Colleen Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Right now we only have automatics, unfortunately; that's the nature of gas guzzlers. (Family "car" is a Suburban, and we also have a Ford F-350 for the farm.) I drove a stick when I was single adult and much prefer it. My husband prefers an automatic. I am hoping to get a smaller car eventually and it'll be a stick. I think it's nice to be able to know how to drive one, but I didn't learn on my own family's vehicles when I was a teen. Instead I stripped the gears of my best friend's VW Beetle.:tongue_smilie: My boys and I like to watch "Amazing Race", and I've noticed how often, when they have to drive, at least one team member will say they can't drive a stick. It makes me wonder how many Americans never do learn that. What do you drive? And do you want your kids learn how to drive a stick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I just got my first automatic last year (Honda Odyssey -- not available in a stick). We still have our manual transmission Subaru Outback, though, and the kids will learn to drive it. I didn't learn to drive a stick until I bought my first car. I had to learn "on the go". I used to hate starting in first gear, so I would slow down and sort of rolllllll through stop signs. I got a ticket for that, though, so I was forced to learn to shift correctly. :) Once I learned, though, I never went back (until I had to). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoRJDont Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My ds will learn, I hope. Well, at least we'll try to teach him. The truck my dh drives is a stick, and were planning on keeping it at least long enough for ds to learn on in 4 years. It's a '92 Toyota, it should make it.:D I too can't believe how many people can't drive a stick. I suppose I shouldn't be, this is southern California. Not many people want to drive a stick in our traffic. A funny story though...My sister, when she was 17, was sitting in the car waiting for dad to teach her to drive a stick. I have no idea what she did. I wasn't born yet and no one will tell me. But, she came in the house holding the clutch pedal in her hand and asked, "Is this supposed to come off?" She broke the clutch off! The metal post that holds the pedal snapped right off! She never learned to drive a stick. ~M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My trouble these days is finding a car with a stick. It's getting less and less common, and when we bought recently we got a used car (as is our habit)--there just weren't any sticks in the car we wanted, though I would have preferred that. Yes, I certainly want my kids to be able to drive stick shifts--maybe I'll get my parents to lend me a car for it. When I was in college, my 4 roommates and I wanted to rent a U-Haul to move a piano between 2 cities, and I was the only one who could drive the truck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I learned to drive on a half-ton pick-up truck with manual everything. It was a beast! But learning to drive that means I've always been able to drive any vehicle that I've encountered. Sadly, when my daughters learned to drive, we owned only automatics. However, my grown daughter bought herself a manual pick-up truck last fall, and evidently she's learned to drive it!! My younger daughter is still on the lookout for her opportunity to learn to drive a stick! Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My first car was a standard, and I couldn't drive it for the first week I owned it. :D Dh had to teach me to drive it first. (Yes, we've been together since our teens :0) ) Dh will make sure all of our kids know not only how to drive a variety of vehicles, but also with trailers in tow. He is one of the Smith System driving trainers for his company. He teaches people to drive large trucks and cars. He is a very good trainer, so he gets asked to do it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoRJDont Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 And I was just thinking...out of us that can drive a stick, how many can drive three on the tree? ~M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommylawyer Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 No plans to teach my kids to drive a stick. Why? I never did, never needed to, never even had the opportunity to try. If they need to learn, at some point, then they can cross that bridge themselves. Come to think of it though, I don't even know anyone who owns a stick these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My dad taught us using the stick first. I just about gave him a whiplash injury! :D Pro? In an emergency, I can drive whichever vehicle is available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I'm an unusual Brit, in that I prefer an automatic. I want the boys to learn to drive a manual car first. Indeed, in the UK there always used to be two licences (I don't know if that has changed): if you got your licence driving an automatic, that was all you could legally drive. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Nope. If they want to learn to drive a stick shift, they can buy the car first. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 someone else will have to teach them -- I never really learned myself. My dad had cars with automatic from the time I was in 5th grade, and I've only owned automatics myself. Dh knows how, of course, but he no longer drives, and we don't have a car with stick shift. BTW, around here (SC) they refer to it as "straight drive" rather than stick shift, which is what we called it in CA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My kids will learn to drive a stick when they have a reason to do so. The second car I bought as a teen was a stick. My stepdad took me out for a morning to figure it out. I was fine. I'm perfectly okay with my children learning similarly, if/when they need to. We do have a stick but the car is in really bad condition and is harder to drive than JUST a stick. So the kids probably will not learn before getting a vehicle that requires them to, if they do that. However, having a stick most of their lives (that they can remember as we got it in 97), I don't think they are really scared of driving one. It's just "another choice." