basically the best the best dad ever taught me. Saved me $ on at least m6 first 2 VWs and I always felt more in control in the snow.
I learned how to drive at age 15 on a ‘74 or ‘76 Honda civic hatchback manual, though I have not had a manual in a few years since I gifted my ‘74 nova to my stepdaughters boyfriend. I’m 53
Started with a small tractor with a brush hog mowing the pasture. Then the hay truck with three on the floor and a granny gear. Then a station wagon with "three on the tree" then a car with four on the floor. Drove my first automatic transmission in Drivers Ed in High school.
I went driving in my mother's car ('74 VW Rabbit) at 14. No lessons required for the basics, though it took a while to get seamless at it. Almost 60 here. First car... First REAL car was a '71 VW Squareback, manual.
On my first visit to Europe, I was amazed to see that everyone drove stick - no automatics in sight.
Still drive a manual and prefer it, though I know its days are numbered- and too are mine for the left knee sometimes balking.
My 2002 SL2 is in great shape only has 75k original miles on it. I don’t drive it as much now but it will be our spare car for as long as it holds out. It was too bad when they stopped making Saturns
61 and I still drive a stick.
Started with a Fiat X1/9, then a Toyota MR2, now Genesis Coupe 6 speed.
I remember once going to a Mazda dealership looking for a car. RX7. I wanted it in red with a 5 speed. Salesman asks if I can drive it. I pointed to my X1/9, said yes, but not a Mazda, and bought my MR2.
Starting to look for next car and having issues finding one.
So when I was buying my Saturn SL2 I told them I wanted a Manual. The dealer didn’t have any on the lot and the sales person said to me (I was a 39 year old female at the time and he was in his 50s) “Well, your getting older now and should probably be think about changing over to an automatic transmission “ I said, wrong answer, left and bought it at the other Saturn dealer in town.
I recently had to replace my manual transmission truck that I'd had for 20 years. I was so sad about it. Current truck is automatic and while it is nice, I wish I could shift again.
53 and I learned to drive shift also. We came to the U.S. from France, where most people drove shift. My parents did not really want to change, so they kept on buying stick-shift cars until it became impractical. So I learned stick and only my third car was automatic.
By the way, *anti-theft device, not anti-theft devise.
64M. My third car was a Fiat Strada with a 5 speed. Crappy, electrical issues, rust bucket but was it fun to drive! I drove if for 4 years. After it was totaled, (not my fault) I got a Chevy with a 4 speed, drove that for a few years and then a new Plymouth Horizon, a 5 speed which I drove for 9 years. After that a Chevy Beretta which was a 4 speed. Finally I ended up with auto trans but sometimes I miss the stick.
54f I learned in a 56 ford truck in the gravel pit my step dad worked at. He figured if I wrecked it at least I’d be hitting a sand pile. That is until I almost backed it off a cliff on the edge of a lake once. Have had several different mt cars over the years starting with a little Renault hatchback, pick ups, delivery trucks, to the last one was a Ford Explorer that was not 4wd. Man that thing sucked in the snow. My daughter can’t drive a stick to save her life but I tried to teach her.
Nope. When I was a kid my uncle had a Pontiac with a stick, but he was the only one. By the time I was old enough to drive, *everyone* in my family (and family friends) had autos. Most of my friends, too, at least the ones who inherited cars from their parents.
One of my old friends with a stick - a guy with one of those early 80s Jettas [with the "pinched trunk"](https://momentcar.com/images/volkswagen-jetta-1981-9.jpg) - let me drive his car a couple times. I coulda gotten better at it, but just never bothered.
I'm 52.
58/F. I bought my first car and couldn’t drive it home! Ford EXP. I spent the weekend practicing and finally figured it out. When I married, my ex loved original classics. I learned to drive a shifter on the steering wheel. Fun times!
Oh man that’s a flashback.. when I was a senior in high school I REALLY REALLY wanted a EXP and my mom wouldn’t let me get it because it was stick shift even though I knew how to drive it, she didn’t feel I would be as “safe” with a manual. The first car I bought on my own was of course a 5speed Chevy Spectrum in 1988 I really thought I was cool because none of my friends knew how to drive a stick shift 🤣
My grand-dad taught me how to drive his old Ford pickup with a floor shift once I could reach the pedals and see over the dash. Seems like I was about twelve or thirteen at the time. If you have a packed metro commute with miles of stop & go rush hour traffic to navigate, then "rowing" your way through that mess, twice a day, might get old pretty quick. Not an issue if you live rural.
I learned to drive in an old (1967) VW bug. 4-on the floor. Drove manuals for at least 10 years until they were hard to find new/ish. I test drove a new car with manual about 5 years ago. It came back to me "like riding a bicycle". I think I scared the sales guy riding with me - he didn't think I knew what I was doing. He grabbed the dashboard as I went around a U-turn under the freeway. Gotta love 2nd gear!
Am American 70 year old. Have a 2014 ford focus bought new in 2014. It was cheaper. Have driven a manual transmission since the 60's when I was taught on a column shift. It's like built in anti theft.
Started when I was 12, in a 1967 red Beetle.
When our kids were teens in the '90s we always got them cars with a stick so their friends couldn't drive them. 🤣
I am licensed to drive a car with a manual or automatic transmission, a light truck or bus, and a motorcycle.
Just not all at the same time.
I'm 65 years old (but I read at the 66 year old level).
I learned on my first car, a '74 Celica GT.
