Can you drive stick shift?

Yes. My car is a manual. Makes me feel all manly and butch even though I'm a big ol' Mary!

Many countries have specific licenses for those who can only drive an automatic transmission -- allowing them to only drive an automatic transmission.

Yes. My mother insisted I learn on a stick.

Yes.

No.

I learned to drive with an automatic transmission, but learned to drive a stick in college and have always preferred it (no jokes about gay men and sticks, please). Automatic transmissions are sluggish and give you less control over the vehicle in tight situations where the accelerator is more useful than the brake. I drove nothing but manual transmissions from 1984 to 2015 -and then I bought an electric car (VW eGolf) with no transmission at all. It is totally responsive and fun to drive, and the only expense I've had in six years of ownership is new tires. I'd consider new wiper blades, but I'm trading the car in on a new one when it comes in next month (VW ID.4).

These days a stick shift is only found in expensive sports cars that most of us couldn't afford even if we knew how to drive them. The transmission itself is going the way of the dodo as automobile technology evolves and we make the switch to EVs.

Yes. I owned more manual cars than automatic ones.

Since 2008 I’ve only had motorcycles, all of which - like the overwhelming majority of motorcycles - have had manual transmissions.

I don't understand the appeal. I don't drive, but rather take Lyft and Uber everywhere, and whenever a driver has a stick shift, the ride is jerky and uncomfortable. What's the point?

If the ride is jerky and uncomfortable, blame the driver not the stick shift!

Yes, I can. But I prefer automatic.

I've TRIED. I practiced on two different cars. I just don't have the right motor coordination. I stall them out every time. If they hadn't invented automatic transmissions I would be taking taxis and public transportation everywhere.

Yes. I learned on an automatic, but the first car I bought was a manual. I had that car over 20 years, with the original clutch.

I learned to drive on one — and learned to parallel park on hilly streets not unlike the ones in San Francisco. I could shift while smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee.

I switched to an automatic after getting a job with a horrible commute in stop and go traffic. It took me three hours (opposed to the normal 45 minutes) to get home one night. The next day my left ankle was so swollen from all the clutch hovering I went and traded my car in for an automatic.

I feel you, R13. Driving in stop-and-go traffic was getting painful (as well as stressful) for me as well. That's what prompted me to consider an EV in the first place. After years with one, I'll never go back to an ICE. Set aside all of the "green-ness" and just look at cost of ownership: I was spending $200/month on gasoline, and about $2000/year on upkeep/repairs. When I got my EV I started saving $300/month, as I was no longer paying for gas, the car payment was lower, and my insurance went down. I got solar installed on my roof, so even the $15-$25 per month in charging expenses went away. There are practical, affordable electric cars on the market today. Teslas grab all the headlines, but there has been a quiet revolution behind the scenes.

A stick shift is useful as a manual typewriter. Or if you plan on going on The Amazing Race. Other than that I've been driving 50 years on an automatic and that's all I need.

I still drive a manual, by choice. It's one of my musts for buying a car. I've driven LA freeways all my life on a manual and worked in an area with hills and parallel parking.

I like that it's a skill not everyone has these days.

[quote] I've TRIED. I practiced on two different cars. I just don't have the right motor coordination. I stall them out every time.

R11, not that you'd want to try again, but you could probably learn. On Car Talk, they describe a method of learning which involves going into a parking lot. Leave your right foot on the floorboard. Left foot: push the clutch all the way down, then gradually lift it up until the point that the clutch engages & the car moves on its own. Don't worry about stalling out, which will happen. Once you figure out where the clutch engages, then it's easier.

I, too, used to drive (stick shift), stop-and-go traffic on hills, while smoking a cigarette, drinking a Diet Coke, and changing radio stations. I had a really hard clutch as well. One rainy day, my left knee did start going into spasms from all that clutch action.

It's hardly available anymore on new cars.

Yes. I hate automatic cars.

I learned to drive with a stick shift because otherwise my license would have been restricted to driving automatics only. But I haven't driven one in years and wouldn't care to try.

Confession: I had the most privileged of all reasons to learn to drive a stick. My parents gave me their three-year-old BMW 320i for Christmas, and I had to learn to drive it or walk back to college after winter break. Necessity works!

