Only 18 Percent Of Americans Can Drive Manual. :(

[Rob Hall]

I learned to drive in a manual and drove pretty much only manuals my first ~14 years of driving.   But there is so little available w/ them now...mostly sports/sporty cars and low trim level econoboxes......for daily drivers I've only had automatics since 2000, and my next purchase will be an automatic also.  I still enjoy a fun drive in a manual now and then, but for the real-world grind prefer an automatic. 

[dieseldawg142]

....

Edited May 10, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[High octane]

wow...

after reading all the b****in' on here about how "hard" a manual is, glad only a small percentage of people can drive them...

and before anybody goes off about "bad knees" or whatever, try do my job. in my 50's and i go up and down ladders all day with well over a hundred lbs on my shoulders. i go up 10/12 pitch roofs with 80 lbs bundles of shingles.  do more physical labor in one day than most people will do in a month at their job. wanna talk about sore legs.... 

my wife has had cancer and she's in her late 40's, and she still "bangs the gears" and loves it

my daily for the last 22 yrs is a getrag 5-spd gm truck and i would'nt trade it for any kind of auto, there is absolutley no comparison, especially in winter or if you off-road quite a bit. 

if my comments come off standoffish, i apologize, on my second day of quittin smoking....

I did construction work also and when my doc replaced my knees, he said that going up and down ladders and stairs helped cause my problems. After two knee replacements, no more stick shift for me.

[Pete J.]

And you drive on this route every Friday?  Good for you! 

If you had to drive under those conditions 5 days a week, you would probably change your opinion.

I only mentioned Friday because this when it is at it's worst.  This is what is looks like on most Fridays from Irvine through Van Nuys. The 5 is not much better through Anaheim.  When I go to Anaheim it takes me an 45 minutes to go the first 57 miles and an hour to go the last 15 miles.  Some of the worst traffic in the world. I've done my share of congested driving weekdays and a manual doesn't make it any easier, but I still like having one.  

Edited March 29, 2017 by Pete J.

[High octane]

I wouldn't know, so that's why I'm asking. Would driving a stick shift car today interfere with cell phone use or texting, and iPod use, or no?

[bamadon]

I wouldn't know, so that's why I'm asking. Would driving a stick shift car today interfere with cell phone use or texting, and iPod use, or no?

You shouldn't be using those while driving anyway. Too many people doing that now.

[crazyjim]

Maybe making only stick shift vehicles again would be a way to get those stupid people off their phones.

[High octane]

Maybe making only stick shift vehicles again would be a way to get those stupid people off their phones.

It won't, as I can guarantee it. People can't walk in a parking lot, in a store, mall, crossing the street, walking down the side walk, riding their bicycles, riding their skateboards, etc. without their eyes fixed on their iphones.

[dieseldawg142]

 

....

Edited May 10, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[Pete J.]

See my above picture- If you are on the 405 on a Friday night, it is easy to use a cell phone and text.  When the car is stopped in traffic, out of gear, with the parking brake set, I can text or play with the WiFi all I want.  No sweat!  

Edited March 30, 2017 by Pete J.

[dieseldawg142]

...

Edited May 10, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[cobraman]

My first job many years ago was at a Texaco service station ( gas station to you younger folks). Well my first week on the job my boss needed motor mounts for a 57 Chevy. He tossed me the keys to his service vehicle to make a parts run. His service vehicle was a International Scout. I hopped in and Yikes !  A stick shift. I had never driven a stick before but did not want to go back in and tell the boss so I went for it. I knew what to do but had never done it. So I  stalled it a couple times but managed. Had several manual trans cars since then.