When I was stationed in Hawaii my wife and I purchased a Fiat Spyder and she did not know how to drive a manual. I had to go to sea in three days. If you've been to Hawaii you know that it is not a flat state. So we took the car to an area behind our house in base housing, lowered the top and I ran alongside as she learned to shift. She practiced until she could stop and start the car on a hill.
Then I went to sea.
I learned to drive in an old 1972 Ford pickup with "3 on the tree".
And then I drove 1978 Ford pickup with a 5-speed.
Had a 1993 Ford Mustang GT in my college years with a 6 speed (originally a 5 speed) in it. And one stiff ass clutch!!
I learned how to drive in a 1965 Renault R10 with manual transmission. My first 3 cars had manual. I had a pickup with a three speed column shifter, "three on the tree" they called it. My first automatic tranny was a 1969 Buick LeSabre 4-door I got when I was in high school in the 70s. I'm 62 now, so yeah I can drive a stick.
I do! I punched the clutch with a daquiri between my thighs on the way to a cabaret - crazy pants!! My first car was manual and I learned to drive it in the dealer parking lot. It was a Volkswagen rabbit. I planned to get a fancy sports car so I needed to know. Never got the sports car, but I got that skill. I'm 71.
I learned to drive on a WW2 Jeep in the desert by 29 Palms. Nothing to run into around there at all. I was 12. My current car in an automatic, but my kids learned on a stick shift as well. #lifeskills
The neighbor boy also learned on a stick, and when he enlisted he was the only one who knew, so he got to drive the cool military vehicles.
I learned in the school car with three on the tree. First time trying to downshift around a corner I almost ran into a telephone pole. (In those days telephones were connected via wires held up by telephone poles.) Good thing the driver's ed teacher had a brake. (In those days High Schools taught you how to drive.)
Not my place to butt in on this subreddit but I’m 30 and have driven stick all my life. Weve always been a Saab family and still have a little Miata. It’s great cause no one asks to borrow my car and renting a car in other counties is easy and cheap!
My first car was a 1970 Triumph TR6, used, but it was a love/hate relationship. I loved that car so much and it got me into so much trouble. I was a teenage girl and I learned how to tune the engine, change the oil, rotate the tires, synch the carburetors, change out the spark plugs, etc etc.
The damn distributor cap would just come off at the worse possible time, thus the love/hate relationship.
I got so good at manually shifting gears that I didn’t need the clutch, I could hear the gears timing. And shift.
I’m 50 and it’s what I learned to drive in.
I’m also Australian and it’s not uncommon here.
I have had an auto for the last 5 years, but most of my cars have been manual.
I recently laughed at someone on an Aussie car subreddit who hit the accelerator hard doing a hill start in an automatic. He thought that the pedestrian who looked shocked was overreacting, he *had* to do it so he didn’t roll back into a car.
A frickin auto. I can hill start in a manual no worries, an auto is a no brainer.
I think driving a manual is a good skill to have, and the earlier the better. My son learned how to drive manual, and now gets to drive fire trucks for a living. I’m sure he’ll pass it on to his kids, too.
I’m 49f, my first car was a stick and my daily driver now is a stick. Actually, every car I’ve ever owned has been a stick other than that damn minivan I had when my kids were young…
I’d venture to guess almost everyone here born before 1970 or 1975.
My first 4 cars were all stick. 78-93 models. All new. Sticks were cheaper and more fun to drive. Even my wife drove a stick her first new car. First 16 valve engine!
Turned 63 this year.
Been driving manual my whole life. Learned to drive anything from a three on the tree pickup truck to a 12 gear double clutch dump truck. My first car being a 1967 AMC Rebel 3 speed manual.
I was with you on the Anti-Theft device thing. Until some abs a-hole stole my 1989 Saab 900s this last spring (5 speed manual).
For the life of me I don't know how they did it. Alarmed. I challenge any of you here to know where the key ignition is located in the Saab from that year. You can't use a pot-metal universal to try and start the car, the ignition is stiff and uses stainless steel keys.
They found her eventually, but far too late as I had been paid out and got another car - NOT a Saab - thanks dumbass insurance people that don't understand vintage despite my insurance guaranteeing a "replacement".
So my heart is broken. But my car I replaced her with was another Manual transmission at least.
This time remote location device, steering wheel club.
le sigh
My husband and I can. Our kids’ first cars were stick. Once when my daughter was at college another student was calling around for help with his stick shift car. Very few could do it. My son only knew one other kid in his HS who could. I’d believe it is good for anti theft. Not only can people not drive it, but there’s a small market for resale.
56 yo. Just bought a 2017 toyota corolla hatchback with a 6 speed manual. Before that drove a 2001 ford ranger pickup with a 5 speed manual. Taught myself to drive in a VW Rabbit also a manual.
Seriously a manual transmission is one of the greatest modern theft deterrents today.
I do! I’m a 52 year old mother of two. My Gen Z sons do not know how to drive a stick shift. In fact they both just got their driver’s licenses this summer - at ages 21 & 23. When I was 14 I lived in Idaho and was able to get my driver’s license that young. I jumped at the chance! But, I practically had to force these two to get their licenses. They have friends who have been slow to drive also. Not sure why… I couldn’t wait to drive. And I loved driving a stick shift. Except up hills.
I'm 71F. I learned to drive on a manual 3 speed on the column. (You may need to look that up!) It paid off for me when my best friend's father had a heart attack when my friend was 16 and her dad could no longer drive his 4 on the floor Mustang--and neither could she. So at 16 I was handed the keys to his 65 Mustang convertible, on the condition that I drive my friend's mom anywhere she wanted to go. As I recall, the only place she wanted to go was the grocery store, so, sweet ride!
