can you drive a stick shift?

[grasswire]

If so, what year did you learn?

I'll wager a lot of people have never learned this skill.

Right?

[GoneOffShore]

1. Yes. Learned in 1966.

On a 1951 Chevrolet with a column shift.

[grasswire]

3. oh yeah

My favorite stick shift to drive was an old Volvo wagon. Every day I had a two mile commute down a windy Virginia road with some stops. It was a lot of fun.

[Ptah]

2. Yes. Learned in 1959

[Kali]

4. hell I learned with a shifter on teh steering column!

early 70's in a 64 ford wagon, baby! (also various pick-up trucks)

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I used to drive a 1956 Dodge Coronet which had a push buttons on the dash

to shift with.

[ohiosmith]

5. Learned in 1963 in a 51 Studebaker with three on the tree.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Yes. I learned in approximately 1962. All of my kids have learned

to drive a stick shift also, both on the column and on the floor. This is something everyone should know, but I know a lot of people who don't know how.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. Nope, I never did.

When I learned to drive, I didn't know anyone who had one, especially my grandmother who took me to practice, LOL. I once rented a truck to move some furniture and they had to quickly wash the one truck that they had which was automatic, since I couldn't drive a standard and neither could my friend who went with me... :shrug:

[GoneOffShore]

8. Sneaky - asking this.

You get to find out who the old fart luddites are.

[grasswire]

15. hahaha n/t

[EOTE]

120. Manuals aren't just for the old timers.

I learned to drive stick because I absolutely loathe torque converters. You can have so much more control over and fun with your car with a stick. I've tried a number of the "manumatics", even some torque converter-less autos, they're just not the same. I refuse to let my car decide which gear I need to be in, it's much more fun with me deciding on my own.

[we can do it]

129. I'm With You

[we can do it]

128. or Those Who Are Too Lazy To Learn

:P

[Tikki]

10. All my life of driving...

Tikki

[Tobin S.]

11. I learned in 1990 when I was 17

in a brand new Ford Ranger with a 5 speed. I've owned four vehicles that had manual transmissions in them. The one I currently own has an automatic, and I kind of miss a stick shift. It seems like they are more fun to drive, but they are more tiresome if you drive in a lot of heavy traffic.

I also drive a truck for a living that has a manual transmission in it, but truck transmissions are quite a bit different than passenger cars.

[A HERETIC I AM]

115. Aw, c'mon!

"but truck transmissions are quite a bit different than passenger cars."

The only real difference is that they have yet to make a heavy truck transmission with synchromesh (that I'm aware of, anyway).

Just as you can with your big truck and your old Ford Ranger, you can shift ANY manual without using the clutch, once you get it rolling.


Hope you're well, Tobin.

I'm in Las Vegas tonight, loading one more in the morning headed back East. (7 cars onboard already)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Yes, learned in about 1970.

[hifiguy]

13. Learned in my first vehicle

a 1965 Ford van with three on the tree and the engine between the seats.

Currently driving a stick, though I didn't have one for more than 25 years at one point

[zen_bohemian]

14. yes, 1984, I bought a new car that was a stick, had to learn fast

my kids first car was a stick, had to learn from the beginning how to drive a stick.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. My dear grasswire!

My husband taught me, in his 51 Ford, decades ago!

He had the patience of a saint, and boy, he needed it.

I haven't driven one in many many years, but I probably could, if I had to!

:rofl:

[Hassin Bin Sober]

35. I'll never forget the look on my dad's (born 1929) face...

....when I said "Dad, I didn't know you could drive stick!" when my brother bought a car with stick. DUH!

[hobbit709]

17. Learned in 1966. Prefer standard to automatic.

[Kali]

27. unless it's a work truck in traffic

that is just tiresome

[hobbit709]

29. I try to avoid traffic.

but you can't beat a standard on loose or slippery surfaces.

[canoeist52]

18. I learned in 1983...on our honeymoon

in the Pocono's ...going uphill....from my hubby

p.s. we're still married and both drive standard.

