Only 18 Percent Of Americans Can Drive Manual

[SecularMotion]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A new report shows fewer Americans own a car with manual transmission let alone know how to operate one. And there appear to be a number of reasons for it.

The report from U.S. News and World Report show only 18 percent of U.S. drivers know how to operate a stick shift. It says that because of advancements in automatic transmissions and fuel economy, only about 5 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. today come with a stick shift. That’s down from 25 percent of cars in 1987.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/10/11/report-only-18-percent-of-americans-can-drive-manual/

[yeoman6987]

1. I never learned how to drive a manual

Hasn't been a problem at all.

[msanthrope]

14. I know how and prefer it. Got me around the world more easily. nt

[yeoman6987]

20. I have friend who love driving a manual and would never change

[chelsea0011]

2. If you drive in the city, manual is a pain in the ass in traffic

[titaniumsalute]

4. My wife grew up on a farm

She always swore she'd always drive a na manual. Then we moved to Palm Beach County Florida and she had a 30 minute drive to work...mostly side streets. That ended that.

[we can do it]

13. It really isn't. If you are used to driving stick, you don't notice.

[rufus dog]

23. Try sitting on a freeway in SoCal

I didn't mind my manual when driving to work, but then having to go rush hour into LA it became a PAIN IN THE ASS!

[Charles Bukowski]

29. I agree. Driving stick in SoCal is awful.

Sitting in traffic is bad enough without having to play with the clutch the whole time.

[Retrograde]

112. I'll see your SoCal and raise you San Francisco

I got my first non-manual car about 3 years ago, after having driven manuals since I started driving in 1974. We bought it because there weren't any manuals available in the make we wanted unless we wanted to wait several months - and pay more. Dealing with the clutch on relatively flat land is not a big deal. The first time I had to go through San Francisco and found I could stop for a light on the top of a hill and start again without requiring 3 feet and a hand brake I decided an automatic had its advantages.

I still keep reaching for the passenger's knee whenever I think I should be shifting, though.

[brush]

114. Parallel parking on a hill in SF with a stick shift is even harder than driving in SF

Those "Curb your wheels" signs are not joking.

[MineralMan]

149. My Kia Soul with a manual transmission

has a hill holder feature. If you're on a hill, when you take your foot off the brake, the brake stays applied until the car begins to move in gear, then it releases. I haven't driven it in SF, but it works perfectly on every hill I've been on. I'm not sure, but I suspect the same feature is on a lot of new manual transmission vehicles.

Notably, it is a 6-speed. When I was a young guy, only racing cars had six-speed transmissions. I can assure you that a Kia Soul is not a racing car, but the 6-speed is fun.

The two top gears are overdrive gears, so they're useless unless you're going at least 45 MPH. And oddly, the top speed in that little car, which is approximately 113 MPH, can only be achieved in 4th gear at 7250 RPM, the car's red line. The two higher gears won't redline the engine. They're for maximum fuel economy only and cruising on the freeway.

[nolabear]

161. My Mini Cooper stick has one too. Essential in a city with hills!

I've never owned an automatic except an ill considered minivan that I hated so badly that I ditched it in less than a year. Sadly I might have to go automatic due to old knees. 😩 I'm trying to decide whether an automatic Mini is just embarrassing.

[GWC58]

55. I would think San Francisco

would be a royal pain driving a manual transmission. I sure wouldn't want to!

[rufus dog]

58. Even worse!

I did need to rent a car in SF once to get out to Tahoe, they asked if I could drive a shift! Sure no problem. The wife wanted to go down Lombard Street on our way out. No Problem going down, getting back to the freeway was a major pain! Once we got back from Tahoe the car was immediately turned in and back to public transportation and walking.

[we can do it]

63. Ok I'll give you SF, but I wouldn't want to drive there, period.

[cemaphonic]

92. Seattle too

Steep hills + heavy traffic 24/7 makes driving manual intolerable. I know how, and have had to do it occasionally, but outside of a true emergency, I'd rather ride the bus.

[nolabear]

162. I live there and I love it

Sadly the knees are getting old but I'm resisting. That roll back prevention clutch is fabulous.

[NBachers]

125. I live in San Francisco with a Ford Focus 5-speed. I love my stick-shift car- that's why I bought it

[CountAllVotes]

136. I lived in SF for years

and I drove a stick shift the whole time. I got really got good at parallel parking my little VW/Honda SE on those steep hills!

It was hard on the clutch though! I think I went through 3 of them on a Toyota Corolla I had for awhile.

[hunter]

99. I did that for a few years. It wasn't the stick shift that made me miserable.

I could shift gears effortlessly, automatically, without thinking. I still can.

