Learning to drive a stick shift
05-31-2014, 04:36 PM
#11
Thanks for sharing that, Dave. Very cool!
I would love to teach my granddaughter to drive a stick shift....she's only three years away from getting her license. Wonder if she will express any interest.
Recently, my son drove Rick's WRX. The first time he drove a stick shift in about 15 years It is like riding a bike. This week he borrowed the car for a couple of days. His co-workers were surprised that the WRX turbo was Dad's car. Rick told him he should have mentioned that the WRX is a commuter car. The S2000 is the toy.
I would love to teach my granddaughter to drive a stick shift....she's only three years away from getting her license. Wonder if she will express any interest.
Recently, my son drove Rick's WRX. The first time he drove a stick shift in about 15 years It is like riding a bike. This week he borrowed the car for a couple of days. His co-workers were surprised that the WRX turbo was Dad's car. Rick told him he should have mentioned that the WRX is a commuter car. The S2000 is the toy.
Daily driver is a '13 Genesis Coupe 3.8 with a stick.... I feel I have better control of the car with the stick shift!
05-31-2014, 05:23 PM
#12
Taught my youngest daughter to drive stick a long time ago. My oldest daughter didn't want anything to do with stick shift. Within the past two years I taught both of the oldest grandsons to drive stick in the S2000
05-31-2014, 08:00 PM
#13
Thread Starter
I agree with Lainey, there is a time and place for both. In fact, I've always had one or more of each in my garage. I would not want it any other way.
As for passing it forward.... I have a 17 year old grandson and he's never driven a stick and he's not going to learn on my car until he changes his ways. I've worked on his car several times and when I'm riding with him he scares the shit out of me. Drives way way way too fast for conditions and is not in touch with whats going on around him from a driver's standpoint. I've screamed at him a couple times that have kept us from being in an accident. I would love to send him to a serious driver's training school but he doesn't listen to me so I'd probably be wasting my money. He was after me for 3 years to use my Audi for his senior prom. I was SO close to agreeing until I rode with him the last time and there's no way that is going to happen. And it didn't.
As for passing it forward.... I have a 17 year old grandson and he's never driven a stick and he's not going to learn on my car until he changes his ways. I've worked on his car several times and when I'm riding with him he scares the shit out of me. Drives way way way too fast for conditions and is not in touch with whats going on around him from a driver's standpoint. I've screamed at him a couple times that have kept us from being in an accident. I would love to send him to a serious driver's training school but he doesn't listen to me so I'd probably be wasting my money. He was after me for 3 years to use my Audi for his senior prom. I was SO close to agreeing until I rode with him the last time and there's no way that is going to happen. And it didn't.
05-31-2014, 09:26 PM
#14
FWIIW: I agree with the guys on CarTalk.com when it comes to teaching people to drive a manual transmission. I for one believe that people should know how to drive both, perhaps in case of an emergency.
Two of our three vehicles have manual transmissions and when I drive our Infiniti I often find myself pushing the button to take it out of D4 (overdrive) to downshift it into third for engine braking. Sometimes in stop and go traffic I put it into 1st gear to avoid having to brake during the "slinky effect" of traffic.
Two of our three vehicles have manual transmissions and when I drive our Infiniti I often find myself pushing the button to take it out of D4 (overdrive) to downshift it into third for engine braking. Sometimes in stop and go traffic I put it into 1st gear to avoid having to brake during the "slinky effect" of traffic.
06-01-2014, 03:13 AM
#15
06-01-2014, 06:09 AM
#16
Registered User
Many people are going to buy what is on the dealer's lot. Most sales persons and managers believe that manuals won't sell, so they order automatics. Manufacturers make what their customers (dealers) order.
Over the years, I've read numerous stories of someone's quest to buy a manual; dealership personnel tell them manuals don't sell, that people want automatics; then they mention that whenever they get a manual on the lot it sells immediately.
