Anyone here never used a manual transmission?

[Robert Hall]

The manual column shift thread made me think of this... I know a number of people my age (almost 40) and younger that have never driven a vehicle w/ a manual. I learned to drive w/ them, and drove Ford products w/ manuals most of the time for 14 years before getting my first automatic at age 30.

[pow]

I've never had a primary car with a manual transmission... though on occasions, I have borrowed them from friends, dealers, and rental companies. In Europe, you really have no choice but to rent a manual car if you're under 25, as ironically they don't trust youngins with them fancy automatic cars. In the US, it's a rather different story.

[Brougham-Holiday]

I had no choice but to learn how to drive a standard shift car because when I was 16 my dad had a Honda Civic with a 5 speed. The cool part is as my friends started to get their own cars, some of them were standard shift so I got to take them for a ride before they could! I've had to drive their cars to see if the transmission felt ok, the most fun being a 350Z with a standard shift.

[Z-06]

My brother does not know how to drive manual transmission cars and neither do my wife's cousin and couple of her medical school friends.

[ZL-1]

Every day.

[siegen]

I had no choice but to learn how to drive a standard shift car because when I was 16 my dad had a Honda Civic with a 5 speed. The cool part is as my friends started to get their own cars, some of them were standard shift so I got to take them for a ride before they could! I've had to drive their cars to see if the transmission felt ok, the most fun being a 350Z with a standard shift.

I bought my 5-speed Civic before I even knew how to drive manual (then learned it over the weekend so I could drive to work in the morning). :]

[FAPTurbo]

I did at a young age, where I drove an old Ford tractor on my uncle's farm during summers. It made me appreciate automatics ever so much more.

[BigPontiac]

Every day.

+ 1

[Intrepidation]

50% of the time I drive a manual. Jessica taught me how to drive the Prizm when I spent the summer in KS 4 years ago.

[ocnblu]

I believe all driver's education cars should be manuals. It should be a basic driving skill to know how.

[mustang84]

Ashamed to say that I never learned. I never had the opportunity since neither of my parents vehicles were manual and very few of my family members have them. Actually, I co-worker and I were talking about going in on a cheap 5-speed Saturn SL1, learning to drive stick on it for a month or so, cleaning it up, and then re-selling it on the private market. He now has access to a manual, so that idea fizzled out. My plan is when I get a house, I will buy a 5.0 Fox Mustang 5-spd and use that to learn on (as well as give me a project car).

[Drew Dowdell]

Dad taught me when I was 12 in his F-250. We had to put phone books behind my back so that I was able to push the clutch all the way in.

He said, "If you can drive this, then you can drive anything."..... and it's been mostly true. The only exception has been Honda 4-cylinders. I just can't get used to driving something with .25 ft/lbs at 10,000 rpm.

[Nick]

I will never not drive a manual (in a truck I'll make an exception) and I will ensure all my friends, including girlfriends, will know how to drive a manual. I have successfully taught several friends as well as my sister how to drive a manual. It has come in handy on quite a number of occasions not only for me, but for them as well.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Nick

[CSpec]

My 9-5 is a manual and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[balthazar]

3-spd (on the column & floor), 4-spd, 5-spd, 4x2 spd.

But I prefer an automatic in a daily.

[XP715]

I've driven them before, but not much, and not in a long time. 90% of my training on a manual was years ago on my father's 1935 Ford ton and a half dump truck. Needless to say, it's time for a refresher course. Almost bought a 1980 C10 long bed with a three speed and granny low a few weeks ago, but really didn't have the space to keep it. Some day in the not too distant future, though, I need to pick up a cheap beater with a stick to relearn myself.

[Blake Noble]

I started out driving a manual trans. ...

[...] and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've driven the Camaro in the worst bumper to bumper traffic you could imagine. Who knew a pedal could be that much fun?

And while I would prefer to have a car with a manual, I wouldn't let it knock me out of owning something nice. (You can retrofit a six-speed row-your-own in an Impala SS or a Caprice. )

Edited June 4, 2010 by whiteknight

[2005 EquinoxLS]

I have only had one chance to try it. That was about 1992. I never fully learned and never had the chance after that.

