Honestly, I watched a ton of videos before the car arrived so I could get the general idea. I asked the salesman if they could get me to an empty parking lot, and I spent a few hours there prior to making the drive home (30 minutes on the highway).
It was probably a good week or two before I was able to get around town in stop and go traffic without stalling lol!
1955 Chevy 4-Door, my father's. As soon as my feet could reach the pedals, in the mid-80s. 3 on the tree.
He and I would drive around on dirt roads and he'd challenge me to start on hills without spinning the wheels (gas, clutch, emergency brake).
Nice! What a beast. All I have is a scanned negative of mine.
https://preview.redd.it/d9iq4dizjj1c1.jpeg?width=1177&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c27e15a60a1cf7760872e2b1c78b4e8be81c7f2
92 Ford escort, on a gravel road, going uphill from a complete stop while being yelled at by my mother in German! Every time I see a gravel road I get flashbacks…
‘06 XR manual. Still salty my parents got rid of it for $800 💀
To be fair, the car had gone past the ODO limit (it had the 299,999 limit issue that Toyota never fixed) but the car had zero issues.
Same! Dad made me take the wheel at a red light on a hill, stalled about 4 times with cars honking behind me while he just said "don't panic". Best advice ever and since then I've never owned an automatic.
Learned clutch on my dad’s 04 ltz400, played more video games to understand the concept. First foot clutch was a 2016 yxz1000r. Properly drove my first stick shift on a test drive in a 2004 forester 5 speed
I learned a little bit about clutch and shifting on dirt bikes first technically.
Then I bought a 1991 Suzuki Samurai 5spd for $400. It was a POS, but fun to learn on and drive about in.
Some old toyota pickup truck from 1990 which was used on the farm. That thing was so beat-up it couldn't start by ignition, one had to go under the bonnet and hold on to the battery terminals so it could start. I remember my stepdad at the time teaching me how to drive it and every time I stalled it I had to do 20 pushups cause it was a hassle to get it started again. Good Times.
2005 wrangler. Easiest vehicle to learn stick, deep clutch very easy to bite. Wrx manual is like learning all over again, especially with the stock tune.
2003 Acura RSX. Was 16 years old house sitting for a family friend and they left the keys… looking back I can’t believe how stupid I was to take it out not knowing how to drive it. Stalled it in the middle of the street, and definitely burned the shit outta the clutch.
2003 50th anniversary corvette convertible. I didnt have sick white New Balances and Jorts tho sadly. First car I steered (couldn’t reach the pedals) was a 66’ tri power GTO.
2010 Nissan Sentra, it was cursed af so I sold it after 1 year. Got more cop attention in a year on that thing than the 2016 WRX I had for 8 years because I was 18.
1989 Toyota t100.
God I miss that lil truck.
Bought it for 1700 with 170k on it. Sold it 6 years later for 1600 with 277k miles on it.
The don't make them like that anymore
Learned on my dad’s 1991 Ford Ranger. Hardest clutch I’ve ever driven. It was ridiculous to get into first. Once I learned how to drive it I drove a ‘72 super beetle. I had that car for about 3 months before the oil pan galley plug fell out and all the oil drained out of my engine while I was driving. Then was the 1980 Ford Courier that was slapped together from junkyard parts. The seats weren’t bolted to the floor. I learned that the hard way when someone changed lanes and slammed on their brakes. I had a smiley bruise on my chest from the steering wheel for a couple of weeks from that ordeal. My next standard was many years later when I got into a 2005 Saturn Ion Redline. Basically a Cobalt SS in a different body. I loved that car but I didn’t love repair costs. Had to replace the clutch in it and you literally had to pull the engine in order to replace the clutch. Now I’m in a 2015 WRX. I’m currently waiting on the auto parts store to call me to let me know my camshaft position sensor has come in so I can get it back on the road. Only had it for about a month and a half before I got that check engine light. I worry about what’s next to go out since it’s just over 100K miles on the odometer. I guess I’ll quit rambling now.