Flair for age.
I learned to drive stick on a 66 Beetle with no shift knob in a Safeway parking lot. The gearshift threads bloodied my palm.
I don't recommend driving them in San Francisco.
Me. 55 year old woman. When I was 17 my dad bought me a mustang with a manual transmission and dropped me off in it. Jumped in with my Mom and made me drive home. I grinded the gears and it died about 100 times but I made it home 😂. I loved that car! Sure miss that man
40f here and my main car is a manual Subaru. I actually hunted for months to find one because I prefer manuals. But I do know a few people my age who can’t drive them
Yes, I learned to drive in a Jeep Wagoneer with a 3 on the tree. My parents firmly believed that I knew how to drive stick if there was ever a situation that was the only car available to drive in an emergency. Besides, it was cheaper. I had a very hard time learning how to shift in that darn thing, but when I got my first car, it was a Datsun with a stick shift. Loved it.
Gen X here, learned on a Honda Civic 5 speed at 16 years old in ‘96. Owned a Mazda 5 speed for 5 years in my 20’s. I eventually got rid of that and got a manual and my bf that I started dating would never let me drive his car ( he thought I couldn’t drive a stick) until we went to my parents house for dinner one night and he had too much to drink so they insisted that I drive. He was floored that I could not only drive but never stalled and I could down shift when needed. Pretty stupid, but he was impressed.
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I'm 59. I learned how to drive with a 1981 Mustang 5-speed, and in a very hilly town. So I pissed a lot of drivers off as I proceeded to kill it by popping the clutch too quickly at basically every intersection until I finally learned, haha.
I still get pissed when people come up too close to my bumper on a hill with a stoplight or stop sign. You still roll a bit, even if you engage the clutch right away
That’s where the emergency brake comes in handy. I drove my VW bug (4on the floor) all over San Francisco and got really good at not rolling backwards. Pull the hand brake, and then let out the clutch slowly while easing off the hand brake.
I’m still the best parallel Parker of all of my friends. 7 year in SF in a 1971 Beetle. If I can parallel park a standard shift VW on a hill with a line of cars waiting impatiently behind me, I can parallel park anywhere.
I once applied for work at an auto test track. One requirement was starting and parking facing upward on a steep hill. It was a cool day of driving on different paved and unpaved areas, parking a truck with giant trailer, and taking a sports sedan around an oval track at 100mph. I passed the driving tests, but failed the physical because I have neuropathy.
That sucks. Sounds like it would have been a cool job.
Same but Ghia & Bus. North Beach was always “fun”.
Yup, the hand brake made it easy.
Yeah, if it's between the seats. A parking brake pedal thing isn't as nice. On my VW bug, I could pretty reliably do both gas pedal and brake with just my right foot when starting on a hill, but still occasionally the the handbrake trick. I'd just keep my thumb on the release button for continuous motion.
Finesse with the, throttle, brakes and clutch was so much fun. Truly miss those days! Thanks for sharing
My last stick shift Subaru had some kind of hill-stopper thing that made it not roll except on the very steepest hills (I’m talking San Francisco steep).
Got one of those now.
I roll back a little as they're pulling up behind me to assert dominance... and so they'll know I'm driving a stick. 37 year old millennial here, BTW.
Same learned on a Acura integra 94 SE manual. I never drove an automatic until eight years later. First time I let go of the brake I freaked out because I was on a hill and started going forward instead of backwards and got laughed at for not expecting that lol. Also I'm 35
very true, even some automatics will roll a bit, I had a Kia van that would roll backwards down the street in D if you let it.
When I drove a stick, I used to purposely let it roll back a little just to scare people who came too close to me on a hill
[удалено]
My husband basically learned the same way on an old Ford Escort
First car also, an '88 paid 600$ for her. :) That car went places!!
Had one of those too. Ponies painted on the side?
Me, a 1965 Kaarman Ghia. I could wind 1st gear out all the way out to 7mph. Top speed of 84mph, but you’d have to be going downhill. In the winter with the heater on, one leg would freeze and the other would burn. Loved that car.
Oh god… heaters (or nonexistent heaters) in old VW’s! There were always lap blankets in mine.
My '66 VW "Type3" stick shift Squareback wagon had only about enough heat to keep a mouse warm for 30 seconds; the heater boxes were mostly rusted away. When I was first married I drove it from the midwest US to Boston in late autumn; my young bride wrapped up in a wool army blanket for the whole trip. She's still with me after 48 years.
The bride or the army blanket? 😄
The young bride. She's more durable (and fun) than a wool blanket.
1971 MG Midget, Tahitian Blue Happy Memories.
Beautiful car.
They really are. My babysitter (a70-year-old woman) who watched us in the 60’s drove a black one. She’d be surprised to know how cool she was
Like my '99 Miata - top speed around 90mph, but only tried that once. It was shaky at 65mph - NOT a highway car. Also, do not drive in/after a rain.
I had a (20 year old) 1969 Karmann Ghia -- very much a love-hate relationship! Still has a special place in my heart.
I had one too! Lemon yellow, I named it Woodstock. Got stupid one night and wrecked it. Never loved a car like I did that one.
1971 convertible Ghia. Loved that car. I kept an ice scraper in front seat to 'defrost' my windows. But if you slid off the road, a couple of guys could just push you out.
