Spinoff: Do your kids (or you) drive a manual transmission?

[STAG]

my Tacoma (5 speed)

Abner?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I've owned a manual since I could drive, my parents had manual vehicles as well. Still own a handful of manual vehicles and enjoy driving them regularly. I've been teaching my nephew to rock a clutch. He’s decently adapting while giving me heart problems as he jams through gears of a turbo diesel Lane Cruiser while merging into traffic.

 

[Cody]

I learned about a clutch riding dirt bikes and learned to drive in an 84 suburban that was a manual. My first car, an 87 s15 Jimmy was a manual.

I enjoy driving manual around town, but vastly prefer the performance of an auto off road. Fight me.

 

[kmboren]

Learned on a 1980 Subaru station wagon. Then owned a Mazda 626 that was manual. Now we have a 1995 YJ that is a manual and Katelynn also drives/wheels it. Actually just changed the clutch on it.

 

[DAA]

Learned to drive on manuals, first car I drove was a three on the tree. My first car was an automatic though, '68 Chevelle with a powerglide. My second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth vehicles were all manuals and I've always owned one since then. Wife learned on manuals too and was driving one when I met her.

Both my kids have somewhat learned in my Jeep. They could both get somewhere in it if they really needed to. But neither are exactly comfortable or proficient with it.

- DAA

 

[anderson750]

I do drive manual semi for work though.

My motorhome on the Freightliner Coronado chassis is a 12 speed manual with auto shift.........does that count???

 

[Corban_White]

I learned to drive a manual in drivers ed. My first car was a 71 GMC with a SM465. Then I got a 91 GMC also with a SM465. My wife grew up driving a diesel topaz with a stick. Then I special ordered my 2007 Tacoma with a 6 speed. Now I daily drive a 2011 Fiesta with a 5 speed. There was a short time in my married life when we only had one car and it was an auto, but other than that one of us (my wife or I) have always had a manual car as our daily. My son (13yo) is excited to learn to drive a manual, my daughter (11yo) is indifferent. They will both be proficient if they want to drive on my insurance.

 

[Die Blaue Ziege]

68 f250 has a manual, that was my first car and I still own it, my 2001 f250 powerstroke has a built 4r100 😰 my 99 tj has a manual, my wife’s Fusion Energi is a Cvt 😰 and then the Chinese-ium bike that I drive every day has a clutch of course.

 

[moab_cj5]

I started driving a manual pickup on the farm when I was 8-9 hauling hay. All I had to do was let out the clutch smoothly, then kneel on the seat to avoid running over hay bails. It evolved into not bucking too hard at a stop or start to not throw people and hay off the trailer.

I taught my oldest to drive a manual and his 2nd car was a stick. I don't currently own one, but need to solve that and teach my daughter. It is an important life skill, especially if international travel is desired to where EV's haven't taken over yet.

 

[Thursty]

Learned to drive stick in and old Welch Fun Car dune buggy similar to the one in the pic. After that I had my ‘76 GMC that I eventually swapped to an auto because I got tired of that clutch in rush hour traffic. Haven’t owned a manual since but my wife did have a Baja Bug for a while. Now we have all automatics in our driveway but I will find something with a third pedal to teach my daughter in when she is old enough.


Fun Fact: Welch Fun Cars was located in Midvale and made Fiberglas dune buggy bodies similar to the likes of Meyers. Not sure how long the company lasted but the founder passed away in 2016. Sure wish we still had that little buggy. It was a blast.

 

[Tonkaman]

I started driving a manual pickup on the farm when I was 8-9 hauling hay. All I had to do was let out the clutch smoothly, then kneel on the seat to avoid running over hay bails. It evolved into not bucking too hard at a stop or start to not throw people and hay off the trailer.

Funny, that’s exactly how I learned as well!

 

[rholbrook]

All three of my kids could drive a stick by the age of probably 12. They could all ride a dirtbike with a clutch. by probably 6 or 7 so it made sense to them on the general whole clutch and shifting. It was easy to transition them because I had a 97 TJ with a manual. I can't count the number of their friend that I taught over the years to drive a manual in that TJ. I would put it in low range and start from there.

I just go back from a trip to Europe and got a discount on my car rentals because we could drive a manual. Both of my boys and my wife all took turns driving. The peddles were the same as here, you just had to stay on the other side of the road and shift with your left hand.

 

[Thursty]

The peddles were the same as here, you just had to stay on the other side of the road and shift with your left hand.

I’ve often wondered how strange that would feel and if I could get used to it.

 

[Stephen]

I’ve often wondered how strange that would feel and if I could get used to it.

You get used to it pretty quick. The weirdest part is going through roundabouts!

 

[rholbrook]

You get used to it pretty quick. The weirdest part is going through roundabouts!

Absolutely correct. Getting used to driving a manual lasted about 10 min. I drove over there for over 2 weeks and I was still running lights or driving I. The bus only lanes or looming the wrong direction. I was getting better but there were round abouts in the middle of a highway were ever a street intersected with another and there were no signals. Lots of single lane bridges where you took turns going over the bridge