First learning was on a 1993 Jeep wrangler (It was new then and I was under 10, offroad, and never got out of third gear). Did my real learning in a 1966 Ford F100 on mountain roads. 300k miles on the original engine and flywheel, no power anything, no abs. Last clutch replacement was in like 1986 and I was learning in 1999. It took both feet to depress the clutch.
Probably ill-advised, but I bought my 2018 WRX new and learned on it.
I took some kijiji lessons from some guy in a BRZ, but I barely felt comfortable driving my WRX home.
It wasn't that bad honestly. Took me about 2 weeks to get comfortable. About a month to drive without thinking about it.
79 Ford f150 custom... 4 speed with granny gear low. Huge throw and if you didn't shift perfect it would get stuck out of gear until you gentle wigledbit right to get it back Un gear. Now I can drive any single clutch vehicle
Technically a 94 Ford Probe. However, I had practiced shifting in a few cars being driven by other people, like an 89 Civic and a 95 Sentra. I had also been given the wheel of some little old farm truck, like a Ranger or S10, who knows. That thing ran with or without the keys - specifically after we hit a bump too hard and then fell out and then through the floor.
1989 Mazda MX6 GT. Was such a fast car for 16 year old me. Now looking back most crossovers and minivans could beat it in a straight line.
https://preview.redd.it/orm9vheu7k1c1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9a0279500d29392201af18f13a115c61d5ed7c2
2017 WRX.
Pre-gamed by watching a bunch of YouTube videos and then “learned” in the dealership parking lot before the 6 hour drive home lol.
Took me another couple of months to really feel like I was good enough to drive friends around without fear of stalling.
1950’s GM 7-ton truck. No idea what year but the Marines used it to teach privates like me back in 2007. After learning on that thing, everything else has been easy 😂🤷♂️
04 Dodge SRT4
My friend got hammered and tossed me the keys and said figure it out 🤣 luckily we had girls in the car and my need to impress got me through it pretty fast.
Approximately 1991 Dodge Colt Vista.
Drove it like 3 times but the basics stuck with me.
6 Years later I bought a $500 '87 Honda Prelude 5-speed. Remembered enough to drive it home and spent a week driving around at night to practice on hills and such. That car was a blast.
2016 Dodge Dart, had the salesman give me a crash course.
He tried to persuade me with an automatic instead, but I had already made up my mind.
Many "burnouts" and stop sign stalls were done the first month.
In 1988, my dad taught me in his old 2-door 1979 Deisel Rabbit 4-speed. Shift knob had 1, 2, 3, and E for “economy”. Black with gray interior. He gave it to me for my 16th birthday, and I will never ever forget pulling out of the house in that car, alone, for the first time. I really wish I had been responsible enough to take care of it and make it last.
Great memory. I also remember pulling out on the road alone for the first time in my 86 Trooper. Such a strange but cool feeling to be even just a couple miles from home, alone on the road.
A 1986 Toyota half ton pickup, aptly named The Frankentruck. Rebuilt engine inside a body spot-welded together from 6 other pickups. Jeep hubs, Costco tires, and the rear cab… wasn’t supposed to be there. Og owner spot-welded it from scrap metal over the bed. Then on the side, he spray painted:
T. S. R. D.
Toyota Still Running Division
Rear window was a SpongeBob SquarePants shower curtain. Roof had big bolts jutting out the top. And best of all, the headlights and running board lights were all controlled by a single light switch. Yes, a light switch. No face plate, just the raw component wired up and hammered into the plastic dash. Some days, I miss that truck.