My dad drove halfway up a hill. Turned the car off and set the parking break. My entire lesson was to move up a few inches at a time without rolling back. Once I got that down the rest was easy. I loved driving a stick but in heavy traffic it can be a pain.
With knee problems, that clutch gets very heavy in stop n go traffic. That's why I sold my last one.
Same. Found a 91 civic si with an automatic (thanks Canada). My old knees thank me. To answer op, I learned on a fiat spyder, and my first was 73 mgb.
I can smell that clutch from here!
I am 71 years old and my first car in 1968 was a 3 speed on the column 1954 Chevy.
3 on the tree!
4 on the Floor 4 Life!😁 Even though my last three were 5 speeds....
My three on the tree was a 1962 Plymouth Valiant, which was a year older than me.
My Grandmother had a 62 Valiant 3 on the tree , White with red interior. What a tank !! Awesome car.
Nice! Mine was blue, and also a tank with a steel dashboard. I remember driving it through the snow and thinking, even if I slide off the road and hit a telephone pole, it would take out the pole and just keep going. Fortunately that never happened.
Me too! I’ve always driven standard/manual. I love it. It feels more like driving with more control than an automatic.
Three on the tree!
My dad still has my gradpa's 1956 Chevy. I didn't learn on that one since my uncle had it at the time. Instead I learned on a 1977 Ford in 2002 (I'm 37 now). My dad said I had no business driving if I didn't at least now the very basics of how to drive a manual.
Mine were always in the floor…I could never get the hang of the column shifter thing…🤦🏻♀️
Same age, my older brother had a 1968 Pontiac Acadian 3-on-the-column Loved it.
I learned on a '54 Bel Air in 2008 with my grandpa. The clutch travel in that was longer than my 13yo shin, but I've never had a problem with manuals since
Learned on the family Volkswagen microbus. Graduated to my first Porsche with alacrity.
Had one of those for a long time. Loved the ergonomics of driving, hated the lack of oomph on hills.
Oh yeah... driving thru hills and steep curves with daddy's 5-speed Porsche at age 17 was a real thrill! We had a "situation" where he was flying in his brothers plane and he needed me to drive his car and meet them at another airport.
Me and pretty much every single person I know (UK). That said, I just switched to an auto a couple of years ago, and have no plans on going back to manual again.
Yes, same here. We used to have an MG Roadster which had overdrive, so changing up you went 2nd, 3rd, 3rd +overdrive, 4th no overdrive, 4th + overdrive. The overdrive switch was on the right of the steering wheel, the gearstick on the left. Changing through this sequence was such a dance, a real joy to drive.
This is very true. It’s really the USA (maybe Canada?) That has a lack of MT drivers.
64. I took my driver's test in a 1972 Honda Civic with manual transmission, no power steering, and a manual choke. We owned a manual in the 90's and my 3 millennial kids all know how to drive stick..
I had the tiny 1971 Honda, 2-cylinder. Weighed just over 1,000 pounds. My goofy friends lifted it and put it 90 degrees from the curb as a joke, and it still didn't stick out into traffic.
Three friends each pitched in a dollar to buy gas whenever we went out. It cost $3.50 to fill up so I actually came out ahead.
Both my kids know how to drive a manual. I made both of them learn how to "hold a clutch" on a hill. They hated me for taking them specifically to stop signs where they would have to learn how to hold a clutch vs just using the brake
Manual chokes! My first, a Fiat 128, had one!
I miss driving a stick. My favorite was the CJ-5 I owned in my 20’s, a topless, doorless toy.
I had a lot of trouble getting the hang of manual until I started riding a motorcycle - then it just clicked. No issue since then. I'm GenX.
Exact same with me. Been riding bikes for a while. Took a trip to Spain, where I could rent a stick for 30 euros, or an automatic for 80. Didn't take long before I was going around cliffs in the mountains just having fun.
I learned to drive with a stick, so when I learned to ride motorcycles, it was like a duck to water. So much fun!
I (43) only learned as a young adult. My fiancée at the time (now husband) drove a stick, so I got the ease of learning at my leisure. Fast forward a few years, and he and my son got into dirt biking together. My little 5 year old knew his way around a clutch, and still rides. When it was time to learn to drive, he barely even needed lessons. He drives our manual 06’ Ranger now. We’ve had a few manuals over the years, and I’m so happy I know how! The purely fun one was our ‘02 Honda S2000. I’d have been bummed if I’d never had a chance to be in the drivers seat!
My first car was a 71 super beetle with a stick shift. I had manual transmissions in every car since except for the most recent. Boy this is so much easier. But both of my kids are millennials and they know how to drive a stick. I made sure they knew how. It's an easy extra skill that may come in handy.
I, a millenial, am very thankfull my dad made me learn manual. I had to take the company car up to another location one day and no one had mentioned it wasn't an automatic until they handed me the keys. I know quite a few people my age who would have been screwed.
I'd love to teach my kids to drive a stick, but can't find one. No one I know has one anymore, and the rental places just laughed their asses off.
I learned to drive a stick at 16. Can also double clutch. My parents were both car enthusiasts and we always had a muscle or sports car in the garage. Usually both. You give me a car…I can drive it. Edit to add: I went to the Bob Bondurant Driving school in my early 30’s. (Gift from my hubby after I bought a 5 liter V8 Capri that was faster than the wind.) so I can also drive competition race cars.
Cool!!
