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So, my little brother turned 16 last month, and has been learning how to drive my parent's '02 Chevy Blazer. Over the weekend, my stepdad was teaching him to drive his old '91 Chevy work truck....with a 4-speed manual transmission (or "gearbox" for you over the Pond ). He did alright for someone just learning, killing it a couple times, but at least not grinding any gears. I can do it fairly well, but I've never owned a vehicle with a standard trans...I'm used to that old truck and its heavy clutch, so when I drive my girlfriend's Fiat, I struggle a little bit. After talking to my brother about his experience, I was just curious on how many Dakkaroos can drive a stick.

Yup... my first two cars are manual...

Sometime I miss driving with manual tranny.

I actually have trouble driving an automatic, rather than a manual.
I keep pushing the brakes while automatically trying to shift gears because I hear the engine go up in, with predictable results.

Yep, it's really quite straight forward.

Most vehicles in the UK are Manual Transmission as standard.

I never quite understood the American prevalence for Automatic. I'm sure there's some historical reason?

My guess is laziness.

I kid, I kid. I've yet to start driving, but it will be in a manual when I do.

I drove standards from 1992 until 2008. It's fairly simple once you learn. I'm probably a bit out of practice, but I'm sure I could pick it up again without worries.

 whembly wrote:
Yup... my first two cars are manual...

Sometime I miss driving with a man tranny.

I fixed your statement Whembly

Also I learned to drive on an automatic and while my first car was an automatic, I didn't have it for very long (parents traded it in to get themselves a new car). While working one summer doing groundskeeping I learned to drive stick several different tractors and on the camp's vehicles (bunch of old trucks, 2 out of 3 were stick and the third died on us before the summer started ). My first car that was "mine" was a manual and I loved it, lots more control on the road.

Yeah, that was my guess but I'm far too polite to say so.

My dad tried to teach me stick for 2 years. It was weird, because the first week, I did an amazing job according to him, slowly getting worse every following week until we gave up and I bought an Automatic.

And before anyone says "He just told you you did well that first week to make you feel better." No. My dad has always been very upfront about whether or not I suck at something.

I prefer it. Their harder to come by now a days unfortunately. First time since I've started driving that I don't own one.

It's not all that difficult it just takes practice.

 notprop wrote:
I never quite understood the American prevalence for Automatic. I'm sure there's some historical reason?

Because there's no learning curve? I don't know either

I was actually kind of disappointed when I went to my local Mazda dealer and they didn't have the car I wanted in a manual (I have a '12 Mazda 2 now). Heck, with some cars getting a manual is actually an option that makes the car more expensive!

Never driven an automatic. Always been a manual (probably because I'm in the U.K.).

They're fun though, and gear changing is all part of it.

It sucks when you're in rush hour traffic everyday. A 1 hour commute in stop and go traffic gets old in a standard. Really old.

But on an open road, it's much more fun to have a standard.

 mega_bassist wrote:

 notprop wrote:
I never quite understood the American prevalence for Automatic. I'm sure there's some historical reason?

Because there's no learning curve? I don't know either
........

I had assumed it was because the right hand was needed for 40oz+ beverages (before 42 types of huge cup holder were invented).

I don't mind a manual in traffic, it gives you something to do when your bored of headbutting the steering wheel.

Most people in the UK drive a manual so I reckon anyone can, it's not that hard. Not sure why the culture is so towards automatics in the US, just easier I guess.

I have driven automatics a few times and didn't like them, you have more control in a manual and unless it's a very good automatic, fuel consumption is better and the ride is smoother in a manual.

Also I enjoy driving and using the gears is part of the experience, particularly on the twisting country roads and hills I'm used to. Driving several hours across Wales to get to and from Uni felt like I was Stirling Moss doing the Mille Miglia. An automatic is too much like driving a dodgem car, it's not *driving*.

Manuals are actually becoming much rarer now, as the cars you'd want manual transmissions (sportscars) are moving towards the pedalless shifters like racers use.