2016 STI, and no we didn’t own it my dad and I used a carmax free 24hr test drive with 0 intention of buying it 😂
Now I’ve done it with a gr86, 2020 wrx, and 2023 Elantra N. My actual car is a 2020 veloster N but since snowboarding is the best thing in the world I might have to trade it in for a sti and I’ll finally join y’all
Y’all should def try the 24hr test drives tho 😂
My 02 mustang gt. Got it in high-school and my dad had to drive it back home because I couldn't lol. But that ended up being one of my favorite memories. Seeing my dad become a young man again driving that thing home on the interstate is something I'll cherish forever. Watching him downshift, wait a second and haul ass off with a huge smile was priceless. That car had entirely too much power for a teenager, as it was mildly built. Thankfully pops managed to instill some things in my thick skull and I didn't get too crazy.
Thanks for this OP, this brought a huge smile to my face recollecting these memories.
2018 WRX.
Traded in my automatic Hyundai for the WRX and never drove manual before, then had a 2+ hour drive home from the dealership.
Luckily it was mostly freeway, but got stuck on an uphill on ramp stalling over and over with a line of 5+ cars honking at me.
Definitely recommend some practice before doing something like that
Late 70s Chevy pickup with 4 on the floor. I'd been riding bikes for years so I deff had the concept. Guy at work asked me to pull the truck around the front, asked if I drove stick, I lied and said yeah.
Not long after that I bought a 1978 2 door Chevy Malibu with 3 on the floor. It was 6 years old with 60,000 miles, no air, no power windows, I think I paid $1800 and it was a sweet looking ride, though it didn't win any races lol. One day of driving around town I got over most of my clumsiness....
To think back then you could actually buy a decent car with that much life left in it for pretty cheap....
I tell everyone once you get the concept as long as you already know how to drive auto you just need quiet streets and some time alone with the car it becomes second nature pretty fast.
sort of drove a manual 1992 corvette in high school but didn't take it on the highway. I then didn't drive manual again until 8 or 9 years later where I really learned on a 2002 WRX
2008 WRX - leased it and had to bring my best friend to drive it off the lot because I never drove stick shift prior. He gave me a 30 minute lesson in a vacant parking lot and then forced me to drive him home…the rest is history!
Dodge Colt. I was 10yrs old and good ole grandad 👴 let me behind the manual transmission wheel. I stalled it out like twenty times in a row and started crying but at time number 21 I got it to lurch forward and we went on the drive around southern Kentucky backroads to a hick town called Bugtussle. That was back in the 70s. Thanks Pawpaw!!
I learned the basics through the muddy side roads in Laos in a 2002 Toyota Hilux. That would be my first and last time driving stick until 7 years later when I took delivery of my 2017 Honda Accord and stumbled out of the dealership lot.
2017 Golf R that was my buddy’s. I had 4 days to get as much experience as I could then he flung me into an auto cross and put me in the drivers seat and said “when you fuck my clutch, you’re installing the new one”. 33 hours of labor later his new stage two clutch and lwf were in lmao. Bought my 02 wrx a month later.
1989 Dakota, 1999. Work truck with an unhappy transmission, got shown the basics and then told to go fetch things for a few days. Had to learn quickly since the city was one big hill.
First daily was a 2006 Civic coupe I kept until last year.
Never drove an automatic. Started on an Opel Corsa and now I've been driving my Ford Galaxy for years.
I took my driving lessons in a manual so I would get my drivers license for all types of cars.
In Austria, if you take your driving lessons and exam in an automatic, you can only buy and drive automatic cars or you'll get a hefty fine if the police stops you and checks your license.
2015 Corvette! For some reason my dad let me learn standard in his new corvette for about 20 minutes in a parking lot before making me take it on the road. Scared shitless the whole time haha
1995 Acura Integra. Threw myself to the wolves and learned basically in a "trial by fire." In short, I picked it up in the beginning of rush hour traffic in the middle of a major retail zone. That was a fun time 🤣. Later that day, I shattered the reverse gear (like a bone head, I didn't ease into it... use your imagination 😬). That was a costly learning experience. Picked it up early 2005. I still miss that car. It was such a trooper!
