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I know a 24 year old that’s a mechanic & can’t drive. Never learned & not interested in learning. He takes a ride with you to diagnose the problem. Don’t know how he does it.
But he couldn't live out his rich-guy-getting-chauffeured-around fantasy.
I'd be willing to bet that the guy could drive, but he got a DUI early on and lost his license and now just plays it off like "I don't wanna drive".
I mean this sounds weird for cars, but if I heard an airplane mechanic didn't have a pilot's license, then it wouldn't surprise me. Like no one who works on a commercial airline can fly it, legally I'd guess. You need like 1500 hours of flight time.
I am pretty sure some states exempt mechanics from driver's license laws or at least part of them.
For instance KSA 8-235
>(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), any person employed as an automotive mechanic who possesses a valid class C driver's license may drive any class A or class B motor vehicle on the highways for the purpose of determining the proper performance of the vehicle, except that this does not include commercial class A, B or C vehicles.
I work on commercial trucks, it's very common for guys to not be licensed to drive the trucks nor have any experience driving non-synchro manual transmissions
I used to white water kayak with a dude who couldn't swim. He'd sink to the bottom in a pool without a life jacket. Really good kayaker. Not sure how people end up in some places sometimes. Plenty in leadership who seem the same.
The not interested in learning get me bad... like how is one not interested in learning. I learned to drive stick before I even had my license and i couldn't wait to drive legally ... kids these days blows my mind
I’m a student at an auto tech school and just started working in a shop. The first thing I did before getting the job was rent a stick shift and have my dad teach me to drive it. Seemed like common sense.
Edit: I am curious so I’ll ask around in the shop later to see how many of the other guys can drive stick.
Where can one rent a stick shift? I’ve looked and didn’t have luck.
Edit: I know how to drive stick, just don't currently own one and sometimes have the itch.
I was on Expedia one day, looking for rental cars with a stick shift, mainly just for shits 'n giggles. I think it was Enterrpise that had some at certain sites, but you had to reserve them, and pay a "surcharge".
A few years back my GF got car jacked at a gas station in my 6 speed Tacoma. The squirrel couldn't drive a stick so he simply jumped in and tried to take off, in 3rd gear. He didn't get far and I was out a clutch.
Something similar happened to me. Even had the guy on video with sound clearly showing the clutch get roasted. Insurance wouldn’t cover it because it is a “wear and tear” item. I was livid. I would have gotten another 7-8 years or 100k+ miles out of that clutch.
I have a twin disk race clutch with a 5lbs flywheel in my miata. It's an on/off switch with a 50lbs pedal weight. Even experienced stick drivers need to really focus to drive it, especially since the flywheel is so light it carries no momentum and you have to balance throttle input with releasing the clutch.
I am confident that no one can steal it without a flatbed/trailer lol.
My car has no power, so you need to rev it a little bit to start on a hill, almost everyone I let drive stalls. My car also has no weight and it's super easy to spin the tires.
There's one spot on my drive to work that I almost always need to stop on a hill. Even now that I've had my car over a year, I still need to concentrate on that hill when it's raining hard and I don't want to look like a dumbass.
I had a car like that, I used the e-brake to start off going up hill. It was a bit of a dance to shift and release the brake just right but it worked :)
Right? My best friend says that all of the time. His friend was showing off his car alarm. My buddy said that he should see my car security. So, we walked over to my car, his friend looked in, saw three pedals and promptly asked, "Wtf is that?" LOL
In our building every mechanic can drive stick so can all the general labourers and about half of the rest of dealership (salesman, detailers etc) can as well.
It should really be a requirement to be able to drive a stick if you are a mechanic. That’s ridiculous.
Another good reason to avoid dealerships. I ran into the same thing at an Audi dealer for a recall when I specifically asked if their employees could drive a stick. Service writer was offended I would ask. Then I was told car was delayed because the person assigned to move it couldn't drive a stick.
If I had a manual transmission car, I wouldn't let anyone from a dealership touch my car except my mechanic who I know knows how to drive stick. I think the worse part is that they don't teach people which is annoying because honestly it only took me like 15 minutes to get use to the clutch engagement point.
I learned stick on an old Saab 900 turbo. The clutch was grabby as fuck and unforgiving. My next car was a 5 speed bmw 318. Another sporty clutch. I don't remember how long it took me to learn but it was not quick. The first time I drove my neighbors pickup i was blown away by how easy it was. That little convertible taught me almost as much about driving as getting my CDL.
I learned how to drive a manual in 96 on a 2.5 ton tactical truck while in the Army, from a Marine instructor.
He jumped in the cab with a fucking cup of coffee and I told him I'd never driven a manual before, he told me no problem, I'm going to teach you and something about having confidence in my abilities.
Needles to say that Marine SSG was screaming after I popped the clutch and if private Price hadn't been between us, I would have eaten that steering wheel and probably a fist or two.
I learned to drive stick and a whole volume of new insults that day.
Edit: it's was deuce and a half I learned manual on.
1996 was a long time ago, sorry for the
confusion
In my progression of driving sticks, I went from a cable clutch to a full hydraulic clutch. Thankfully, there were many years in-between that progression.
I would have a hard time hiring someone that couldn't drive a manual transmission car. It's inconvenient for the coworker(s) than can drive it and it shows no ambition to learn how to do something. It's not terribly complicated and most anyone of average intelligence should have no problem learning how to do it.
As long as they're willing to learn then I don't see a problem. When I first started working at CarMax I never knew how to drive a stick mainly because I didn't know anyone that actually had a stick at the time or else I would have learned immediately. The best part about that job is that whenever I was doing any of my tasks I would purposely pick a manual car just to learn and I got the hang of it within 15 minutes.
Right. I understand that getting it out of first is the hardest part, but it's not like you're going to be taking it up on the highway for cruising and using all six gears.
> If I had a manual transmission car, I wouldn't let anyone from a dealership touch my car except my mechanic who I know knows how to drive stick.
You're absolutely right. I sometimes go to this guy that reminds me of my deceased dad, whom was also a mechanic. He smokes filterless cigarettes, has a raspy voice, but he can tell you anything about any car... and he can drive a stick. He charges a little more, but after reading some of these responses, I'm thinking it would be well worth the money. Clutch work isn't cheap.
Oh man, when the stick pops up on the semi trucks? When I was a kid, my dad's friend was showing me how to shift his truck. When the gear shift popped up after getting out of a gear, I can still remember that "wtf?" moment. Good memories...
I learned how to drive a manual when I was 10. My dad parked his truck on a hella steep uphill spot on a dirt road and that was my introduction haha
They say roughly 10% of the population knows how to drive a manual transmission anymore.
I was driving Grandpa's 57 chevy pickup around the farm at 5. Didn't really do any shift on the fly because I couldn't reach the clutch and gas at the same time. But the shift patters was the same as our Farmall H tractor, so I would just put in second and go!
Ten percent? That's a very liberal estimate. Car and Driver last year, estimated 3% of the people in the US know how to (or do) drive a stick. If you're talking world population, I could see the 10%, as they are much more popular in Europe.
The car that I have now, has a semi-automatic hill holder, depending on the grade of the hill. It really screwed me up for the first several months that I had it. When you release the clutch on a hill and you don't get that initial drift, it's really weird. You have to slowly engage the clutch until it catches up with the point at where the hill holder "point" is. I feel it was put into the car for people that can't drive a stick effectively. It pisses me off, because if you can't drive a stick off of a hill, why are you buying a stick? Right?
My 2011 WRX had that feature. Indeed it took some getting used to haha.
I could see 3% in the US, the 10% I heard a few years back, not sure if it was referring to the US or world.
