My son just turned 16 and got his license.
My question, should I bother teaching him to drive a stick since they quit making cars and trucks with manual transmissions last year?
Who is “they?”
wut
I suppose it wouldn’t hurt, but if he’s not interested don’t force the issue.
Did they really? I did not know that. That doesn’t sound right to me, but who knows.
I don’t think there’s any necessity in learning a manual transmission, but I personally think it’s a nice skill to have just in case. I only learned it when I was in my 20s, but I was really happy to do so (and I’ve driven a manual ever since. I’m 42 now.) I certainly would not think of it as an important skill to have, but I would ask your son if he’s interested in learning. I’m not even a “car guy,” but I would have killed to learn stick shift when I was learning how to drive. It’s just that nobody I knew here even had one.
It is a useful skill to have worldwide. I’ve hired cars the world over and the only place where a manual is not the default is the USA.
I exclusively buy manuals, both because I find them more fun, also because they are far less prone to theft. I think it’s an important skill to have, you never know when you may be somewhere - and the person that was driving is incapacitated.
Wow - my 2017 Golf GTI w/ manual must be a collector’s item!
that’s because most of our cars have big engines with plenty of power. I’ve driven EU-style cars with tiny engines (e.g. a Ford Ka with 1.0 non-turbo 3-cylinder) and they would be miserable with an automatic.
edit: at any rate, it’s not that hard to drive a modern car with a manual transmission. since pretty much every car has throttle by wire, they have “anti-stall” programming in the PCM which will automatically open the throttle more if it senses the engine RPM is dropping too much at launch.
Who quit making cars with stick shifts? Here’s U.S. News and World Report’s top 15 manual transmission cars to own:
Cars with automatics are becoming more fuel efficient, and automakers are making fewer cars with a stick, but it’s still a good skill to have. If you can drive a stick, you can drive almost anything. Even though I prefer an automatic these days, I’m still glad I learned to drive a stick.
Moved to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Right. If you plan to travel and rent cars overseas, being able to drive a manual is very valuable. Even in the US it gives you more flexibility.
If you have a car with a stick available to you, teach him to drive it. As people have said, if he ever has occasion to drive outside the US, he will need to know how to drive a stick. If you actually own a car with a stick, make him get really comfortable with driving a stick. He might be faced with a situation where that is the only car available to him, and besides, he might want to own a classic, or a sports car some day. I’m pretty sure there are still a few cars with stick being sold in the US. Also, I think big rigs still require clutches, and who knows? maybe he’ll want to learn to drive a truck. He’ll be a leg up on all the people who show up for class and can’t drive stick yet.
cite?
I’ve often been amazed by how sluggish american cars feel even with relatively large engines.
If you have a car with manual transmission, heck yeah teach him how to drive it. There is no downside that I can see. Plenty of upside in that 1) maybe he will find it more enjoyable and 2) if he ever travels to Europe and has the need to rent a car, he’ll be able to drive it.
I think it’s a good idea to know how to drive a stick. But I wonder how long a few lessons are going to ‘stick’ with you after a few years. I guess it would be a good start.
There is no harm in teaching if you have one readily available. But in most instances in the US, not much need.
I learned on a stick, I sucked at driving a stick, I got an automatic and did not drive a stick for several years. The next time I drove one, it was ok, but starting off was rough.
I bought a motorcycle 9 yrs ago, and that is where I really learned to handle a clutch. I think I would do much better on a manual car now.
As suggested a bit earlier, if they are just learning during a few lessons, it is not likely that it will be of much use in the future should the need arise.
Get your son a manual car as his first car. Not so he learns how to drive a manual, but because it’s almost impossible to text and drive in a manual. Doing anything in addition to driving will be harder since both hands are needed while driving. First teach him to drive in an automatic, but then have a manual be his first car.
The stick is dying along with masculinity (I wonder if this is related). My last rental car in Europe was a hybrid automatic (sticks and hybrids don’t mix well - and it ran on gasoline not diesel, Oh-My-GOD). So it is worth it, HELL yes,
It is a every increasing unique experience, no a relationship, between man and machine, it is sensual the relationship between man and machine to this degree and needs to be experienced by every male. It is even sexual in nature. A machine beautifully crafted, but just a child at heart and destined to die a child, but throttled hard over and over till her clutch plate is worn out and disposed of and the driver is on the sex offender list for life and had to see a probation officer every week.
Oh yeah! Drive a stick.