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCoppock Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've never learned to drive stick. When DS is taught to drive I will teach him with an automatic also. I don't have anything against sticks, just no clue how to drive them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I cannot and will not drive a stick. My dh can and I imagine he will eventually teach my boys...but it is not at the top of my priority list. I don't think it is absolutely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 BTW, around here (SC) they refer to it as "straight drive" rather than stick shift, which is what we called it in CA. I grew up with knowing it as "standard" (vs automatic) :) I *can* drive one - not well, but in an emergency I could get someone to the hospital or whatever. I don't like them - there's enough stuff that I have to concentrate on when I'm driving; I don't need more! :tongue_smilie: dh can drive one - I think anyway. I know he was driving my cousin's car for a bit this year and I know that's a standard - so he either *can* or he muddled through. ;) Kids - ds10 won't be licensed. dd12 will have a choice what she wants to learn - I'd like her to at least know *how* to get a standard from A-B if she needed to do that. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Our vehicles have automatic transmission. I've had several cars with stick shifts and it takes next to no time to learn to drive them. Therefore, I don't think it is necessary to make a special effort to teach my kids how to drive a car with a standard transmission. I wish I did have a car with a stick shift though. I think they are much more fun to drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 and that's what their kids learn to drive, imho, it's not a big deal. A competent automatic driver can easily pick up stick or manual shifting. We have both, and we've chosen to have the kids learn to drive on the auto. Later, when driving becomes routine for them, and they have mastered judging distances and speeds, and they don't have to *consciously think* their way through every decision, that's when they learn stick shift. Ds19 had the *safest* car for his first full year of driving. Now he drives the stick mini-truck, and his new-driver-sister gets the safer Mazda. BTW, some of the Mazda's are dual equipped to drive either stick or auto, so that might be an option for some families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 and that's what their kids learn to drive, imho, it's not a big deal. A competent automatic driver can easily pick up stick or manual shifting. . :lol:not true. I am a competent automatic driver but I have no coordination to drive a manual.....dh, my very patient dh, has tried to teach me several times to drive a manual. Now, if I absolutely had to get to say an emergency room the gears may grind the whole way but I would be able to get there. I am sure if dh got me a manual with nothing else to drive I might get it in time but be cussed out quite a bit by those driving around me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Never even gave it one single thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My boys ride motorcyles and 4 wheelers so they are learning the concept of shifting so I am sure that will transfer a little to driving a manual. But to answer your question I think it's a good idea for kids to learn to drive a manual. They are usually cheaper to purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Nope, no stick driving for us. I dont see the point. I do not know how to drive a stick and have it has never been a problem. I dont even know anyone who owns a stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My two boys can already drive a stick thanks to my dad. I'm hoping he'll also teach my two girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 All of our cars are standard/stick shift (it's all about the mileage and repair costs around here), so the boys will learn to drive stick shifts. BTW, I learned to drive using a stick shift (Datsun B210 and Mercury Capri) and I LOVED IT. I learned to slow the car down by downshifting. When I drive an automatic, I don't feel the road as much KWIM? and I hate having to use the breaks to slow down. Everyone in my family drives sticks. In this day and age, I think it makes it nearly impossible to text message and drive a stick, so that's a good thing. ;-) k:auto::auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Of our 5 cars (incl. the ones our older girls drive) only 1 is an automatic, our Windstar. The first thing the girls had to do after driver's training was learn to drive a standard, change a tire and change the oil. Dad's rules. I prefer a standard and so does dh. