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Can you or your family members drive a stick shift?

KEV

KEV

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My wife and I are talking about buying an older vehicle and I'm going to look at one with a3 speed manual on Friday. Turns out my wife has never learned how to drive stick. I know that manual transmissions are quickly becoming a thing of the past but it's something I'd still love my kids to learn.

It got me thinking how many people can drive a manual transmission anymore? Can you or your family members? It's something I've done forever and seems weird to me when people don't know how but I've met a lot of people that never learned.
 
Yep. My first two cars were stick. The first one I got and had never driven a stick before so I was out and found the steepest hill I could, stopped on it and figured it out.

I also had two sticks in a row from 1985 to 1994.
 
I never learned how. Have honestly never been in a situation where I needed to. Never owned a stick shift, and to my knowledge my family never did either.

Pretty sure my father and brother can, probably my mother as well (having grown up on a farm). For some reason I am the odd one out.
 
I learned how to drive on a manual transmission. If I ever own a sports car I'll own another one
 
I agree I always find it odd when someone has never learned to drive a stick. My wife had never prior to us meeting, so when she wanted a new car, I made sure it was a stick so that she would learn, and could in the event of a future emergency drive my vehicle to a hospital or the like.
 
Smallville said:
Yep. My first two cars were stick. The first one I got and had never driven a stick before so I was out and found the steepest hill I could, stopped on it and figured it out.

I also had two sticks in a row from 1985 to 1994.
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Same here, except my dates started in 2001.
 
I used to be able to, but I haven't done it in a long time. I'm sure I could pick it up and get back into it after a short period of time though.

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My current daily driver is a stick shift and I honestly wish I didn't enjoy it so much. My girlfriend can't drive one, neither of my sisters learned to drive one, and at this rate I wouldn't trust my mom to drive my car, so for family outings, that leaves my father and I as the only options for driving my car--which is like trying to choose between horseradish and wasabi. (I'm not sure that's a direct comparison, but it makes sense to me after league bowling night and 10 beers).
 
I can, and prefer it honestly.
 
Learned on a stick, drove truck and tractor for several summers then bought my first truck that is a stick shift. Since moving to a bigger city I don't plan on going back to a manual anytime soon as sitting in traffic is bad enough, then have to be riding the clutch the whole time, screw that.

It is definitely something that when I brought up with younger coworkers they just looked like at me like "what are you talking about grandpa?".

I am in my mid 30s, they are in their early 20s, and would give me the same look when I brought up tapes/cassettes, and awesome movies like Weekend at Bernies, Big Trouble in Little China, The Burbs... I am getting a little off topic me thinks.

Lost art for sure.
 
Grew up learning to drive a manual transmission. I also have a commercial drivers license, although I haven't driven a tractor/trailer in about 7 years.
 
KEV said:
I know that manual transmissions are quickly becoming a thing of the past but it's something I'd still love my kids to learn.
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Not as much a "thing of the past" as you might think.
I've seen a few articles that manuals are making a comeback; parents getting them for their teen drivers to discourage texting and driving.
 
I've owned and driven a stick my whole driving life. I actually have the opposite where I find driving an automatic pretty weird and quite often plow my left foot into the floorboards looking for the clutch.
 
ArmyGolf said:
I've owned and driven a stick my whole driving life. I actually have the opposite where I find driving an automatic pretty weird and quite often plow my left foot into the floorboards looking for the clutch.
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I can relate to that...my last car (Kia Soul) was a manual. While test driving a Chevy Equinox my left foot slammed on the brake and I almost gave the poor salesman whiplash.
 
I learned on a stick and drove one until I got a company car at age 33. My wife can drive a stick as well but sadly neither of my teenagers can as we haven't owned one since they began driving. One of my first purchases after I retire next year will be a sports car with a stick - I'm leaning towards a Boxster S.
 
Manual since 1971 -- from 3 spd to 6 spd. I keep one car that is a stick and an inline 6.

First car was a 3 spd '66 Mustang.

I kept an '09 BMW 328i 6 spd 230 hp w sport suspension - not a barn burner without a turbo. Being that it's older, it has the solid BMW feel as opposed to the newer 3 series that feels not as solid - maybe it's the liteweight, but when they changed in '12, they changed the feel.

My 2 Ex's also went through the gears, but they started resenting it when it got icy in DFW because of the traffic snarls. Tried to get my older son to work them, but he hadn't done enough leg presses, and a 2000 3 Series was too heavy in the clutch for him. I laughed and said, "This is light compared to what I've driven."
 
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My wife learned growing up on the farm. Shortly after I got my license I got a summer job working on a construction crew. One day the forman said, "Simmons, drive the dump truck down to the marina." I said, "I don't know how to drive a stick." He said, "Well it's about time you learned. Get out!" That's how I learned. When our girls got to driving age, we insisted they learn to drive a stick. They thanked us for it as they got more car for less money because they could drive a stick.
 
It's funny how here in the UK it's the complete opposite as most people learn to drive a manual rather than an automatic. I would guess that it's upwards of 90% of drivers that use a manual or at least learnt how to drive in one.
 
I'm 37 and I drive a stick shift. I currently have a Volkswagen Jetta GLI 6 speed.
Learned during my teenage years, I have had 1 other car that was a stick and now this one. I actually also prefer the stick shift.

Immediate family-
Wife can't
Dad can
Don't think my mom can, not sure
Brother can
& my kids don't drive yet
 
I drove stick from '89 to '09. Last was a '94 Civic, my commuter beater for 15 yrs, that I was trying to keep going until my son turned 16 so I could teach him on it.

It would've made it but not without my having to dump way more into it than it was worth. Needed a new clutch, struts, tires, radiator. Enough was enough, 250k miles.

So, just me who can... wife, son and daughter can't drive stick.
 
I don't want to brag.
But if it has a steering wheel, I can drive it.


Of course I can drive a manual transmission.
Actually learned to drive on a tractor.


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Yes. Everyone in the household can drive a manual car. My vehicle is a manual and children learned on it. I have always driven a manual. While it may be a drying art in the USA, it is very common overseas. I taught my other half to drive in about two hours in a flat parking lot.
 
Yes, I can. In the process of teaching my 15 year old son to also since the Jeep we bought him is a standard....he doesn't have a choice nor will he a chance to jack with his phone while driving. :)


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Yep sure can and so can my wife, though I have decided that unless I buy a sports car that is worthy of a manual transmission I probably will never own one again.
 
Both the wife and I can. We are both 40+ so it was pretty normal when we both learned to drive. I haven't owned one in probably 20 years, but have driven others in that time. If I was loaded and bought a sports car and get a manual, but have zero interest in getting one otherwise. I drive a lot for work and it's too much of a pain in the butt to drive one everyday through the city.

"Riggs, I'm too old for this s***"
 
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