[freshwest]

19. 1974. Learned on an old electrical line truck with high and low gears. *sound of gears stripping*

[bif]

20. Yep. Learned in a 1979 Ford Festiva.

We've always had one manual vehicle since then.

[cwydro]

21. I learned way back

in 1973 when I learned to drive.

Three on a tree, four on the floor...and I love a standard transmission.

[Luciferous]

22. Nope. My mom says I should learn in case I'm ever being chased

by a serial killer and the only available getaway car is a stick shift... my mom is pretty weird lol

[Kali]

28. ...

:spray: :rofl:

I think I like your Mom! funny

[MrsMatt]

106. That's EXACTLY what I told my 14 year old daughter

only my scenario included a possessed lunatic in a snowed-in hotel in the mountains with only a snowcat available as a get-away vehicle.

We currently have only standard shift vehicles in our possession, so she's destined to learn how to drive standard.

guess that makes me a bit weird too.

[southerncrone]

113. Mom may be weird, but

she is certainly practical & thinks ahead....both positive attributes. One can never be too safe; seem to be more & more serial killers out there these days. ;)

[sarge43]

23. Learned on stick shift in 1958. Prefer a stick. n/t

[frogmarch]

24. But of course.

I learned to drive in the late 1950s and I learned on stick shift vehicles.

[yellerpup]

25. I started driving a stick when I was 8 years old.

My grandpa (a yellow-dog Democrat) taught me how to drive his Army surplus Jeep so I could help with the haying. That would be 1957. I still drive a stick because I prefer the control. :hi:

[dixiegrrrrl]

117. "I still drive a stick because I prefer the control."

Same here.
Never had an automatic, learned to drive a stick p/u in the back fields when I was 12, got first license in 1963.

I like sticks because of the gas mileage and the control.

Current car is a 1993 5 speed, gets 40 mpg highway.

[GoCubsGo]

26. That is the only way to drive.

BTW, of my immediate family of 6, only my two sisters cannot drive stick. (Well...when Mom could drive, she knew how to drive stick.)

On edit: I learned to drive stick in 1987.

[alphafemale]

30. Yes. It's what I learned to drive on. I love them.

I don't really even feel like I'm driving in an automatic. You're pretty much just steering.

I also taught my kids to drive standard shift when they were learning to drive.

The real test of skills is still being able to drive an automatic if the clutch goes out.

[Iggo]

31. In an emergency, yes. (I know because I have.)

But I've driven a stick less than a half-dozen times in my life, and never the same one twice.

[mysuzuki2]

32. I learned 1 day in 1968 when I bought my first car - a 1960

VW bug. By the time I got home I could drive a stick. It helped that I'd been riding motorcycles for a few years. These days I always buy cars with manual trannies. I can usually get a better deal because few people want a stick. Also, it's a very effective anti-theft device since the amateur type car thief or joyrider typically can't drive it. Besides a stick shift is just more fun!

[marzipanni]

97. I bought a '60 bug in 1978 for $800.00

I was 27, and didn't have my license yet. That gave me a good reason to learn to drive better (I had the basics).
A really fun car, except when she sputtered and I had to kick the reserve lever, putt-putting up Waldo Grade.

[applegrove]

33. Never.

[CBGLuthier]

34. I not only can but do. So can my 19 year-old daughter and 21 year-old son

However, for whatever reason my oldest daughter does not know how.

I learned sometime around 1977. First car was a 72 VW Beetle.

I can also drive a big rig but sometimes I get lost in all them gears and it has been a long, long time.

[nolabear]

36. Yep, and have never owned an automatic. I learned in the 70s.

I love the interplay with the car. MUCH more fun. My sons both drive sticks too and it cracks them up that their friends can't driver their cars.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

37. yes. Learned in '74

[riderinthestorm]

38. Yup, had to teach myself so I could "thieve" my older sisters VW Bug

She was away for the weekend and I was desperate to get to a party. The car was sitting there - full tank of gas, so inviting. I figured I'd seen her drive it TONS of times, how hard could it be??

