Can You Drive a Stick Shift?

[Falcon16]

Several of you have spoken of the difficulty in driving a stick shift in stop-and-go city traffic.

This puzzles me. What's so hard about it?

It's really a pain in the ass to constantly use the clutch in stop and go traffic. I used to get cramps in my left leg.

And when you have that type of traffic (Boston for me), for 20 miles, it sucks!

Sometimes it has taken me 2 hours to go that distance.

 

[talbot57]

I have three cars, all different:

Automatic
Automated Manual
Manual

Sometimes forget which I'm in. Auto good for long drives. Automated manual good for commute. The full manual is a sports, great fun to drive.

 

[joshj50]

I drive a manual, but it is equipped with the paddles on the steering wheel so I can drive it as a stick vehicle if I wish to do so (I don't).
I hate to drive a stick shift car and I hate to be a passenger in a stick type car, no matter how well the driver thinks he or she maybe at operating the vehicle, I always feel like I am being flung back and forth by an invisible evil force every time they shift gears.
Give me an automatic any day for both driving and and riding in!

 

[gsdx]

I hate to be a passenger in a stick type car, no matter how well the driver thinks he or she maybe at operating the vehicle, I always feel like I am being flung back and forth by an invisible evil force every time they shift gears.

They don't know how to drive standards. A good driver can switch gears as effortlessly and smoothly as an automatic.

 

[jaysizzles]

Several of you have spoken of the difficulty in driving a stick shift in stop-and-go city traffic.

This puzzles me. What's so hard about it?

It's not that driving a stick in the city is difficult, it's more like it's just a pain in the ass always having to shift...considering traffic lights, traffic density, stopping and going, etc.

2 of my previous cars were standard (stick) but ever since I moved from the 'burbs to the city, I've had automatic. I did like driving standard though...it got all your limbs active in the driving process.

Absolutely! My college roommate had a '69 Chevy Chevelle with a 3 speed on the steering column. Fucked up way to drive a car, imho.

My 1st car was a Chevy Nova (don't remember the year off hand)...standard transmission with the shift on the column...I liked it. My dad's van was the same with the stick on the column.

 

[loveguys72]

I can drive a stick shift if I have to, but I get no joy from it and never could see the attraction. LA traffic being what it is, I prefer an automatic.

 

[TickTockMan]

Dumb question, but what happens if you don’t shift when you’re suppose to?

 

[Nishin]

You're damaging the engine I guess

 

[gsdx]

Dumb question, but what happens if you don’t shift when you’re suppose to?

If you're shifting up, nothing really, except that you're burning more gas than you would be if you had shifted. Oh, and you won't go as fast. On the other hand, down-shifting can save much wear-and-tear on your brakes.

 

[figjam]

My first car was a 1973 Volkswagon Super Beetle. Out of all the cars I have ever had, it was the only one I actually LOVED. I think it runs in the family--my father loved his Morris Minor, a very similar car made in the UK.

The thing is, the Bug had a stick shift. I still remember the struggles I had learning how to drive it. Fun struggles.

Question is--can YOU drive a stick?

I just read a factoid that 96% of the cars driven in the US are now automatic, which got me to thinking.

US maybe - here in SA most cars are stick-shift. It is not that difficult...

 

[Audio Tech]

I've been driving stick shift since I was a teen. Still prefer it, but I did have an automatic for a while when I had a grueling commute.

 

[T-Rexx]

i had an old pickup that had something called "3 on the tree" which was a stick shift attached to part of the steering wheel. You dont see those anymore. Anybody remember them?

In Italy, I once drove a Fiat van with a "5 on the tree."

I never knew such vehicles existed, but it was really easy to drive.

 

[star-warrior]

I never get why anybody would want to drive an automatic. You give up a lot of control over your car and it takes the fun out of driving. The only excuse for an automatic is when you're stuck in a traffic jam on a daily basis.

This.

Manual drive folks will instinctively know at what speed you're driving at when you're changing gears by the sound of your engine. Going automatic is just boring.

 

[maxpowr9]

I learned to drive stick on my friend's Volvo station wagon back in high school. Reckon I am not a huge fan of manual transmissions especially living in the city. The only recent manual I have driven is my friend's Mini. For such a small car, it has a ton of pep.

 

[BillyT]

I was taught to drive in a 1965 Mustang with stick shift. As I am older now I like auto.

 

[Nishin]

Just wondering... how many pages can a CAR thread on a GAY board reach? ... lol

 

[cgymike]

I have to every time I visit my sister - she has NEVER had an automatic car and recently she got a new Scion...manual

 

[Falcon16]

This.

Manual drive folks will instinctively know at what speed you're driving at when you're changing gears by the sound of your engine.

Exactly, and the Tachometer is your main instrument.

 

[Falcon16]

Just wondering... how many pages can a CAR thread on a GAY board reach? ... lol

Uhmmm,...well, when the gearheads are gay...

 

[roadtripboy]

I can. Here's how my Dad taught me to drive it.

We went to the dealership to pick-up the car. I thought he'd drive it home and then teach me how to drive it. Nooo...He put me behind the wheel and with everyone in the showroom watching we left, bucking onto the street.