I learned to drive stick when I first learned to drive. Made learning to ride a bit easier too. I think the poll is probably skewed a bit, as those unable to may be unwilling to admit it, or even read this thread.

I knew how to drive one when I started driving, but never had to. 10 years later I was needing to drive a truck for work that was manual, so it's all good.

Every bike I've owned or ridden has a clutch and gear shift peg. Have owned manual trucks and cars. Our tractor was manual (we sold it when we moved from a place with 100 acres to our current 11 acres) and the neighbor's tractor I use now is also a manual.

Having said that, our current trucks (a 2006 and a 2013 F350) and our 'family truckster' minivan are now automatics.

If we get the car I want next, it will be a manual (it doesn't even come as an automatic).

Learned to drive on a manual Ford Ranger with no power steering. Now I drive an automatic because finding a manual is getting harder and harder.

 Redbeard wrote:
...I think the poll is probably skewed a bit, as those unable to may be unwilling to admit it, or even read this thread.

I assumed that would happen, but I was hoping that who haven't/can't drive a stick would chime in. Heck, It's safe to say that 50% of my friends (ages 22-28 roughly) never learned to drive a manual, and I was wondering if it was like that in other places too.

My first mastadon was a stick shift.

My first couple cars were manual but that was kind of a while ago. I'm probably a bit out of practice, but I could drive one if I had to.

I never did quite get over the fear of being stopped on a hill with a car close behind me when I was driving a standard, though.

 Monster Rain wrote:


I never did quite get over the fear of being stopped on a hill with a car close behind me when I was driving a standard, though.

Yeah, that sucks.

 CptJake wrote:

 Monster Rain wrote:


I never did quite get over the fear of being stopped on a hill with a car close behind me when I was driving a standard, though.

Yeah, that sucks.

You see... my pop traumatized me at first...

I learned to drive a manual, from a stop position, going UP a big hill.

He figures that if I could ease into first gear on a hill, w/o rolling back... then, everything else is peachy.

And he's right.

I know how to drive a stick, and can get from point A to point B, I don't have the fluency and practice to be smooth about it.

When I was learning to drive, my dad took me out into an empty field in his jeep and I drove around a bit. Nothing to hit or traffic. Later, when I was first dating my (now) Wife, she had a little manual honda, which I had to drive once or twice.

But for the most part, I'm happy with an automatic. One less thing to worry about while driving.

 Frazzled wrote:
My first mastadon was a stick shift.

That wasn't a stick shift, that was a trunk... or a tail if you were in reverse

I didn't learn how to drive one until I was nineteen, then funny story happened.

So we were driving to Northhampton, MA (my friend and I) on New Year's Eve for Y2k. He was driving his car (standard transmission) and we were all good. I had never driven a standard at this point.

We get to Milford, NH and get pulled over at 12:30AM or so. His license had expired on the 31st. The cop is willing to let us go, but won't let him drive the car any longer. So we have a choice of me driving or getting towed.

I hop in the driver's seat, explain to the cop what's going on. He chuckles at me and points at the nearby Dunkin's parking lot. I proceed to stop and start my way over there and spend 15 minutes driving in circles around the lot while the cop (and another officer who showed up for some reason) point and laugh.

We eventually get back on our way and I spend the rest of the night learning how to drive a stick the hard way.

I can fake it well enough to get somewhere, but I probably owe you a new clutch afterward...

 notprop wrote:
Yep, it's really quite straight forward.

Most vehicles in the UK are Manual Transmission as standard.

I never quite understood the American prevalence for Automatic. I'm sure there's some historical reason?[/quote

Having driven in North America, and all their roads being in blocks, with stop signs every 100 metres or so, I can see why Automatics have become the most popular, it would become very tiresome very quickly constantly going from 1st, to 2nd, back to 1st. Obviously it sucks having an Auto on all the huge freeways they have.