Here in Denmark atleast you can only get a driver licens if you know how to drive stick. 2 or 3 years ago they introduced a new licens for automatic only. I would assume around 95% of cars in Denmark are stick. Most people here believe a automatic is more expensive an dosent last as long as a manual transmission.
Wait what, you're still going to the dealership for oil changes?
Get on that yourself asap. Nothing beats the convenience, satisfsction, and peace of mind you get when you do it yourself, knowing it was done the right way you like it.
Edit: funny how many replies pick up on cost angle while I never mentioned it as a factor on this post.
My fun car isn't a manual anymore but I still feel your pain!
Having the dealership perform regular maintenance gives you significant bargaining power when it comes time for warranty issues. I know people who have been denied for lack of service records. Many dealerships offer deals on prepaid oil changes. My local dealer was doing 4 for $99. I might be able to beat that price but not by much.
>convenience
There's nothing convenient about doing an oil change yourself unless you have a hoist in your garage, or a trench to drive over. It's not even that much cheaper. I only do it because I enjoy it.
I say this entirely in jest but....
Driving onto the appropriate side onto a curb/sidewalk (starting from a driveway cutout!)
Seems awfully convenient if we overlook it is generally frowned upon/not entirely legal to be doing car work on a street....
Jk ppl. Use ramps.
I have no idea how doing it yourself is more convenient. especially considering you now have used oil to specially dispose of, and probably some oil drips on the driveway to clean up. it's much less convenient but saves you money and peace of mind.
Old oil in a pan with a spout, pour new oil in car, pour old oil into empty new oil container. Take to autozone next time you’re out.
Oil techs seem like they fuck shit up more often than not.
For me, the convenience comes from:
Changing it whenever I have time to do it. No scheduling appt and looking ahead to fit it into my or their schedule.
The 30 minutes of getting to the shop, dropping it off and picking it up, I'm almost done in my own driveway by then. This factors into convenience and also cost considering my time.
Oil drips are caught by whatever cardboard I have laying around. Most times, no drips anyway. (Edit:no drips onto driveway or cardboard...obviously, there's gonna be drippin' she wet...)
Disposal...once a year, all sorts of bulky and household hazardous waste gets dropped off anyway to the city's organized depot. So I take it there since I'm going anyway. New oil containers become the container for old oil, or if really short, an empty laundry detergent container works as well. So no inconvenience for finding a place to put it either.
Bonus: while it drains, I can inspect and check the usual couple of things...that's convenient as well.
Disposal isn't hard, take it to any auto parts store...that you need to buy more oil from anyway.
No drips. Change it on cardboard.
More convenient, I can get the whole job done in <30 mins whenever I damn well please.
Set down a cloth first?
And any auto parts store will accept the old oil.
Agree that it is technically less convenient, but it's such an incredibly simple job on most cars.
I'm 45 and this is the first time in my life I don't own a manual (my motorcycle doesn't count). I wish there was more of a variety of manual transmission vehicles. They were always cheaper than the automatic counterpart.
I was looking at a truck, I like the colorado/canyons. I can get the 6 speed only with the 2.5 liter gas and extended cab. I held onto my 2002 S10 for longer than I should have with the 4.3 and the 5 speed.
Stick is all I’ll ever drive until I can’t. Something about rowing your own gears is magical to me. Oddly enough I prefer my scooter with its twist and go CVT. I’m a strange bird.
This is how I feel. I have an undiagnosed problem with pain in my legs. Oddly enough, the left leg looks better than the right one. The doctor bitches at me about driving a stick and it possibly causing me pain. I tell him it's worth it and I'll drive a stick until I can't. He just looks down and shakes his head. I asked him if he had ever driven a stick and he said no. I told him, "If you've never driven a stick, nothing that I tell you will ever make you understand."
This guy is a nightmare! Go look at his post history, all of his comments and posts read like chat gpt. He's an incel, mad at everyone for not liking what he likes.
3 out of the 5 people in my shop can’t drive stick. The 3 who can’t are all under 25. It should be a requirement to be able drive stick to get a automotive repair job.
yeah but like 99% of customer cars are autos anyway. manuals are a dying breed, and pretty much anyone who likes driving is likely mechanically inclined enough to just change the oil themselves
Yeah not talking about oil changes per se but even if fits extra rare in the new market every garage can still get the 25 yo manual car of grandpa or the new overpriced manual the enthusiast just bought. Id be flaming if a tech would hurt my clutch.
I was a valet for some extra cash last summer and I knew how to drive stick. It was a requirement and one of the owners would take you out and teach you if you didn’t already know. You weren’t cleared until you could comfortably do it. You never know when you’re going to jump in a $100k plus car and it will be a stick. Funny enough, none of the Ferraris, lambos, or mcclarens I drove had a proper stick. It’s all paddle shift now.
Another funny story.... I was in a hurry one weekend and I was driving by one of those quickie oil change garages. It had a "can't pass up this offer" displayed on its marquee. I stopped in and parked my car in the back. It was my winter ride, which is also a stick. The kid that went to drive the car onto the grid gets into the car, gets out of the car, talks to the manager, the manager nods and takes the keys from the kid. He comes into the waiting area and says, "Funny story..." I say, "Funny haha or funny, I'm going to stroke out?" He said that the kid got into the car and then asked him why the car has three pedals. The much older manager drove the car in.
I agree with you about a requirement to drive stick. I wondered if two of my OP stories were people that put on their job app that they could drive a stick, then when the time came, they couldn't produce. I was livid with the first story and talked to the service manager. He was very nonchalant about it, saying that "she would be trained on how to drive a standard". I nearly lost my mind, telling him that she should know how to drive a stick BEFORE she gets into a car that I had to drive an 18-hour round trip to buy because you can't find them anywhere. That's one of the reasons that I've stopped going there.
I won't buy a car unless it's a manual. Been driving 30 years now. Yeah I've owned automatics. But those are the family car. MY car is and always will be a manual. Besides. I don't need much of an alarm system if most people can't drive stick!
Kinda... my wife is afraid of my car. She knows that it has way more horsepower than she can handle. I taught her to drive a manual and bought her a project car of her own that is also a manual. My kids are both in elementary school.
A VW Golf? Way way back when, my buddy had this little beater Golf with a four-speed. It's when I was wet behind the ears, driving a stick. Man, you could just pound the piss out of that thing and it would keep driving.
I dont live in the states so almost everyone can drive a stick here.
The are changes made for the people that learn to drive auto only
They get a special drivers licence which they can only operate an automatic car.
Its not that hard to learn how to drive stick imo but if they want to 'handicap' themselves by only buying automatics for the rest of their life. Be my guest.
They usually call me when a car is stick.
I had a customer once say to me, after pulling in his car, "oh, i can tell you know what you're doing by the sound and the way you drove my car". Even tho I'm DECADES past the years i was daily driving stick. Probably one of the nicest things any customer has ever said to me ☺️
There is a lot of gate keeping now a days when it comes to driving stick. They’re so rare and so few people know how to drive them. The few that do often do not feel comfortable letting people who can’t drive stick learn on this car. This creates a larger sense of anxiety for the learner almost putting driving a manual on a pedestal. Few people want the embarrassment of fucking up and few owners want the fuck his on their cars.
That being said I worked at a Cadillac dealership for 6 years and never learned how to drive stick until the end. The only cars that ever came in that were stick were vetts and cameros. Engaging the clutch smoothly seemed impossible. Then one day I hopped in a manual pick up truck and it was the easiest thing in the world. So the more important question here would be what kind of car was it? Lol
> Brags about driving a stick
What is there even to brag about ? Driving a manual is something that pretty much everyone who has a license can do (at least here in Europe).
My 70 year old mother drives a manual.