Damn tricky it turns out. But by Sunday eve when she got back, I had it. That was 34 years ago and we still have a standard VW Beetle in the family. Our farm truck is a standard and both my kids learned to drive it by the time they were 10 yrs old.

I agree with the poster upthread who said it's probably a good anti-theft device. Not too many joy riders are going to steal a car they can't drive. I think it's a dying skill in the US. It's much more common in other countries however who recognize that a standard gets better gas mileage than an automatic.

[luv_mykatz]

39. yes.

Probably learned in 1973. Still drive a stick. Only kind of trans I would accept for my personal vehicle.

[MrScorpio]

40. No. they keep making automatics, I keep driving them nt

[flvegan]

41. Learned on a stick, drive a stick now, prefer a stick.

[Mopar151]

42. Yes - including some exotics

Truck 4-speeds, with non-synchro low, and like to be double-clutched anyway. Completely non-synchro "crash box" 4-speed racing transmission, 4-on the tree SAABs, several hacks on a 3-speed, 4, 5, and 6 speed manuals, and an A-833 "HEMI" 4-speed with my design linkage and a Hurst mechanisim.

[Shagbark Hickory]

43. 16 or 17. I actually taught a class full over students how to do it for a public speaking project.

Still have a manual transmission vehicle too.

[AtomicKitten]

44. I learned in 1973 and have driven a stick shift since then.

I drove a Volvo P1800E for many, many years, the "original" 5-speed, and drive a 5-speed still today. Now I'm trying to teach my son and it's going okay, well except for the grinding of teeth. LOL.

[femmocrat]

45. No. Never learned.

An old boyfriend tried to teach me, but I was too uncoordinated -- or something.

[pink-o]

46. In 1978...also on the prerequisite VW bug.

I'd just come home from London, where I hadn't driven a car in 4 years, and I couldn't believe the tanks I saw on the US freeways. I was pretty broke, and the bug just seemed to make sense. Until I was on top of the hill at Gough or Filmore, praying for the light not to change! Or when I was on the GG Bridge in April when the wind here blows at 50 mph, and you have to correct the bloody yaw every two seconds! Ah, good times. I had a Toyota a few years ago that was stick and I still enjoy shifting gears. Have automatic now, and I console myself that I can hold my coffee and drive now.

[annabanana]

47. I learned to drive on a VW Bus.. back when they only came in

two shades of Army green or red & white. I am glad I learned on a stick shift. I remember how to start a car by rolling it downhill and popping the clutch!

[krispos42]

48. Yup

My dad had a stick for much of his driving career. He would have to commute to Stamford, so he generally had a small car with a manual. An MGB, a Datsun 210, a Suzuki Samurai... maybe one or two more. He used to let me shift sometimes when I was little.

I learned to drive stick when I got my learner's permit in the Samurai. It became my first car.


Six months into it a guy wrecked me.

I had a Dodge Neon a few years later for about two years (blew the engine), and my beloved Subaru Impreza for two years as well (another fucker wrecked me).


I'm in crowded Connecticut now, so it's probably just as well I have an automatic.

[Incitatus]

49. no

[Flaxbee]

I learned to drive with a stick shift -- but took my driver's test with

an automatic. About 17 years old, or so.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

50. Learned '79 on a '74 Capri in college after driving automatics only to that point.

I made a sign for the back window: "Caution New Stick Driver"

[Xipe Totec]

51. 1965 - three in a tree; on a 1961 Ford Falcon

Learned to shift without a clutch, until I stripped the gears on that puppy.

[csziggy]

52. I could re-learn how to drive one

It's been 30-35 years since I drove one, but I bet it is not something you completely forget.

[sakabatou]

53. Nope.

[woo me with science]

54. I have owned two stick shift cars, but

wore out the transmissions on both more quickly than average. I suspect I am too hard on the stick while driving.

I really prefer to drive automatics.