Edited June 4, 2010 by 2005 EquinoxLS

[bobo]

I got my first Integra with a stick before I ever drove a stick. The first night with the new car, my dad showed me how to drive it, and it was a little bit of a struggle at first. Since then, half my vehicles have been sticks.

[Cory Wolfe]

I made sure my first car was a stick-shift.

Aaaaaand then, sadly, I haven't owned one since. Not until I bought the Golf, that is. I really have no use for and have grown pleasantly annoyed with automatics. I'm no longer making exceptions for the right car. If I'm buying, there's no other choice. I've got to keep my left foot entertained. The poor thing is just so bored, sitting against a dead pedal. Sometimes it twitches from not having anything to do! Deep down, my left foot knows it has an assigned job and it doesn't know what to do with itself otherwise. It sure does love a good clutch pedal and boy am I ever glad!

[the_yellow_dart]

I've owned 4 cars. The 2 that came had manuals available, I bought one.

[A Horse With No Name]

Ashamed to say that I never learned. I never had the opportunity since neither of my parents vehicles were manual and very few of my family members have them. Actually, I co-worker and I were talking about going in on a cheap 5-speed Saturn SL1, learning to drive stick on it for a month or so, cleaning it up, and then re-selling it on the private market. He now has access to a manual, so that idea fizzled out. My plan is when I get a house, I will buy a 5.0 Fox Mustang 5-spd and use that to learn on (as well as give me a project car).

Like the idea of a Fox project car....

Dad taught me when I was 12 in his F-250. We had to put phone books behind my back so that I was able to push the clutch all the way in.

He said, "If you can drive this, then you can drive anything."..... and it's been mostly true. The only exception has been Honda 4-cylinders. I just can't get used to driving something with .25 ft/lbs at 10,000 rpm.

I agree....

[Lamar]

I've never driven a manual. Never had the chance. My dad traded in his 5-spd Subaru GL back in '91, which was seven years before I could even get a permit.

One day, I'm gonna buy an old beater and learn, just to say that I can. And to open up the door for performance heaven in the future. However, my wife refuses to learn how to drive stick properly, even though she has driven one before with someone when she was a teenager. And promptly burned the clutch.

Strangely though, in the past two years I've met two people who claim they don't know how to drive automatic. One of them was from Russia and the other has only ever driven stick.

[Sixty8panther]

Driven hundreds of 4/5/6 on the floor.

Only driven a few "3-on-the-tree" vehicles.

I believe all driver's education cars should be manuals. It should be a basic driving skill to know how.

Yes. I agree100% That's how it is in Slovakia.

Parking / starting on steep hill is also mandatory.

[Camino LS6]

I believe all driver's education cars should be manuals. It should be a basic driving skill to know how.

Absolutely!

Dad taught me when I was 12 in his F-250. We had to put phone books behind my back so that I was able to push the clutch all the way in.

He said, "If you can drive this, then you can drive anything."..... and it's been mostly true. The only exception has been Honda 4-cylinders. I just can't get used to driving something with .25 ft/lbs at 10,000 rpm.

Sounds like my experience. When I was about 12 or 13, I went to a hunting camp in the middle of nowhere in western PA with my dad. He and his buddy had me drive the buddy's F-150 4x4 with granny gear 4spd. all around the logging roads surrounding the camp. I had to get good at it in a hurry!

But the first manual I drove was our '65 Chevelle wagon.

I made sure my first car was a stick-shift.

Aaaaaand then, sadly, I haven't owned one since. Not until I bought the Golf, that is. I really have no use for and have grown pleasantly annoyed with automatics. I'm no longer making exceptions for the right car. If I'm buying, there's no other choice. I've got to keep my left foot entertained. The poor thing is just so bored, sitting against a dead pedal. Sometimes it twitches from not having anything to do! Deep down, my left foot knows it has an assigned job and it doesn't know what to do with itself otherwise. It sure does love a good clutch pedal and boy am I ever glad!

Boy, can I relate to this!

[Sixty8panther]

The only exception has been Honda 4-cylinders. I just can't get used to driving something with .25 ft/lbs at 10,000 rpm.