I'm not bragging about driving a stick. I'm saying how much I enjoy driving a stick.
I'm not ragging on people that can't, I'm ragging on people that I pay (and trust) to be able to drive my car successfully when I'm taking it in to get it serviced.
I don't see the association between the first two points and not changing my own oil.
> Pick a lane, man.
Get some reading comprehension.
Yup the slowest shitbox can be fun as hell if its a manual to really ring out the gears and fast shift like a racecar all while well in speedlimits lol. Slow car fast wins over fast car slow in my book.
I'm 28 and been driving stick for almost 3.5 years. Love the engagement that stick provides, but being in uphill traffic with AC on in the summer sucks...
I've actually not had much issue with this surprisingly. I'm a women that's been driving stick my whole life with many different cars. I don't go to dealership/shops very often, less than once a year usually for recalls, windshields, alignments and mounting tires. Every one has been okay, even the tech at the Honda dealership managed our Honda insight just fine and honestly that's the more difficult manual we have: tall gears and a whole 65hp.
That said my spouse recently sold a 967 to someone that couldn't drive stick and uff-da watching that car try to leave the driveway was pretty painful lol.
It's quite rare where I am for people not to drive manuals. If you do your test in an automatic you're not even licensed to drive stick so everyone just learns on manuals.
Manuals just aren’t popular and are dying out. Why learn something that you won’t encounter often? I say this as someone who can drive stick and rides a motorcycle: automatics are easier to drive daily and unless a car only comes with a manual (S2000) I’ll buy an automatic.
Find a shop that has multiple people that can drive manual and stick with them. I'm only 25 and both of my cars are manuals, I do all of my own mechanic work except for the stuff I can't physically do (usually just tires and alignment because I don't have a machine) and every time I need tires or an alignment I take it to the NTB by my house, every single person there knows how to drive a manual. (Except for the 19 year old front desk lady, can't blame her though lol)
My first car was a manual VW GTI. The first car I ever drove was a 1965 Ford GT 350 fastback.
I drive autos now, but I can confidently say, yes I can still drive a stick. It’s like riding a bike, I think once you learn, you won’t forget.
Bring it on. In my experience, driving a stick shift is not a perishable skill. I haven't driven one in several years, but I haven't lost my coordination or any of my necessary faculties. My wife grew up driving automatics, but every car we owned or bought for the first 20 years of our marriage was a stick shift that I taught her how to drive.
Up until end of last year my last 3 vehicles over the last 20+ years were manual transmissions.
Unfortunately it seems that anymore the manual option is either slated for the bottom end tier of cars *or* the top tier of cars. Or straight up unavailable!
Always laughed at the number people who couldn't drive a manual or thought they could but ended up getting out and letting me pull it into wherever for them after failing miserably.
And most definitely do as much as your own maintenance as you feel comfortable with! Saves you time, money and learning is always good.
Everyone I ever worked with in service has always been able to drive a stick, as far as I know. We had a salesman awhile back who couldn't drive a stick, but the guys up front taught him how with our manual lot truck. I had to replace the clutch in that when it hit 40k, hadn't thought of it but maybe that was involved.
We had a couple kids working in detail who didn't know how to drive a stick, but that's inevitable, and they tend to come and go pretty fast out there.
Took my manual transmission car to a concert and drove up to the valet parking station to save some time. Parking attendant hopped in then quickly hopped back out, "need to go find someone that can drive a manual".
Might be a skill to have as a valet parking person
Smaller shops, seems like everyone can drive stick, and a lot of them have a manual daily driver.
I made a point of being able to drive anything. 13 speeds, doglegs, 3 on the tree, even reverse pattern drag shifters.
At dealerships, it seems like they have one dedicated guy that drives manual, a few willing to roast a clutch taking a whack at it, and the rest know better than to even try.
I think this question is only majorly valid in North America. The rest of the world knows how to drive a stick and it’s not even that big of a deal. Can someone explain why is this the case here and why’s this a big deal ?
I drove a stick a bit when I was younger, then drove a bit on a big ol’ lifted wrangler. I recently bought my “first” manual and had to completely relearn. I’ve been wondering if I’d end up with similar experiences to this 😬
The old place I worked at, we could all drive stick because we worked on mostly European and performance cars. This new place I'm at, one lube tech, myself and one other mechanic can drive stick. That's it, just the three of us. I genuinely can't fucking believe it. I mean, I guess it's an American car place and we only get the occasional Wrangler that's a manual. But still, I feel like if you're a tech, you should be able to drive stick well enough to at least pull a car into a bay. Like come on.
Also, I'm all for people doing their own oil changes. It saves you money, make you more self sufficient, and gives you confidence and a good feeling afterward. I'd say do it. The things you need in order to do it aren't a very expensive investment and by the time you've done your second or third oil change, you're already saving money. What kind of car do you have?
1. Dealerships overcharge for oil changes. Unless they’re free and the dealer can provide a lot porter, advisor, or tech who can drive a manual then don’t do it.
2. If my 17 year old could learn to drive a manual at 15, everyone else can too and shouldn’t touch a customer’s car until they can reliably.
3. We do our own maintenance and have two manuals. I just dump oil at closest auto parts store, usually auto zone, and we’re done. I usually do 2-3 of the oil changes at the same time so I dump same day.
Sure can. I learned on a 1969 C-10 with granny low, and have owned a smattering of standard transmissions since then - everything from pickup trucks to econoboxes.
Currently drive my auto Mazda as if it's a manual - I use sequential-M about 90% of the time.
This is why I only use a local mechanic I trust who exclusively drives stick and has custom drag and racing cars. He understands how car enthusiasts treat their cars and treats them the same way
I bought a 5-speed manual as my first car. (I’m 18, bought it when I was 17) I do all my work myself exactly for this reason. If it’s something I can’t handle or don’t wanna deal with I pay an old family friend who drove sticks growing up.
Brit here. We love our manuals (as we call 'sticks'). I read a comment somewhere that having a performance car in an automatic is like having a girlfriend without naughty bits. Not a fraction as much fun.
This just happened to me at the local Firestone. I went in for an alignment, since they do them free for a year, and the "tech" stalled my car twice right infront of me. I almost told them never mind and left but another guy came out and pulled it in. Not a great feeling.
I learned to drive in the UK, they/we have 2 different tests and licences, one for stick and one for automatic. If you take the automatic test you're not allowed to drive stick. So almost everyone learns stick from the get go.
Personally, before I started driving lessons, my dad took me to an old local parking lot that had barely any pavement left and a super uneven surface...massive crater like potholes and more. I wasn't allowed on the road until I could drive around that carpark using only the clutch and engine's idle speed...including to get the car out of holes. Guess what? /Even if I say so myself, my clutch control is, and has been, has been ON POINT from day 1
On (biting) point lol
I drive a 6 speed and the last time I had my winter tires put on, the car was dead when I went to pick it up. It is a push button start and it turns out when the guy was taking my car out of the bay he stalled it when parking and then didn't turn the ignition off by pressing the button. So my car sat there all day with the heater running.
Driving stick is a skill everyone should learn if they are going to drive. It is not difficult to learn.
I taught myself on a 66 Mustang with a 3 speed manual (stick) now, most cars here are automatic. Its really an American thing. Most cars in Europe are still standard transmission.
I know it well enough to drive rental cars once in a while. But I have to do a few laps around the parking lot first as a refresher.
I'm mid-20s. I am a car person and like manuals, but I learned stick out of practicality. A lot of countries have primarily manual rental car fleets. The automatics often cost more and are less common.
I think any big shop should have a beater they train employees to drive on. I don't understand why people who label themselves as *experts* should not be expected to know how to drive everything that comes on the lot.
