Question Of The Day, Friday, May 3

[blueyedgirl5946]

I can drive both. When I was still working I bought myself a small Datsun car with a stick shift. Now I drive a Honda CRV with automatic transmission. We have three other vehicles, a Tahoe with an automatic and two Nissan pickup trucks with stick shifts.

 

[jcat]

We've had a couple of cars with manual transmissions, but the last two have been automatics, which I prefer in stop-and-go traffic. The main reason we switched to automatic is that I have recurring problems with sciatica, mainly on my left side, so I can't manage a clutch when it flares up.

 

[Kat0121]

Stick. It pays to learn, in an emergency it might be the only vehicle available.

I guess if you have one. DD and I both have automatics. If something happened to both of them and we were vehicle-less I'd just rent an automatic. If Enterprise wasn't open, I'd use Uber or Lyft.

 

[Winchester]

I learned to drive with an automatic. When I ordered my first new car, it had a manual transmission. I ordered the car at the dealership and they said it would take about six weeks to come in. Left the dealership, went down to my dad and said, "Dad, I ordered a new car. It has a stick. Teach me!" He looked at me, sighed and shook his head. Grabbed the keys to his truck and said, "Let's go!" And up into the mountains we went; Daddy also taught me how to drive in the mountains when I was 14. Til my car came in, I knew how to drive it. That was an '86 Plymouth Turismo 2+2. When I got the Turismo, he and I went back on the mountain roads. He got me on a fairly steep hill. I had to stop and start, and stop and start, until I learned how to start out on an incline in my car. In the beginning, it wasn't pretty and I stalled out a lot. He didn't even get frustrated, although he did ask me how in the name of god could I buy a car that I didn't know how to drive well. But by the end of the afternoon, I was doing it like a pro. Dad said we weren't leaving until I could start out on a hill without stalling the car.

Mom told me that, when we were really young, Dad called her and asked her to bring his car into the garage. It was stick; she couldn't drive stick. At all. It was ugly. She said that we three kids were scared to death and, at one point, when she stalled out, I gathered my little brother and sister and we got out of the car and refused to get back in. She was going into town the back way to avoid having to drive the car on the highway. It took her a couple of hours to get into the garage because she had to coax us back into the car. She said we stood along the road saying, "No!" I guess she finally got us back into the car and got into town. My dad was in panic mode because we didn't show up and it was a ten-minute drive, if that.

When our son learned to drive, it was on a stick because that's all Rick and I had. His truck was manual and so was my car. I ended up teaching our son to drive in my mom's automatic and he took his driver's test in her car. I think he can drive a stick now, but not without problems.

 

[Mother Dragon]

My mom's car had a manual transmission. She was fine with it. She tried to teach me to drive when I was 18 but the concept of the clutch was beyond both of us. We went to a nearby park, where I got behind the wheel. I tried to get started but kept failing miserably. A family picnicking nearby hastily packed up and left before I ran over them. In truth, they were perfectly safe because I couldn't get that dratted car to move. My mom gave up and sent me to a local driving school for a few lessons on an automatic.

My first car was a used automatic that I drove back and forth to college. One day, when my future husband and I were dating, I decided to invite him over for beef stroganoff, his favorite. I needed a bell pepper. My mom's car was parked behind mine in the driveway. I managed to back it out and put it more or less along the curb. I went to the store in my car. When I got home, I pulled into the driveway and parked. I had to put my mom's car back in behind it. That's where trouble struck. I couldn't get the car moving. I'd start it, jolt a foot or two, and kill it. Over and over. I was in tears. Finally the guy across the street came out and asked in amusement if I wanted him to park the car. I almost knocked him down getting out of that car. The irony of the whole thing was that I forgot to put that doggone bell pepper into the stroganoff.

When we married, our first car was a VW bus with a manual transmission. It was either learn or walk, so I learned. I, too, experienced the terror of starting on an incline. We put about 100 thousand miles on that bus. Then we traded it for a VW camper. I did most of the driving (and still do), so I put about 150 thousand miles on it. Then we switched to an automatic and I've not driven a manual car since. The beast we drive now has some sort of option to switch to manual, but without a clutch. I've never tried it.

I really learned to manage a clutch when I started riding motorcycles. Then we began teaching motorcycling and I had to understand how and why a clutch works. Once you understand the concept and get the feel, it's easy.

A manual transmission gives a lot more control, but it's a bugger bear in traffic. I think I'll stick to my automatic in my car.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I guess if you have one. DD and I both have automatics. If something happened to both of them and we were vehicle-less I'd just rent an automatic. If Enterprise wasn't open, I'd use Uber or Lyft.

I'd rent an automatic too. It's fun to drive while pounding your left foot at the floor board looking for a clutch that doesn't exist I'm referring to the more "probably would never happen" scenario, you and a buddy are camping, he drives a stick, you drive an automatic, some accident happens, your truck won't start but his will so it's good to know how to drive a stick. I wouldn't worry, in another 10 years or so I bet a stick will be obsolete.
I'm still amazed that there are cars that will start without a key in the ignition. That's what I get for being older than Fred Flintstone

 

[Kat0121]

I'd rent an automatic too. It's fun to drive while pounding your left foot at the floor board looking for a clutch that doesn't exist I'm referring to the more "probably would never happen" scenario, you and a buddy are camping, he drives a stick, you drive an automatic, some accident happens, your truck won't start but his will so it's good to know how to drive a stick. I wouldn't worry, in another 10 years or so I bet a stick will be obsolete.
I'm still amazed that there are cars that will start without a key in the ignition. That's what I get for being older than Fred Flintstone

I don't know anyone who still drives a stick. At least I don't think I do.

 

[Winchester]

I don't know anyone who still drives a stick. At least I don't think I do.

You know me! I know, you meant in person.

I still drive a stick, my sister's Beemer has a stick. But I don't think my brother has a clue how to even shift gears.

After I've driven Clarence for a while and I have to go back to the Tucson, then my left foot is usually tapping at the floor, looking for the clutch. My right hand goes down to the gear shift, to try to change gears. It takes me a while to get used to automatic again.

 

[aliceneko]

I'm unable to drive at the moment due to a medical condition so I don't do either.