[Rochester]

55. Yes, '97, I like driving a stick

[ceile]

56. Yeppers.

I learned in 1993; trial by fire. Mom took me out in my sis's car- a '91 Tercel (she was out of the country, so we were driving it to keep the battery charged, etc) on Westheimer in Houston. Pulled up at Westheimer and Shepherd (this is near downtown Htown for those that don't know) and was next to a cop. Well, I was trying to make a right and could not get out of first gear to pull up far enough to see around the cop car to my left. Stalled twice. Cops laughing. The cops finally just said "go". Left skid marks. First gear to this day is awful for me. But I still drive stick- a Yaris. Love it.

[petronius]

57. Yes, I learned in '86. Don't have one now, but I miss it... (nt)

[trackfan]

58. I learned in 1976. My sister taught me in her Volkswagen.

I drove around our neighborhood, where there were a lot of hills to learn how to start on a hill without rolling back into the car behind you, and that was pretty much it. I've had many of both, but my current truck,which I've had for 11 years, is a stick.

[Philippine expat]

59. Yes, learned about 1962 at age 11

driving the truck on the farm
All my kids know how (they learned in 1990,1991, and 1993 respectfully)
And my grandson starts learning next year

[rrneck]

60. Learned around 1970

In a 1948 Willis Jeep.

[HughBeaumont]

61. Learned in 1997. Had to, if I wanted a 34 mpg Cavalier.

I can shift without using the clutch quite easily now.

My next car is going to be a Cruze Eco . . . whenever our Prius gets paid off.

[noamnety]

62. Yes, learned in 1991

I bought a stick shift because it was cheaper, then had to learn how to drive it.

[GoneOffShore]

63. This thread is like a stick shift.

[Eyerish]

64. I learned in 1999

On a '94 geo metro :hide:

[LeftyMom]

65. I'd have a hard time driving my car otherwise.

I learned when I got a really good deal on a car with a manual, and I had to get it home from where I bought it. I feel weird driving automatics now- there's nothing to do except kind of point it where I want to go and try to stay awake. ;)

[ornotna]

66. Many moons ago in a far away place

Presently driving a '99 F-250 diesel with the ZF 6 speed tranny. It's a beast, but it should last me a few more years.

[Broken_Hero]

67. Yep, 1990 nt

[seaker]

68. Yes

In 1974 in a VW Bug.

[Kaleva]

69. I learned on a tractor that had a hand clutch.

I was a little kid and I had to hold the steering wheel with my teeth as I worked the clutch with my right had and the stick shift with my left hand. As for a car, the stick shift was on the steering column.

[Kaleva]

70. I never was very good at driving a vehicle with a non-synchronized transmission

Where one has to double clutch.

[PotatoChip]

71. Of course!

learned the 'skill' w/our old Ford pickup in the haying fields when I was 11 or 12.

[WCGreen]

72. 1976, a dump truck...

Trial by fire...

[madmom]

73. Yep learned in "73. My favorite car was a 5 speed on the floor, awesome car too drive.

[davsand]

74. First thing I ever drove was a Ford pick up truck with the shift on the column.

I was maybe 10 or 11 and my dad took me out to a field of bean stubble. He told me to drive to the other end and come back, and I have NO idea how he was able to stand the sound of the gears grinding.

Years later, I went to buy a Mustang and I told the salesman I wanted a five speed. He was a good old boy with a fine Milwaukee Tumor growing, but he was also fairly stupid because he actually stood there in that showroom and drawled out, "Little girl, do you even know how to drive a stick shift?" I walked out the door at that point, went to a different dealership, and wrote a check for a new car. I had saved money for ten years to pay for that car, and some nasty old fart was not gonna keep me from buying it.

We drove that Mustang when we got married, and we brought our baby daughter home from the hospital when she was born. We finally traded it for a Buick Century when she was about a year old.



Laura

[MilesColtrane]

75. Yes

1988

My first three cars were automatics.

I bought a standard because it was cheaper.

[KT2000]

76. Tried but failed

a few times and will not try again. The man in the passenger seat always seems to veins popping on his forehead.