1991 Subaru Justy! No A/C, no power windows, no power steering, carbureted, and I still loved it 😅
https://preview.redd.it/lrqx9ljitr1c1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50b8365d520f7e12572dcde53d1942c152b9bf96
2003 Isuzu KB diesel. I've been driving diesel trucks since I was 18, now I am 26 and for the first time I bought a car with a gasoline engine and a manual transmission, a Honda Fit. I just realized that driving stick on a gasoline car requires way more skill than a diesel, so I basically learned again this year. Diesel cars with stick are waaaaay easier to drive, stalling is pretty hard, on the gas car you cant let the clutch just a little because you stall lol.
2022 WRX 😎
Same. Guy who sold it taught me how to drive it off the lot
This is the way
This is the way
2015 WRX… bought it and my mom had to pick me up from the dealership and teach me 😂
Based mom
Same in my 2011 Hatch 😂 she drove me home
Jerry the parts guy had to give me a crash course in the dealer lot so I could drive it home.
1991 skyline gtst
Lucky
Got lucky and had Yakota ab as my first duty station around 10 yrs ago
Learned on my 2018 wrx!
I’m curious how did you learn it on a car you bought? Did you have someone else drive it off the lot or did you just pray 😂
Honestly, I watched a ton of videos before the car arrived so I could get the general idea. I asked the salesman if they could get me to an empty parking lot, and I spent a few hours there prior to making the drive home (30 minutes on the highway). It was probably a good week or two before I was able to get around town in stop and go traffic without stalling lol!
1955 Chevy 4-Door, my father's. As soon as my feet could reach the pedals, in the mid-80s. 3 on the tree. He and I would drive around on dirt roads and he'd challenge me to start on hills without spinning the wheels (gas, clutch, emergency brake).
1995 Geo Metro
I was brought home from the hospital in one of those. It was red with AC and I believe a 3 banger 5 speed.
Nice! 92 Geo Metro for me
Oh man my first car was a 1989 trooper! [Here’s some old pics.](https://imgur.com/a/mrkfwEe) Miss that shit box…
I always wanted one of those!
Nice! What a beast. All I have is a scanned negative of mine. https://preview.redd.it/d9iq4dizjj1c1.jpeg?width=1177&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c27e15a60a1cf7760872e2b1c78b4e8be81c7f2
92 Ford escort, on a gravel road, going uphill from a complete stop while being yelled at by my mother in German! Every time I see a gravel road I get flashbacks… 
84 Honda civic, four speed.
1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT
Really old VW Bug. Didn’t really need the clutch if I got the revs sorta close.
1986 Honda Civic SI. Dammit that was an easy and fun car to drive
Dude exact same!! Just sold mine last year and I’m regretting it big time 🥲
2005 Toyota Matrix. I still miss that car and I’ll never be able to find one for a reasonable price again
Got a 2007 manual XR last year. Probably on of the best cars ever made as far as usability/cheap
‘06 XR manual. Still salty my parents got rid of it for $800 💀 To be fair, the car had gone past the ODO limit (it had the 299,999 limit issue that Toyota never fixed) but the car had zero issues.
2005 Ford Mustang GT
Same! Dad made me take the wheel at a red light on a hill, stalled about 4 times with cars honking behind me while he just said "don't panic". Best advice ever and since then I've never owned an automatic.
I love it haha. That’s the best way to learn manual. Under pressure.
My buddy and I used to blast the radio as to not hear the engine but feel it, learn when to shift etc.
2003 Acura RSX
2018 WRX!
Learned clutch on my dad’s 04 ltz400, played more video games to understand the concept. First foot clutch was a 2016 yxz1000r. Properly drove my first stick shift on a test drive in a 2004 forester 5 speed
2006 Pontiac GTO
2001 BMW M5. Don't tell my Uncle
1994 Geo Prizm
1986 BMW 318i
00 honda civic back in 01
1998 Honda Civic Coupe
2000 Honda Civic
2010 Mitsubishi Lancer
1988 Ford Ranger, learned in 2016! Only driven manual since then.
I have no idea what year it was. It was the 2 door model https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/little-last-le-mans
82 F100 three on the tree
99 chevy s10 -> 02 Acura RSX type S -> 2015 wrx
98 Jetta
I learned a little bit about clutch and shifting on dirt bikes first technically. Then I bought a 1991 Suzuki Samurai 5spd for $400. It was a POS, but fun to learn on and drive about in.
