78 answers

JFF!!! Who Can Drive a Manual Transmission Car?

I'm rolling off another question about a daddy's dream car....

I'm surprised people don't know how to drive a manual transmission! My dad wouldn't let me drive a car until I learned on both manual and automatic...but I also had to change the tire and the oil too! (good luck in trying to do that in today's cars!!)

We have two cars...one is manual the other auto (just because it wasn't offered in manual)...

So ladies and gents....who can drive a manual transmission?!?!
Is it your preference?

I prefer a manual over auto for long driving and street/city driving as well...I feel I have more control...when I lived in CA - I had both and stop and go traffic can be a bear in a manual....

Sooo how many can drive a manual?!??!

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

I LOVE these responses!!! Jennifer - I laughed (sorry!!) when I read your story!!!

I would LOVE to have a '69 fastback!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!

Featured Answers

Hmmm.... Maybe the question should be, How many of us learned on manual transmissions? That would really DATE a lot of us.

3 moms found this helpful

I drive a stick! When you are car shopping on a budget it gives you SO much more flexibility if you can drive a stick! I've been driving an old Toyota Corolla wagon that I paid $800 for at Christmas time-- the guy said it sat on a lot for a while because no one wanted a stick. I showed up with $900 dollars and desperate. My only requirements were it had to fit me and my 3 year olds car seat and it had to be safe. Being flexible meant I had 5 vehicles to choose from!

2 moms found this helpful

I can! I prefer them but am sorely disappointed that so many models aren't even offering stick shifts anymore. Grrr...it's incredibly annoying.

2 moms found this helpful

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Wow! I'm surprised by how many can drive a manual. My husband has a manual and tried teaching me a little bit but it was hard for me to learn and I kept stalling out so he got frustrated and well my driving lessons were post-phoned ... hmm, maybe I should remind him that he still owes me some lessons and watch him scrambe to come up with excuses to get out of it, LOL :0)

4 moms found this helpful

When it was time to get my license, my dad was the same way.
I had to learn how to drive a "stick' and the automatic. He made me learn how to drive the "stick" before even touching the automatic. Plus it was on an old early 60's huge full side truck and the clutch was SUPER touchy. I would get so mad at it and he said if I can drive this then I can drive anything. He was right! Even though I wanted to learn on a newer one then, now Im glad because he was right... that was the worst one I have ever drove! lol

Plus we had to learn how to change the oil, tire, spark plugs and wires, air filter. Now with how cars are its almost impossible to do it yourself.

I think its important to learn how to drive both. I prefer a manual over an automatic.

4 moms found this helpful

Yes, I can and I taught my daughter too. I took her out in the middle of a huge field, about 10 acres, and made her shut her eyes. She was able to focus on the feel of the clutch then. Of course the transmission needed work afterwards but she can drive a stick better than anyone else I know.

4 moms found this helpful

Hmmm.... Maybe the question should be, How many of us learned on manual transmissions? That would really DATE a lot of us.

3 moms found this helpful

I learned on a stick shift. My first car was an automatic simply by accident. My dad bought it for me (used). Every car I have owned since has been manual. When I bought the car I drive now (actually an SUV) I SEARCHED for one with a manual transmission. I LOVE them!! Some of the "higher end" vehicles turn me off, simply because they don't have manual as an option. Mazda's CX-9 actually has a manual blend... I forget what it is called, but you can flip a switch and make it manually shift gears, which is kinda fun/neat. I still prefer it all the time.
I think everyone should at least be ABLE to drive one. In an emergency, would they want to be limited in what they are ABLE to drive? My mom can't drive a stick. Makes me sad for her. What if she needed to drive my car for some reason? She can't. :(

And I get SO annoyed when I need to drive a rental for whatever reason, because I am CONSTANTLY reaching to change gears!! I have to mentally remind myself: don't do that, don't take it out of gear..

P.S. My SUV is a 6 speed. Drives me nuts when hubby drives it, b/c his car is only 5 and he'll be cruising the interstate at 72 still in 5th! lol
That 6th gear took me a few weeks to get accustomed to, but now I am spoiled and get annoyed when I "run out of gears" at 5. :(

ETA: What was interesting, was when hubby and I went on our honeymoon to New Zealand, we had arranged for a rental and since we both drive stick, we said a compact manual was fine. Didn't think about the fact that the driver would be sitting in the RIGHT hand seat and the stick would be on the left! Between that and driving on the other side of the road definitely made it interesting.... LOL

3 moms found this helpful

I used to be able to. But we don't have a manual car now, and haven't for many years. Even my husband's car is an automatic.

I assume that if we get a stick-shift car some time down the road, I'll remember how to drive it. It's like riding a bicycle, right? Comes back to you?

2 moms found this helpful

My first car was a '62 Chevy II 3 speed and most of my dad's delivery trucks were manual and I drove those too. My dad and I put a new transmission in the car and I tuned up all my cars until it got to where you had to have the special computers.
I have had several manuals and much prefer them. I currently have a Mazda 3 5 speed and absolutely love it. Zoom! Zoom!
I taught both my boys to drive in it. One now has a BMW 5 speed.

2 moms found this helpful

I never have and neither has my husband. We always joke that when we apply to be on The Amazing Race (tv show) we would both have to learn first.

The couple that doesn't drive stick always gets eliminated first. :(

2 moms found this helpful

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