[kiva]

77. Yes, 1971, a Studebaker Lark

[a kennedy]

78. I did, learned to up the shifts, never learned to go down...

ha ha, When coming to a stop, I just use the brake, slow down, stop, then put it into 1st gear and take off again. Went through a few clutches. :blush:

[Paladin]

79. Yup, On My Grandfather's '56 Chevy, back around 1965.

I couldn't deal with a three-on-the-tree shift now if my life depended on it, but way back then......

[NV Whino]

80. Yes

I learned in high school in drivers ed. You know, that class they don't teach any more. All except the POS Ford Ranger and my first car have been sticks. When I bought my Honda FIT, I got the only stick on the first truckload.

[JTG of the PRB]

81. Stick shift is ALL I drive. I'm uncomfortable driving an automatic.

My left foot has nothing to do, and my right hand is constantly reaching for nothing.

I learned on my dad's 1991 Subaru in 1999. I've never driven anything but a stick shift since!

[meow2u3]

82. I taught myself to drive a stick

I bought a cheap car with a 4 on the floor back in 1985. It was the only one available ($400 in 1985 dollars), so I went and taught myself to use the clutch, practicing my uphill, 1st gear clutch skills until I got the hang of it. Fortunately, I learned quickly.

Nowadays, the car I own now is a 5-speed stick. I prefer sticks over automatics for several reasons: better gas mileage; better control in road conditions such as winding and/or hilly roads; the lower costs of buying the car; and the fact that driving a stick shift prevents me from using my cell phone behind the wheel (it's impossible to keep one hand on the wheel, shift with your second hand, and hold the phone at the same time unless you're a freak born with 3 or more arms :D). The only disadvantages of driving a stick shift are as follows: during rush hour traffic; in other urban gridlock; and the inability to wear sandals/flip-flops while operating the clutch.

Everybody who knows me says I drive a stick better than I do an automatic, so I'll keep driving a stick until I can no longer do so. The only way I'll ever own a slush box is when my doctor tells me I can no longer use my left leg and has the state put a restriction on my license.

[RebelOne]

83. No, I have a mental block against the clutch.

My ex-husband tried to teach me, but I just could not learn. I kept forgetting about the clutch.

[KG]

84. my mid 20's. have owned a couple of stick vehicles but much prefer automatics

[stuntcat]

85. Yah!

I haven't driven since '99 when I had a TBI. But I used to drive a stick.
One day last year my husband let me drive his car around a parking lot and I knew how to shift gears, to 2nd anyway!

I don't drive yet but I CAN shift gears :p

[Rob H.]

86. Yep, learned in 1988

I actually learned to drive in my dad's truck, which had an automatic transmission, but when it came time to get a car for me to drive to and from college, my parents picked out a used, 5-speed Honda Prelude. They brought it home on a Friday, I drove it around on Saturday and Sunday, and then made the 45-minute drive to school Monday morning. I think the key to being able to do it relatively quickly was that I was already used to doing things like checking my mirrors, keeping the car in the lane, maintaining proper following distance, etc., so adding shifting to all that didn't seem like that much more. I'd already learned how to ride a motorcycle before that, so maybe that helped a bit, I'm not sure.

I think everyone should at least learn enough about how to drive one just in case they're in a situation where they have to drive one. (Emergencies, etc.) Plus, they're fun to drive. :)

<rant>

I've been looking to replace my 20-year-old, 200,000+ mile Jeep for about a year now, and it's depressing (and more than a little annoying) to me how few cars I like are available with a manual transmission. In some cases, they're only available on the bare-bones, base models, and in others they're only available if I spring for the tricked-out trim levels. I don't want or need satellite navigation, a leather interior, a touchscreen radio, or a sunroof, I just want a car I can shift for myself.

</rant>


Edited to add: my dad taught my late brother how to drive a stickshift (we didn't have the truck yet) and when Rich went to take the driving portion of the driver's license test, he was able to back out of the spot and pull away smoothly without poppping the clutch or killing the engine. As soon as he did that, the tester said,"Well, I'm going to go ahead and have you turn right out of the lot, drive around the block, and park the car when we get back here, but you've already passed the test."

[Hepburn]

87. Ooooooooooooooh yeah, Baby....

...!!!! With pleasure!!!