It was the utter waste of my life commuting that got to me. I resent every second I've ever spent sitting in a fucking car, especially the times I've been caught in heavy traffic..

Cars are among the most awful things humans have ever invented. They are right up there with nuclear weapons and just as deadly..

The "freedom" of automobile ownership is a sick illusion. Automobiles are tools of "Papers Please" fascism.

Hitler, Volkswagen and Autobahns... not a coincidence. Wear a license plate on your butt wherever you go.

When my wife and I met we were Los Angeles commuters on 15 mph freeways. My bicycle could be faster, but that was fraught with much greater danger to life and limb. And showing up at work stinking of fear-sweat wasn't a good idea. The piranhas of human-kind smell that.

Riding my bicycle I've been hit by cars and so has my wife. It impresses upon a bicycle rider the importance of helmets.

By some planning and greater good fortune my wife and I have avoided the automobile commuter lifestyle since the mid 'eighties.

I can walk to my office in my underwear, a cup of coffee in one hand. We can see my wife's workplace from the balcony of our house.

The U.S.A. could be a better place by building walkable urban areas with good public transportation. I have nephews and nieces living in San Francisco and Seattle. They don't own cars but sometimes they rent them. That should be the "normal" we strive for.

[Jim Beard]

113. I hear you, I always wanted to live close to my work. That commute took too much

time out of my life.

[MurrayDelph]

100. Driving the 405 in L.A. hastened my left knee replacement

and caused me to trade in my Honda Accord for a Prius.

[wryter2000]

116. That's the only drawback I can see

Stop and go on the freeway is rough

[chelsea0011]

28. Well, I have done both and I will not ever go back to stick in the city

Especially, when I want a drink from my coffee cup

[Ms. Toad]

102. Nope.

Not if you are an experienced manual driver. I've driven in pretty much any terrain or traffic. I much prefer manual.

[metroins]

121. No thanks

stop and go is a hassle for a manual.

I prefer the clutch, it gives me control, but in traffic it is 3x the work.

[hardluck]

110. It's not that bad

Did it for 15 years in LA traffic. Only time I regretted it was when a fire shut down the 118 and it took me 5 hours to get home in bumper to bumper traffic. That day sucked!

[yagotme]

3. Well, I can, my wife can,

but we're older, so I guess we learned "the old-timey way". My first vehicle was a stick, and currently have one that is.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

47. You should have seen the look my 80 year old dad gave me when I expressed...

... surprise he could drive a stick.

[yagotme]

165. Heh.

When he learned, it was most likely the only game in town. My dad learned to drive with long leather straps and "Giddyup" and "Whoa".

[KittyWampus]

5. so glad to not have a stick anymore.

[Blue_true]

34. Hills are a bear with sticks. nt

[Boxerfan]

6. Morons in the making....Get off my LAWN!!

Ok so yeah I'm old & yeah I drive a stick.

I would miss so much of the experience -especially in a good nimble well suited car on a windy road to nowhere-without shifting and clutching at the best of my abilities.

Maybe a little wiff of Kendal and a dash of British Racing green would make it perfect. But any good car- a Miata for example-is a joy to drive for recreation. My VW bus is not such a vehicle but the VW auto's are problematic at best.

I demand they bring back dial radio's & roll up windows. And VENT windows for criminies sake. Kids asked me what they were for-direct & free air ya dummies...

Grumble grumble grumble...

[LisaM]

10. I liked those little vent windows. I wish they still had them.

I don't miss rolling the window up and down, but I do worry about emergencies if the power windows fail.

[rufus dog]

24. That is funny to me

My dad always said that about power windows, 'what if we crash into a lake?' We lived in Phx, finally when I was about 15 I blurted out, we are in the middle of a damn desert.

[Thor_MN]

85. Power windows would be fine under water, once the pressure equalizes.

Manual windows will have the same issues as power windows. Once the pressure is the same on both sides of the window, they will operate.

12 Volt systems will not "short out" in water. The water will eventually ruin the motors, but that will take some time, longer than one can hold their breath. If you go into the water in a car, get the windows down immediately, or break them.

[Thor_MN]

82. People are starting not to know what "Rolling the window" means.

Power windows are mostly standard.

[WillowTree]

111. "Rolling down the window" is, technically, an obsolete term still in use because.......

.......we haven't come up with a more currently-appropriate term. Not unlike "dialing the phone" or "hanging-up the phone".

[Grammy23]

155. Open the window...close the window

still works to convey what you mean.

[wryter2000]

117. I miss the vent windows, too

They funneled the air right to you

[LeftInTX]

7. My husband can't LOL

I warned him about parking my manual transmission car on a hill.
Guess what happened?