[espo]

I'm old enough that an automatic transmission was as uncommon then as manual transmissions are today.  This may account for my personal preference for a stick shift. There have been a few automatics pass thru my garage at times but the transmission was because it was a used car and that was what it had. When I first started ordering new cars in the '60's they would all have the 4-speed and one of the high performance engines of the day. My retirement new car was an '05 GTO 6-speed. When my wife wanted a new Wrangler we ordered her an '09 with a 6-speed. A year later we had to purchase a family type sedan so that we could take her mother when needed.  We  ordered a new Charger RT with AWD (it does snow in Kansas once in a while)  it was only available with the 5 speed automatic. I have to say I really like this transmission. It upshifts at the right time and even down shifts as you approach an intersection and you're under braking. It never down shifts to far when you go to pass and uses the engines torque to make the maneuver rather than over rev the engine. I still get over 20 mpg even with my lead foot. I think the automatic transmissions of today are such that it makes better since than a manual, and I never thought I would ever feel that way. The Wrangler is still in the garage and will be for a long time. We use it as a Jeep is meant to be IE: off road at every chance.  The drive train is stock but I replaced the suspension  with  3" lift springs, shocks and control arms. 35" tires on 17x9.5 wheels. On the highway they can hear me coming before they can see me. We have been on trails in Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Going on 92k miles on the original clutch with no problems.        

[Tom Geiger]

My first job many years ago was at a Texaco service station ( gas station to you younger folks). Well my first week on the job my boss needed motor mounts for a 57 Chevy. He tossed me the keys to his service vehicle to make a parts run. His service vehicle was a International Scout. I hopped in and Yikes !  A stick shift. I had never driven a stick before but did not want to go back in and tell the boss so I went for it. I knew what to do but had never done it. So I  stalled it a couple times but managed. Had several manual trans cars since then.

That's a good "on the spot" story Ray!  I learned to drive a clutch in a similar fashion.  I started a new job and they told me I was getting a brand new Toyota Wagon.  Someone dropped me off at the dealer so I could take delivery.  The salesman takes me out to the car and it's a white 1978 Corolla with a 5 speed.  I had never driven a clutch before. The salesman drove around the lot with me for a few minutes and set me out on my own. I managed to get the car back to the office and by nightfall I was comfortable in the car.   I loved that car! It had a real nice road feel like you were totally in charge. It went where you pointed it.   I put 100,000 miles on that car in two years!  And it never broke down or needed a repair. Then we traded it in on another one... Paid $8000 for it new  and they gave us $6000 trade in.  Can't beat that!

[DonW]

I can't drive automatics with any confidence and have never owned one. I love the control a manual gives and even the physical effort needed which translates directly into mechanical action (although I have had a clutch plate shatter while racing...). The only problem I ever had was when I got my first left hand drive car having grown up on right hookers - was trying to change gear with the window winder at first!

The last auto I drove was a BMW 535i that set itself on fire on the M25 motorway while I was stuck in a traffic jam - the brakes started binding and the gearbox began leaking transmission fluid onto the exhaust pipes. Total write off, the fire engine couldn't reach me due to the further  jam the fire caused!  I'm still friends with the car's owner.

I must add that it's great that autos are there for anyone who prefers them especially those like some on this thread who have physically aren't comfortable or able to drive a manual, and I know autos are a lot better nowadays...

Edited March 31, 2017 by DonW

[Mike C]

Well, I'm among that 18% then. Having a manual transmission is now the latest technology in an anti theft device for your car.

[talon63]

I also learned to drive "stick" on-the-fly at one of my first jobs. A car wash when I was still in high school. Boss would toss me keys and say deliver it. Since then I've driven everything from a 50cc scooter to a 1200cc motorcycle, Geo Metro to a 60 foot MAB, 2 wheels up to 18, and a few tracked vehicles. I do like the technology in today's automatics, and my daily driver now is one, but there's a first gen Miata sitting in storage just waiting for a new life as soon as I have a place with a garage again.

Speaking of Anti-theft device, I had a 78 Pinto Wagon, with a German Ford 4-speed drivetrain in it, that I picked up cheap on an Army base. One day after driving a pretty long distance, as I went to park the car, the gear shift came out of the transmission. I eased it back in, restarted the car, drove around for a few minutes. No issues!. I never fixed it. When I parked the car somewhere, I'd take the gear shift with me, or tuck it under the seat.  