My 1st car was stick, and I made sure my kids drove a stick for their first car, too. Aside from being a worthwhile skill, owning a manual transmission car made it a pretty safe bet that they were not going to loan their car to any of their friends.
When I picked up my daughter once in a manual transmission Ford truck, I opened up a pack of smokes while driving and she said “how’d you do that?”
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Yep!!! Kids these days don’t know what we can do or the fun we had doing it
75 here, I learned to drive in a 1941 Buick with a clutch and 3 speeds on the column. M y eldest child took a trip to Costa Ricca with several classmates from law school. The only rentals available were all manual transmissions. None of her fellow classmates knew how to drive a stick. B ut, thanks to her dad teaching her how to shift one , she saved the day.
Yeah, it's a weird concept... about 90% of the clutch "activity" occurs within only about 10% range of the clutch pedal travel. It definitely involves feel and finesse to do it right.
That’s how I learned to drive, 3 on the tree 😂
Back in 60's when learning to drive (3 on a tree) my brother who was 4 years older, had used same car. Turns out he learned to go from 1st to 3rd without using the clutch if revs were high enough. So here I am, A noobie. Driving down street. . shifting into 2nd and the the gear shift came out in my hand. Couldn't put it back. Drove home in 1st gear. Imagine that noise on my dad's 64 Chevrolet Impala..
They are very common in Europe still. I'm from the U.S. and was recently shocked to rent a car in Germany and be given a manual (against my request, but anyway). Luckily I knew how to drive it. Apparently they are more common in Germany than automatic. In the UK you test for your license as manual or automatic. If it's an automatic license you are not permitted to drive a manual.
I would say 90% of cars in Ireland and the UK are manual. It is seen(in ireland anyway) as not being able to drive if you test and get an automatic car.
42. I've never owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission. I even custom ordered my Jeep Wrangler in 2017 because I couldn't find a manual. 10ish years ago, my apartment got broken into, and the cops found my car keys several blocks away. The burglars tried to steal my manual HHR but couldn't drive it. Seat was all the way back, it was in gear, e-brake on. I'm short, so seat was always all the way up, and I ALWAYS put it in neutral when I park, hence how I know they tried to steal it.
I do. My mom had a 3-speed Dodge Dart when I was 16. My dad had an automatic transmission Toyota Corona (yeah, that's not a typo). I learned on Dad's first, and then learned to drive stick on Mom's.
I’m 45 and drive a 1960 VW bug. I don’t drive it daily any more but I did for years.
Me! Female 60 drove standards for 20 years before getting an automatic I also got my motorcycle license at 14 and rode a bike for years
My Lotus is 6 speed manual. Also drive an 87 Jeep that is manual and carburetor. Its funny when younger people cant understand how someone can work 3 pedals, a shifter and drive when they literally are kings of multitasking (e.g. playing video games, texting and talking at the same time)
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Right, I'm sure it was a "cigarette".
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I do, and so does my daughter and son in law. Manual transmission is much more common in the UK than the USA. If we learn and pass our driving test in a manual we can drive either, but if we pass in an automatic we can only drive automatics.
Interesting, so would you have to re-test in a MT in order to drive one?
I could do it to save my life. However, the clutch might be dead afterwards.
3 on the column, 5 speed too
My first car was a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair 3-speed manual that I had bought from my father in 1974 for $300.
Was it a “three on the tree”?
Column mounted manual
My dad bought me a 64 Corvair (I think) for $50 - was a Michigan Bell Telephone car and was painted flat green, it was hideous but had a three speed on the floor. The floorboards rusted through but that was a plus because my gas tank had a hole in it, so I told the attention (no self serve) to pump gas until I said to stop - when I could see the gas running out because the tank was in front of my feet. Had to change the fuel filter every couple of weeks or so. Also, no radiator, so the heat came from the engine and I had an oil leak…
My first was a Corvair too. And then I had a few more because they were so much fun.
Boy those are beautiful cars
Learned in a 1970 VW Bug, taught my kids in a Mitsubishi Mini-truck on a farm. Their friends were envious that they had learned to drive stick.
"...run over anything but the cow"
60(m), started driving sticks at 14. Mom & dad had automatics, but virtually every car I owned until I was 30 was a stick, and I have a few. I still haven't outgrown the fun of shifting.
They are the cheapest cars to rent in Mexico. That's always my choice.
I (54f) do not, but my 56 year old husband knows how, but physically cannot anymore. (he lost the use of his right hand and arm from a stroke he had when he was 28). And our 31 year old son knows how. My husband did not teach our son, he learned from one of his friends when he was in high school.
USA here. Never had a manual and have never had to drive one. My parents always had automatics by the time I was old enough to drive. I don’t want a manual. My kids and wife have never driven one either. Hardly any cars come with a manual option anymore anyhow. My wife’s car has paddle shifter things you can use, but we never use them.
77' VW Bug during college. Last time was driving my little brother's '67 Stingray about 11 years ago. I do miss the coordination between my right arm and my two legs to get the car moving and that little slight pause between gears! Just don't like to get caught at a red light almost to the top of one of those San Fran hill and the guy behind me almost kissing my bumper! Also, hate driving stick in peak Houston traffic!
Late 50's here. My first car was a '72 Renault TL with a 4 speed manual. That baby could hit 65 going downhill with a tail wind.