That was about 35 years ago. I haven't driven a manual in over 30 years. I have no idea if I would remember.

[kstewart33]

168. Neither can my husband.

I drove manual for decades, beginning with a rickety old VW bug in high school. Loved it because I felt more in complete control of the car.

Nowadays, manual has gone missing. A shame. Manual driving would surely reduce the amount of texting while driving.

[Dem2]

8. I like my manual trannies

Though I don't really care what a person's preference is.

Positive side? My kids/mostly anybody else never ask to borrow my car.

[we can do it]

18. That's another plus. And not likely to be stolen.

[A HERETIC I AM]

128. One of the reasons I bought mine.

Read several stories of stolen cars where the thief gets a block and gives up

[GulfCoast66]

9. My dad insisted we learn

Both my sister and I both learned on a stick before being allowed to drive an automatic.

[sarcasmo]

11. Having a manual car is a theft deterrent.

Glad my Dad made me learn on a stick. Scared the shit out of Dad when I stalled it crossing a one way.

Put IT Gear!

LMFAO

[central scrutinizer]

76. True

There was a car jacking a few years ago where the perp jumped in the car but didn't know how to drive a stick, promptly stalled it and got busted.

[Equinox Moon]

12. It is fun to drive a manual, but not all the time.

I learned how to drive a manual when I lived in Europe. It was great fun!

[kerry-is-my-prez]

15. Glad I got rid of mine. I broke my shoulder, elbow and finger and it is tough driving them with

any type of injury. Then it was hurting my knee to be pressing down on the clutch. Not good if you're over 50.

[malaise]

16. That's what we had when I started driving

so I can still drive a stick shift.

[no_hypocrisy]

17. Does it reduce the chance of auto theft if not many people know how to operate a

stick shift?

[we can do it]

94. I think so

[Kaleva]

19. I learned to drive with a vehicle that had three on the tree.

[Rorey]

86. I learned with four on the floor

One time I had the misfortune of needing to drive an old truck that my father-in-law owned that had the shift "on the tree". I broke it. He wasn't happy with me. I think it was sort of his fault because he told me it was just like driving my four on the floor. It wasn't.

[NWCorona]

21. Autos are so boring to me and it's getting hard to find a good stick shift

My newest car does have a 6sd twin disc paddle shift automatic but that was the only option.

[RedWedge]

22. I love driving manual. Two of my vehicles are manual.

[benld74]

25. My dad had 3 on the column

Drove that for awhile.
Helped me get Illinois Power summer jobs during my first 2 years college. Had to drive these HUGE crew trucks, manual all the way!
Later showed early gfriend how to properly shift her MG. She thought I was killing her baby,,,we never lasted, neither did that car

[wryter2000]

118. I shared driving across country on a four on the column

I prefer on the floor 😀

[Solly Mack]

26. I learned on a manual, a truck, going down a mountain with rock and red dirt roads.

Steep penalty for losing control. I love manual.

Had to do it in the rain, as well. Learned to get tires out of mud with tree limbs and gravel.

Mind you, I have neither been up nor down that mountain since.

[samplegirl]

154. I learned in my late twenties

In a Honda prelude! Good thing I learned or I couldn't drive my sports car.

[Solly Mack]

169. Hey! I love the feel of the gear shift in my hand. All that control.

Well, it feels like total control anyway.

[randome]

27. How many don't know how to use a typewriter?

I can drive a manual. But why would anyone in the 21st century want to?

[Blue_true]

49. I agree, with modern technology, manual transmissions mean something only

to hardcore car people. Automatic transmissions provide all types of advantages, especially if one has to change a flat tire.

[we can do it]

95. AAA changes tires. I will keep my stick shift.

[sarah FAILIN]

30. I taught my husband and son

Tried to teach my daughter and she refused to attempt it. My argument was you never know when you have to make a quick get a way from zombies and a stick is the only thing there.

[JHan]

51. ok you've convinced me. ZOmbie apocalypse is serious business.

[sarah FAILIN]

68. also used this one..

Kidnapped in the backwoods by Melvin and his cousin/brother. The only vehicle is a stick and you slipped the ropes loose while they were wrasslin'.

Driving a stick is a valuable skill. You never know when it will come in handy

[JHan]

71. My mom uses similar arguments lol :p She's right about everything. everythinggggg

[sarah FAILIN]

75. all mom's are..

Lol.
It makes our kids furious too.

[Blue_true]

52. Your daughter would burn up the clutch and the smoke would sicken the zombies. nt

[ButSeeYa]

31. I loved driving my stick shift...

I felt I had more control of the car, especially while driving in snow/ice. Then, I had my daughter. It was hard to console a crying infant while reaching back to stroke her head or hold her tiny hand, while simultaneously driving a stick shift.

