POLL: Can you drive a manual transmission?

[ExiledInIllinois]

 

Automatics have come a long way.  Vehicles already bloated and heavy... Computers react faster... Even 4 wheeling they are more efficient and quicker say on a rock crawl... BUT the big disadvantage 4 wheeling is water crossing.  Automatics can hydrolock, manuals superior getting wet.

[LeviF]

56 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

When I lived close to work I walked and in the summer I would ride a bike 10 miles.

 

I was referring to the truck I had to drive that I posted on page 1.  

 

I walk to work.  About 15 minutes each way.  I kind of like it, clears my head.

[Gary M]

First car was a standard, once drove a double pump clutch for work.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Yes, 60+.

[BuffaloBud]

Learned in my mid-teens long ago on a 3 speed (yes - 3 speed) Chevy Monza.  Had my permit taken away from my mother after stalling out the car 3 times on a very slight incline.  Dad took me out and just let me practice on how to slip the clutch.  Nailed it the next time out with mom.  Then progressed to driving manual transmission fire trucks - no issues.

 

Went to Germany fall of 2017.  Realized that they now have hill assist clutches so no clutch slip.

 

Back in 1987 went to Australia.  Had to stop and think a bit to see if the pedals were reversed like the steering.

 

When I get in a car with manual trans, my heart brightens up.

Edited February 15, 2019 by BuffaloBud

[Seasons1992]

1 hour ago, Mr Info said:

 

We taught our two boys how to drive a manual because you never know when you are stuck @ college where somebody should not be driving & nobody knows how to drive a manual.

 

Good man! Half the guys in my fraternity house couldn't drive stick, so our driveway with 6 cars was always half full of sticks that only half of us could move properly. 

[RochesterRob]

  I drove standard transmissions while very young off road.  I had no trouble driving standard equipped cars and pickups over the years.  I even drove a Corolla with 3rd gear out while driving expressway and the Thruway.  The car had enough bottom end torque so once I was up to 27-28 MPH in second I would go to 4th and it would handle it at 30-35 MPH in generally flat going.  I never fixed 3rd gear and drove it another 60,000 miles until it rotted out.

[ExiledInIllinois]

50 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

Good man! Half the guys in my fraternity house couldn't drive stick, so our driveway with 6 cars was always half full of sticks that only half of us could move properly. 

One of the reasons I sent my kid to school with a stick! 

 

Though, those are key words highlighted there!

 

Anybody can move anything... But properly is another question!

[MarkyMannn]

62.  Have driven 3 on floor, 4 on floor, and 3 on a tree.  My son's 6 speed, too many gears what a PITA.  No interest going back to a manual

 

Also, 4 up, one down, and 5 up, one down.  Quads and Harley's

[ExiledInIllinois]

55 minutes ago, BuffaloBud said:

Learned in my mid-teens long ago on a 3 speed (yes - 3 speed) Chevy Monza.  Had my permit taken away from my mother after stalling out the car 3 times on a very slight incline.  Dad took me out and just let me practice on how to slip the clutch.  Nailed it the next time out with mom.  Then progressed to driving manual transmission fire trucks - no issues.

 

Went to Germany fall of 2017.  Realized that they now have hill assist clutches so no clutch slip.

 

Back in 1987 went to Australia.  Had to stop and think a bit to see if the pedals were reversed like the steering.

 

When I get in a car with manual trans, my heart brightens up.

Hill Assist is nice!  The new style Cooper S, F-56 (+2014 hardtops) have "rev matching." It will match rpms on downshift.  No blipping the aaccelerato through neutral.

2 minutes ago, MarkyMannn said:

62.  Have driven 3 on floor, 4 on floor, and 3 on a tree.  My son's 6 speed, too many gears what a PITA.  No interest going back to a manual

 

Also, 4 up, one down, and 5 up, one down.  Quads and Harley's

6th is overdrive.  4th power, 5 high speed.

[BUFFALOKIE]

8 hours ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

I was maybe 16 years old working at Anderson beverages on Hudson Ave loading trucks with pallets of pop after school (HS) and the manager said go bring in a truck.  

 

I started to say I don't kn..  GET THE F OUT THERE and bring in a F ing truck..     Like this BUT 

 

This vintage.  No power steering or power breaks 

 

 

A buddy of mine at work likes to tell his story of having to drive a similar vintage freezer truck with swinging beef in the back.

 

If you know about old time trucks and Newtons first law of motion. Then you will understand.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Who doesn’t know how to drive a car with a manual transmission.  Freaking hippie, liberal, millennial, snowflake, tree hugger, everybody gets a trophy, aholes!

[Helpmenow]

With 4:10 gears too.

[row_33]

1 hour ago, MarkyMannn said:

62.  Have driven 3 on floor, 4 on floor, and 3 on a tree.  My son's 6 speed, too many gears what a PITA.  No interest going back to a manual

 

Also, 4 up, one down, and 5 up, one down.  Quads and Harley's

 

haven't seen 3 on a tree for at least 35 years

 

[BuffaloBill]

I learned to drive in a manual and had a manual shift for the first five or so years of my driving life.  It took me forever to stop stomping on the nonexistent clutch pedal in my first automatic.

[mead107]

He’ll yes and both my kids can also 

 

 

[Turk71]

Learned to drive in my brother's yellow 74 Dodge Dart Swinger, 3 on the tree. I ended up buying it from him. Loved that car.

[Foxx]

14 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I was reading somewhere that around 7% of the US driving population knows how to drive a manual transmission (ie: "Stick Shift) vehicle.  I figured a poll of the board can be asked to see what the percentage here is.  I expect the numbers to be higher than 7% of the drivers here.

 

This is NOT a public poll. If you want to divulge who you are, you can in a post.

 

I added the 1959 profiency requirement because we all know how soft we've become.  Back then they actually failed people for driving like poo.  LoL... Long story for possibly later in this thread (if this thread even goes anywhere before the usual suspects wreck things). 

 

Feel free to critique my poll-making skills/methodology.  This is one of the few polls I have ever done. Go easy on me.  Also, free-form... Add anything you want (within reason people! ? )... Stories, crashes, rolling back into another vehicle, stalling on train tracks and running from your vehicle the wrong way while a speeding train is approaching, stories about learning, starting the vehicle without clutch pedal pressed down (pre-safety days) and almost crashing through garage door, etc... etc... You know, "good stuff."

 

Only one rule:  @BringBackFergy and his ilk are NOT allowed to wreck this thread and all my not so hard work.

is it surprising that 93% of the population can't walk and chew gum at the same time? 

[keepthefaith]

I started racing motocross at age 10 and have owned a manual transmission car (a whole bunch of them) every year of my life since getting a license (late 50's now). 

[boyst]

Yes

 

I'm 12 what's this