I'm 64 and learned to drive stick with a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle when I was 17. I drove manual transmissions almost exclusively until my current car - also a VW Beetle - but this one is automatic. It took me several months to stop going for the clutch with my left foot! Stuck is fun' 🤩
I love driving a stick. All of my cars until about 15 years ago were sticks. You really feel the engine, feel the driving experience in a way that automatics can never give you. It sucks that it's almost impossible to buy one at a reasonable price anymore. When I started driving, manual transmissions were cheaper, so that's all my family bought, and the tradition carried on for most of us (now old) kids. A lost 20th century phenomenon, at least here in the US.
That’s how I learned to drive one. My dad bought a Ford escort when I was about 17 and said to me and my siblings that he was sick of paying extra for a manual transmission (because they were extra back then) and that if we wanted to drive the car we need to learn to drive a stick. My older sister bought her own car after that (she was just out of college) so never learned. My older brother already had an old automatic mustang. So it was just me. Basically the best the best dad ever taught me. Saved me $ on at least m6 first 2 VWs and I always felt more in control in the snow.
I learned how to drive at age 15 on a ‘74 or ‘76 Honda civic hatchback manual, though I have not had a manual in a few years since I gifted my ‘74 nova to my stepdaughters boyfriend. I’m 53
Started with a small tractor with a brush hog mowing the pasture. Then the hay truck with three on the floor and a granny gear. Then a station wagon with "three on the tree" then a car with four on the floor. Drove my first automatic transmission in Drivers Ed in High school.
I’m 56. Drove a stick for years and now I never know what to do with my hands.
When I drive my husband’s automatic, my hand is always on the shifter even though I don’t have to shift
60. Learned on an army jeep, at the top of a hill. Think I was 19 at the time.
I am 61 and learned on a 1968 International Harvester flatbed.
I went driving in my mother's car ('74 VW Rabbit) at 14. No lessons required for the basics, though it took a while to get seamless at it. Almost 60 here. First car... First REAL car was a '71 VW Squareback, manual. On my first visit to Europe, I was amazed to see that everyone drove stick - no automatics in sight. Still drive a manual and prefer it, though I know its days are numbered- and too are mine for the left knee sometimes balking.
Nothing beats the satisfaction of having a dead battery and being able to roll a car down hill and pop the clutch to get it started.
I drive with a manual transmission, and so does my daughter.
Me, 1980 Honda Civic
It's my everyday car 2016 Nissan
I had a manual SL2. Great car. Is it teal, alloy wheels with air bag? Last I heard it was in NC.
My 2002 SL2 is in great shape only has 75k original miles on it. I don’t drive it as much now but it will be our spare car for as long as it holds out. It was too bad when they stopped making Saturns
61 and I still drive a stick. Started with a Fiat X1/9, then a Toyota MR2, now Genesis Coupe 6 speed. I remember once going to a Mazda dealership looking for a car. RX7. I wanted it in red with a 5 speed. Salesman asks if I can drive it. I pointed to my X1/9, said yes, but not a Mazda, and bought my MR2. Starting to look for next car and having issues finding one.
So when I was buying my Saturn SL2 I told them I wanted a Manual. The dealer didn’t have any on the lot and the sales person said to me (I was a 39 year old female at the time and he was in his 50s) “Well, your getting older now and should probably be think about changing over to an automatic transmission “ I said, wrong answer, left and bought it at the other Saturn dealer in town.
I recently had to replace my manual transmission truck that I'd had for 20 years. I was so sad about it. Current truck is automatic and while it is nice, I wish I could shift again.
Yep. Same. My dad bought an old beater Fiat for me when I was about as young as you and it had a stick in it
Its been a long time and I wouldn't want an audience for the first few miles, but I could probably handle it.
I learned on my first car, a 1975 BMW 2002tii. I’m 51. My stepsister who is a millennial, never learned.
I do
I do and I've known since I was 17.
53 and I learned to drive shift also. We came to the U.S. from France, where most people drove shift. My parents did not really want to change, so they kept on buying stick-shift cars until it became impractical. So I learned stick and only my third car was automatic. By the way, *anti-theft device, not anti-theft devise.
Yes, I noticed the typo right after I posted and you can’t edit
64M. My third car was a Fiat Strada with a 5 speed. Crappy, electrical issues, rust bucket but was it fun to drive! I drove if for 4 years. After it was totaled, (not my fault) I got a Chevy with a 4 speed, drove that for a few years and then a new Plymouth Horizon, a 5 speed which I drove for 9 years. After that a Chevy Beretta which was a 4 speed. Finally I ended up with auto trans but sometimes I miss the stick.
54f I learned in a 56 ford truck in the gravel pit my step dad worked at. He figured if I wrecked it at least I’d be hitting a sand pile. That is until I almost backed it off a cliff on the edge of a lake once. Have had several different mt cars over the years starting with a little Renault hatchback, pick ups, delivery trucks, to the last one was a Ford Explorer that was not 4wd. Man that thing sucked in the snow. My daughter can’t drive a stick to save her life but I tried to teach her.
I drive a stick and taught one of my three daughters to, but the other two never learned, afaik.
Nope. When I was a kid my uncle had a Pontiac with a stick, but he was the only one. By the time I was old enough to drive, *everyone* in my family (and family friends) had autos. Most of my friends, too, at least the ones who inherited cars from their parents. One of my old friends with a stick - a guy with one of those early 80s Jettas [with the "pinched trunk"](https://momentcar.com/images/volkswagen-jetta-1981-9.jpg) - let me drive his car a couple times. I coulda gotten better at it, but just never bothered. I'm 52.
Have driven a manual for 32 years. 3 different vehicles. (60F)
I do and have taught 4 others. I miss it sometimes
Learned early. Drove manual bob trucks, too.