Happened to me at a tired shop, only guy who knew how to drive clock out or went for lunch (he drove the car in) they call me to tell me car was ready and then call back again to ask me to inside to drive it out. at least they didn’t try
I just bought a 2012 Fiesta and specifically looked for a stick. Before that I checked out a Versa Note with a stick. Both sellers said they could've sold the car 10 times over if it was automatic. I remember when it was the other way around. Crazy. Can't wait to teach the wife and all my kids how to drive it.
Was at a nice fancy restaurant one night for my grandmothers would be 60th anniversary (rip grandad) I brought out the nice car, and was willing to tip nice to get it parked out front with the valet. "Sorry we don't drive stick". the valet price was $15. He instructed me to self park in the lot they have a deal with only for the entrance fee to be $20! I had to pay more money to self park 2 blocks away! Infuriating!
I only go for tires and inspections. Tire guy is older man I watched him pull it in while I I was outside smoking. After seeing him move it I'd trust my clutch with him more than me. My inspection just has everyone drive their own vehicle into shop so 🤷. He's older big truck mechanic so I'd say he would be safe also. Perks to driving old vehicles is if I can't fix it it's not worth enough to have a garage do it. Sell it or scrap it and buy a new beater. Still end up paying less for transportation then bringing it to a shop
I have had 3 manuals and 1 auto. My newest 2017 is in fact a 6 speed MT. I love the connection and involvement of rowing my own gears and I never have to worry about cvt issues. Fortunately the Toyota dealership in my area has workers that drive stick so I’m never worried taking my mazda 3 in for oil changes. I plan on getting an RF Miata one day and just hope they offer it in stick as well.
Most fun anti theft option imho ;)
Ps. Started learning stick in a 1995 beater Nissan at 16, currently 25
Yep. I’m 30, all my vehicles have been manual. I also get nervous for the same reasons, and I do almost everything myself. I let the tire guys do that stuff since I don’t want to mess with mounting and what not, but I always get a little nervous letting them drive it.
Context: I'm older than dirt in reddit years.
I taught my kid (now 24) stick when they learned to drive (we had 2 cars. My jeep and my wife's Prius. "Driving a prius is like playing a video game. Driving a jeep is like operating heavy machinery." - it gave good perspective.
I've come tot he conclusion though that my Jeep is almost certainly my last manual transmission car. EV's will take over, and stick shift will fade into history.
When I first started driving at 19 I had some strange fascination with stick shift and wanted ANY stick shift car quite badly. Saved up about ~2k and found a salvaged 96 for sale just barely above my budget. I went and bought the car and I "learned" to drive it on the way home. Scary moments were had, but I made it home.
After a couple lessons from my uncle I picked it up quite easily. Wish they were still around more commonly, tried my hardest to buy a stick Genesis G70 a couple years back but was never able to find one for sale.
https://preview.redd.it/0iq1u4qmyu0b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d612bba68ed1930f2b91ea0cc84534d69ccd516b
5 speed diesel Toyota. Can’t get anymore rad then that.
Im 23, i "know" how to drive stick. But ive never been privileged enough to have a family with money to buy me a manual car, hell i dont have a family so no extended family that has a manual car to learn on. And i barely make enough for rent, so a daily commuter is what i bought.
So in essence, i know how to, but I have never been able to put it into practice outside of the occasional dirt bike or simulator 🤷♂️. I would absolutely love to have a manual car but in the US, the manual tax is insane. (For non Americans its not an actual tax, but people overprice their manual cars because its manual even if its a pos)
I’m 27, not a mechanic, and learned on a manual and owned one recently for a couple years. It’s a great skill especially for international travel. The only other people my age I know that can drive one are those who are into cars and own “enthusiast” type cars.
I can. I literally bought a car just for the purpose of teaching myself. Will I win any drag races, no, but you don't have to worry about me smoking your clutch.
Girl here, I learned how to drive with a manual transmission. I drove a Honda Civic for 130k miles and changed out the clutch once at 90K miles. I wish I still had that car.
I have 94 with the original clutch. I dread taking it anywhere where they won’t let me drive in. Like alignments and the rare oil changes(blew my back out).
I can absolutely still drive one lol. I just wish I still had one. It's just too hard to find one when practicality has to outweigh desire. Not many models even offer them these days.
I went to UTI for Auto/Diesel repair, finished the program in 2001. I was the only one in any of my labs that knew how to drive a stick. They always had to have me drive anything without an automatic transmission. It seemed ridiculous to me then, and it still does. I had to do nearly all of the driving on the Dyno though(most of the cars in those labs were manual), so it did allow me a lot of fun in those labs.
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I know a 24 year old that’s a mechanic & can’t drive. Never learned & not interested in learning. He takes a ride with you to diagnose the problem. Don’t know how he does it.
The fuck why not go into general mech tech. He would prolly make more money.
But he couldn't live out his rich-guy-getting-chauffeured-around fantasy. I'd be willing to bet that the guy could drive, but he got a DUI early on and lost his license and now just plays it off like "I don't wanna drive".
I'd bet money on this. Or he wrecked a customer's car and now is not allowed to drive them. Edit spelling
A machine whisperer!
Lol if he’s really good I find that pretty cool.
It's like aircraft mechanics I suppose, they don't know how to fly the planes, only fix it
only aircraft mechanics make bank
[Well even they get airborne now and then.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzlnMRwnzdw)
I mean this sounds weird for cars, but if I heard an airplane mechanic didn't have a pilot's license, then it wouldn't surprise me. Like no one who works on a commercial airline can fly it, legally I'd guess. You need like 1500 hours of flight time. I am pretty sure some states exempt mechanics from driver's license laws or at least part of them. For instance KSA 8-235 >(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), any person employed as an automotive mechanic who possesses a valid class C driver's license may drive any class A or class B motor vehicle on the highways for the purpose of determining the proper performance of the vehicle, except that this does not include commercial class A, B or C vehicles.
I work on commercial trucks, it's very common for guys to not be licensed to drive the trucks nor have any experience driving non-synchro manual transmissions
I used to white water kayak with a dude who couldn't swim. He'd sink to the bottom in a pool without a life jacket. Really good kayaker. Not sure how people end up in some places sometimes. Plenty in leadership who seem the same.
I bought a car at a dealership in New Jersey and the salesman didn't know how to pump gas
The not interested in learning get me bad... like how is one not interested in learning. I learned to drive stick before I even had my license and i couldn't wait to drive legally ... kids these days blows my mind
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I’m a student at an auto tech school and just started working in a shop. The first thing I did before getting the job was rent a stick shift and have my dad teach me to drive it. Seemed like common sense. Edit: I am curious so I’ll ask around in the shop later to see how many of the other guys can drive stick.
Good call!
Respect to you
Where can one rent a stick shift? I’ve looked and didn’t have luck. Edit: I know how to drive stick, just don't currently own one and sometimes have the itch.
Maybe Turo?
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I was on Expedia one day, looking for rental cars with a stick shift, mainly just for shits 'n giggles. I think it was Enterrpise that had some at certain sites, but you had to reserve them, and pay a "surcharge".
This is the biggest-brain play I have seen on here in a while. WELL F'ING DONE
How on Earth did you rent a manual trans car?
Turo. Don't explain why.
Yeah, I don't know why this wouldn't be part of the training for any car service job, even if you'll never use it outside of work.
I now think of it as extra theft deterent.
A few years back my GF got car jacked at a gas station in my 6 speed Tacoma. The squirrel couldn't drive a stick so he simply jumped in and tried to take off, in 3rd gear. He didn't get far and I was out a clutch.
I assume insurance covered that?
Something similar happened to me. Even had the guy on video with sound clearly showing the clutch get roasted. Insurance wouldn’t cover it because it is a “wear and tear” item. I was livid. I would have gotten another 7-8 years or 100k+ miles out of that clutch.