[ProudLib72]

32. I'm so glad

I swapped out my auto tranny for a manual one. Took a couple days, but well worth it.

[still_one]

33. Not only can I drive a Manual shift, but I can also use a slide rule

[dhol82]

40. Damn - haven't used a slide rule in almost 50 years.

Still remember my first calculator.
Such a joke. It was from Radio Shack, cost $125 and did almost nothing.

[still_one]

45. My first Calculator was a TI, then moved up to HPs. A walk down memory lane

[reflection]

148. Still got my HP 28S from about 25 years ago.

Still works great. Dropped it more times than I can remember, burned through scores of batteries, it just keeps chugging. A lovely piece of kit.

[still_one]

151. HP were the best. Very solid RPNs. I still have an HP25C and HP67, and they still work. Lot of

memories

[House of Roberts]

50. I can extract a square root,

with a pencil and paper, and with a trig table, I can solve CNC machining toolpaths on paper too. it is nicer to use CAD/CAM, but I could get along without it, if I had to.

[still_one]

54. but can you add, multiply, or divide without a calculator?

[nadine_mn]

35. I can't - never learned how, no one in my family ever had one

when I was around.

[oldcynic]

36. How do you double clutch in an automatic

I remember doing rapid things with the pedals to rock my beloved 1959 Willys pickup out of mud. And very rapid things with the pedals to keep from stalling on steep hills in a 1940s VW bug. And I still worry about opening the windows in the lake.

[dhol82]

37. I have a 2003 turbo WRX in bright yellow. :)

LOVE IT!

Have had several sticks over the years. Got an automatic once and then went back to the stick.
Won't drive it in the city though. Pain in the ass in heavy traffic.

[we can do it]

96. Cool car!

[Remington]

38. Think of the bright side

Less likely to get carjacked if you drive a manual.

[jpak]

39. Three on the tree

Four on the floor

I can drive them all

Like a son of a....

[sinkingfeeling]

41. I own 2 manual cars. I can hardly drive an automatic.

[House of Roberts]

42. Been driving a stick since I was 16.

I have an automatic in a 1983 El Camino. Everything else is 5 speeds, including my 1994 Ford Ranger. I can baby a manual longer when it needs work, than I can an automatic, and the repairs I can do in house.

[dflprincess]

43. And I'm one of them

I've owned nothing but manuals and I'm not comfortable driving an automatic. But, my current manual may be my last one. I think as a concession to age the next car may be automatic...maybe not. I'm keeping the current Civic for as along as I can, then I'll decide.

[NotThisTime]

44. Great thing to know, blew my knee cap/meniscus at 18.5 could never drive my manual again...

Sucks!!!

[Leith]

46. I Never Learned

In high school, the driver's ed teacher said that they stopped teaching stick because soon everything would be automatic. So much for his predictive powers.

Now, I like to say that I paid enough for the car and it can shift its own dang gears.

[flamingdem]

48. Recent story is that a carjacker got caught

cuz he couldn't use a stick! That makes me feel safer that my 5 speed won't get stolen anytime soon. It's nervewracking to hand over the keys these days though, you know they're faking it at the valet sometimes.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

53. So what? n/t

[Go Vols]

56. lol,how 'bout a column shift

Had a few of these thru the years.

Edit: my kid just bought a 7 speed manual Vette with a paddle shift on the steering wheel,its pretty cool.

[egduj]

57. And I can't make a rocking chair out of a tree stump.

But it's the 21st century so I don't have to. If I want a rocking chair I can just go to the store and buy one.

[Panich52]

59. Sad. There's a joy in handling decent manual car

My first driving experience was Dad letting me try his 59 Ford wagon w/ T-bird engine. First new car I bought was manual 82 Charger (should have waited year f/ 4th gear they added).

[CountAllVotes]

84. Learned how to drive in a VW bug

After I learned to drive a stick shift on a VW, I got one for myself eventually. I had a real cool one too, a 1968 with a sunroof on it. I watched it roll over to 100,000 miles on it after crossing Donner Pass in the High Sierras.

Those were good times in America when it was still a free country and now it seems to have gone *poof* IMO.

[Rorey]

88. Me too!

I had forgotten all about that bug. It was my first husband's and it was in pretty bad shape, but it was fun to drive. My current husband used to enjoy working on Rabbit engines and owned quite a few Rabbits. I loved those cars. I kinda wish we had kept at least one of them around, but at the time he was somewhat of a Rabbit hoarder. He had 23 and finally decided it was no longer for him and sold them, one by one. He actually still does have a VW Pickup. Hasn't touched it in about a decade. I've tried to talk him into selling it because he's never ever going to work on it and someone would no doubt enjoy it.