[fizzgig]

88. i learned when i was 16

and i'm still driving that 81 volvo wagon nearly 14 years later

[Hangingon]

89. Yes 1957 '55 Chevy and MG-TD

[bluedigger]

90. 1978 in a 5 speed Vega wagon I drove from Maine to Phoenix.

I was 18 and another family member had moved out there the summer before, so I took their second car to them over winter break. Lost the throw out bearing in the clutch somewhere west of El Paso and "found it and ground it" the last 600 miles in.:rofl:

Nowadays, the auto in my LJ is just fine for me, especially with the weak left knee and city driving. It's Ok for the trail, too, but that is endlessly debatable amongst Jeepers. Sticks are fun in the right car and on the right road, though!:)

[TheMightyFavog]

91. I learned in 1997.

Taught by my father in piece of shit 1984 Dodge Pickup truck. That. Was. Hell.

I drove a relative's stick beetle about year or two back to see how it handled. It was just like riding a bicycle.

However, you could offer me free room, board, and broadband internet in the Central District. I would NEVER drive a stick in Seattle. :scared: How the fuck do people do it?

[grasswire]

94. they ride the clutch while waiting for the light to change.

:-)

[cherokeeprogressive]

92. 1977. My first car: Mustang 4 speed. Now I drive a vehicle with a 10 speed tranny. n/t

[kwassa]

93. I learned on a 1947 Farmall Cub Tractor in 1966, age 14.

and then the 1965 Opel Kadett, my chief car for years. My next three cars were all sticks.

[larwdem]

95. yes

age 16

[mnhtnbb]

96. Yes. Learned in 1966 on a 1940's Willys Jeep. My brother

didn't and still can't drive a manual transmission--and his kids
didn't learn to drive a stick, either. I taught my son to drive a stick
in 2001.

Every car I owned was a stick shift until 6 or 7 years ago--when my knees
were bothering me-- and I felt that engaging the clutch was aggravating
my knee.

[marigold20]

98. Sure, learned in driver's ed - early 60's

Our Geo Prizm has a stick - Honda is automatic.

[texanwitch]

99. I can but I really don't care to.

It is OK driving with a stick in the country but not in the city.

[TorchTheWitch]

100. Yes. Learned 1980

I much prefer manual transmission to automatic. If I had the luxury of buying the car I wanted I'd NEVER EVER EVER get one with automatic transmission. Hate it.

[susanr516]

101. Yes, learned in 1973

on a 67 Mustang. Took my driver's test in it. My husband used to drive an old Chevy truck with a column shift. I could drive it, but I was always a little uncomfortable. All of my kids can drive stick shifts, as well as one of my grandsons. They found out you can get a lot more used car for your money if you buy one with a manual transmission. I prefer driving an automatic because I'm lazy, but I think it's important to know how to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission, in case of emergency.

[solara]

102. Sure can, learned in 1970

:hi:

[lunatica]

103. Yes. Sometime in the early 60s

Volkswagen bug.

[BarbaRosa]

104. Early '60's

We were living in the bush in Idaho, and Mom taught me in a '60 +/- suburban, three on the tree. I'm sure that "train crossing" was really a cattle guard or we would have had it several times.

I've never owned an automatic.

[kimi]

105. No, never have, I admire those who do

People have tried to explain them to me, but it's kind of like the complicated side of football. I get the gist of it all, but it gets so complicated, and after all, it takes two hands. What if you - um - want to do something with your free hand, or you know, . . . ? :shrug: So often I'd be driving with a boyfriend and want to hold his hand but then he'd have to downshift or uplink or whatever-ya-call-it and throw my hand off.

Plus, I get too involved in singing along with the radio, and I'd get distracted and I'd stall out or grind a gear or whatever. I should know, and my kids know, but I'm too hopelessly old now.

[MrsMatt]

107. 1985, on a 1974 Mustang II

my dad bought for $500.

Once I learned, I taught a good friend and my boyfriend (now my husband) how to drive stick.

Our household has never been without a standard shift since we married in 1987.

