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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2014 10:44:56 GMT -5
Nope. My idiot ex-BF tried to teach me, but I never quite got it. I think a stick is too much work anyway, and how do you drink coffee while you have to shift? No thanks--not enough hands. Once you've driven a stick a while, you shift the gears without really thinking about it. And yep, you can drink coffee or eat a sammich while you drive. lol
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 10, 2014 10:45:48 GMT -5
Rainy....don't feel bad, at first it was all about...."if you can't find 'em grind 'em" and ^that is why I'd never buy a used manual. <shudder> FWIW, last year I finally realized what double clutch and triple clutch really meant. Two or three tries to get it in gear. I hate the grinding too, especially when being allowed to drive someone else's car.
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Sunnyday
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Post by Sunnyday on Jun 10, 2014 10:46:08 GMT -5
Rainy....don't feel bad, at first it was all about...."if you can't find 'em grind 'em" and ^that is why I'd never buy a used manual. <shudder> That's what I do, grind. I've been driving manual for over 10 years now. You think that I would be better, but for what it's worth, my clutches are going strong and have never needed to be replaced, including the car I learned on and sold to a friend.
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milee
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Post by milee on Jun 10, 2014 10:46:09 GMT -5
I traveled to Europe a lot for business 10-20 years ago, and almost always got a stick shift for the rental. Not sure if that's still true for the rest of Europe, but still is in England. I can drive a stick just fine, but it takes a while to stop banging my right hand on the door/window when I go to shift in those dang right hand drive cars...
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milee
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Post by milee on Jun 10, 2014 10:46:56 GMT -5
Nope. My idiot ex-BF tried to teach me, but I never quite got it. I think a stick is too much work anyway, and how do you drink coffee while you have to shift? No thanks--not enough hands. Once you've driven a stick a while, you shift the gears without really thinking about it. And yep, you can drink coffee or eat a sammich while you drive. lol And talk on the phone at the same time. Don't ask me how I know this.
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Sunnyday
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Post by Sunnyday on Jun 10, 2014 10:48:26 GMT -5
it's a good skill to have like swimming.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 10, 2014 10:49:27 GMT -5
and ^that is why I'd never buy a used manual. <shudder> That's what I do, grind. I've been driving manual for over 10 years now. You think that I would be better, but for what it's worth, my clutches are going strong and have never needed to be replaced, including the car I learned on and sold to a friend. Any particular gears more than others?
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Blonde Granny
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Post by Blonde Granny on Jun 10, 2014 10:52:13 GMT -5
Yes, I learned on a 3 speed stick on the steering column in 1960. It was a Saab....and you had to put oil in with the gasoline.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Jun 10, 2014 10:53:50 GMT -5
Yes... my dad wouldn't let me get my license until I learned to drive a stick.
It has come in handy several times since.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jun 10, 2014 10:54:05 GMT -5
Nope. Many have tried to teach me but I just never grasped the concept. I had to drive my boyfriend's manual Honda once in high school and that was so stressful. My dad had a running thing with the guys (employees) that who ever could successfully teach me would get $100. No one ever won that bet. Even took me to the dealership once and told the salesman "if you can get her driving a manual I will buy that car from you today, full sticker price" still couldn't get it.
At this point I have no real desire to learn either.
DH can drive a manual as that's what he learned on back in the day.
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aliciar6
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Post by aliciar6 on Jun 10, 2014 10:55:14 GMT -5
yes, all of our vehicles are manuals...it made shopping for a gas mileage friendly "family" car that I liked the look of VERY hard.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jun 10, 2014 10:55:12 GMT -5
Yup. Can drive a stick right handed and left handed (helpful in Great Britian).
But, I prefer an automatic. It's hard to steer, shift a manual transmission, and drink coffee (really cheap cars didn't have cup holders in those days) at the same time. The optional activity was shifting. So, it was either drive 30 miles to work in first gear at 6 mph, or get an automatic.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jun 10, 2014 11:00:20 GMT -5
Not a skill I have. Probably one I could use since both of my brother's vehicles are manual transmission. While the diesel truck is huge apparently the way its geared is impossible to stall on a paved road or so my brother says. My dad used to drive semis when I was little so he definitely knows. He hates the way my brother's truck is geared.
I will say from vehicle maintenance adventures the truck clutch is easier. To keep the Cavalier up in the driveway and running you need the clutch pressed clear to the damn floor which was an issue after my left knee surgery. We'll see after the Cavalier gets a new clutch how it is.
MPL my brother had a 2006 Canyon with a MT. The Cavalier is a 2002 but I know they make Cobalts with them. The Dodge truck is a 2007. They are hard to find though.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jun 10, 2014 11:04:53 GMT -5
Yep, my 91 Mazda was one. When I went shopping for this car, I wanted a while, 626 with 4 doors, and automatic transmission and a sun roof. I fell in love with a dark blue, MX6 with a standard transmission and a sun roof (I was in TX and it got a lot of use). The sales man had to take me out to teach me to drive it. We practiced on another manual on the lot on the lot, not my new car. I bought an automatic after this car and I kept trying to find the clutch for a LONG time afterwards!
