# Poll: Can you drive a stick? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316 "2008-03-30T21:35:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Pithy\_Moniker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@Pithy\_Moniker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithy_Moniker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/121 "2008-03-31T15:11:20Z")
1. I can drive a stick and I’m comfortable with one. I think I could do it left handed after a bit of practice. 2. I live in the US. 3. 29 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/122 "2008-03-31T15:12:32Z")
1. Yep. I’ve never owned an automatic. 2. U.S. 3. 30s ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/123 "2008-03-31T15:14:40Z")
1. Very comfortable, but I don’t own a stick-shift car right now. 2. United States. 3. 54 ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/124 "2008-03-31T15:17:58Z")
Yup. Had several stick shift vehicles through my years, and I have a manual F150 POS pickup truck now with 4 on the floor. I love a stick, but with a 100 mile round trip commute, I won’t have it in the commuter car. FTR, I’m 46 and in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/125 "2008-03-31T15:18:57Z")
I’ll answer this for my whole family: Me - Yes, I prefer it; USA; 47 Husband - Yes, but he doesn’t like it; USA; 48 Daughter - Yes, she prefers it; USA; 19 Son - No, I tried to teach him and gave up; USA; 18 ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/126 "2008-03-31T15:25:00Z")
I can drive a stick, but I’m rusty. I live in the US, and I’m 41.75 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Runestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@Runestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runestar)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/127 "2008-03-31T15:31:45Z")
(1) Yes. All of my cars (but one) have been manuals. My wife doesn’t drive manuals though, so her cars have always been automatics. (2) USA (3) 46 ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/128 "2008-03-31T15:52:58Z")
1. Yes, I prefer it and all but a few of my cars have been manual. I learned to drive on my dad’s car, who says he likes to drive a car rather than point it in the right direction. 2. US 3. 26 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/129 "2008-03-31T16:14:47Z")
1. Yup. Learned on one. I don’t _think_ I’d have a very hard time changing which side I did it with either. Automatics are boring. 2. America 3. 26 ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/130 "2008-03-31T16:30:39Z")
Yes - my college car was a stick. I wish I had kept it just to tool around town. It got great gas mileage. USA 30 ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/131 "2008-03-31T16:39:31Z")
I learned how to drive on a manual and prefer to drive that way but I’m in a automatic right now, except for my motorcycle which is a standard. U.S. 25 ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/132 "2008-03-31T16:58:50Z")
36/US- yes, burned up a clutch at 17 doing so, but did learn and haven’t had the need to drive one since. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/133 "2008-03-31T17:05:48Z")
(1) Not only comfortable, but I greatly prefer to drive stick. (2) USA (3) 38 ---
**Author:** ![Purgatory\_Creek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Purgatory\_Creek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purgatory_Creek)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/134 "2008-03-31T17:12:57Z")
1. I prefer to drive a manual transmission, even though I learned to do so relatively late in life. We own a manual sedan and an automatic pickup truck now. 2. USA (Upper Midwest) 3. Late 40s. I doubt I could drive a stick on the left, so I’ll just have to make the husband drive if we visit the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/135 "2008-03-31T17:17:54Z")
[QUOTE=Kilvert’s Pagan] (1) Are you comfortable driving a manual transmission? (2) What country do you live in? (3) How old are you (roughly)? [/QUOTE] 1. No. I never was able to learn, although truth be told I never gave it that much of an effort. Both of the cars I owned were automatic. I did try to learn on a roommate’s car back in 1970s Texas, but it was not convenient to keep practicing on it. 2. Thailand. I rarely drive over here. But automatic is common. 3. Well into middle age. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/136 "2008-03-31T17:21:59Z")
**(1) Are you comfortable driving a manual transmission?** Yes, it is all I drive. **(2) What country do you live in?** USA **(3) How old are you (roughly)?** 46 ---
**Author:** ![tetranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@tetranz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetranz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/137 "2008-03-31T17:36:00Z")
Yes New Zealander in the USA 50 A few thoughts. Here in the US, I reckon a stick is less likely to be stolen. Your average car thief probably couldn’t drive it. A stick gets better fuel economy but … modern automatics are surely getting pretty smart. I wonder if a bad stick driver might get better mileage out of a good lock-up, computer controlled automatic. My current car was cheap to buy when I bought it new. I think the dealer was having trouble selling it because of the stick. Here in New Hampshire the stick is just fine but the clutch takes a day or so to cool down if I need to spend a day driving in Boston 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jools](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@jools](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jools)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/138 "2008-03-31T17:55:09Z")
1. Absolutely not. I’ve never driven manual though I have wanted to learn, nobody would teach me, afraid for their cars… 2. Canada 3. 43 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/139 "2008-03-31T19:38:52Z")
1.0 Yes; I learned to drive stick shifts at about the age of thirteen. 2.0 USA 3.0 68, male. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316/140 "2008-03-31T19:46:52Z")
I drive an automatic now, but I’ve had many manual cars. I decided I’m a big girl now and I can have an automatic to deal with the stop-n-go traffic of Houston! 49/female [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-can-you-drive-a-stick/443316.md?page=8)