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OK....next question is.......
If the shifting lever on your automatic is at your side....do you find yourself, even if only once in awhile, driving with your hand on it?
Those hills...I wondered why the hell my Outback has a 'hill-holder'. Huh??
Then realized it must be because it also has a manual mode transmission.(I have never used it )
Does that qualify me as a sporty old fogey that still drives a stick shift?
Stick shift driving in the mountains, hills, and curves is the best kind of driving there is. It is precisely under those conditions that I would really hate to have an automatic.
One memory is when I was on my way to visit Curmudgeon last summer. I was heading north through the Arkansas Ozark Mountains on a two-lane curvy road, heading up from Little Rock to Branson. Some local (who probably knew the road) wanted to play. He was like glue on my tail, so I eventually moved over to let him pass. He couldn't lose me either, but I was not like glue on his tail. (He was better, I have to admit). A couple of times I hit 100 mph on the brief straight stretches.
Ah, Umbria... I had a similar experience when learning to drive a shift (first car was an automatic - only used car I could afford - a 69 Cutlass Supreme - which came to a sad end...). After that the only car I could afford was a used Dodge Colt (standard, pumpkin orange)... On only the second day of driving my first stick, I came to a light on a steep hill... The guy behind me was right on my bumper. I sat through two lights because I was petrified of rolling into him. I finally put the car in neutral, put on the parking brake, and went back to ask him to back up a little... as well as the 5 or 6 cars behind him (by that time there was a slightly longer "following"). After everyone got done laughing, I was able to finally start up without rolling back more than a couple inches... (yes, I think people had better senses of humor and courtesy back then... hate to think of what would happen today)... That car is long gone now, but my latest - a 2000 RAV4 (stick) is still puttering right along.
I agree that you just get a totally different driving experience with a stick versus an automatic.
P.S. Being one of this minority came in handy while in the military... I got to drive places while some others ended up walking!!!!
Ah, Umbria... I had a similar experience when learning to drive a shift (first car was an automatic - only used car I could afford - a 69 Cutlass Supreme - which came to a sad end...). After that the only car I could afford was a used Dodge Colt (standard, pumpkin orange)... On only the second day of driving my first stick, I came to a light on a steep hill... The guy behind me was right on my bumper. I sat through two lights because I was petrified of rolling into him. I finally put the car in neutral, put on the parking brake, and went back to ask him to back up a little... as well as the 5 or 6 cars behind him (by that time there was a slightly he car behind youlonger "following"). After everyone got done laughing, I was able to finally start up without rolling back more than a couple inches... (yes, I think people had better senses of humor and courtesy back then... hate to think of what would happen today)... That car is long gone now, but my latest - a 2000 RAV4 (stick) is still puttering right along.
I agree that you just get a totally different driving experience with a stick versus an automatic.
P.S. Being one of this minority came in handy while in the military... I got to drive places while some others ended up walking!!!!
Ha! Ha! How embarrassing would it be to bang the car behind you! Heart starts racing - "Oh no! Please please don't roll back." I almost asked the guy behind me to back up a bit or be prepared to play bumper cars
When I was 13, the old man that owned the stables handed me the keys and told me to take it out in the field. I don't know how the transmission survived. I bounced over the furrows for a few days, and then he let me deliver hay
My 84 year old mother had surgery on her left foot in December. One of the things that most irritated her about the ordeal was having to give up her 1997 standard transmission Honda for an automatic so she could drive herself around while the left foot was healing.
Ha! Ha! How embarrassing would it be to bang the car behind you! Heart starts racing - "Oh no! Please please don't roll back." I almost asked the guy behind me to back up a bit or be prepared to play bumper cars
Wommen's used the emergency brake. I still one foot it. Heal on the brake, toe on the gas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon
'Shine runner!
That's exactly what I thought when reading his post.
I was coming out of Hot Springs heading south following an old friend out of the crater and down to Arkdelphia on the back roads one afternoon, and he was really hard to stick to. I did some road racin 45 years ago, but he still smoked me. I think it's in the water up there.
I learned to drive in a '62 Ford station wagon, three on the tree, circa 1963...I have had a manual trans car in the stable ever since, even during 25+ years of automatic trans company cars.
Two of our three current cars are manual: the '01 X5 is a 5 speed, and the '02 VetteVert is a 6 speed.
Unfortunately, the 3rd pedal is becoming rare in many brands and models.
Both of our adult kids were taught to drive a manual trans, when they were teens...
BR, mD
OK, I'll tell the story that just makes my hubby cry. I actually learned to drive in a late 60's Olds Delta (or Dynamic, can't remember) 88....my parents car. Was a joy doing the 3-point turn for my driving test in that boat! Anyway I was going to go to college locally and needed a car to get back and forth. My dad worked and was friends with a guy who worked on cars as a sideline and told him that he would sell us one at only his cost for the car and to fix it up. I had my choice of 2, one was a stick and one an automatic and both pretty inexpensive. At the time I hadn't learned how to drive a stick, so I was forced to go with the automatic......a 1960 white Ford Falcon. Now for the kicker. Wanna guess what the other choice was?
A bright red 1956 Ford Thunderbird convertible complete with hard top. Yes, I can hear all you males out there just groaning. I explained to my hubby that I didn't have a choice as I didn't drive a stick. His answer was that I would have had guys lining up in the parking lot to teach me how to drive it!
Anyway, got married in 1974 and in 1976 we purchased one of the first Honda Accord 5-speed hatchbacks to ship into our area and hubby finally taught me how to drive a stick. It was the first car I ever owned that made me feel comfortable driving in winter weather as not only was it a stick, but also a front wheel drive. However, he still shakes his head and announces "too little, too late".
Ah. Now that I found my Pathfinder's tailpipe is missing (dk where I "left" it), I am considering a new vehicle. I learned to drive on an automatic and my first vehicle was an automatic. Brand new shiny red Pontiac Firebird that got about 7 MPG. Of course, the purchase was immediately followed by the oil embargo.
Ditched the Firebird when I was pregnant with Child #2. I gave up the 2 door sports car and went with a boring sedan and then worked my way into a small station wagon. Child number 3 led to the purchase of the dreaded minivan BUT Mommy also learned how to drive a stick and purchased a Toyota MR2 shortly thereafter. Now, that was a wonderful car! Kept it until it died a sudden death.
Last summer was the first time I'd driven a stick in about 20 years. Drove my son's WRX on the country roads and although it was a little "too much" for me, I still had a blast.
So, now I'm torn between fixing the tailpipe issue or purchasing a new/used vehicle. If I go with the latter, then I'm torn between purchasing a fun, i.e. manual shift, car while I can still enjoy driving one or purchase something nice and comfortable but not engaging.
Since I hate making big decisions, I'll probably get the d*#! tailpipe fixed before leaving for New Hampshire in a few weeks and wait until the next repair to reach a decision. But...
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Not starting up on a hill!!!
Child number 3 led to the purchase of the dreaded minivan BUT Mommy also learned how to drive a stick and purchased a Toyota MR2 shortly thereafter. Now, that was a wonderful car! Kept it until it died a sudden death. 