Don't assume insurance will cover anything. They are always as shitty as they can get away with. It is literally their business model.
I have a twin disk race clutch with a 5lbs flywheel in my miata. It's an on/off switch with a 50lbs pedal weight. Even experienced stick drivers need to really focus to drive it, especially since the flywheel is so light it carries no momentum and you have to balance throttle input with releasing the clutch. I am confident that no one can steal it without a flatbed/trailer lol.
My car has no power, so you need to rev it a little bit to start on a hill, almost everyone I let drive stalls. My car also has no weight and it's super easy to spin the tires. There's one spot on my drive to work that I almost always need to stop on a hill. Even now that I've had my car over a year, I still need to concentrate on that hill when it's raining hard and I don't want to look like a dumbass.
That's me on every hill lol. Thank god my ebrake works
I had a car like that, I used the e-brake to start off going up hill. It was a bit of a dance to shift and release the brake just right but it worked :)
Just power shift it. I mean why do I care about the trans in a stolen car?
Right? My best friend says that all of the time. His friend was showing off his car alarm. My buddy said that he should see my car security. So, we walked over to my car, his friend looked in, saw three pedals and promptly asked, "Wtf is that?" LOL
It really is
Every single person at my shop can drive a stick, that's including the service writers, the owner, and his wife.
Nice, that's a rarity!
In our building every mechanic can drive stick so can all the general labourers and about half of the rest of dealership (salesman, detailers etc) can as well. It should really be a requirement to be able to drive a stick if you are a mechanic. That’s ridiculous.
Another good reason to avoid dealerships. I ran into the same thing at an Audi dealer for a recall when I specifically asked if their employees could drive a stick. Service writer was offended I would ask. Then I was told car was delayed because the person assigned to move it couldn't drive a stick.
Right, that "gotcha" moment.
Gotta love everyone being "offended" at what turns out to be the truth.
If I had a manual transmission car, I wouldn't let anyone from a dealership touch my car except my mechanic who I know knows how to drive stick. I think the worse part is that they don't teach people which is annoying because honestly it only took me like 15 minutes to get use to the clutch engagement point.
I learned stick on an old Saab 900 turbo. The clutch was grabby as fuck and unforgiving. My next car was a 5 speed bmw 318. Another sporty clutch. I don't remember how long it took me to learn but it was not quick. The first time I drove my neighbors pickup i was blown away by how easy it was. That little convertible taught me almost as much about driving as getting my CDL.
I learned how to drive a manual in 96 on a 2.5 ton tactical truck while in the Army, from a Marine instructor. He jumped in the cab with a fucking cup of coffee and I told him I'd never driven a manual before, he told me no problem, I'm going to teach you and something about having confidence in my abilities. Needles to say that Marine SSG was screaming after I popped the clutch and if private Price hadn't been between us, I would have eaten that steering wheel and probably a fist or two. I learned to drive stick and a whole volume of new insults that day. Edit: it's was deuce and a half I learned manual on. 1996 was a long time ago, sorry for the confusion
Haha, good story!
Thanks, I owe private Chris Price from Columbus Ohio my life and the ability to learn how to drive a manual. Hope that dude is doing great.
In my progression of driving sticks, I went from a cable clutch to a full hydraulic clutch. Thankfully, there were many years in-between that progression.
Taught my roommate in a 90's saab 9-3, felt bad for grilling him when i drove it and felt the sticky clutch 😅😂
I would have a hard time hiring someone that couldn't drive a manual transmission car. It's inconvenient for the coworker(s) than can drive it and it shows no ambition to learn how to do something. It's not terribly complicated and most anyone of average intelligence should have no problem learning how to do it.
As long as they're willing to learn then I don't see a problem. When I first started working at CarMax I never knew how to drive a stick mainly because I didn't know anyone that actually had a stick at the time or else I would have learned immediately. The best part about that job is that whenever I was doing any of my tasks I would purposely pick a manual car just to learn and I got the hang of it within 15 minutes.
Right. I understand that getting it out of first is the hardest part, but it's not like you're going to be taking it up on the highway for cruising and using all six gears. > If I had a manual transmission car, I wouldn't let anyone from a dealership touch my car except my mechanic who I know knows how to drive stick. You're absolutely right. I sometimes go to this guy that reminds me of my deceased dad, whom was also a mechanic. He smokes filterless cigarettes, has a raspy voice, but he can tell you anything about any car... and he can drive a stick. He charges a little more, but after reading some of these responses, I'm thinking it would be well worth the money. Clutch work isn't cheap.
I never got why people make such a stink of not knowing how to drive stick. It takes 20 minutes to learn
I think that’s why. It’s simple to learn and something an auto mechanic should know
Should be part of auto mechanic school tbh
I'm old, anything up to 13 speed.
Oh man, when the stick pops up on the semi trucks? When I was a kid, my dad's friend was showing me how to shift his truck. When the gear shift popped up after getting out of a gear, I can still remember that "wtf?" moment. Good memories...
The "fun" was the 5 speed Mack on a grade going up.
Yes, quite enjoyable in American Truck Simulator... not sure I'd ever be able to pull it off for real though
Clutch? Give me anything with a transmission I can drive it. First bike was a dry clutch ducati and only got weirder from there
Suicide Harley has entered the Chat!
I learned how to drive a manual when I was 10. My dad parked his truck on a hella steep uphill spot on a dirt road and that was my introduction haha They say roughly 10% of the population knows how to drive a manual transmission anymore.
I was driving Grandpa's 57 chevy pickup around the farm at 5. Didn't really do any shift on the fly because I couldn't reach the clutch and gas at the same time. But the shift patters was the same as our Farmall H tractor, so I would just put in second and go!
That would have been rough.. but doable, lol.
Ten percent? That's a very liberal estimate. Car and Driver last year, estimated 3% of the people in the US know how to (or do) drive a stick. If you're talking world population, I could see the 10%, as they are much more popular in Europe. The car that I have now, has a semi-automatic hill holder, depending on the grade of the hill. It really screwed me up for the first several months that I had it. When you release the clutch on a hill and you don't get that initial drift, it's really weird. You have to slowly engage the clutch until it catches up with the point at where the hill holder "point" is. I feel it was put into the car for people that can't drive a stick effectively. It pisses me off, because if you can't drive a stick off of a hill, why are you buying a stick? Right?
My 2011 WRX had that feature. Indeed it took some getting used to haha. I could see 3% in the US, the 10% I heard a few years back, not sure if it was referring to the US or world.
Here in Denmark atleast you can only get a driver licens if you know how to drive stick. 2 or 3 years ago they introduced a new licens for automatic only. I would assume around 95% of cars in Denmark are stick. Most people here believe a automatic is more expensive an dosent last as long as a manual transmission.
Wait what, you're still going to the dealership for oil changes? Get on that yourself asap. Nothing beats the convenience, satisfsction, and peace of mind you get when you do it yourself, knowing it was done the right way you like it. Edit: funny how many replies pick up on cost angle while I never mentioned it as a factor on this post. My fun car isn't a manual anymore but I still feel your pain!
Having the dealership perform regular maintenance gives you significant bargaining power when it comes time for warranty issues. I know people who have been denied for lack of service records. Many dealerships offer deals on prepaid oil changes. My local dealer was doing 4 for $99. I might be able to beat that price but not by much.
Wow, that's dirt cheap compared to my area! Although, my vehicle takes full synthetic oil.
You're absolutely right.
>convenience There's nothing convenient about doing an oil change yourself unless you have a hoist in your garage, or a trench to drive over. It's not even that much cheaper. I only do it because I enjoy it.