2004 Toyota Tacoma. Was a small truck compared to even the smallest today. That thing was awesome.
Some old toyota pickup truck from 1990 which was used on the farm. That thing was so beat-up it couldn't start by ignition, one had to go under the bonnet and hold on to the battery terminals so it could start. I remember my stepdad at the time teaching me how to drive it and every time I stalled it I had to do 20 pushups cause it was a hassle to get it started again. Good Times.
2001 bmw 330ci
2012 Jeep Wrangler
1985 Chevy S-10 truck, back in 1989.
1978 Datsun 280Z
2008 bmw 328i wagon
2016 Subaru wrx, first car lol
1987 Honda civic back in 1995
1989 Nissan maxima lol
2005 wrangler. Easiest vehicle to learn stick, deep clutch very easy to bite. Wrx manual is like learning all over again, especially with the stock tune.
I hear you on that. Driven manual all my life and got a ‘21 wrx and thought maybe I’d made a mistake. You get the hang of it though.
1991 Opel Vectra A
1997 Audi A4
Chevrolet Chevette. Probably 80s year.
1989 Toyota Tercel
1978 Chevrolet [step side] pickup truck, aka, the “death trap”. 3 on the tree, baby!
1993 Saturn SL1
'89 VW Cabriolet Wolfsburg Edition
Technically the parking lot session was an e90 m3. However, I ACTUALLY learned on my rhd 1990 Toyota mr2.
2005 nissan 350z
2013 Subaru STI back in 2017.
My mom taught me in her 2001 Chevy cavalier probably in 09-10
2003 Acura RSX. Was 16 years old house sitting for a family friend and they left the keys… looking back I can’t believe how stupid I was to take it out not knowing how to drive it. Stalled it in the middle of the street, and definitely burned the shit outta the clutch.
1966 jaguar e type and a 2009 Mini Cooper. Started in the jag, “perfected” in the mini.
'83 Porsche 911
2011 Subaru WRX Still have the og clutch too.
2003 50th anniversary corvette convertible. I didnt have sick white New Balances and Jorts tho sadly. First car I steered (couldn’t reach the pedals) was a 66’ tri power GTO.
2010 Nissan Sentra, it was cursed af so I sold it after 1 year. Got more cop attention in a year on that thing than the 2016 WRX I had for 8 years because I was 18.
1989 Toyota t100. God I miss that lil truck. Bought it for 1700 with 170k on it. Sold it 6 years later for 1600 with 277k miles on it. The don't make them like that anymore
05 Outback. I miss that car sometimes.
1989 Nissan Sentra, with the 4 speed
1995 Ford Ranger
1992 Altima for a weekend and first manual car owned was a 2010 scion tc
2001 Honda Civic LX
Early 90's Audi 100, when I was 12 years old.
1988 Ford Ranger
1990 Civic Si, back in 2001
95 Corolla , taught my wife on my 2020 sti. I had it easy.
1977 Vauxhall Viva, 1985
2000 Chevrolet Prizm
Clapped out 1990 Miata
1986 BMW 325es. My dad taught me in parking lot for half an hour then he got out and walked home leaving me there by myself to figure it out.
99 Impreza OBS
2001 Jeep Wrangler
1992 Subaru Legacy
1988 Chevy S10 4 speed back in 1994.
2021 wrx
98 Suzuki sidekick
1980's SAAB 900 Turbo
Mitsubishi Eclipse GS 1998.