[BiggJawn]

108. "3 on the Tree" and 3, 4, and 5 on the floor.

The sweetest shifter I ever drove was my '72 VW Kombi. The absolute worst was my '84 tempo. That clutch gave me an ACL injury.

[madinmaryland]

109. I bought a car with a stick in 1984, having never driven one before. The salesman

took me out for a 15 minute lesson and ended up selling me the car. Love driving a stick, though I have not owned one since then.

[Avalux]

110. Yes. I learned to drive with a stick shift in 1981. A VW Rabbit.

I prefer it; requires actually being an active part of the driving experience but the clutch is hell in traffic. ;)

[southerncrone]

111. Yes, 1974. I still drive one & prefer them.

[A HERETIC I AM]

112. Up to 15 forward and 2 reverse since 1976.

Learned in HS in 1976 on a VW Bug my HS had in its Driver Ed program. Started driving tractor trailers in 1978, the year after I graduated HS.

Most of the miles I have under my belt have been on trucks with a 13 speed "Road Ranger" transmission - 13 forward and 2 reverse, though the high range reverse is hardly ever - if ever - used. On that transmission you start in Low Range and "Direct" and shift through 5 gears just as you would a car. Then switch to High Range and you have to "split" each successive gear. This is done by means of a splitter on the gear shift which moves between Overdrive and direct in each gear, 6th through 13th.

I've driven a 15 speeds as well, but those extra 3 gears are on the bottom, not the top, if you will, and you use the splitter switch as described above through all of the lower range.

Never drove a "5 over 4" or any dual stick tranny, though I would love to try.

Here's a really cool video of a guy driving and shifting a dual stick "Triplex" transmission in an old, 1959 "B" Model Mack;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ffkS37miQ&feature=related

Note he has to use both hands on some shifts, taking one off the wheel and often slipping his arm through the steering wheel to do so.

In modern transmissions, the extra stick has been replaced with air-operated shifters controlled by buttons on the stick, like I talked about above.

[bigwillq]

114. No (nt)

[Digit]

116. It was what I learned to drive from the beginning

No second gear and no reverse. We had to park on a slight hill so we could get out of our parking space. It was my friend's Beetle.

[TorchTheWitch]

125. I learned to drive on one too

But most people seemed to have manual transmissions in the early 80's for some reason. Funny, I learned to drive on a Honda Accord, drove it for a few years and toward the end it "lost" second gear as well. Weird how you got used to it. When that car finally died we got a VW Rabbitt, and that was the one that though it had reverse it took about 100 tries to wiggle the stick into reverse gear. My dad could always do it on the second or third try, but it always took me dozens of tries. He claimed the trick was to not get frustrated and try to force it, but I still think that the car just liked him better than me.

[MikeH]

118. I never mastered the stick shift

When I was 16 and just starting to learn to drive, in 1967, my family had a station wagon with a stick shift. I would often go practice driving in the station wagon with my dad and sometimes my younger brothers and sisters along a country road which went from our town to a neighboring town.

I remember the car going herky-jerky when I tried to use the clutch and shift gears, and I never mastered the clutch and the stick shift.

About a year later our family moved and my dad had a Volkswagen which he used to commute to work, and I sometimes did practice driving with my dad in his VW. The VW had a stick shift, and I think I had a little better time with the clutch and the stick shift on the VW; however I don't think I really mastered it on the VW either.

Shortly thereafter my family got a station wagon with automatic transmission, and I have never since driven a car with a stick shift. All of my own cars have had automatic transmission.

So no, I don't think I could drive a stick shift, or at least not drive it well.

[sarge43]

119. Next question: Shifties, can you double clutch? n/t

[TorchTheWitch]

126. Sure. I can play all kinds of clutch games

That's what I hate most about automatic transmissions... you can't do any clutch games to deal with certain situations (or just because you're bored). After all these years of having to drive a damn automatic I still can't get over the feeling that I just don't have enough control, and the car is driving me.

