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I've known later in life wealthy who could not drive the cars they thought they needed.
This. Way more fun. I've loved sticks since my first car, and I am not remotely what one could consider an expert an anything automotive. I just like how it feels to have that kind of control over the vehicle when taking a lovely curve on the boulevard.
My first car was a manual transmission 1981 Honda Prelude and I learned how to drive it on my first drive. Got stuck on a steep hill in Natick, Massachusetts and almost cried till I made it thru the stop sign at the top.
After that, I loved it. Taught both my daughters to drive a stick on my Wranglers and saved the show when I was the only woman who could drive the manual transmission truck to put out jumps at a horse show. No men around.
Just sold my last Wrangler though and bought a Lexus. The end of an era.
This is a thread for car enthusiasts. Most of the people here know how to drive a manual. In fact, I am somewhat surprised anyone who would come into this board would not know how to drive a manual. Post this on the Fashion board and you will get very different results.
Every car I've ever driven has been a manual transmission.
I am currently driving a 2006 Subaru Forester 5-speed which I love. I taught both of my sons how to drive with this car, and they are the only ones among all of their friends who know how to drive a stick. It is a bit of a badge of pride for them, knowing how to do something their peers don't.
I think of it as an important life skill, like swimming. You never know when you might find yourself in a situation where the only car available is a stick, and it's "do or die." I also prefer the control you have driving a stick, and the fact that you really have to pay attention to the road and other drivers around you. You are more engaged as a driver. That's more fun and safer, too, I feel.
When your right hand is reserved for shifting, it's really tough to try to eat, drink, use a cell phone, apply makeup, fool around with dashboard LED gadgetry, or any other stupid things drivers do right before they crash.
For years, MPG was always better with a manual car, although now the new Subarus have slightly better MPG figures with their automatic transmissions. New manual cars are still cheaper to buy than automatics, though, if only by $1000 or so.
Both are vehicles are manuals. Best anti theft device there is. We had a spate of car thefts and neighbor was wondering why our cars weren't taken. I let him look in the window....
We've driven sticks for years, but my next car will be a Prius. I'm ready to let it the stick go, and I'm dead tired of getting gas. The way we drive I would stretch going to the gas station to once a month.
Truly...first world problems.
But not till we move...because I don't want my car stolen...
And... it seems to me, that people who can drive a manual transmission vehicle are just better at driving than those who can;t. They seem to pay better attention on the roads and handle their cars better.
Seems to me that driving a manual vs an automatic doesn't make a difference in the ability of the driver. It's just muscle memory for them. Only thing it does vs driving an automatic is take one of their hands off the wheel to shift.
Seems to me that driving a manual vs an automatic doesn't make a difference in the ability of the driver. It's just muscle memory for them. Only thing it does vs driving an automatic is take one of their hands off the wheel to shift.
It makes no difference at all on the freeway. but in street driving, it does tend to keep you more alert and more focused on what you are doing. IT also keeps you aware of / in tune with what is going on with your car. A lot of information is transferred through the stick shift lever, plus it keeps you conscious of the sound of the engine, something most drivers tune out. It also makes you more likely to jackrabbit out of a light -because it is so much more fun to do so in a manual. Do people really drive with two hands on the wheel? I know you are supposed to and in bad conditions or if you are racing it seems prudent, but normally?
Do you know how to drive a manual transmission car?
Yes I do. And I will only be buying cars with manual transmissions for the foreseeable future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonepa
When would this skill be needed? I learned how to drive stick 40 years ago but, even though I own a lot of cars, including high performance cars, not a single one has a 'stick' other than my 1986 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60. My guess is that a vast majority of Americans under the age of 40 have never even been in a car with a stick and never will be.
It never hurts to know how to drive a manual because you never know when that skill will be needed. Say you ride over to the local bar with your friend to watch the big game, then your friend has a little too much to drink. Obviously he shouldn't drive home, but say his his car has a manual; what are you going to do if you can't drive it?
Even if for some reason you don't want to drive a manual, you should at least learn. I wouldn't necessarily want to perform CPR on somebody, but I know how to do it, and I'd rather know how and not need to do it than not know how and need to do it.
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It's just muscle memory for them. Only thing it does vs driving an automatic is take one of their hands off the wheel to shift.
