Can you drive a manual transmission?

[stonemonkts]

I learned how to drive on manual transmission, and my next four vehicles, spanning 30 years, were all manual. Now I have automatics.

[pig pen]

I have had several manual transmission-equipped vehicles but I don't currently (the real boss doesn't like them). I kind of miss the feeling of having more control over the vehicle but most of the time I don't think about it. I am considerably above your 35yo cutoff point though, so I'm not sure I'm a relevant data point

[steve(thelil)]

I assume I still can. But it's been decades. I am not a car guy, and I always buy certified 3 year old off- lease Toyota Camrys because they give me a lot of reliability for the buck, which is all I look for in a car. It's been a long time since manual transmissions were available in Camrys, I think. I've been driving Camrys for 25+ years and used to put 30,000 miles a year on my car when I commuted to work, and I have NEVER had a Camry fail to start for me or get me where I was going. And I took shitty care of my first couple.

[LennyH]

I had a couple of cars that were manual but it became too much of a pain in the ass to me. In traffic especially. I'll never own one again.

[Steve Reynolds]

No - and I'm a pseudo car guy!

have a 2007 Hyundai Sonata since new and have 118,000 miles on it and it is also bulletproof

but it's now old and I am planning my mid-life muscle car purchase for late next year which will be a 2015 Cuda if they actually build it which is the rumor

plum crazy and maybe even the hemi

but no manual

[moldyfigg]

My first car was a '40 Dodge with a floor stick; the next four were three on a tree; when kids arrove, we went to automatica. Seven or eight later, all automatic. About 14 years ago, I suffered nerve damage on my left leg with made it almost impossible to use a clutch. I love my '99 Acura TL which lets me I can move the gear shift and drive it almost like a manual.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Yes.

[A. Kingstone]

Both car and bike.

Used to drive a three on the tree Ford on the farm.

[pig pen]

Used to drive a three on the tree Ford on the farm.

Yeah, my first "car" was a Ford F100 with a three on the tree. I remember I sold a motorcycle to a young guy and I transported it to his place since he didn't have his motorcycle license yet and he was dumbfounded when I started shifting gears on the column. We were three across on the bench seat with his girlfriend in the middle, then she started rubbing my leg but that's a story for another day...

[moldyfigg]

Floor shifts offered many opportunities on a date.

[Mike Schwartz]

I assume I still can. But it's been decades. I am not a car guy, and I always buy certified 3 year old off- lease Toyota Camrys because they give me a lot of reliability for the buck, which is all I look for in a car. It's been a long time since manual transmissions were available in Camrys, I think. I've been driving Camrys for 25+ years and used to put 30,000 miles a year on my car when I commuted to work, and I have NEVER had a Camry fail to start for me or get me where I was going. And I took shitty care of my first couple.

It's a riding a bike kind of thing.
I sell cars for a living and trust me you can do it thelil; my late Dad hadn't driven one for decades rented a car in Europe....no automatics....no problem.

Today's new cars with all the advancements in auto transmissions the polar opposite of days gone by...buy a manual and get better gas mileage.....NOT!

Every automatic these days gets higher MPG than the manual counterpart and most automatics have a clutchless 'stick shift' mode.

[walto]

I assume I still can. But it's been decades.

Same here. There'd probably be some clunking for a few blocks, but I'm sure it'd come back to me.

[sozamora]

No. My dad actually tried to teach me on a stick shift first, but I never got the hang of it.

[BeBop]

I've never owned a car that wasn't manual. And I mean REAL manual, with a clutch, not the new BS "manuals". The question for me should be "can you drive an automatic?" I wish they hadn't put the brake where the clutch pedal is supposed to me. And my passengers REALLY WISH they hadn't. Since I travel all the time, I end up in rental sometimes. In the US, it's always automatic or (worse!) CVT. The UK often provides me a stick, but it's on the wrong bloody side (...which I can deal with). Europe, lots of sticks for rent. Africa and Asia are all over the map, as it were.

[BeBop]

I've never owned a car that wasn't manual. And I mean REAL manual, with a clutch, not the new BS "manuals". The question for me should be "can you drive an automatic?" I wish they hadn't put the brake where the clutch pedal is supposed to me. And my passengers REALLY WISH they hadn't. Since I travel all the time, I end up in rental sometimes. In the US, it's always automatic or (worse!) CVT. The UK often provides me a stick, but it's on the wrong bloody side (...which I can deal with). Europe, lots of sticks for rent. Africa and Asia are all over the map, as it were.

I'm assuming by BS manuals you mean the new autostick transmissions?

Cars still come with actual manuals...

Oh yeah, plenty of real manuals out there. Even in things like Toyota Corollas. But you can no longer get a Ferrari - any Ferrari (from what I understand) with a clutch/manual. Think about it. And many Porsches. Porsche Doppelkupplung. That's just wrong.

And yes, I know the government/U.S. EPA is to blame (plus California). I should backtrack... I say "blame". Don't get me wrong. I've never owned a car that got under 25mpg. And many were plenty of fun. (GTI, Mazda 3, Miata, Quattro) But killing off the manual to eke out an extra 0.2 mpg?

[BeBop]

Manuals still outperform automatics in MPG's in most models. And I really don't know that the government has anything to do with it. I think there's just so little demand for standard transmissions these days that the manufacturers just don't build many, or any at all. I remember going to test drive a Maxima and asking if they had one with a manual on the lot, and the salesman told me that the only way they could get manuals was by special order from Nissan.

As for Ferrari, the paddle shifters they use are very advanced and designed for the type of aggressive driving Ferraris are designed for, so I can fully understand the logic there.