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Sunnyday
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Post by Sunnyday on Jun 10, 2014 11:05:37 GMT -5
That's what I do, grind. I've been driving manual for over 10 years now. You think that I would be better, but for what it's worth, my clutches are going strong and have never needed to be replaced, including the car I learned on and sold to a friend. Any particular gears more than others? actually, I take that back. I don't grind. I over rev to change gears and I ride (press needlessly down) on my clutch . I got them mixed up. I almost never grind and I almost never stall.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 10, 2014 11:06:45 GMT -5
I don't drink coffee while driving, so its not an issue I'd ever have.
Depending on the car though, mph ranges per gear can be fairly generous. My BMW can be started & driven in neutral which will act like second gear. As long as you don't go onto the highway, you wouldn't need to shift at all.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Jun 10, 2014 11:10:24 GMT -5
Yep - dad made me learn on his truck which was a bitch. But it came in useful in college. At track practice we had to use the community track and one of the guys drove his stick there and then got too sick at practice to drive home and no one else could drive it. Too funny. Then my DH had a stick. God I loved driving that car it was a blast, and driving a stick car was so much easier than driving a stick truck. When we bought the daddymobile, I got DH's car and he got the Daddymobile. I drove that for 2.5 years before it started stalling out on me when it rained and DH couldn't fix it because he'd just had back surgery. My current car is a boring sedate sedan that is an automatic. Not nearly is fun, but much easier to deal with the kids.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Jun 10, 2014 11:10:35 GMT -5
Yes, I learned on a 3 speed stick on the steering column in 1960. It was a Saab....and you had to put oil in with the gasoline. I learned on a "3in the tree" 1/2 ton Chevy pickup. No power steer ing, no power brakes.
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Jun 10, 2014 11:13:56 GMT -5
Yes. In the late 50s that is all that was around. If you had an automatic that was big money. My last stick shift was a 91 Blazer. I now drive a 2001 PU.
I would still have one but my left knee is bad so in self defense I now have an automatic.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jun 10, 2014 11:14:57 GMT -5
Nope. My idiot ex-BF tried to teach me, but I never quite got it. I think a stick is too much work anyway, and how do you drink coffee while you have to shift? No thanks--not enough hands. like anything else, you get used to it. my first manual had crank windows and no cup holders, and I took a toll road in to school. I figured it out.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 10, 2014 11:17:31 GMT -5
Any particular gears more than others? actually, I take that back. I don't grind. I over rev to change gears and I ride (press needlessly down) on my clutch . I got them mixed up. I almost never grind and I almost never stall. I hope the over-revving is not because you were taught the two pedal method of driving an automatic. I stay nearer to my clutch pedal than I should because of that early training. I've trained myself to only drive with one foot when driving an automatic and the way I keep my feet I'm either on the accelerator or the clutch, never both. The over-revving won't hurt you as long as you aren't near red-line so I wouldn't worry about it much. Is the over-rev in first or other gears?
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 10, 2014 11:19:37 GMT -5
Sometimes I miss crank windows. Those suckers at least last 20 or more years without breaking.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Jun 10, 2014 11:32:03 GMT -5
I can drive a manual but if I never had to again I would be very happy. Considering we have a 47 dodge with a 3 on the tree I'm sure that isn't going to happen though.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 10, 2014 11:33:11 GMT -5
Nope. My idiot ex-BF tried to teach me, but I never quite got it. I think a stick is too much work anyway, and how do you drink coffee while you have to shift? No thanks--not enough hands. like anything else, you get used to it. my first manual had crank windows and no cup holders, and I took a toll road in to school. I figured it out. Yeah, I'm sure I could deal with it if I had to. My first 2 cars had no cupholders, which was the time I was actually trying to learn the manual transmission. My first car was a little Jetta that also had crank windows, no power steering and no AC. It wasn't a big deal most of the time.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jun 10, 2014 11:36:47 GMT -5
Sometimes I miss crank windows. Those suckers at least last 20 or more years without breaking. My son has a 2005 Kia with crank windows. He said one time someone gave them a signal to "crank" down their windows. It was a good thing he knew what they meant! Harder to tell someone to push the button.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jun 10, 2014 11:40:55 GMT -5
I learned on a manual - some archaic car called the VW rabbit? I learned how to drive stick on an El Camino. Both my folks had stick shift cars. If I wanted to drive, I had no choice but to learn. I haven't driven stick for a while now, though...
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Jun 10, 2014 11:46:41 GMT -5
The only time I've ever driven a stick was a rental car in England. The car was probably never the same again.
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Baby Fawkes
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Post by Baby Fawkes on Jun 10, 2014 12:02:29 GMT -5
Yes. Back in the UK if you pass the test in an automatic your license is set for automatics only. If you pass in a manual you can drive any car legally. Everyone I know learns to drive a stick and then may move to auto later on if they choose to.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jun 10, 2014 12:05:18 GMT -5
I remember being asked if I wanted an automatic as a rental when I presented my MA driver's license at the counter, in pretty much every European country I've been to. I declined, even in Ireland where I'd be shifting with the "wrong" hand. I'm naturally lefty anyway, so it wasn't all that bad to get used to.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Jun 10, 2014 12:17:52 GMT -5
Yes. My daily driver is a 5 speed Mazda Miata. And I have no problem drinking coffee while driving it. (The car has 4 cup holders )
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