# are stick shifts disappeaing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 2, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048 "2003-04-02T20:54:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048/41 "2003-04-04T06:23:44Z")

</div>

Wow Coldie.

Everyday, on my way to and from work and getting my kids from school, I pass the “Folsom Lake Auto Mall”.

There are hundreds and hundreds of cars there. Just about every major car manufacturer, all makes and models.

Hundreds and hundreds of them.

There are at least 4 similar sorts of dealerships within Sacramento.

Yet another difference between Here and There. Interesting.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048/42 "2003-04-04T09:16:41Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ShadiRoxan \*  
> \*\*when applying for an international license, do you have to take any form of tests or is your current license enough “proof” that you can drive? \*\*

In Ireland, you just present your licence at the AA (Automobile Association) and they give you an international licence. Of course, international licences aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048/43 "2003-04-04T16:22:43Z")

</div>

**Manwithaplan** , I understand your point (I think), which is that the International Driving Document doesn’t have anything to do with being a competent driver. Nevertheless, most countries do [accept](http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpappl2c.html) it, and it’s backed by a UN treaty.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048/44 "2003-04-04T18:38:38Z")

</div>

I sometimes wish I could learn to drive a stick, but everyone I know has an automatic transmission. All my family, all my friends, have automatic transmissions. I haven’t even been a passenger in a car with a stick in ten years.

I live in California.

Ed

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048/45 "2003-04-06T06:04:06Z")

</div>

The company I drive for switched to buying trucks with automatic transmissions in 2000, except for some new International Eagles it got at a really good price. We retire the trucks at 500,000 miles which works out to about 3.5 to 4 years. We’ve still got some 99’s on the road now but fewer and fewer. By years end, except for the assorted hanger queen, we’ll have a completely automatic fleet.

Frankly, I prefer an automatic, but I’m glad I got 6 months experience driving the manual 10 speed.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-stick-shifts-disappeaing/166048.md?page=2)