Ask any F1 or Indy Car driver if they'd prefer to give up their paddle shifters for a clutch and stick design.

In the mileage game, manuals no longer perform best, or even well...based on the tests. Real world could be different, of course. Best performers are CVTs. (Gads) Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules drive manufacturer decisions.

As for Ferrari (in my example), yes, cars like that are for aggressive driving, but they are also for high levels of driver involvement. Or were.

[BeBop]

Actually, there have been many inconclusive tests. I read an article on Edmunds once about the myths of the manual vs. the automatic. Four of five different cars were tested and in some cases the manual still outperformed the auto in mpg. The CVT was definitely king in all the cases I've seen.

As for driver involvement, I'm right there with you. But we're talking about Ferraris. You could put a CVT in that thing and you're still going to feel incredibly involved. It's a world class super car. It does things differently. In that case, even I would prefer the paddle shifters so I can concentrate on wringing shit out of it that only a handful of cars on the planet are capable of.

In some ways, I agree. I didn't mean to say conclusively that "all automatics...and all manuals..." But as the automatics have graduated to eight and more gears, and as the computers have become adept at optimizing engine versus road speed, there is considerable progress. (Note: those automatics also prevent drivers from "wringing the shit" out of mundane passenger cars, which also helps mileage. It wasn't that long ago that manuals universally got better mileage than automatics. The tide is turning, it seems to me (former Dodge, Chrysler, Mopar mechanic).

On the Ferrari "issue", I'd say "matter of taste". My racing days (Bilstein Cup, SCCA, AFM) left me feeling more engaged and involved with a clutch and shifter. Heel/Toe, double clutch, skip gear, pit lane RPM/speed control. But that was years ago. I haven't raced in an F1 or thoroughly modern paddle shifter.

[makpjazz57]

When I first purchased my 1992 Honda Civic standard shift, I couldn't even drive it from the dealership to my house - thank goodness for friends. Two of my dear friends took on the thankless job of teaching me how to drive a standard shift and I forever earned the nickname of "Leapin' Lena." By the second day of "training," one of the two friends was sitting in the back seat with a pillow in front of her to help from slamming into the back of the front seat! Eventually, this slow learner was able to drive the stick quite well except for navigating the hills in Jersey City Heights, where I lived at the time...never could master hanging on a hill with a stick and the rollback thing...

[steve(thelil)]

I should qualify. I think I could drive a manual transmission......... but only if it was attached to a car.

[walto]

Pussy.

[bluenoter]

I should qualify. I think I could drive a manual transmission......... but only if it was attached to a car.

Pussy.

[BeBop]

http://i.qkme.me/3tpbj8.jpg

[Ron Thorne]

I learned to drive in the car that brought me to Alaska from Florida, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with an automatic transmission.

I learned to drive a manual transmission when I bought my first car, a 1961 Hillman Minx with a 4-speed on-the-column shifter. There was so much linkage that it was rubbery-feeling, so when I learned that there was an optional floor shift kit available (Sunbeam Alpine shifter) with a short, direct throw, I went for it, and it was a dream! No power to speak of under the hood, but a fun little car to drive, post shift mechanism change.

Our 1st new car, a 1967 Saab, also had a 4-speed on-the-column with an unusual feature, free-wheeling.

Later, a 1st-series 1955 Chevy panel truck, 1970 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper and 1976 Honda Civic all had a 4-speed on-the-floor. Patti learned to drive in our cool old Chevy panel truck, Flying Cloud.

Now, we're back to an automatic transmission in our VW Passat. Full circle after 54 years.

[A. Kingstone]

I learned to drive in the car that brought me to Alaska from Florida, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with an automatic transmission.

I learned to drive a manual transmission when I bought my first car, a 1961 Hillman Minx with a 4-speed on-the-column shifter. There was so much linkage that it was rubbery-feeling, so when I learned that there was an optional floor shift kit available (Sunbeam Alpine shifter) with a short, direct throw, I went for it, and it was a dream! No power to speak of under the hood, but a fun little car to drive, post shift mechanism change.

Our 1st new car, a 1967 Saab, also had a 4-speed on-the-column with an unusual feature, free-wheeling.

Later, a 1st-series 1955 Chevy panel truck, 1970 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper and 1976 Honda Civic all had a 4-speed on-the-floor. Patti learned to drive in our cool old Chevy panel truck, Flying Cloud.

Now, we're back to an automatic transmission in our VW Passat. Full circle after 54 years.

I feel like I just flipped through the Thorne family album.

On an unrelated note my Mom had a friend from Jamestown, Rex who had a 60's era Saab and would grow bean sprouts in the back seat.

[Tom Storer]

I learned how to drive on a Toyota Corolla with a manual transmission. I say "learned to drive" but I was not a good driver. Then I moved to France and my US driver's license lapsed. I decided I should have a license in France so I went the whole driving school route, which is obligatory. I had a good instructor and he cured me of many bad habits and now I consider myself a safe, smooth driver.

In France, manual transmission is the norm. Some driving schools will teach you how to drive an automatic transmission (i.e. not teach you how to drive a manual), but it's a rarity. So I re-learned on manual as well.

I don't own a car. We rent one when we need to, and if you wanted an automatic transmission you would have to order one specially and it would reduce your choices considerably, as they are not readily available.

On two separate occasions I was driving with an American nephew/niece in the car. Both of them were baffled by this stick shift thing. With both of them I ended up stalling out (each time in mountainous terrain, when trying to start going uphill--so much for what a great driver I am). They each had the same reaction: WHAT HAPPENED?! They had never seen a car stall before. When I explained, each said, "Why do they even make cars like that?"