[Fabrux]

I will say, driving a manual in heavy traffic can be rather tiring. The Cascadia's clutch is really heavy, but I don't use it much. Usually go between 4/5 but in a 13 speed that involves a range change. I have a Mazda 5 now for puttering around when I'm home and it is a 5 speed. My pickup is a 93 Chevy that I inherited from my dad; wish it was a manual but I won't be changing it.

[10thumbs]

Well I'm reading this and still can't believe its serious.

Today the 1st of April, maybe a joke?

I do insist the wife has an automatic, she'll drive otherwise all through town, uphill and downhill, in 2nd gear.  I hate riding with her for this reason.  Her gas mileage shows she doesn't do any different anyways, even when I'm not in the car.

But she doesn't turn lights off either when she leaves the room.  If we had 10 TV's they'd all run probably 24 hrs.

Still.  I just can't believe what I read.

[Tom Geiger]

Speaking of Anti-theft device, I had a 78 Pinto Wagon, with a German Ford 4-speed drivetrain in it, that I picked up cheap on an Army base. 

I knew a guy in New Jersey who had a British Ford Cortina with a complete Pinto drive train in it.

[dragstk]

When I turned 16 and was ready to get my permit, my father had a Rambler with 3 on the tree. So that is what I learned on. And I couldn't go for my permit test until I could back up and parallel park.

My father always said "if you can drive an standard, you can drive an automatic. But if you drive an automatic, it doesn't mean you can drive a standard"

Ive only owned 1 auto trans car. Out of courtesy to my , then wife. That car didn't last long (neither did she, really )

They will have to pry my cold, dead feet off the clutch...

[Ace-Garageguy]

Back in the mid-1980s, I owned a fleet services company. My largest client was a nationally-known pizza delivery franchise that had 60+ vehicles, mostly small pickup trucks (because they were about the cheapest vehicles available at the time, and the franchise fleet manager thought small trucks should be tougher than small cars). They bought manual gearbox-equipped trucks on the first go-round, Mitsubishi, Ford, Toyota and Isuzu.

The twinky kids driving the things abused the snot out of them, and were going through clutches in under 20,000 miles. We could do a clutch in those days for about $250.

The fleet manager thought the recurring expense was too high, so in his infinite wisdom decided to buy automatic-trans-equipped trucks when the first units began coming up for replacement. The jackass kids would throw them into reverse before coming to a stop, hold them in gear until the engines were screaming, and try their best to trash them in general. So now, instead of replacing clutches every 20,000 miles for $250, we were replacing automatic transmissions at 35,000 miles for $2500.

You do the math.

PS. The only trucks that stood up to the constant abuse without ever really wearing out or breaking were the Toyotas. Even the clutches lasted until the 85,000 to 100,000 mile replacement. No wonder the third-world warlords like them so much.

[dieseldawg142]

...

Edited May 10, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[ChrisBcritter]

My 20-year-old nephew just got his first car the other day, a used VW Golf with a stick, and taught himself to drive it already.

Me, well... took driver's ed in a '76 Datsun B210 stick and drove it once on the Dan Ryan Expressway; I've managed to block out most of that memory. Sadly, I'm just not good enough at it to be doing it regularly; so I'll stay with the automatic. On the other hand, it's kept me out of trouble on two occasions: once when I almost bought a rather sketchy Fiat X1-9, and the other when a salesman tried to put me in a new Yugo. So it evens out.

[Pim]

Wow I could imagine it'd be a pretty similar figure over here. I am 18 and can reasonably confidently drive a manual it is a requirement for my job (apprentice mechanic). While I don't have a car history (I'm still driving one of my parents car, an auto!) I can safely say that my first car will be a manual as they make even the most boring drive a fun, enjoyable experience