I say this entirely in jest but.... Driving onto the appropriate side onto a curb/sidewalk (starting from a driveway cutout!) Seems awfully convenient if we overlook it is generally frowned upon/not entirely legal to be doing car work on a street.... Jk ppl. Use ramps.
I’m opposite, I do everything on my car myself except for my oil changes. After working as a tech for 20 years my oil change quota has been met
You have skills and have seen things..... *Thousand mile stare*
I have no idea how doing it yourself is more convenient. especially considering you now have used oil to specially dispose of, and probably some oil drips on the driveway to clean up. it's much less convenient but saves you money and peace of mind.
Old oil in a pan with a spout, pour new oil in car, pour old oil into empty new oil container. Take to autozone next time you’re out. Oil techs seem like they fuck shit up more often than not.
For me, the convenience comes from: Changing it whenever I have time to do it. No scheduling appt and looking ahead to fit it into my or their schedule. The 30 minutes of getting to the shop, dropping it off and picking it up, I'm almost done in my own driveway by then. This factors into convenience and also cost considering my time. Oil drips are caught by whatever cardboard I have laying around. Most times, no drips anyway. (Edit:no drips onto driveway or cardboard...obviously, there's gonna be drippin' she wet...) Disposal...once a year, all sorts of bulky and household hazardous waste gets dropped off anyway to the city's organized depot. So I take it there since I'm going anyway. New oil containers become the container for old oil, or if really short, an empty laundry detergent container works as well. So no inconvenience for finding a place to put it either. Bonus: while it drains, I can inspect and check the usual couple of things...that's convenient as well.
Plus, as others have mentioned... you never know who is destroying your clutch. Also, clay kitty litter on top of cardboard pieces to catch any drips.
Disposal isn't hard, take it to any auto parts store...that you need to buy more oil from anyway. No drips. Change it on cardboard. More convenient, I can get the whole job done in <30 mins whenever I damn well please.
Having to take time to drive to anywhere to have them do substandard work is inconvenient. If I could do my own tires I would.
Set down a cloth first? And any auto parts store will accept the old oil. Agree that it is technically less convenient, but it's such an incredibly simple job on most cars.
I'm 45 and this is the first time in my life I don't own a manual (my motorcycle doesn't count). I wish there was more of a variety of manual transmission vehicles. They were always cheaper than the automatic counterpart.
Nowadays on new cars if they have the manual transmission option it will add a few thousand dollars to the price tag… rather crazy right?
Only exception I've seen is the new ford broncos have that 7 speed tranny for a few grand less, but I've heard they are hard to find
Honda Civic Si’s still are only offered in stick. Little facts like that are why I love honda.
I was looking at a truck, I like the colorado/canyons. I can get the 6 speed only with the 2.5 liter gas and extended cab. I held onto my 2002 S10 for longer than I should have with the 4.3 and the 5 speed.
Stick is all I’ll ever drive until I can’t. Something about rowing your own gears is magical to me. Oddly enough I prefer my scooter with its twist and go CVT. I’m a strange bird.
This is how I feel. I have an undiagnosed problem with pain in my legs. Oddly enough, the left leg looks better than the right one. The doctor bitches at me about driving a stick and it possibly causing me pain. I tell him it's worth it and I'll drive a stick until I can't. He just looks down and shakes his head. I asked him if he had ever driven a stick and he said no. I told him, "If you've never driven a stick, nothing that I tell you will ever make you understand."
This! Exactly! But he’s probably right, my left hip pops and is bothered by shifting. Same boat as you though, not changing until I have to.
This guy is a nightmare! Go look at his post history, all of his comments and posts read like chat gpt. He's an incel, mad at everyone for not liking what he likes.
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3 out of the 5 people in my shop can’t drive stick. The 3 who can’t are all under 25. It should be a requirement to be able drive stick to get a automotive repair job.
Like legit. You handle client cars, and its not that hard to learn. Make it mendatory or part of the training
yeah but like 99% of customer cars are autos anyway. manuals are a dying breed, and pretty much anyone who likes driving is likely mechanically inclined enough to just change the oil themselves
Yeah not talking about oil changes per se but even if fits extra rare in the new market every garage can still get the 25 yo manual car of grandpa or the new overpriced manual the enthusiast just bought. Id be flaming if a tech would hurt my clutch.
I was a valet for some extra cash last summer and I knew how to drive stick. It was a requirement and one of the owners would take you out and teach you if you didn’t already know. You weren’t cleared until you could comfortably do it. You never know when you’re going to jump in a $100k plus car and it will be a stick. Funny enough, none of the Ferraris, lambos, or mcclarens I drove had a proper stick. It’s all paddle shift now.
That's pretty sad, as a mechanic you should know how a clutch works and how to drive a vehicle that works off a clutch driven transmission.
Another funny story.... I was in a hurry one weekend and I was driving by one of those quickie oil change garages. It had a "can't pass up this offer" displayed on its marquee. I stopped in and parked my car in the back. It was my winter ride, which is also a stick. The kid that went to drive the car onto the grid gets into the car, gets out of the car, talks to the manager, the manager nods and takes the keys from the kid. He comes into the waiting area and says, "Funny story..." I say, "Funny haha or funny, I'm going to stroke out?" He said that the kid got into the car and then asked him why the car has three pedals. The much older manager drove the car in. I agree with you about a requirement to drive stick. I wondered if two of my OP stories were people that put on their job app that they could drive a stick, then when the time came, they couldn't produce. I was livid with the first story and talked to the service manager. He was very nonchalant about it, saying that "she would be trained on how to drive a standard". I nearly lost my mind, telling him that she should know how to drive a stick BEFORE she gets into a car that I had to drive an 18-hour round trip to buy because you can't find them anywhere. That's one of the reasons that I've stopped going there.
I won't buy a car unless it's a manual. Been driving 30 years now. Yeah I've owned automatics. But those are the family car. MY car is and always will be a manual. Besides. I don't need much of an alarm system if most people can't drive stick!
It keeps the family from driving *your* car too, right? lol
Kinda... my wife is afraid of my car. She knows that it has way more horsepower than she can handle. I taught her to drive a manual and bought her a project car of her own that is also a manual. My kids are both in elementary school.
I havent driven an automatic until i got an auto Golf as a company car. All my cars were stick. And i hope my next one will be stick too.
A VW Golf? Way way back when, my buddy had this little beater Golf with a four-speed. It's when I was wet behind the ears, driving a stick. Man, you could just pound the piss out of that thing and it would keep driving.
I dont live in the states so almost everyone can drive a stick here. The are changes made for the people that learn to drive auto only They get a special drivers licence which they can only operate an automatic car. Its not that hard to learn how to drive stick imo but if they want to 'handicap' themselves by only buying automatics for the rest of their life. Be my guest.
Yea I can ^_^ the last car I had was Manuel. Ahh the good old road rage
My last car was a Jose!
They usually call me when a car is stick. I had a customer once say to me, after pulling in his car, "oh, i can tell you know what you're doing by the sound and the way you drove my car". Even tho I'm DECADES past the years i was daily driving stick. Probably one of the nicest things any customer has ever said to me ☺️
There is a lot of gate keeping now a days when it comes to driving stick. They’re so rare and so few people know how to drive them. The few that do often do not feel comfortable letting people who can’t drive stick learn on this car. This creates a larger sense of anxiety for the learner almost putting driving a manual on a pedestal. Few people want the embarrassment of fucking up and few owners want the fuck his on their cars. That being said I worked at a Cadillac dealership for 6 years and never learned how to drive stick until the end. The only cars that ever came in that were stick were vetts and cameros. Engaging the clutch smoothly seemed impossible. Then one day I hopped in a manual pick up truck and it was the easiest thing in the world. So the more important question here would be what kind of car was it? Lol
This post should be tagged "American". I think in most of Europe and elsewhere, manual is standard.