Can you drive a car with a power clutch? :P

[sarge43]

131. Agree on the control

On our hilly, a curve every hundred feet, roads, a stick is essential else the beater spends a lot time in the brake shop.

OK, I'll bite. What's a power clutch?

[TorchTheWitch]

140. a power clutch is for racing

Allows you to slip the clutch and accelerate to get off the line a lot faster. Damned hard to hold the clutch in though because they're so tight. Although that's probably not a problem for the average guy, as a girl (and a small one) it's not so easy (especially when my brothers taught me when I was about 10 years old).

http://www.rcboca.com/power-clutch-carbon.html

[guitar man]

135. yup

Learned to drive in a 2 ton farm truck with a non-synchro 4 speed and a manual two-speed rear, went on to drive some heavy dump trucks later on. I can double clutch or shift with no clutch, whatever the situation calls for.

Now, what really separates the real thing from the wannabes is not whether you can handle "a" stick shift, but if you can handle two of them :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ffkS37miQ&feature=related

[deutsey]

121. That's how I learned to drive in the early '80s

I hated learning on a stick shift but in hindsight I'm glad I did.

[blueamy66]

122. yeppers

learned on a Jeep Wrangler in a community college parking lot

I drive a stick shift right now.

The only way to DRIVE. :-)

[RedCloud]

123. But can you drive a 4X shift on the fly down a tropical mountain with no road?

During a monsoon and you drunk buddy has passed out and has the primitive door latch stuck to his shirt and the door is starting to open?

I have!

[Bake]

124. Hell yes. I learned on a 1929 Model A Ford!

For real. You had to double clutch it (no wussy synchronized transmission!). The phrase was "grind 'em and find 'em!"

This was when I was 15, in 1970. Your basic three or four speed Datsun was a piece of cake after the '29 Ford.

Bake

[we can do it]

127. Yes, 1979 and That's All I Will Drive

[burrfoot]

130. Yep!

Learned in 1995, when I was sixteen. Folks said learn to drive stick first so you'll always be able to, that advice has been useful more than once even though my last few have been automatics.

Good stuff :)

[wysimdnwyg]

132. I learned to drive on a standard transmission in 1985

That '74 Pinto turned into my first car in 1986. It's funny, but my 11yo truck is in FAR better condition than that P.O.S. ever was, but I'm pretty sure that old P.O.S. would have run forever if I had kept fixing the small things (the alternator was it's final undoing).

It is definitely more of a challenge to learn to drive on a standard, but it's not that bad.

[tabbycat31]

133. Never did

(learned to drive in 1997). In fact my mom had a stick shift car only for the reason to keep my sister and I from driving it.

[tabbycat31]

134. Never did

(learned to drive in 1997). In fact my mom had a stick shift car only for the reason to keep my sister and I from driving it.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

136. Yes but I hate them.

Back in the 70s. I had a boyfriend who had a funny looking ancient hatchback Renault with a standard on the column. Very old slippy clutch. A real nightmare.

I hate standards. You can wear out a clutch real fast in big city traffic. I don't think the mileage difference is that much anyway. i've worn out automatics in the city just from the heat breaking down the fluid.

I was shocked when I found out that said boyfriend was going to buy a new car with a stick. This was a macho identity thing. He really believed that (and this was a nerd with two math degrees). Thought his balls were going to fall off.

I told him I wouldn't drive it. I broke up with him soon after because he was a control freak.

[Chan790]

137. My dad taught me when I was 6.

He needed a free hand to hold his beer in and it was such a pain in the ass to set down the beer to shift his Datsun.

[JonTheGreat]

138. I've never in my live drived an automatic, ever.

It's always been manual gearbox for me. Autos suck:)

[Digit]

139. I was shopping for a used car and the salesman did not believe I could drive a stick

He insisted on driving the used car I was interested in to an empty parking lot and only THEN did he let me drive.

Once behind the wheel, he acknowledged that indeed I did know how to drive a stick shift.
I probably should have been offended, but I was in need of a car.

I ended up buying an automatic since my daughter does not know how to use a manual transmission.
That came in handy when I had my knee replacement and she had to drive me home.