A number of people today have no idea how to drive a stick shift. I don't even know if you can buy a stick shift in most new cars. As a teenager, we owned a '59 chev with automatic and a '53 Buick with a stick shft. When dad started my driving lessons he told me that he wanted me to learn to drive a stick shift before learning to dive the automatic. That has paid dividends over the years. a couple of years later we replaced the Buick with my current '55 which Dad bought from my grandparents. That was the car that I drove thru my teens and into adulthood. It was the only car my wife and I had for three years and I continued to drive it as a work car after I bought her a '70 chevelle and later a '78 malibu, both of which were stick shifts. My first automatic was a '79 Lamans and by that time I was driving the '70 chevelle for work. For a few years I didn't own a stick shift (except for the '55 which I had retired from the road) until I bought a '78 Ford ranger. Four or five years later, all of my vehicles were automatics. About 10 years ago I was sent to Germany on a business trip. When I got to the car rental kiosk the attendant looked at me apologetically and said "I'm sorry, but the only cars I have left are all stick shifts". I said "That's no problem". I drive round in Germany for the next few days in that car and loved it. Driving the stick shift came back to me immediately. It was as natural as walking. I know neither of my daughters have ever driven a stick shift and I'm pretty sure that none of my grandchildren (youngest of seven is 19) have done so. Then it struck me that given the age spread of this site's members it is likely that some of them have never driven a stick shift. So hence the question in this post's title.
can you drive a stick shift?
Granpa49!!
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1955 210 two door post, six cylinder, three on a tree, Navajo Tan and India Ivory
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A number of people today have no idea how to drive a stick shift. I don't even know if you can buy a stick shift in most new cars. As a teenager, we owned a '59 chev with automatic and a '53 Buick with a stick shft. When dad started my driving lessons he told me that he wanted me to learn to drive a stick shift before learning to dive the automatic. That has paid dividends over the years. a couple of years later we replaced the Buick with my current '55 which Dad bought from my grandparents. That was the car that I drove thru my teens and into adulthood. It was the only car my wife and I had for three years and I continued to drive it as a work car after I bought her a '70 chevelle and later a '78 malibu, both of which were stick shifts. My first automatic was a '79 Lamans and by that time I was driving the '70 chevelle for work. For a few years I didn't own a stick shift (except for the '55 which I had retired from the road) until I bought a '78 Ford ranger. Four or five years later, all of my vehicles were automatics. About 10 years ago I was sent to Germany on a business trip. When I got to the car rental kiosk the attendant looked at me apologetically and said "I'm sorry, but the only cars I have left are all stick shifts". I said "That's no problem". I drive round in Germany for the next few days in that car and loved it. Driving the stick shift came back to me immediately. It was as natural as walking. I know neither of my daughters have ever driven a stick shift and I'm pretty sure that none of my grandchildren (youngest of seven is 19) have done so. Then it struck me that given the age spread of this site's members it is likely that some of them have never driven a stick shift. So hence the question in this post's title.
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Grandpa, I was asked the same question by a concerned rental counter agent in Ireland a few years back when she saw my US driver's license. My daily driver was - and still is - a 5 speed. Of course, in Ireland, everything is RHD, but the shift pattern is the same as here.
The only problem I had with the car was after starting it, I got ready to put it into gear - I reached over and grabbed the door handle instead. Oops.
But, I only did that once.
The only problem I had with the car was after starting it, I got ready to put it into gear - I reached over and grabbed the door handle instead. Oops.
But, I only did that once.
When I took Drivers Ed one of the cars was a 4 speed, most everyone had to drive it one day. I was one of the of the few who got to drive it in town, I was also reprimanded for second gear scratch. My first Camaro was a 3 on the tree, my second was 4 on the floor.
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back in the VERY early 70`s....my 1st vehicle was a motorcycle....you had to lean how to shift them....flash forward to owning my 1st car....A 1953 Willys wagon.....you had to Double Clutch the darn thing to go anywhere (non sync. Gears) almost all of my Cars were 4 speeds from then on....until my senior in High School....had a nice BB chevy 68 Chevelle was an automatic
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Even my Factory SS 427 69 impala is a 4 speed car
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Sure can. I learned to drive in my granddads 1973 Chevrolet pickup with a 350 and 3sp on the column. I`ve also owned a 1985 S-10 that had a 5 sp. Worked part-time in a wrecking yard here and drove his 1969 Dodge extended wrecker bed with a standard and the yard truck was a 1968 Chevy with a 6cyl and standard trans.
Terry
Terry
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Started out driving Farmall tractors by the time I was 6. Still can drive a stick. Bout the only time I use the clutch is starting and stopping. Had to double clutch my Model A. Tried to teach my wife to drive my 63 Impala on an empty factory parking lot. After about 3 hrs I finally gave up. Either gonna get whip lash or replace a clutch LOL.
better yet can you power shift a column shift 3 speed??
Yes. My old 68 Nova had one. Used to catch 2nd gear rubber with it, until the linkage got messed up,
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yes sir
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Yes I can, Learned when I was 10 on a VW bug.
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Not an option on Dads 64 Chevy 1/2 ton 283 3 speed, however did it all the time on my first Camaro a 1967 with column shift Saggie 3 speed.
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Location:
North Alabama region, Tennessee River Valley
Yep!
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I learned to drive one when I was 17, 38 years ago. My buddy taught me on his Fox body Mercury Capri. He offered to do it a few weeks earlier on his father’s Ford van with 3 on the tree, but I figured the floor shift would be easier. I taught my wife on her father‘s Escort. She thought she would never be able to do it. We returned after about 1/2 hour and her father asked me if I gave up trying to teach her. I told him, no, I didn’t give up, she can drive a stick. She certainly was no expert at it at that point, but she could reliably take off, shift and downshift with no difficulty. Her daily driver is a stick and she hates driving an automatic vehicle now. None of my daily drivers have been manuals, but almost all of my project cars are planned for manuals. I already have a 6 speed for my Monte Carlo.
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