[CountAllVotes]

93. I never had a Rabbit

However, I had a VW Westfalia camper for awhile. That was the one with the pop-top on it. It was great fun and I wish I still had it!

The last stick shift I had was a Honda Civic SE.

[Rorey]

105. Lucky you, re the camper

I bet that was a blast!

My general opinion is if you're not going to use it, get rid of it. Let someone else enjoy it. My husband is a collector and I'm a minimalist. It has been a constant battle. I told him if I ever woke up one morning and he, um, didn't, I would call for one of those big roll-off dumpsters before I even bothered to call the coroner. He thinks I'm joking.

[dhol82]

132. That was my first car in 1964

Went to pick it up and the guy said, 'Do you know how to drive a stick?'
I said, 'no,' and he gave me an overview. Drove it home and have loved a stick ever since.
Remember driving it cross country and trying to have a race with a VW camper going up a mountain in Wyoming. We were chugging at full speed - around 20 mph.

[CountAllVotes]

137. I remember the Blue Wonder as I called it ...

It could barely go over Mosquito Lake in the High Sierras where the altitude was over 8,000 ft. Little oxygen in the air and S L OW I went like it or not.

I never wanted to sell this car! Finally my late father convinced me to do it and I ended up with a Toyota Corolla, a car I never really liked that much after having that bug!

[dhol82]

138. Mine was blue also

Wanted to keep it forever but I moved to NYC and it became too much of a hassle to move it every day.
Still miss my baby.

[Panich52]

147. Only reason I chose automatics f/ last 2 cars was my

lack of left leg. W/ prosthetic I can still drive stick, but can't risk problems may occur w/ pros & leave me w/o transportation.

[CountAllVotes]

156. same here

I realized I was not lifting my left foot off of the clutch because I could not.

After that I had to get an automatic car which I still have today.

If I could I still would though!

[OregonBlue]

60. I'm old (67) and I grew up in the country. I can drive most any truck or tractor or stick of any

kind. I have an automatic and have for years and it's just so nice and easy but we had an absolute killer winter with tons of black ice and I had to use our 4 wheel drive manual old Nissan Pathfinder a lot. Was very glad I knew how or I would have been pretty much stuck. We will teach our grandkids how to drive it as well. Never know when they might need to drive a manual. Just another handy thing to know and who knows, they may end up working for one of the ranchers around here summers and most of the big farm trucks are still manual.

[JesterCS]

61. I can proudly say that I can!

I'm 35 though.... lol

[riderinthestorm]

62. My farm truck is a manual. Everyone here knows how to drive it

Includes my daughters and staff (8 of us total atm).

The old 3020 JD tractor that pulls the manure spreader is also a manual and yup, we all know how to drive that too.

Have had several stick shift cars including a new VW Beetle but freely admit they're a pain to drive in traffic and at this point, I doubt I'd buy a stick unless I won the lottery and could indulge in one of the beautiful old British sports cars.

[TlalocW]

64. I never learned

And you would think that growing up in a small farming community, it would be part of driver's ed, but nope. Depending on the day, we drove either a normal sedan or a Chevy Suburban to get used to driving bigger vehicles you would find in such a place. Stick would have made sense though.

My brother, when he bought his first post-high school car in the mid-90s either wanted to save money or thought driving stick would make him look more macho, and bought him a manual transmission car. Then had to call a friend to come to the dealer to teach him how to drive it.

I imagine it's helpful if driving in other countries. I remember visiting Mexico and taking a bus from Mexico City to Puebla to visit a friend. She and her boyfriend picked me up at the station. He had a broken right arm, so he drove the car, and she worked the gear shift, and they did it perfectly together.

TlalocW

[ALBliberal]

65. Mazda CX5 manual transmission me, my husband, and two of

Three kids can drive it. Teaching the kids was very hard and yet so very rewarding. I hope to own a stick shift as long as they make them. Once they learned how to stop and start on a hill... They got it!

[zeusdogmom]

66. Love my stick shift car

It is a little Mazda3. Zoom! Zoom! So much fun to drive - even in bad city traffic. My daughters learned to drive manual transmission - cranky old boat of a Volvo. It became a badge of honor - there were very few kids in high school who could drive anything the came their way. My girls could.

[Cadfael]

67. One of the less often mentioned advantages

We never had to carry jumper cables in our 73 VW bus that had an intermittent electrical fault. Just give it a nudge and pop the clutch.

[Rorey]

90. Popping the clutch

I took my kids on a trip in my VW Rabbit quite a few years ago. It developed some sort of problem and wouldn't start a few times. The kids came in handy when I needed a push. Those Rabbits were so small you could practically push them fast enough by yoursef to pop the clutch. And sometimes I did.