Sooooo true!

One of the LEAST fun to drive cars with a manual transmission I've ever driven is the Honda S2000. The few times I drove an S2000 for a decent length of time it's so aggravating that you have to keep the RPMs in the neighborhood of a dentist's drill to stay in the power band. It's not that I can't do it but I don;t see the joy in it.

How about instead of having 4 cylinders spinning at 7,000-10,000 rpm I have a V8 with more power & the same highway MPGs spin at 2,000-5,000rpm.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I believe all driver's education cars should be manuals. It should be a basic driving skill to know how.

I know for fact in central & southern NJ there are no more driver education programs that actually put teenagers in cars as part of driver's education. Many school districts cut that out in the '80s to save on vehicle maintenance & insurance costs. I know when my sister had driver's ed in 1987, and I in 1991, we had just the course that prepared you for the learner's permit test and then if you actually wanted the permit, you needed to take the three-day driving course through a driving school. My 16 y-o is currently in driver's ed and the state of NJ doesn't even provide a manual anymore (cheapskates). Some of his friends that have already had the driver's ed course earlier this year already took the driving school course and have their learner's permit and driver's test scheduled for their 17th birthday (later this year) - my wife is not too thrilled with her son getting behind the wheel just yet

Back on topic... there were no manual transmission vehicles in my family when I was learning how to drive (and actually, I can't recall anyone in my family that owned a manual car). At the time I was learning to drive with my permit the only manual trans vehicle was my cousin's boyfriend's tow truck (he wasn't willing to teach me stick on one of his business' trucks). I didn't learn stick until I worked at the BPG dealership in '99/'00, which happened to be with a co-worker's '96 Sunfire GT because I sold a few Formulas and Trans Ams with a stick (special orders only, as stock models were ordered auto trans only) and had to be able to gas them up and take them out on the test drive before they signed. I haven't driven stick since 2006 when I took the dealer demo Saturn SKY for a spin when I placed my order I'm all too comfortable having an automatic, though I know if I eventually find a '55-'57 GMC it will more than likely have a three-on-the-tree for me to learn!

[GMTruckGuy74]

BTW, this should have included a poll to see who knows how to drive stick and those who don't (though I know how to shift the manual trans, I'm not proficient at driving in traffic so I would say I'm an automatic-only driver). It would be interesting to see how many posters can drive a stick daily if need be.

[Justin Bimmer]

I can drive any forking thing around. Big trucks, sports cars, hondas, you name it. Double clutch up and double clutch down.

[Camino LS6]

BTW, this should have included a poll to see who knows how to drive stick and those who don't (though I know how to shift the manual trans, I'm not proficient at driving in traffic so I would say I'm an automatic-only driver). It would be interesting to see how many posters can drive a stick daily if need be.

Just start a new thread with a poll.

[Sixty8panther]

I've had quite a few 5-speed cars for daily drivers.

I racked up about 20k miles in my 5-speed 1991 Blazer S-10 4x4 (4.3 V6) in less than a year, then later between the two 1st gen. 5-speed Datsun Maximas I owned I drove probably about 45k miles. Those cars were cool, inline-6 w/ IRS, RWD nice easy clutch & shifter linkage.

I wish my '68 Camaro had been a 4-speed, though its ratchet B&M shifter was as fun as an automatic gets.

[Z-06]

How many here have driven a vehicle that required "de-clutching?"

[Robert Hall]

BTW, this should have included a poll to see who knows how to drive stick and those who don't (though I know how to shift the manual trans, I'm not proficient at driving in traffic so I would say I'm an automatic-only driver). It would be interesting to see how many posters can drive a stick daily if need be.

I drove sticks as daily drivers for 14 years in all sorts of traffic. Have had an automatic for the daily driver for the last 10 years. But I still drive a stick 2-3 times a year, so I can still walk the walk...plan to get a new car w/ manual soon.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Cory Wolfe]

Random, I want to teach myself heel and toe.

[Z-06]

Random, I want to teach myself heel and toe.

Get a car that will help you learn it. It is not difficult, just a practice of the trade is required.

Try this.