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 No, it's a bygone era. DH & I have both owned stick shift, but not sure any cars are even made without standard anymore. Definitely not mandatory here. If they obtain a stick shift vehicle, we will teach them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My dh used to have a truck with manual transmission, hated it. DS learned to shirt gears for him then. I'm an automatic gal, I've learned how to drive a manual transmission but I hate it, I want to not think about shifting gears as I drive. I learned how twice, but no one wants to be behind me while I'm driving one. :D That being said, if ds needs to learn, dh will teach him at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajott Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 YES. we have both, but they learned and got their licesnse with the automatic. They only want to use the van. I am sick and tired of inconveniencing myself because they can't drive the beater. We live on a really steep hill and we've had a lot of snow, so I'm just waiting for the first warm weekend for Saturday School and driving lessons to begin. GRRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajott Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 In this day and age' date=' I think it makes it nearly impossible to text message and drive a stick, so that's a good thing. ;-)[/quote'] another good thing about standard transmissions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Yes, they should know it. I want them to learn to drive the automatic first, though, so there is less to focus on IN the car - I want them to be watching outside of it when they first learn!!!! Once they become good drivers with the automatic, we'll borrow Grandma's car to teach how to use the manual transmission. Either dh or I can teach them, as we both drove manual transmission cars for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Mine will learn it.... DH's F-250 is a stick and he hates it - but i tell him he's a lazy driver. Automatics are BORING to drive. I sat in a Saab at Epcot not that long ago shifting thru the gears with my eyes closed :D I had never driven an automatic until the behind the wheel drivers training i took a few months before i got my license. NEver mind i'd already been driving (about 10,000 miles worth) for 9 months on my permit. I got in and had no clue what to do or how to turn the car on and make it go. The teacher thought that was funny.... I passed the license test with a 100 in a 5-speed Audi diesel, gutless car - but way fun to drive! (the teacher told me i drove the best of any student she had ever tested - she didn't even know she was in a stick! :tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Of our 5 cars (incl. the ones our older girls drive) only 1 is an automatic, our Windstar. The first thing the girls had to do after driver's training was learn to drive a standard, change a tire and change the oil. Dad's rules. I prefer a standard and so does dh. Janet :iagree: Dd will learn to drive a standard, change a tire, change the oil, know not to cross the spark plug wires, how to change a distributor cap, how to jump off a battery, and change an alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 :iagree: Dd will learn to drive a standard, change a tire, change the oil, know not to cross the spark plug wires, how to change a distributor cap, how to jump off a battery, and change an alternator. Oh, I forgot jumping the battery. Girls just need to know these things. :D Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepy Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My boys and I like to watch "Amazing Race", and I've noticed how often, when they have to drive, at least one team member will say they can't drive a stick. It makes me wonder how many Americans never do learn that. What do you drive? And do you want your kids learn how to drive a stick? LOL! I'm always thinkin' Come on, people, if you don't know how to drive a stick, why are you on The Amazing Race?? My first 2 cars were sticks, so that's what I learned to drive. I have an automatic now, and still feel the urge to switch gears. Unless manual transmissions become obsolete in the next few years, (will flying cars have stick shifts? :001_huh:) I do plan on having dh teach each of the kids to drive a stick shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJB Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 (edited) *And* we had to drive on the wrong side of the road. :001_huh: We have an old pickup truck at home that is a pain to drive which has a manual transmission. I'm sure we'll teach the kids to drive it since we have it, but I don't think we'd buy a car just so they could learn. I learned driving my college boyfriend's Ford Festiva. Good times. :lol: Edited February 25, 2009 by KJB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancora_Imparo Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The only time I have driven automatic was in driver's ed and when we have a rental. I hate automatic, with a passion. We searched long and hard to find a stick shift for our most recent car purchase, most of what is available is only 4 cyl. and we wanted something with more power. High end sports cars will probably always be available in stick, so I told dh that is what he is going to have get me for our next car :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_claire Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 We have an automatic. I will make sure they learn to drive both auto and manual. It's easier to learn when you first start driving, and both have advantages. Auto is better for commuting. Manual is better for pleasure driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Well, sort of. Our rule around here is that you don't get a digital clock in your room until you prove you can read analog. You don't get shoes with Velcro until you can tie your laces. In other words, I have nothing against convenience, but it shouldn't be a substitute for competency. I've always thought driving should be the same way. In my case, I didn't learn to drive on a manual. However, I was determined to know how to drive one before I got my license. And it was a good thing I did, because my first car turned out to be a VW van with a stick shift. We've always planned to have our kids learn to drive a stick shift as early as possible. And now it's easy, because both of the new cars have manual transmissions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Until I bought my Honda Pilot, all my previous cars have been sticks. I much prefer driving a stick, and will make sure my kids learn how. My 14 year