S/O: Stick shift driving, can you do it? Do you enjoy it?

[Lady Florida.]

I love driving a car with a stick shift, especially on hills.

 

That was a bit tricky for me, having learned to drive in flat Florida. When I was in north Georgia it took me a while to learn how to idle on a hill in a car with a manual transmission. 

[Seasider]

Very confident and used to do it on a regular basis. Ready to acquire another manual shift vehicle. A two seater. Live my kids but ready for a vehicle that is not a kids-and-their-stuff hauler!

 

FWIW, dh and I consider this an essential skill and require our kids to learn it, even if their preference is for an automatic transmission.

[Seasider]

I love driving a car with a stick shift, especially on hills.

Now driving a stick shift on hills... That's like sailing a sloop instead of throttling a motorboat. You have to think about it!

 

Curves... I'll take the curves.

 

Hillfarm - anti theft device - funny and true!

[Veritaserum]

I learned to drive using stick...in busy SoCal. My family only owned VW buses and bugs. I took my driving test in a VW bus. My prom date also begged me to drive so that we could arrive in style in the VW bus.

 

I didn't own an automatic until I had three children and needed a larger vehicle.

[fraidycat]

I learned to drive in an automatic for the most part, but soon learned manual - so I could borrow my brother's car. My best reversing practice (using only mirrors) came from backing up the grain truck to the auger once I knew how to drive stick.

 

DH had a manual transmission truck when we were first married. His friend taught him how to drive it after he bought it and needed to get it home. :) I really wish I could have been there to see it, it sounds like it would have been pretty entertaining.

[Tap]

We have 4 cars but only one is stick.  I drive it a couple times per year and really don't think twice about it.  I had a stick shift as my primary car for many years so it is just as natural for me as an automatic.

[Melissa in Australia]

I've only driven an automatic once. I could probably do it again in an emergency. I hate them.

same here.

give a manual car every time I am not fussed if it is a column stick or a floor stick, I can do both.

[LaxMom]

I'd be curious if there is an age difference involved. I see very few standards around these days. They seemed to be much more common years ago.

That's very true. My (near) daily-drive standard is my 15 year old Jeep. Nowadays, it seems like, with the exception of sports cars, standards are special order.

 

I'm 42. My first car was a '74 MG (3 speed). Then I had a Ford of some sort (4 speed), a Hyudai (5 speed), then the Jeep. After that we've been doing the car seats/ too many car seats thing in vehicles that only come in auto. It sucks.

[MomtoCandJ]

I can, but I can't guarantee that the vehicle will have a clutch when I'm done :)

[Maela]

My first car was a stick shift.  My dh's first car during our marriage was a stick.  I'm comfortable with them, but I prefer automatic.

 

[AngieW in Texas]

I learned how to drive a stick shift when dh and I got our graduate degrees and we had to share his car for the first year after mine died. I could do it, but not very well.  I succeeded in not killing his car. I was very glad to get an automatic later and I will only buy automatic.

[cjzimmer1]

I learned to drive on a stick shift and love driving one but I don't do it on a regular basis since we no longer own one.  When we bought DH's car last year we tried to get one but both the Toyota and Honda dealerships told us that while the type of car we wanted was technically available in stick shift, the reality was they can't get them.  Honda specifically told us that they get many requests for them but aren't able to get any of the cars.  Not sure why but I guess the manufacturers don't make many of them and they are snatched up pretty quick.

[happypamama]

I voted that I am very confident and drive one regularly. That's semi-true. I *do* drive one confidently and easily. I *don't* really LIKE stick driving. I far, far prefer my van, which is an automatic. But our little car and our truck are both stick shifts, and I drive them both whenever needed. Our van has been in the shop a lot this year, so I've driven the truck a lot. It's proven to be a very valuable skill, to be able to drive any of the vehicles confidently and easily, and this year, I would say I have driven the sticks more than just "not very often," but I do prefer my automatic. (The truck, in particular, is uncomfortable for me because I have very short legs, and it requires some stretching to push the clutch in. But I can do it easily; I just don't like to.)

[Mama Geek]

I learned on a stick, and this is the first time that both of our cars are automatic.  i haven't driven a stick in a couple of years, but I am still very comfortable with it since that was all I drove for at least 20 years.

[Jerico]

I cannot drive one. I know how but cannot get my feet, hands, and brain to work together.

 

We only have one car and its a stick shift!!! So i just don't drive. I actually love it. I cannot imagine myself comfortably driving my children around in it so i have not bothered to learn. :)