It doesn't make me a bad person! (plenty of other reasons to call me that...)

Damn I wish I'd had your parents R22!

(sorry, mom)

Yes. It makes me feel cool.

Yes, and the only reason I ever bought an automatic car was because they don't make stick-shift hybrids.

I drive in the mountains a lot and a stick IS the way to go with small, underpowered cars on a mountain road, they zip right along! But really, it's more important to get 50MPG.

I drove cars with manual transmissions for most of my life. But my husband cannot drive a stick and it is now hard to find a car with manual transmission. I miss it!

I don’t miss manual transmissions at all.

I learned to drive on one—three on a tree —taught by my short tempered former military father, so I can drive anything now. I have a standard transmission Volvo and it’s great to zip around on highways, but horrible in traffic. If you get distracted and stall for a few seconds at a light the road ragers lean on their horns, making for a very stressful commute.

YES! I love driving stick...I live in the Great Lakes region and have more control over icy roads. Downshifting is better than braking on ice.

I'm old enough to remember when 'automatic' costs much more than manual. What a rip.

Took my road test on a manual transmission (Corvair 4 on the floor).

Owned all 3 models of the Mazda Rx7, all with 5 on the floor.

[quote] I learned to drive on one—three on a tree —taught by my short tempered former military father, so I can drive anything now.

Family members, friends, and romantic partners should not teach each other how to drive.

Learned on a manual and that is all I will drive. Automatics make me feel like an old geezer in a golf cart or like I am on a ride at Disneyland. Only retards and the elderly drive automatics.

My Husband was a truck driver (in the UK) for 30 years, they have 18+ gears, he can drive a manual transmission car in his sleep.

[quote]Only retards and the elderly drive automatics.

Only a retard would believe this.

My first two cars had manual transmissions. Then I got an automatic. Many years later, I rented a car in London to drive up north. Hertz gave me a large, by UK standards, Volvo station wagon as an upgrade. Aside from trying to navigate that thing out of the underground parking garage's narrow, winding exit, the shifter was on my left. The clutch was still the left pedal, but coordinating the left hand with the left foot and the need to upshift or downshift was unexpectedly complicated for me!

Once on the freeway, it was easier, but came right back when I got into a town or in traffic. [On the freeway, I politely stayed in the slow (far right) lane. It was starting to sprinkle and the temperature was hovering around 30°, so I was freaking out about ice. Of course, the right lane is for passing traffic. I figured that out after an hour or so.]

That sounds stressful, R35.

I learned when I was young and many of my first cars were stick shift. Now that I am older, I don't want to deal with having to be stopped on a hill. I just want to relax.

Yes but I prefer automatic for reasons listed above.

I prefer column shift manual.

If it's this kind of shift, I can handle it.

Driving a stick is why I learned to smoke left-handed.

I learned on a stick and had trouble adjusting to an automatic. I kept jamming on the breaks like it was a clutch. And I’d put my hand on the shifter and throw it into neutral while driving.

For those of you that are adept with manual shift, do you ever down shift without using the clutch? I could do so with my last car, with a little practice. I never had any problems with the clutch and I drove that car forever.

Yes. I'm 48 and I learned to drive in a car with stick shift and my family's second car growing up was a stick- so I had plenty of experience. Lot's of memories of driving that those cars and the particulars of a stick. I had one stick of my own - a Honda Civic that I leased for three years during law school.

Haven't driven one regularly in years, but every time I get a chance, it always comes right back to me, even if I'm not always as smooth as when I drove a stick regularly.

I can drive a stick shift but i don't know how to drive an automatic!

I’m actually “uncomfortable” driving an automatic. Every car I’ve owned has been a manual and I prefer it. I often drive my my parent’s automatics and they are fine, but I just prefer the manual.

[quote] For those of you that are adept with manual shift, do you ever down shift without using the clutch? I could do so with my last car, with a little practice. I never had any problems with the clutch and I drove that car forever.

Yes, I think I was able to downshift and upshift as well without the clutch. I don't think it's good for the car, though.