Lainey makes a good point about an injury making driving a manual problematic. I slipped on the ice a few years ago and injured my right shoulder. Shifting gears was a real problem: I could pull the shifter back into 2nd or 4th, but pushing it forward for 1st, 3rd, or 5th was difficult for a while.
Over the years, I've read numerous stories of someone's quest to buy a manual; dealership personnel tell them manuals don't sell, that people want automatics; then they mention that whenever they get a manual on the lot it sells immediately.
Lainey makes a good point about an injury making driving a manual problematic. I slipped on the ice a few years ago and injured my right shoulder. Shifting gears was a real problem: I could pull the shifter back into 2nd or 4th, but pushing it forward for 1st, 3rd, or 5th was difficult for a while.
06-01-2014, 08:14 PM
#17
Many people are going to buy what is on the dealer's lot. Most sales persons and managers believe that manuals won't sell, so they order automatics. Manufacturers make what their customers (dealers) order.
Over the years, I've read numerous stories of someone's quest to buy a manual; dealership personnel tell them manuals don't sell, that people want automatics; then they mention that whenever they get a manual on the lot it sells immediately.
Over the years, I've read numerous stories of someone's quest to buy a manual; dealership personnel tell them manuals don't sell, that people want automatics; then they mention that whenever they get a manual on the lot it sells immediately.
06-02-2014, 01:20 PM
#18
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I enjoy driving the S, I don't mind driving the WRX, but I am now in the camp that wants an automatic around town. I don't sit in a ton of traffic, but the fun of driving a stick disappears (for me) when I'm sitting in traffic...
It is a good thing to have an automatic in your "fleet", if possible. It can come in handy if someone injures a leg or arm.
It is a good thing to have an automatic in your "fleet", if possible. It can come in handy if someone injures a leg or arm.
Although I must admit I drove the S to work today - upper 60s this morning and low 80s this afternoon with partly cloudy skies. It doesn't get much better than that for top down driving both ways.
As for teaching young folks to drive a manual they're more than welcome to practice on my '05 Silverado 5 speed - with proof of insurance.
06-02-2014, 06:40 PM
#19
I don't know. I don't like sitting in traffic no matter which transmission I'm driving. I don't find it any worse to be in traffic with a manual than with an automatic. Either way traffic is no fun. An automatic transmission doesn't make it any more fun or more tolerable.
Like most everyone else here, I've been driving manual transmissions for so long that shifting feels almost automatic to me. Sometimes I find myself in a gear but I don't remember shifting into it. Right now I'm driving a dealer loaner car with an automatic while my daily driver is in for service. I almost went through the windshield today when I was slowing down and my clutch foot hit the left side of the brake pedal. Stopping very short I all of a sudden remembered that I was driving an automatic.
My problem with driving a car with an automatic transmission is that I get bored of them very quickly. I don't feel involved with the car. I can't keep an automatic transmission car very long. On the other hand, I always feel very involved with cars with manual transmissions. They don't bore me and I tend to keep them a long time. Having a manual transmission gives me a sense of involvement with the car.
Like most everyone else here, I've been driving manual transmissions for so long that shifting feels almost automatic to me. Sometimes I find myself in a gear but I don't remember shifting into it. Right now I'm driving a dealer loaner car with an automatic while my daily driver is in for service. I almost went through the windshield today when I was slowing down and my clutch foot hit the left side of the brake pedal. Stopping very short I all of a sudden remembered that I was driving an automatic.
My problem with driving a car with an automatic transmission is that I get bored of them very quickly. I don't feel involved with the car. I can't keep an automatic transmission car very long. On the other hand, I always feel very involved with cars with manual transmissions. They don't bore me and I tend to keep them a long time. Having a manual transmission gives me a sense of involvement with the car.
06-02-2014, 08:54 PM
#20
When driving either of our two vehicles in stop and go traffic (either the S or the Fit) I often just put them in first gear and slowly let out the clutch pedal and creep along in 1 st gear at idle speed, leaving a bit of distance behind the vehicle in front of me to allow for the slinky effect.