I’m not very good at it, though when I first learned to drive, I had learned to drive a stick, and was quite comfortable with it. As it turns out, though, the best deal I could get on a car at the time was an automatic… it’s been 10 years, and I still have the same car! As a result, I’ve fallen way out of practise for driving a manual transmission. Hubby and I have talked about it, and most likely our next car will be manual, with time for me to practise before purchase!
I can’t testify personally that this is true, but I have a friend who can’t drive stick, and travels to Europe proably a couple times a year for business. He’s told me he has trouble renting automatics. They frequently aren’t available, according to him.
I learned how to drive using a car with manual transmission. I’m not sure if I can do so anymore, though. It’s been 17 years since I’ve driven a stick – and yes, I do prefer automatic.
BTW, I hope everyone realizes that the results in this poll will be somewhat self-selecting. People are much more likely to say “Hell, yeah! I can drive a stick.” than to shyly admit, “No, I can’t.”
I learned how to drive my mother’s car which was a stick. Then I got an automatic for my first car, 4-5 years later I got my second car which was a stick, and my current car is too. I prefer to drive stick, owned a few other fun cars that were stick, and of course the motorcycles. I’ve also been to Europe a number of times and have had no problems driving with my left hand. I enjoy stick so much I don’t mind driving one in traffic at all. I’m a 34 male from the USA.
(1) Are you comfortable driving a manual transmission?
Yes. Drove one (actually 2) for 20 years, till I got sick and tired of shifting in Houston traffic. My wife still drives one.
(2) What country do you live in?
US of A
(3) How old are you (roughly)?
57
(1) Sure am. It’s all I drove for the first couple of years after I got my license, though I’d been taught on an automatic. I had to teach myself how to drive stick.
(2) USA
(3) 27.
I learned how to drive on two sticks, one that didn’t really have a reliable reverse, one that didn’t really have a reliable first gear. Plus, I drive a manual, today. I like them. I can pretty much handle any American manual that you throw at me.
I’ve also driven on the left side of the road (in NZ - which has a very low population density, not London, which is the opposite), but they only offered automatics, and even with that, I had a hard time with turnsignals and windshield wipers. And I’m really short, so I had a hard time positioning the car in the lane.
I’m also really, really, really right handed. i can barely operate a mouse with my left hand.
If I were planning on driving around the city, I’d probably spring for an automatic, just one less thing to worry about. If I were planning on driving around the middle of nowhere (to the extent there is a nowhere), I might just try a stick.
Yes. Both my truck and car are 5 speeds. I also used to drive school buses, was fully Crown qualified (ask Mr. Bus Guy about that one…), and drove one bus for a year or so that had a Fuller 10 speed RoadRanger in it. Also drove a 1947 Crown for 6 months with a gasoline engine - not Diesel - that bus kicked School Bus butt. Love manual transmissions. - As far as driving on the wrong side of the road? I’ve always wanted to try it.
Yes. I had plenty of school friends who lived on farms, and i learned to drive a stick (three-speed column shift) in my early teens. I generally prefer driving a manual, although it does get to be a real pain in the ass in rush-hour traffic, and if i had a long rush-hour commute every day i’d probably prefer an auto.
USA, but i grew up and learned to drive in Australia.
)