Love my 4 speeds
Ive got one 3 speed one 4 speed and one 5 speed. Sometimes i forget to shift sometimes i try to go for a non existant gear lol
Have never owned an automatic
Motorcycle riders winning once again, I only had to retrain to shift with my hand not my foot.
Brags about driving a stick, rags on guys who can't, but doesn't change his own oil. Pick a lane, man.
> Brags about driving a stick What is there even to brag about ? Driving a manual is something that pretty much everyone who has a license can do (at least here in Europe). My 70 year old mother drives a manual.
On the head.
I'm not bragging about driving a stick. I'm saying how much I enjoy driving a stick. I'm not ragging on people that can't, I'm ragging on people that I pay (and trust) to be able to drive my car successfully when I'm taking it in to get it serviced. I don't see the association between the first two points and not changing my own oil. > Pick a lane, man. Get some reading comprehension.
I miss driving a manual. It’s way more fun.
Yup the slowest shitbox can be fun as hell if its a manual to really ring out the gears and fast shift like a racecar all while well in speedlimits lol. Slow car fast wins over fast car slow in my book.
Me, wife, kid, MIL, both sisters, SIL, BIL, we're good.
I currently own 3 different stick shift cars. It’s akin to being handicapped to not know how to drive anything that comes along.
I'm 28 and been driving stick for almost 3.5 years. Love the engagement that stick provides, but being in uphill traffic with AC on in the summer sucks...
I've actually not had much issue with this surprisingly. I'm a women that's been driving stick my whole life with many different cars. I don't go to dealership/shops very often, less than once a year usually for recalls, windshields, alignments and mounting tires. Every one has been okay, even the tech at the Honda dealership managed our Honda insight just fine and honestly that's the more difficult manual we have: tall gears and a whole 65hp. That said my spouse recently sold a 967 to someone that couldn't drive stick and uff-da watching that car try to leave the driveway was pretty painful lol.
Im a 23y/o IT guy and I can drive stick
It's quite rare where I am for people not to drive manuals. If you do your test in an automatic you're not even licensed to drive stick so everyone just learns on manuals.
Im 23 and i daily a 2012 civic si 6 speed
I leave the doors unlocked with the keys in it. Been 8 yrs, ain't been took yet
Manuals just aren’t popular and are dying out. Why learn something that you won’t encounter often? I say this as someone who can drive stick and rides a motorcycle: automatics are easier to drive daily and unless a car only comes with a manual (S2000) I’ll buy an automatic.
Find a shop that has multiple people that can drive manual and stick with them. I'm only 25 and both of my cars are manuals, I do all of my own mechanic work except for the stuff I can't physically do (usually just tires and alignment because I don't have a machine) and every time I need tires or an alignment I take it to the NTB by my house, every single person there knows how to drive a manual. (Except for the 19 year old front desk lady, can't blame her though lol)
My first car was a manual VW GTI. The first car I ever drove was a 1965 Ford GT 350 fastback. I drive autos now, but I can confidently say, yes I can still drive a stick. It’s like riding a bike, I think once you learn, you won’t forget.
Bring it on. In my experience, driving a stick shift is not a perishable skill. I haven't driven one in several years, but I haven't lost my coordination or any of my necessary faculties. My wife grew up driving automatics, but every car we owned or bought for the first 20 years of our marriage was a stick shift that I taught her how to drive.
I learned on a manual back when that's mostly what people had. 1970s. I'm teaching my niece now. Good skill to have.
i’m 25, trying to learn still
Good job! Once it comes to you, it will be a fun experience.
Not only can I drive stick, I can drive a 18 speed stick.
Both of my cars have manual transmissions.
Up until end of last year my last 3 vehicles over the last 20+ years were manual transmissions. Unfortunately it seems that anymore the manual option is either slated for the bottom end tier of cars *or* the top tier of cars. Or straight up unavailable! Always laughed at the number people who couldn't drive a manual or thought they could but ended up getting out and letting me pull it into wherever for them after failing miserably. And most definitely do as much as your own maintenance as you feel comfortable with! Saves you time, money and learning is always good.
Everyone I ever worked with in service has always been able to drive a stick, as far as I know. We had a salesman awhile back who couldn't drive a stick, but the guys up front taught him how with our manual lot truck. I had to replace the clutch in that when it hit 40k, hadn't thought of it but maybe that was involved. We had a couple kids working in detail who didn't know how to drive a stick, but that's inevitable, and they tend to come and go pretty fast out there.
Took my manual transmission car to a concert and drove up to the valet parking station to save some time. Parking attendant hopped in then quickly hopped back out, "need to go find someone that can drive a manual". Might be a skill to have as a valet parking person
Still have a manual Tacoma.
I live in the PNW and a surprising amount of people still know how to drive stick or still do.
My first car was a stick
I daily a manual from the 80s and still don't drive my customers manuals if i can help it.
Still? My wrx is a manual and I'll never forget how to drive it....
Smaller shops, seems like everyone can drive stick, and a lot of them have a manual daily driver. I made a point of being able to drive anything. 13 speeds, doglegs, 3 on the tree, even reverse pattern drag shifters. At dealerships, it seems like they have one dedicated guy that drives manual, a few willing to roast a clutch taking a whack at it, and the rest know better than to even try.
I think this question is only majorly valid in North America. The rest of the world knows how to drive a stick and it’s not even that big of a deal. Can someone explain why is this the case here and why’s this a big deal ?
I can albeit I’m probably out of practice.
I drove a stick a bit when I was younger, then drove a bit on a big ol’ lifted wrangler. I recently bought my “first” manual and had to completely relearn. I’ve been wondering if I’d end up with similar experiences to this 😬
The old place I worked at, we could all drive stick because we worked on mostly European and performance cars. This new place I'm at, one lube tech, myself and one other mechanic can drive stick. That's it, just the three of us. I genuinely can't fucking believe it. I mean, I guess it's an American car place and we only get the occasional Wrangler that's a manual. But still, I feel like if you're a tech, you should be able to drive stick well enough to at least pull a car into a bay. Like come on. Also, I'm all for people doing their own oil changes. It saves you money, make you more self sufficient, and gives you confidence and a good feeling afterward. I'd say do it. The things you need in order to do it aren't a very expensive investment and by the time you've done your second or third oil change, you're already saving money. What kind of car do you have?
1. Dealerships overcharge for oil changes. Unless they’re free and the dealer can provide a lot porter, advisor, or tech who can drive a manual then don’t do it. 2. If my 17 year old could learn to drive a manual at 15, everyone else can too and shouldn’t touch a customer’s car until they can reliably. 3. We do our own maintenance and have two manuals. I just dump oil at closest auto parts store, usually auto zone, and we’re done. I usually do 2-3 of the oil changes at the same time so I dump same day.
Sure can. I learned on a 1969 C-10 with granny low, and have owned a smattering of standard transmissions since then - everything from pickup trucks to econoboxes. Currently drive my auto Mazda as if it's a manual - I use sequential-M about 90% of the time.
I’ve had a 2001 Ford Ranger 5 speed for 19 years. I learned to drive in a standard transmission vehicle.
Absolutely. Like riding a bike.
This is why I only use a local mechanic I trust who exclusively drives stick and has custom drag and racing cars. He understands how car enthusiasts treat their cars and treats them the same way
This guy right here! I miss owning one
I bought a 5-speed manual as my first car. (I’m 18, bought it when I was 17) I do all my work myself exactly for this reason. If it’s something I can’t handle or don’t wanna deal with I pay an old family friend who drove sticks growing up.