I drive a stick shift for two reasons. First, a stick shift car is about $1000 cheaper than the automatic version. Also, a stick shift car is less likely to be stolen because many thieves don't know how to drive a stick shift.

Problem now is that they often have to be special ordered; there's not always a lot on dealer lots. More importantly, for a lot of car models, the stick only comes on a lower trim level. This isn't true across the board, but it's not uncommon on a lot of popular models.

[quote]I don't want to deal with having to be stopped on a hill. I just want to relax.

I still like being stopped on a hill. It's a challenge I've mastered and can pop that clutch at the perfect timein in order to make a smooth start. Makes me feel very butch!

More of a bottom, usually.

Left-hand drive: Yes

Right-hand drive: Yes

Though I do keep slamming my hand against the door, when I forget which hand I need to shift with.

I learned to drive using a manual shift, but I've personally owned automatic cars since 2009. Regardless, driving a manual shift is like riding a bike. I can go years without driving one and have zero issues once I get behind the wheel.

One funny situation I experienced a few years ago:

I was living in Germany and had shipped my automatic car over from the US. One long weekend I decided to pick up a few cases of beer in Belgium, and a few cases of wine in France. However, since my car didn't have enough space, I rented a larger vehicle instead--and like 99% of rentals in Europe it was a manual.

I had dropped my automatic car off at the airport, picked up the manual rental from a nearby lot, and over the course of 3 days I had driven 2000km/1200 miles.

When it was time to drop off the rental, I drove it to my automatic car, unloaded the alcohol, dropped off the manual, and drove away in my automatic...all in the course of 10 minutes.

After a few km in my automatic car I go to shift while driving 100km/hr (60mph), and the car quickly starts braking! If someone had been behind me it would've caused a wreck. I did the same routine a few more times after that and never made the shifting mistake, but it always felt weird going from one type of transmission to another.

Yes, I'm a Brit, I think most of us can drive manuals. I have switched to an automatic car recently; it's less fun, but it suits the nature of the car better than a manual would.

i remember my dad left his Opel Kadette in 1978 for my sister and i to get to our summer jobs and just gave a quick verbal instruction. We were nearly in tears and screaming at each other by the time we got there!

I drove stick shifts for about 20 years. My favorite car ever was a 1992 Ford Explorer with a 4 on the floor. It was so much fun to drive.

We learn to drive with a manual here in Norway. Driver's license is for manual cars. We can drive both manual and automatic with it. We can get a driver's license only for automatic cars, but we are not allowed to drive manual with it. 99 % get drivers licenses for manual cars, because then you can drive both.

For the couple of times a year 'more control' would be advantageous, it just seems like a backwards and unnecessary way to drive.

Most of you are driving in traffic to and from work or to shops on cleaned roads.

So many stick drivers act like they drive daily at LeMans or some shit - no sporty, you don't. And your imaginary driving life where stick is more important does not exist.

Yes r43. You could theoretically go through all the gears if you caught the shift with the proper velocity and rpms. But it’s easier in the higher range.

I learned at 12 on a stick. I have bought a couple of last years models brand new that were sitting in the lot because they were manual and nobody wanted them. The deals were unbelievable.

The other thing about the stick is that no matter how responsive an automatic is, I can look down the road and pick a gear proactively.

And yes, if your driver is jerking your around, they probably don’t know how to drive a stick and are methodically using gears they could skip.

I drove stick for 25 straight years. I gave it up in 2013 because of a long commute in stop and go traffic. It was aggravating a previous back injury. I don't miss it at all.

Honey, I can ride... er... drive your stick ALL night...

I did for many years. Although in Drivers ed we used an automatic, my next three cars were standard transmission. I drove a stick from 1985 until 1998. After that, it was automatics. I just learned to drive what I could afford. Back when I was young, you had two choices: larger American cars with automatics or small euro/ japanese cars with a stick. I always had the small euro or japanese sedans.

My parents had standards so I learned to drive that way and love the more-engaged driving experience. When driving automatics I never feel I'm in complete control of the car which gives me anxiety driving in rainy or icy conditions.

My first three cars -- through the '70s and '80s -- were all stick (Datsun, Toyota, Subaru.) Switched to automatic with a Mazda in 1989 and haven't gone back, but I still know how.