[Cadfael]

104. I had a 95 Hyundai that I regularly started that way on my own.

Open the door, push on the door frame, hop in and pop the clutch. It helps if there's any kind of downward slope to work with....

I taught my eldest to drive in that Hyundai. The little snot was very dismissive when I was explaining the theory behind the actions. He got behind the wheel and got this shocked look on his face when the car did that "shudder - shudder - cough- die" thing a manual transmission does if you don't know what you're doing. He'd spent his whole life riding in my stick shift cars with me and figured if his old mom could do it, there must be nothing to it! Ah, the hubris of callow youth.

[Rorey]

106. LOL, yeah, my kids had to learn in a stick too

They're kind of proud that they know how now..

[Cadfael]

109. The very first car I bought was 1973 Fiat 128sl

5 speed with a manual choke (if you can believe that, lol). I had no idea how to drive it, drivers ed was in an automatic. Fortunately both my parents learned pre-automatic transmission, and taught me....my folks were born in the twenties and had me rather late in life. My mom actually learned on a model T! UNfortunately, no one explained the narrow gate between first and third gears, so I spent my first few months (& one clutch) starting in third gear. It was especially exciting at lights on steep upward hills.

[nocalflea]

69. Am I the only one who feels a sense

of superiority in my ability to drive a manual transmission ?

This thread proves I'm not alone.

And I usually deplore smugness. But now , I'm happily swimming it.

Great thread .Great memories.

[Warpy]

70. Fuel economy isn't really the issue for me

Automatic transmissions are pigs in snow and we get snow here in NM. Stick shift is much easier to cope with.

[we can do it]

98. Yep, stick shifts are much better in snow.

[pnwmom]

131. All-wheel drive solves that problem. With the hills we have here I feel steadier in snow now

with the all-wheel drive, even with the automatic.

[NutmegYankee]

163. Even better is 4 wheel drive with a stick.

I think of it as a truck with enhanced theft prevention.

[pnwmom]

164. Not so great with some of our hills. I did it for 15 years but don't miss it a bit now. Also,

we have more of a problem with rain, and all wheel is also good in that.

[Ilsa]

72. I know how to drive a stick shift. I also

Know how to roll-start/jump start.

[Go Vols]

73. Muncie Rock Crusher ftw

[hardluck]

107. Ahh the M22

Had the M21 in my 70 Camaro. 4 speed hurst shifter. Learned to drive stick on that.

My favorite stick was aisen 6 speed in my Honda S2000. So smooth. Loved shifting at 9000 rpm.

[Freethinker65]

74. Automatic for me

[Historic NY]

77. I sometimes forget when I am driving a stick....

but having old cars pretty soon your doing it like forever. Three on the tree gives me a go. New auto transmissions come in a variety of speeds and gears, some now are 10 speeds, most people wouldn't know how to shift that many. Many today have a manual feature and paddle shifter to help you shift manually....only practical in some conditions.

[kysrsoze]

78. I love driving stick and wish I still could.

I learned to drive with a manual transmission and recently had an Infiniti G with a manual. That was a blast to drive, even though the clutch was way too heavy. But living in Chicago and having to do that all the time in traffic, particularly in winter, was enough. Now I'm in L.A., and it would be insane to drive a manual here too.

[neeksgeek]

79. I don't usually but I can drive a stick-shift.

My previous car - a much-missed Mazda Protege 5 - had an automatic with full manual override, i.e. clutchless manual shifting if you wanted it. That was nice and useful. But I can still drive a stick if I need to. It's like swimming, don't do it often but it's a useful survival skill.

[Skittles]

80. it's been a long time but I used to drive a manual transmission truck

I just think it's too much work

[Codeine]

81. Most of us can't operate a horse and buggy either; who the fuck cares? nt

[Go Vols]

83. lol,they don't sell those new anymore at the dealer

commercials on my TV daily advertising 2017 manual shift cars.

[Laffy Kat]

87. Seems like most serious car enthusiasts or purist prefer sticks.

Those of us just wanting to get from point A to point B prefer automatics. I remember telling someone that I didn't understand why they manufacture manuals anymore since they know how to make automatics. He looked at me like I was an absolute cretin.

[Doreen]

89. I learned on a manuel but have not driven one for years.

I could probably drive one again after killing it a few times. I have an automatic now though because I had bad knees that never could have handled all of that shifting. I like automatics better anyway and by the time I got my last car automatics and manuals pretty much did not differ on savings with gas.