old is learning to drive the Pilot now, and once she masters that will learn to drive the Ford F-250. When she 's good at that, she can learn to drive our Mini Cooper. Before she takes any car out on her own, she'll have to be able to change a tire and jump start the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Absolutely. Just as I'd like kiddo to know how to ride a horse, swim, start a fire and sail, cook a balanced meal, find his way out of the woods, etc. One never knows what one will face, and Be Prepared is my second motto. I needed to get my car home once, and I asked dozens of people. Finally, it hit on me to ask someone who learned to drive in India. Bingo, he knew. FYI, if you want your car not to be stolen despite years of parking on the streets of NYC, drive a shift. It works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I learned to drive on a stick. I even spent a week in San Francisco with a stick shift car (talk about insane). Anyway, 2 years ago when I went to look at Saturns, the salesman asked me if I knew how to drive stick, I said yes, but I hadn't driven one since I was in my late 20's and I am now in early 50's. Well, the price for the stick shift saturns was 100 dollars a month less than the automatic so I agreed to test drive a stick. Well, amazingly it all came back to me, I didn't even stall out once. So now I love my stick shift VUE and since dd is 14 and I will be having this car for a long time, this is the car that she will learn to drive on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 :lol:not true. I am a competent automatic driver but I have no coordination to drive a manual.....dh, my very patient dh, has tried to teach me several times to drive a manual. Now, if I absolutely had to get to say an emergency room the gears may grind the whole way but I would be able to get there. I am sure if dh got me a manual with nothing else to drive I might get it in time but be cussed out quite a bit by those driving around me. See, that's me. I could get the bleeding person to the hospital, because I "get it" (ie, shift to X gear at X RPM, balance the weird pedal with the other two, etc etc LOL) but I am *horrible* at it. I hate it!:tongue_smilie: (ha, I can't even *imagine* doing it where we live now - I have a hard enough time driving our van around here with all the "new" stuff. Merging and roundabouts and multiple lane highways full of super fast drivers in big trucks. :001_huh: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I know how to drive a stick but both of our cars are automatic and all our future cars will be. Stick shift is not a good fit for arthritics like me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The question around here is when are they going to learn to drive the automatic? They all learned on a gear shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YJ in AL Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Yep. They will all have to learn to drive a stick. My dad made me learn, and I have been grateful for this. We have a 24 year old Nissan that we keep for running around town and teaching the dc to drive a stick. Really! We keep it for that reason. However.....our oldest dd still does not know how to drive a stick. She and her dad would come to screaming matches when he tried to teach her. She did fine with me, but she gave up because she just couldn't take driving it with her dad. :tongue_smilie: Hmmm. You know, a nice, very used small car could come in handy for teaching your group of fellows.....and it would be fun for you to drive when you can go off by yourself for a while! Yvonne in AL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Yes, if at all possible, we will make sure they can drive stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinMominTX Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Have them drive a tractor. That's how I learned to drive a stick and I imagine that is how my kids will learn as well. For what it's worth - my step-daughter learned to drive using all automatics. She got a car with a stick and it was amazing how quickly she picked it up when she was sufficiently motivated to go somewhere! I think learning to drive a stick is important. We've traveled all over Europe and never rented a car that was anything but manual transmission. We would have missed out on some great sights if none of us knew how to shift! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I learned on a stick, because my dad knew I was going to be out of the house a LOT as soon as I got my license (and I was) and he wanted me to be able to drive anything my boyfriends had in case I had to kick them out of their own trucks. And then my first car wound up being a stick anyway. My sister has never learned stick. I definitely plan to find a way to teach my own kids how to drive standard, because you never know when you'll be thrown into a situation where it's called for. My DH can't drive stick, though, so I'll have to do the teaching. As for three on the tree... I don't think I've ever been in a car with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I learned how to drive on a stick and I'm so glad I did. We will teach our kids to drive one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My boys and I like to watch "Amazing Race", and I've noticed how often, when they have to drive, at least one team member will say they can't drive a stick. It makes me wonder how many Americans never do learn that. What do you drive? And do you want your kids learn how to drive a stick? That's why I'm teaching my kids to drive a stick! I think in most of the world sticks are still standard. (hahaha.) Also, why do you go on Amazing Race if you're incredibly out of shape? I appreciate that the father/son duo got personal trainers before the race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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