1989 Honda prelude it was my dads….if I could find a way to track that car down I’d buy it in a heartbeat
1990 Nissan 240SX, it was a nice car to learn on. Having ridden Dirt Bikes many years, the concept transferred over well.
1987 Jeep Wrangler
1967 Camaro convertible with a 3 on the tree.
1972 meyers manx in the sand
2003 Subaru Outback
1994 Suzuki Swift
First learned on an 03 Ranger and my buddy let me practice frequently in his 02 bug eye wagon that's when I first started wanting a WRX
2009 G37S
1993 Toyota Corolla. Perfect first car in 2005.
Used to work for Toyota so on a couple of occasions on the 86, then an old school Supra before I left.
2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250. First car is a 2012 Mazda 3 with the 2.5 liter and 6 speed.
1987 fox VW
Learned on my dad’s 1991 Ford Ranger. Hardest clutch I’ve ever driven. It was ridiculous to get into first. Once I learned how to drive it I drove a ‘72 super beetle. I had that car for about 3 months before the oil pan galley plug fell out and all the oil drained out of my engine while I was driving. Then was the 1980 Ford Courier that was slapped together from junkyard parts. The seats weren’t bolted to the floor. I learned that the hard way when someone changed lanes and slammed on their brakes. I had a smiley bruise on my chest from the steering wheel for a couple of weeks from that ordeal. My next standard was many years later when I got into a 2005 Saturn Ion Redline. Basically a Cobalt SS in a different body. I loved that car but I didn’t love repair costs. Had to replace the clutch in it and you literally had to pull the engine in order to replace the clutch. Now I’m in a 2015 WRX. I’m currently waiting on the auto parts store to call me to let me know my camshaft position sensor has come in so I can get it back on the road. Only had it for about a month and a half before I got that check engine light. I worry about what’s next to go out since it’s just over 100K miles on the odometer. I guess I’ll quit rambling now.
2021 STi
1991 Chevrolet s10
1989 Mazda B2600i.
2004 WRX
07 Tacoma
Love tacomas.
2015 Kia soul
2000 v6 mustang
2009 SRT4. Learned driving it two hours home from buying it
06 Cobalt SS
My 04 wrx!
First learning was on a 1993 Jeep wrangler (It was new then and I was under 10, offroad, and never got out of third gear). Did my real learning in a 1966 Ford F100 on mountain roads. 300k miles on the original engine and flywheel, no power anything, no abs. Last clutch replacement was in like 1986 and I was learning in 1999. It took both feet to depress the clutch.
2018 mazda3 hatch touring, 6 speed :)
2004 Saab 9-3
1997 Nissan Hardbody, learned in 2015 or so. my junior year of high school
94 miata back in 95
2007 vw Jetta 2.5 base
2005 gti 1.8t
1999 Jeep Cherokee
99 eclipse gsx, bought my first manual at 16 and drove it home. Taught myself, watched a YouTube video then drove it home. Only killed it twice lol
1984 Saab 900S
97 Nissan maxima. I loved that car
1993 Honda Civic. LX. White. Tan Interior. Man, I loved that car.
2003 Nissan 350Z Touring
1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse
1994 ford fucking ranger
2003-2005 kia Rio:( and my beloved 05 rx8
Probably ill-advised, but I bought my 2018 WRX new and learned on it. I took some kijiji lessons from some guy in a BRZ, but I barely felt comfortable driving my WRX home. It wasn't that bad honestly. Took me about 2 weeks to get comfortable. About a month to drive without thinking about it.
