Can you drive a manual transmission car?

[BrewMaster]

I'm just curious about the ratio of people that can and cannot drive stick. It's a yes/no question. Either you are capable of driving a manual tranny car without stalling or giving people whiplash, or you cannot.

[IrishSS]

Yes, and I actually prefer it in most cases. The times I dont... stop and go traffic and towing.


And I've only owned manual vehicles.

[Mike_N_Ike]

Yes sir. And I'll never go back to auto.

[ray]

No. I have always wanted to learn, but on the same token, I don't think I would ever buy a manual tranny car because I'm way too lazy to have to hold down the clutch and shift gears etc etc.

[yippiekiyeh]

No. I have always wanted to learn, but on the same token, I don't think I would ever buy a manual tranny car because I'm way too lazy to have to hold down the clutch and shift gears etc etc.

It's like second nature, I don't about it, it just happens.

But I like to call it a standard transmission.

[DaFunkyUnit]

but driving a manual would require one hand on the stick shift (as opposed to it using the cell phone, grabbing cds, eating a cheeseburger, reading the paper, smoking the cigerette, holding the hot styrofoam cup of McDonalds coffee, etc....)

[Airencracken]

but driving a manual would require one hand on the stick shift (as opposed to it using the cell phone, grabbing cds, eating a cheeseburger, reading the paper, smoking the cigerette, holding the hot styrofoam cup of McDonalds coffee, etc....)

That's a big hand!

*rimshot*

Anyone?....
No?...

Okay.

[IrishSS]

No. I have always wanted to learn, but on the same token, I don't think I would ever buy a manual tranny car because I'm way too lazy to have to hold down the clutch and shift gears etc etc.

It gets to be such second nature its like walking. You dont even think about it, unless you miss a gear.. which happesn to everybody sooner or later. Going back to first when you mean to get 3 or 5 is particularly fun =).

[Memo]

Ya I drive a standard. It's also funny when you accidently stall it out and people look at you as if you're an idiot who doesn't know how to drive.

[Mike_N_Ike]

Clutch drops...

...J-Turns...

...Heel/toe shifting...

Just a few of the things I'd miss if I had an auto

[ski]

The first car I ever drove was a manual transmission car.

[InfiniteNothing]

how about a bit of gray in the poll
(I can, every car I've owned is manual )

[Airencracken]

My car doesn't even have gears per se.

But I can drive a manual and every car from here on out is either a manual or a CVT (E-CVT too), no more crappy auto's.

[djsusm]

yup. ever since I was 10...

[mechmike0034]

Anything from two wheels to eighteen, and, to quote Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, "all points in between..."

[bachviet]

Yes but I'm not very good at it.

[mechmike0034]

but driving a manual would require one hand on the stick shift (as opposed to it using the cell phone, grabbing cds, eating a cheeseburger, reading the paper, smoking the cigerette, holding the hot styrofoam cup of McDonalds coffee, etc....)

When I was driving a wrecker (C3500 Chevy, one ton, 4-spd with granny low) for a living some years ago, I got pretty good at juggling the shifter, a 20 oz. coffee, a Marlboro Red, the bag phone (remember those?), and a clipboard and pen all at once. Even while towing another vehicle... Even in traffic...

But I was a trained professional...

[DarkFury]

Yes... I can drive a stick, however both vehicles I currently own are both automatics... (and neither had a manual transmission as an option when I bought them... not that I have selected it if given the choice).

I learned to drive on a stick ('78 Chevy Monza with no power nothing...except the engine), and my second car was a stick ('89 Ford Probe).

[Hopper1]

I can but don't have one and in traffic I have knee problems.

[gear02]

I can't. Dude, why would I want to worry about something else when there are morons on the road to worry about?

But it looks like fun and I do want to learn...when I get a new car, I might get one of those auto/manual hybrid thingies where I don't have a clutch and can just shift around.

[SnowSurfer]

i love driving stick, driving automatic puts me to sleep

[attgig]

learned on my friend's car in college

[brainsmile]

yup yup

[Nanotech9]

gear 02 - i'de rather drive a standard in heavy traffic... if for some reason your only escape in a bad situation is to punch it and drive out of it (i.e. shoot for a hole in traffic the next lane over instead of rearending the 40 morons in front of you) and if you're thinking ahead like you should be, you'll already be in the best possible gear, and all you have to do is punch it and go... in an automatic you have to wait for it to decide to downshift, and then TRY to go... about 3 secs late.

honestly, i dont even think about shifting or clutching or any of it now... it just happens, and i drive. My brain already has me in the right gear every time. I heel-n-toe downshift also. Naturally. Requires little or no thought either.

and yeah, i drive the living daylights out of a standard tranny... go watch any of the videos of my car on the track on my website. Its a blast.

likewise, bikes (except for some pansy ass bikes) have "manual" transmissions... 6 gears, no reverse, neutral is between 1st and 2nd etc... the cool thing about bike transmissions is that you dont always have to use the clutch... theres enough play in the drivetrain and you can learn to flick the throttle quick enough and use the rear brake well enough that you can up and down shift a bike transmission w/o using the clutch. Its not the "fast" way to shift, but its much more leisurely when you're too lazy to put your left hand back on the left bar, or if you're giving your right hand a break and holding teh throttle with your left hand.

[nhbilly]

only time I drive an auto is when i know I will be in traffic. especially in freaken LA

[Eugene]

learned on my friend's car in college

Wow, perfect!! I had no choice in the matter... stick shift was all we had. But I don't regret it... I just don't envy my dad sitting in the passenger seat, watching as I stalled repeated and burned the clutch with my sloooooow shifts. Thankfully, I've gotten a little better.

Also... where to read up on heel-toe shifting? I can sort of do it, but it's still kinda wild...

[Grubbie]

I get bored with automatics. Im trying to teach my gf how to drive standard each time I go home. Even if drove in very bad traffic every day I perfer the standard, just that much more fun.

[nhbilly]

I get bored with automatics. Im trying to teach my gf how to drive standard each time I go home. Even if drove in very bad traffic every day I perfer the standard, just that much more fun.

good luck still teaching mine to drive a standard

[RoniMan]

i learned two years ago and i love drive stick whenever i have the chance....

but driving a manual would require one hand on the stick shift (as opposed to it using the cell phone, grabbing cds, eating a cheeseburger, reading the paper, smoking the cigerette, holding the hot styrofoam cup of McDonalds coffee, etc....)

actually, that's another reason why i like to drive manual, b/c it keeps me focused on driving.

my next car WILL be a manual

[Grubbie]

good luck still teaching mine to drive a standard

She can do decent in the giant parking lots the problem is I am home for a week here, then a week there, with big gaps inbetween so it isn't constant practice.

And my car is a junker with a very loose clutch which makes it easier to learn on.