Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It is not hard to learn the basics. I learned by driving home the first manual car I bought. I had watched people do it and asked some questions, so I had the basic idea. Sure I stilled it 48 times in about 15 miles and i got so frustrated I almost got out and walked home, but in three days I was driving like I had driven one my whole life. It comes quickly. It really is not all that complicated.
Other than YouTube tutorials I have nothing. I'd have to have the owner of the car park it in some quiet residential neighborhood a few blocks from my house because my house has too many cars come every second,so learning to drive stick in the streets near me wouldn't work.
The same answer for this is my answer to you for your question:
I don' have electricity, should I buy a TV?'
.... Here's your sign....
Many years ago I bought a new car that had a manual transmission. I had problems getting the car home because I had never driven a car with a stick shift. I kept in my memory what a boyfriend had told me about driving a car with a stick. He said "close your eyes, envision a H pattern, and using your imagination, move my right hand in this pattern. This helped me a lot. I drove the car home going very slowly, in first gear. I went on vacation from Seattle, to San Francisco a few months later. Getting on, and off of the highway helped me a lot. I could not handle any hills in San Fran. The following year, I could handle the hills. Several years later, I purchased a mini motor home with a manual transmission. While on hills, the vehicle would drift back a little. I taught myself to use the emergency brake to assist in holding my position on a hill by slowly releasing the emergency brake, as I engaged the clutch into 1st gear. I bought a truck after I sold the mini motor home. The clutch in the truck was a real pain. It was a Chev Blazer. I was frequently had to replace the entire clutch after driving approximately 1K miles. The new truck was a lemon to begin with, and having the dealer replace the hydrolic clutch was a major expensive ($1100.00) mistake. I did this about 5 times until I wised up, and had the clutch replaced by a reputable garage. My other vehicles did not wear out a clutch so frequently. Those were the days when a clutch could be adjusted, and not replaced. Keep in mind, replacing a clutch can be very expensive if you feel you must go to a dealer. My next auto was a Subaru with a stick shift. I never had any clutch issues with this SUV. I drove this car for 10 years, and I never had any major problems. I sold this car for a good price (low miles, one owner, excellent cindidtion). I drive an automatic transmission vehicle now. My next vehicle may have a manual transmission. I miss driving a stick. When I was stuck in traffic with a stick shift, it was not an issue for me. I could always take a detour, and keep moving. I also noticed that driving a stick shift made it much easier on my breaks. My breaks lasted much longer because I could shift down to slow a vehicle down, and not use the brakes as much as I do with an automatic transmission vehicle. I am a little "old lady" now, but I would definitely still drive a stick shift vehicle. I grew up in a family with 3 brothers. None of my brothers could drive a stick shift vehicle.
Once again, it is possible to shift down to slow a vehicle even when it has an automatic transmission. I would manually shift down (and up) the Torqueflite automatic transmission in my '66 Dodge Dart GT V-8 many times. I remember one set of brake pads lasting from 1980-1988, driving about 7,000 miles per year.
in ten years there will be cars with no steering wheels or pedals either. It would still probably help you to know how to drive. Meanwhile back in this decade or as close as we can get to the past ones; not everyone prefers new cars.
Do you suppose by then there will be computerized machines to do something else for you that has traditionally been done in cars?
Sadly the stick shift is becoming a dying breed and I hate to see that happen. A classmate taught me in his 1953 Willys Jeep and although it took a few times to catch on, it wasn't that bad. My '56 F100 and '77 F150 have stick shifts and I like it that way. The other vehicles have automatics.
I love manuals. I haven't driven one for years, but mostly because they are becoming uncommon. However, I bought a manual and didn't know how to drive it and thought I could teach myself, but burned out my clutch. I needed help. But some of the help was just verbal information on a phone call, but, yes, in person help was necessary for me.
Driving a stick is easy, it just takes some getting used to and then it is second nature. You doesn't feel different from driving an automatic, but there is more to do. I almost always had a stick until recent years.
The problem with it is when you go to sell it. People don't know how to drive a stickshift so potential buyers are few and far between.
However, if you can negotiate a good deal from the seller and save money then it is worth it if you don't plan to resell the car down the road. If you can get more car for less money then that is an incentive to buy.
In my opinion, everybody should know how to drive a stick. They aren't common anymore but you should know how.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