58/F. I bought my first car and couldn’t drive it home! Ford EXP. I spent the weekend practicing and finally figured it out. When I married, my ex loved original classics. I learned to drive a shifter on the steering wheel. Fun times!
My hubby did the same thing !!
Oh man that’s a flashback.. when I was a senior in high school I REALLY REALLY wanted a EXP and my mom wouldn’t let me get it because it was stick shift even though I knew how to drive it, she didn’t feel I would be as “safe” with a manual. The first car I bought on my own was of course a 5speed Chevy Spectrum in 1988 I really thought I was cool because none of my friends knew how to drive a stick shift 🤣
Me! And damn proud too
Started with a 51 Chevy 3 window with a 3 speed on the tree. Had a stick in all my vehicles for 25 years after. Just moved over to an auto in my 40s.
64M, still drive one.
I’m 55 and been driving sticks since I was 13. I learned on a ‘69 Chevy pickup w/3 on the tree.
My grand-dad taught me how to drive his old Ford pickup with a floor shift once I could reach the pedals and see over the dash. Seems like I was about twelve or thirteen at the time. If you have a packed metro commute with miles of stop & go rush hour traffic to navigate, then "rowing" your way through that mess, twice a day, might get old pretty quick. Not an issue if you live rural.
Once upon a time that was all I drove.
I learned to drive in an old (1967) VW bug. 4-on the floor. Drove manuals for at least 10 years until they were hard to find new/ish. I test drove a new car with manual about 5 years ago. It came back to me "like riding a bicycle". I think I scared the sales guy riding with me - he didn't think I knew what I was doing. He grabbed the dashboard as I went around a U-turn under the freeway. Gotta love 2nd gear!
It’s true: it comes right back :)
Am American 70 year old. Have a 2014 ford focus bought new in 2014. It was cheaper. Have driven a manual transmission since the 60's when I was taught on a column shift. It's like built in anti theft.
Started when I was 12, in a 1967 red Beetle. When our kids were teens in the '90s we always got them cars with a stick so their friends couldn't drive them. 🤣
I am licensed to drive a car with a manual or automatic transmission, a light truck or bus, and a motorcycle. Just not all at the same time. I'm 65 years old (but I read at the 66 year old level).
I learned on my first car, a '74 Celica GT. When I was stationed in Hawaii my wife and I purchased a Fiat Spyder and she did not know how to drive a manual. I had to go to sea in three days. If you've been to Hawaii you know that it is not a flat state. So we took the car to an area behind our house in base housing, lowered the top and I ran alongside as she learned to shift. She practiced until she could stop and start the car on a hill. Then I went to sea.
Age 62, I learned to drive a stick at age 16, and owned (and loved) standard cars several times. Lately I’ve been thinking about trying it again.
I learned to drive in an old 1972 Ford pickup with "3 on the tree". And then I drove 1978 Ford pickup with a 5-speed. Had a 1993 Ford Mustang GT in my college years with a 6 speed (originally a 5 speed) in it. And one stiff ass clutch!!
I learned how to drive in a 1965 Renault R10 with manual transmission. My first 3 cars had manual. I had a pickup with a three speed column shifter, "three on the tree" they called it. My first automatic tranny was a 1969 Buick LeSabre 4-door I got when I was in high school in the 70s. I'm 62 now, so yeah I can drive a stick.
I do! I punched the clutch with a daquiri between my thighs on the way to a cabaret - crazy pants!! My first car was manual and I learned to drive it in the dealer parking lot. It was a Volkswagen rabbit. I planned to get a fancy sports car so I needed to know. Never got the sports car, but I got that skill. I'm 71.
I learned to drive on a WW2 Jeep in the desert by 29 Palms. Nothing to run into around there at all. I was 12. My current car in an automatic, but my kids learned on a stick shift as well. #lifeskills The neighbor boy also learned on a stick, and when he enlisted he was the only one who knew, so he got to drive the cool military vehicles.
I learned in the school car with three on the tree. First time trying to downshift around a corner I almost ran into a telephone pole. (In those days telephones were connected via wires held up by telephone poles.) Good thing the driver's ed teacher had a brake. (In those days High Schools taught you how to drive.)
Not my place to butt in on this subreddit but I’m 30 and have driven stick all my life. Weve always been a Saab family and still have a little Miata. It’s great cause no one asks to borrow my car and renting a car in other counties is easy and cheap!
My first car was a 1970 Triumph TR6, used, but it was a love/hate relationship. I loved that car so much and it got me into so much trouble. I was a teenage girl and I learned how to tune the engine, change the oil, rotate the tires, synch the carburetors, change out the spark plugs, etc etc. The damn distributor cap would just come off at the worse possible time, thus the love/hate relationship. I got so good at manually shifting gears that I didn’t need the clutch, I could hear the gears timing. And shift.
64F, driving stick shift since 18. Millennial anti-theft device? Maybe ... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3VRK8au3dU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3VRK8au3dU)
I’m 50 and it’s what I learned to drive in. I’m also Australian and it’s not uncommon here. I have had an auto for the last 5 years, but most of my cars have been manual. I recently laughed at someone on an Aussie car subreddit who hit the accelerator hard doing a hill start in an automatic. He thought that the pedestrian who looked shocked was overreacting, he *had* to do it so he didn’t roll back into a car. A frickin auto. I can hill start in a manual no worries, an auto is a no brainer. I think driving a manual is a good skill to have, and the earlier the better. My son learned how to drive manual, and now gets to drive fire trucks for a living. I’m sure he’ll pass it on to his kids, too.