[Bayard]

91. Old tractor

I didn't learn to drive one until I bought my old '51 Ford 8N Tractor. Loved that thing, and miss it way more than I miss my ex. I can drive a stick shift car, I just choose not to.

[mnhtnbb]

97. I learned to drive a manual transmission on a WW II era Willys Jeep my dad used in his orchard

in the late 60's. My first car was a 4 speed Datsun (pre-Nissan) 510. And I drove nothing but manual transmission cars for years
until about 2004 when I switched to automatic only because I couldn't find the car I wanted--in the color I wanted (red)-- in a manual
transmission. When I traded that car in 2009, same thing, so still driving automatic.

My older brother never did learn how to drive a manual transmission.

My husband currently drives a manual transmission on his 13 year old Miata.

I taught my oldest son (30) to drive a manual transmission and he now drives autocross for fun here in NC in his Honda S2000. He still
has his first car-- now 14 year old Altima-- with a manual transmission that he drove with his partner cross country last May. His partner
had to learn how to drive manual transmission so they could take turns with the driving on that long road trip.

[hardluck]

108. Tell him to keep his s2000 forever

Still regret selling my 2003 Silverstone.

[mnhtnbb]

142. He got a very good deal buying it used from someone.

I suspect he'll have it for a long time.

[Ms. Toad]

101. When her manual died, my 26 year old daughter insisted on replacing it with another manual.

She loves it!

She's been teaching her friends to drive her manual

Unfortunately, the car I wanted was sought after enough (and no longer made) that my current car is not a manual, since I had to choose from the few that were available. So she's the only one currently driving a manual.

[colsohlibgal]

103. I Am One Of That 18%

I learned under duress at 18. I was working in the office of a photo developing company in downtown Columbus. One day both people who ran some errands using the company van were gone so I got tagged to do it. I told my Boss I had never driven a stick and our van had one. He was a jerk so he got out an index card, quickly marked down the gears so off I went.

I stalled it about 15 times but got better as I went and just by circumstance I have been driving a mamual the last 8-9 years....once you learn it is easy.

My sister actually prefers them.

[wryter2000]

115. Love my stick shift

I've driven both, but I love my manual shift Chevy Spark.

[xor]

119. l learned to drive on a manual, but I don't think I would have much luck these days

Short of the "fun" aspect that some people claim, is there any benefit to manual transmissions?

[tenderfoot]

120. Proud 18% here!

All of my cars have been sticks!

[VOX]

122. My German mini-SUV lets the driver choose manual or auto...

There's no floor clutch, obviously, but you can still control the actual shifting of gears manually if you're feeling sporty. Or go to full automatic if you just want to relax (insofar as possible while driving).

The zippy car was a retirement gift to myself. The way I keep up my cars and baby them, this may be my last set of wheels!

[3catwoman3]

123. I can drive a stick, but hated...

...having to stop for a red light on a hill. Very scary, expecially if some jerk behind you has to pull right up on your bumper and not leave you any room to roll backwards a bit.

I always wished for a third leg and foot so I could have one on the gas, one on the clutch, and one on the brake.

[JTFrog]

124. My granddaughter will likely never learn to drive at all.

By the time she is old enough, I suspect vehicles will be self-driving.

[chillfactor]

126. When I was in high school....

and it was time fo me to start driver's training, I signed up for automatic transmission. My father made me go back and change it to manual transmission. I have never ever been sorry...I can drive any vehicle with a manual or automatic transmission. I always drove vehicles with manual transmissions until I got older and arthritis settled in my knees and made it difficult for me to drive. But, if I had to I could still drive a manual transmission.

[arthritisR_US]

127. Manuals are all I've ever driven and still do to this day.

[Hekate]

129. And your point is?It used to be called "a standard" when I was a kid (I'm now 69) but it long ago...

...ceased being the standard for cars.

My ex-husband was convinced that the only way for me to learn to drive was on a stick shift, and it was a miserable exercise. At 30 I found a driving school, and when I timidly explained to my instructor that I had to learn on a manual transmission he scoffed and said nobody did that. I learned to drive much more easily after that.

The next big thing apparently is going to be driverless cars, at which point all that will be moot.

[pnwmom]

130. We switched when the fuel economy numbers became virtually the same.

With Seattle's hills, the manuals weren't always fun to drive.

The only thing I've regretted is not being able to teach our kids.