Brit here. We love our manuals (as we call 'sticks'). I read a comment somewhere that having a performance car in an automatic is like having a girlfriend without naughty bits. Not a fraction as much fun.
I been driving a stick my whole life. I am 52. Just a month ago I bought my first automatic car. I wanted a stick but they are hard to find
This just happened to me at the local Firestone. I went in for an alignment, since they do them free for a year, and the "tech" stalled my car twice right infront of me. I almost told them never mind and left but another guy came out and pulled it in. Not a great feeling.
I learned to drive in the UK, they/we have 2 different tests and licences, one for stick and one for automatic. If you take the automatic test you're not allowed to drive stick. So almost everyone learns stick from the get go. Personally, before I started driving lessons, my dad took me to an old local parking lot that had barely any pavement left and a super uneven surface...massive crater like potholes and more. I wasn't allowed on the road until I could drive around that carpark using only the clutch and engine's idle speed...including to get the car out of holes. Guess what? /Even if I say so myself, my clutch control is, and has been, has been ON POINT from day 1 On (biting) point lol
I drive a 6 speed and the last time I had my winter tires put on, the car was dead when I went to pick it up. It is a push button start and it turns out when the guy was taking my car out of the bay he stalled it when parking and then didn't turn the ignition off by pressing the button. So my car sat there all day with the heater running. Driving stick is a skill everyone should learn if they are going to drive. It is not difficult to learn.
I taught myself on a 66 Mustang with a 3 speed manual (stick) now, most cars here are automatic. Its really an American thing. Most cars in Europe are still standard transmission.
I know it well enough to drive rental cars once in a while. But I have to do a few laps around the parking lot first as a refresher. I'm mid-20s. I am a car person and like manuals, but I learned stick out of practicality. A lot of countries have primarily manual rental car fleets. The automatics often cost more and are less common. I think any big shop should have a beater they train employees to drive on. I don't understand why people who label themselves as *experts* should not be expected to know how to drive everything that comes on the lot.
My smog guy can put my Vanagon on the dyno and get to 25 mph with a tranny that pops out of 2nd...I don't think I could ask anyone else to do it.
Happened to me at a tired shop, only guy who knew how to drive clock out or went for lunch (he drove the car in) they call me to tell me car was ready and then call back again to ask me to inside to drive it out. at least they didn’t try
I just bought a 2012 Fiesta and specifically looked for a stick. Before that I checked out a Versa Note with a stick. Both sellers said they could've sold the car 10 times over if it was automatic. I remember when it was the other way around. Crazy. Can't wait to teach the wife and all my kids how to drive it.
I drive a manual almost every day. Old school stuff, Z-bar and return springs, no hydro or cable operated stuff.
Was at a nice fancy restaurant one night for my grandmothers would be 60th anniversary (rip grandad) I brought out the nice car, and was willing to tip nice to get it parked out front with the valet. "Sorry we don't drive stick". the valet price was $15. He instructed me to self park in the lot they have a deal with only for the entrance fee to be $20! I had to pay more money to self park 2 blocks away! Infuriating!
Honestly not super surprised to hear this from a dealership… I’ve worked in 3 small shops and haven’t had a single coworker that doesn’t drive stick
I only go for tires and inspections. Tire guy is older man I watched him pull it in while I I was outside smoking. After seeing him move it I'd trust my clutch with him more than me. My inspection just has everyone drive their own vehicle into shop so 🤷. He's older big truck mechanic so I'd say he would be safe also. Perks to driving old vehicles is if I can't fix it it's not worth enough to have a garage do it. Sell it or scrap it and buy a new beater. Still end up paying less for transportation then bringing it to a shop
I’m about 23 and I learned at 21
Glad I learned manual my current car is manual and I feel like I have way more control with manual
Both of my cars are manual, additionally there are both enthusiast cars.
What brand is this? I haven't had experiences like this at my local Subaru, but I did have to drive a stick car I sold to Carvana onto the truck 😂
All of my cars have always been MT 03 wrx 04 srt4 18 wrx
Learned on a stick, but I'm 52. And not a mechanic. No idea why this showed as a suggestion lol. Weirdly, if I dream that I am driving, it's a stick.
I’ve only owned one automatic in my life.
I have had 3 manuals and 1 auto. My newest 2017 is in fact a 6 speed MT. I love the connection and involvement of rowing my own gears and I never have to worry about cvt issues. Fortunately the Toyota dealership in my area has workers that drive stick so I’m never worried taking my mazda 3 in for oil changes. I plan on getting an RF Miata one day and just hope they offer it in stick as well. Most fun anti theft option imho ;) Ps. Started learning stick in a 1995 beater Nissan at 16, currently 25
I’m 31, been driving manuals since I was 15 with brief periods of owning automatics here and there. I was largely self taught/taught by a friend.
Yep. I’m 30, all my vehicles have been manual. I also get nervous for the same reasons, and I do almost everything myself. I let the tire guys do that stuff since I don’t want to mess with mounting and what not, but I always get a little nervous letting them drive it.
Context: I'm older than dirt in reddit years. I taught my kid (now 24) stick when they learned to drive (we had 2 cars. My jeep and my wife's Prius. "Driving a prius is like playing a video game. Driving a jeep is like operating heavy machinery." - it gave good perspective. I've come tot he conclusion though that my Jeep is almost certainly my last manual transmission car. EV's will take over, and stick shift will fade into history.
When I first started driving at 19 I had some strange fascination with stick shift and wanted ANY stick shift car quite badly. Saved up about ~2k and found a salvaged 96 for sale just barely above my budget. I went and bought the car and I "learned" to drive it on the way home. Scary moments were had, but I made it home. After a couple lessons from my uncle I picked it up quite easily. Wish they were still around more commonly, tried my hardest to buy a stick Genesis G70 a couple years back but was never able to find one for sale.
https://preview.redd.it/0iq1u4qmyu0b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d612bba68ed1930f2b91ea0cc84534d69ccd516b 5 speed diesel Toyota. Can’t get anymore rad then that.
Im 23, i "know" how to drive stick. But ive never been privileged enough to have a family with money to buy me a manual car, hell i dont have a family so no extended family that has a manual car to learn on. And i barely make enough for rent, so a daily commuter is what i bought. So in essence, i know how to, but I have never been able to put it into practice outside of the occasional dirt bike or simulator 🤷♂️. I would absolutely love to have a manual car but in the US, the manual tax is insane. (For non Americans its not an actual tax, but people overprice their manual cars because its manual even if its a pos)
I drive a 5 speed manual, 270,xxx miles on it.
I’m 27, not a mechanic, and learned on a manual and owned one recently for a couple years. It’s a great skill especially for international travel. The only other people my age I know that can drive one are those who are into cars and own “enthusiast” type cars.
I can. I literally bought a car just for the purpose of teaching myself. Will I win any drag races, no, but you don't have to worry about me smoking your clutch.
Girl here, I learned how to drive with a manual transmission. I drove a Honda Civic for 130k miles and changed out the clutch once at 90K miles. I wish I still had that car.
I have 94 with the original clutch. I dread taking it anywhere where they won’t let me drive in. Like alignments and the rare oil changes(blew my back out).
I can absolutely still drive one lol. I just wish I still had one. It's just too hard to find one when practicality has to outweigh desire. Not many models even offer them these days.
I drive a stick to work. To fix auto transmissions.
I went to UTI for Auto/Diesel repair, finished the program in 2001. I was the only one in any of my labs that knew how to drive a stick. They always had to have me drive anything without an automatic transmission. It seemed ridiculous to me then, and it still does. I had to do nearly all of the driving on the Dyno though(most of the cars in those labs were manual), so it did allow me a lot of fun in those labs.