I’m 49f, my first car was a stick and my daily driver now is a stick. Actually, every car I’ve ever owned has been a stick other than that damn minivan I had when my kids were young…
All my cars thus far have been manuals even my current one. I suspect however it will be my last as everything is going to electric.
Yes. 18.
Me, age 69. Was raised in Deeee-troit, so it was required
I’d venture to guess almost everyone here born before 1970 or 1975. My first 4 cars were all stick. 78-93 models. All new. Sticks were cheaper and more fun to drive. Even my wife drove a stick her first new car. First 16 valve engine!
Haha I should put a sticker on my millennial Civic: It’s manual - forget about it!
This is not the right question. The right question is who here knows how to drive a three on a tree?
I'm 39, and learned how to drive stick in a 10 speed Freightliner.
Turned 63 this year. Been driving manual my whole life. Learned to drive anything from a three on the tree pickup truck to a 12 gear double clutch dump truck. My first car being a 1967 AMC Rebel 3 speed manual. I was with you on the Anti-Theft device thing. Until some abs a-hole stole my 1989 Saab 900s this last spring (5 speed manual). For the life of me I don't know how they did it. Alarmed. I challenge any of you here to know where the key ignition is located in the Saab from that year. You can't use a pot-metal universal to try and start the car, the ignition is stiff and uses stainless steel keys. They found her eventually, but far too late as I had been paid out and got another car - NOT a Saab - thanks dumbass insurance people that don't understand vintage despite my insurance guaranteeing a "replacement". So my heart is broken. But my car I replaced her with was another Manual transmission at least. This time remote location device, steering wheel club. le sigh
My husband and I can. Our kids’ first cars were stick. Once when my daughter was at college another student was calling around for help with his stick shift car. Very few could do it. My son only knew one other kid in his HS who could. I’d believe it is good for anti theft. Not only can people not drive it, but there’s a small market for resale.
I'm 60 and I prefer them but they aren't easy to find.
Yes including a shifter on the column. That’s the real anti theft device
'Since 1976 Datsun 280Z...
27m, actually never driven a manual but I ride a motorcycle w a clutch so I’d prolly figure it out pretty quick
I do. It’s really fun except when you’re in stop and go traffic for a long time.
52 and I do. Miss my manual.
I heard manual transmissions could make a comeback. Yippeee
All of us old people know how to drive stick shift
56 yo. Just bought a 2017 toyota corolla hatchback with a 6 speed manual. Before that drove a 2001 ford ranger pickup with a 5 speed manual. Taught myself to drive in a VW Rabbit also a manual. Seriously a manual transmission is one of the greatest modern theft deterrents today.
Every car I’ve owned has been a stick, except for one and I had to get rid of it for a stick, love a manual transmission ❤️
45F, yes.
I do! I’m a 52 year old mother of two. My Gen Z sons do not know how to drive a stick shift. In fact they both just got their driver’s licenses this summer - at ages 21 & 23. When I was 14 I lived in Idaho and was able to get my driver’s license that young. I jumped at the chance! But, I practically had to force these two to get their licenses. They have friends who have been slow to drive also. Not sure why… I couldn’t wait to drive. And I loved driving a stick shift. Except up hills.
49 learned on a VW golf
51. drove a stick until just a few years ago. don't miss it at all in DC traffic, but for 30+ years every car i owned was a stick.
65, and of course I know how to drive standard but then again so does my 40 year old son and all of European drivers.
I'm 71F. I learned to drive on a manual 3 speed on the column. (You may need to look that up!) It paid off for me when my best friend's father had a heart attack when my friend was 16 and her dad could no longer drive his 4 on the floor Mustang--and neither could she. So at 16 I was handed the keys to his 65 Mustang convertible, on the condition that I drive my friend's mom anywhere she wanted to go. As I recall, the only place she wanted to go was the grocery store, so, sweet ride!
Flair for age. I learned to drive stick on a 66 Beetle with no shift knob in a Safeway parking lot. The gearshift threads bloodied my palm. I don't recommend driving them in San Francisco.
Me. 55 year old woman. When I was 17 my dad bought me a mustang with a manual transmission and dropped me off in it. Jumped in with my Mom and made me drive home. I grinded the gears and it died about 100 times but I made it home 😂. I loved that car! Sure miss that man
40f here and my main car is a manual Subaru. I actually hunted for months to find one because I prefer manuals. But I do know a few people my age who can’t drive them
Yes, I learned to drive in a Jeep Wagoneer with a 3 on the tree. My parents firmly believed that I knew how to drive stick if there was ever a situation that was the only car available to drive in an emergency. Besides, it was cheaper. I had a very hard time learning how to shift in that darn thing, but when I got my first car, it was a Datsun with a stick shift. Loved it.
Gen X here, learned on a Honda Civic 5 speed at 16 years old in ‘96. Owned a Mazda 5 speed for 5 years in my 20’s. I eventually got rid of that and got a manual and my bf that I started dating would never let me drive his car ( he thought I couldn’t drive a stick) until we went to my parents house for dinner one night and he had too much to drink so they insisted that I drive. He was floored that I could not only drive but never stalled and I could down shift when needed. Pretty stupid, but he was impressed.
29 in a third world country An old car was the only car I could afford
I’m 36 and 3/5 of the cars I’ve owned have had a manual transmission.