Both had the four speed column shift
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When I was in the Air Force, I had a Peugeot 403 with a 4 speed on the column. There was also a button on the dash to start it.

 

I'll admit they are my kids are spoiled.
They don't get to drive the toy without me or my wife since I really want to keep them alive.
But the alternative vehicles in the family are benz's for "transportation".
it's all they have for a reference.

 

Some time ago, a fellow I work with told me that he can't drive a manual transmission. I realize it's the 21st Century: if he wanted to share with me that he likes to dress up in women's underwear I could handle it. But can't drive a manual transmission? That's just too much information!

 

^

 

I know it is old school, but I don't consider a person a "driver" unless they can drive a stick. Second level is to be able to heel-toe downshift and third level is to know how to trail brake.

Change of subject - a female friend of mine once commented about a guy she dated a few times. She told me, "He said he drove a sports car. Then he came to pick me up in a Miata - WITH AN AUTOMATIC!!!"
The capitalized letters are my attempt to show the contempt in her voice.

 

In the early 70's I was contemplating the purchase of a sports car. I went for a test drive in a 240Z (maybe 260Z, I don't remember). As the salesman drove us away from the dealership, he asked what other cars I'd looked at. I replied that I'd done test drives in a 914, MGB, Fiat 124, and Europa. He made some comment to the effect that those were nice cars but the Datsun was a "real man's car." I asked him if that was so why did the demo he was driving have an automatic transmission? We returned to the showroom in short order.

I've been married for 28 years. We've always had two, and sometimes 3, cars. None of them have had an automatic transmission. A couple of years ago, I accompanied my wife on a test drive of a Pontiac G6. The only car they had was an automatic. It was so funny to watch her pull out of the dealership's lot, accelerate to about 25 mph, slam the left foot down on the brake pedal and reach for the shifter. I'd have done the same thing.

 

My problem was stopping a car with an automatic. I drove a friend's automatic Mustang after about 6 years of driving my 4 speed Datsun. I hopped in, and got it up to speed on the freeway with no problem. When I got off 200 miles later I came to the end of the off ramp and froze up. I couldn't bring myself to bring it to a complete stop while it was still in gear. My instinct was to press the clutch. But while I searched for the non-existent clutch, I resisted letting it get slow enough to have stalled the engine if it had been a manual.

The only time I've taught anyone to drive a stick was in my old Camaro. It was great for the task. It was much harder to stall than the Datsun I learned on.

 

We have always had both sticks and automatics in our garage. There's a time and place for both. While I began driving with a stick and have taught my children to all drive a stick, I don't consider a stickshift the Holy Grail as some appear to. There's nothing worse than being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic inching along for long periods of time in a stickshift car. On the flip side, an automatic in the S2000 would take away from the raw nature of the car and the driving experience. I give a for both types of tranny's.

 

The dual clutch auto-manuals look interesting in that regard.
you lose out on rowing through the gears but you do maintain the solid linkage between the engine and driveline giving me back the ability to do attitude adjustment through corners with my right foot.

I'll have to take #2 son out for another drive this weekend.

And traveler, I learned on a Volkswagen square back with a bad thrid gear and a reverse that kept popping out.
I was picking up a date and couldn't back out of her driveway becuase reverse was so bad.
Her older sister came out and offered to do it for me, very awkward.

 

I'm with you on that, Dave.

I was in bumper to bumper traffic on Tuesday and I was very happy I was driving the automatic Jeep. Actually, I was not sorry to give up a stick shift when I got the Jeep. I don't encounter a lot of traffic in my daily ride to work, but enough that the stick was starting to annoy me.

I suggested to Rick that the Jeep be the vehicle we take to Boston on Monday, as very likely we will be stuck in commuter traffic on our way home.

Stick shift is NO fun in traffic.