[dembotoz]

133. I buy cheap useD cars. Really prefer stick

1because the market is smaller u may get more car for the buck
2manual trans hold up better and may not be total death sentence for the car if it goes

[nolabels]

134. Don't worry, big diesel trucks are now also switching to automatic transmisions

They seem to me even harder to drive because the clutch is more your friend when you are moving one of those things around. Yea, the big thing, fuel economy goes way up when the powertrain has its own independent monkeys running the show

[LWolf]

135. I love my stick.

It's not as great in town, of course, but still not bad. I drive a lot of roads with light traffic; I can get to work, 13 miles away, with no stoplights and 3 stop signs. People with automatic transmissions irritate the hell out of me; they're always riding their brakes, and when I see the brake lights flashing, I think there's a reason to brake when there's not. I don't have to use my brakes to slow down. That's probably why they last so long. My current ride is 13 years old and has about 120K, and still doing great with the original brakes (and clutch).

My grandson is old enough for a permit; he's going to learn with a manual transmission before he ever gets to drive an automatic.

[Blue_Tires]

139. I'm in that number!

[shockey80]

140. I learned too drive a stick in the army. It was a crash course.

It was during the cuban boat lift. We got orders to go to Fort McCoy Wis. The first night there they woke me early to go sign out a vehicle. It was a jeep. Never drove a stick before. I had to learn on my own how to drive it.. It was so funny. The stick in a army jeep is tough to learn. It's not like a car. It's tricky. I stalled that jeep so many times i lost count. People were laughing at me.

Finally a army buddy told me, Start out in 2nd gear and he showed me how to get into 3rd gear which is very tricky at first. By the 2nd day i had it under control.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

141. I tried to learn. I really did.

In the end, I ultimately burnt out the clutch on my parent's car and from that point on, I just stuck to automatic.

[lillypaddle]

143. I know how

and taught my son how. Loved that you could always start a "dead" car by popping the clutch. Sure wouldn't want to drive in San Francisco, though. Yikes!

[alarimer]

144. I couldn't find a manual transmission the last time I bought a car.

Had to settle for an automatic. I will not make that mistake again. It doesn't matter so much with boring, run-of-the-mill cars, but with sports cars, it had better be a manual or no deal.

The MX-5 Miata should be driven manually, otherwise it's a complete waste of time.

In any case most cars in Europe are manual, so good luck, Americans, when you go rent a car, if you don't know how.

[cbdo2007]

145. and in related news, only .5% of Americans know how to ride a horse.

Yet 150 years ago everyone knew how to ride a horse. Weird.

[nolabels]

167. What seems strange to me is the way horses ride people

or at least part of this strange equation in my neck of the suburbia. Costs thousands of dollars and untold hours in personal time for care of the animal and the only thing a human gets out it rides here and there. The horse has little to say in the agreement to the companionship it but sure seems like an inequitable trade for the human

[ellie]

146. I learned to drive

a stick with my father screaming at me from the passenger seat of a 1974 AMC Gremlin. Good times.

[Orsino]

150. Even fewer know the difference between manual and semi-automatic.

[marybourg]

152. Trannys are so much better and more economical nowadays,

that when you buy a vehicle for towing a large recreational trailer, manufacturers recommend automatic (in my experience. Yours may differ)

[redstatebluegirl]

153. I learned how after my brother went to Vietnam and left his MG midget

in our garage and the keys. I drove it around the big oak trees in our huge front yard at our farm house. When he got back he said I could handle a stick shift better than he could. Still love to drive a manual transmission!

[LOL Lib]

157. I would like to know what percentage know how to check fluids or change a tire?

If you operate a vehicle you should know HOW to do those basics. I totally understand if you are physically incapable of actually performing the job, but you can always tell someone HOW to do it properly. If you can't learn the HOW, then you are too incompetent to be on the road. Just my opinion.

[ProfessorGAC]

158. Funny Stick Shift Story

Well funny to me. I drove the band truck and had a car in the early 80's that was manual trans so i have no problem with it, although i haven't had a car that was manual since about 1984.

I'm in Milano and i take a flight from Linate to Lyon France to visit a manufacturing site near Grenoble. I get there around 9 or 9:30 at night and go to the rental car counter. I show my passport and license and the young French woman says "Oh no, you're an american!" I said, "I sure am and have the passport to prove it!" She laughed and then got serious and told me "We don't have any cars with automatic transmission at this airport! Americans don't use the shifter, right?"

I told her that americans preference is for automatic, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of us who can't drive a car with that.

She looked so relieved.

[DeminPennswoods]

159. I can drive one

I had fun shifting gears, but no fun when stuck in a traffic jam. I even had an suv with manual 4wd so I had 2 stick shifters and clutch pedals!

[Foamfollower]

160. Growing up on farms can guarantee you know how to drive manual.

Lots of farm equipment are manual.

[spanone]

166. my entire family can drive a manual transmission

still have our 98 Jeep Wrangler.....5 speed

[Quixote1818]

170. The biggest challenge is driving shift in England

driving on the wrong side of the road and shifting with my left hand