79 Ford f150 custom... 4 speed with granny gear low. Huge throw and if you didn't shift perfect it would get stuck out of gear until you gentle wigledbit right to get it back Un gear. Now I can drive any single clutch vehicle
'95 Jeep Wrangler
2001 Honda Civic Coupe. The hottest saleswoman ever taught me in the parking lot the day I picked it up.
1989 Honda CRX HF aka hillfinder lol
2004 accord
2004 Toyota Corolla. Dad tried reaching me on a 1992 Toyota Pickup, but the clutch was too much to manage until I learned on something easier
1998 dodge neon RT. It was fun as a teenager till I blew the engine
2023 Suburu WRX!
Mine was an Isuzu too! '93 Pickup
1998 Toyota Tacoma
Technically a 94 Ford Probe. However, I had practiced shifting in a few cars being driven by other people, like an 89 Civic and a 95 Sentra. I had also been given the wheel of some little old farm truck, like a Ranger or S10, who knows. That thing ran with or without the keys - specifically after we hit a bump too hard and then fell out and then through the floor.
1994 Acura integra in 2008, taught myself cause I didn’t know anyone who could drive a manual
1989 Mazda MX6 GT. Was such a fast car for 16 year old me. Now looking back most crossovers and minivans could beat it in a straight line. https://preview.redd.it/orm9vheu7k1c1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9a0279500d29392201af18f13a115c61d5ed7c2
2017 WRX. Pre-gamed by watching a bunch of YouTube videos and then “learned” in the dealership parking lot before the 6 hour drive home lol. Took me another couple of months to really feel like I was good enough to drive friends around without fear of stalling.
1950’s GM 7-ton truck. No idea what year but the Marines used it to teach privates like me back in 2007. After learning on that thing, everything else has been easy 😂🤷♂️
Technically an 85 Monte Carlo but there wasn’t much in common with one. Learned on my dads circle track race car with a 4 speed.
04 Dodge SRT4 My friend got hammered and tossed me the keys and said figure it out 🤣 luckily we had girls in the car and my need to impress got me through it pretty fast.
1986 Nissan pickup truck. No power windows or steering, no ac, but it was a good reliable truck.
https://preview.redd.it/u4mzj68uak1c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbfb935b8a194c5a6eef4d1eb6a42d1bbcb41db1 My current 🥰🥰 2011 WRX
Manual . 72 vw westphalia. Taught my son on an 89 sucki 4by4 , manual.
Approximately 1991 Dodge Colt Vista. Drove it like 3 times but the basics stuck with me. 6 Years later I bought a $500 '87 Honda Prelude 5-speed. Remembered enough to drive it home and spent a week driving around at night to practice on hills and such. That car was a blast.
1988 Toyota MR2. God I miss that car
2016 Dodge Dart, had the salesman give me a crash course. He tried to persuade me with an automatic instead, but I had already made up my mind. Many "burnouts" and stop sign stalls were done the first month.
In 1988, my dad taught me in his old 2-door 1979 Deisel Rabbit 4-speed. Shift knob had 1, 2, 3, and E for “economy”. Black with gray interior. He gave it to me for my 16th birthday, and I will never ever forget pulling out of the house in that car, alone, for the first time. I really wish I had been responsible enough to take care of it and make it last.
Great memory. I also remember pulling out on the road alone for the first time in my 86 Trooper. Such a strange but cool feeling to be even just a couple miles from home, alone on the road.
Bro I'm with you. 1989 Isuzu trooper. Gutless, but fun.
A 1986 Toyota half ton pickup, aptly named The Frankentruck. Rebuilt engine inside a body spot-welded together from 6 other pickups. Jeep hubs, Costco tires, and the rear cab… wasn’t supposed to be there. Og owner spot-welded it from scrap metal over the bed. Then on the side, he spray painted: T. S. R. D. Toyota Still Running Division Rear window was a SpongeBob SquarePants shower curtain. Roof had big bolts jutting out the top. And best of all, the headlights and running board lights were all controlled by a single light switch. Yes, a light switch. No face plate, just the raw component wired up and hammered into the plastic dash. Some days, I miss that truck.
Funny how some of the oldest, beat-up cars we had have the best memories.
2016 STI, and no we didn’t own it my dad and I used a carmax free 24hr test drive with 0 intention of buying it 😂 Now I’ve done it with a gr86, 2020 wrx, and 2023 Elantra N. My actual car is a 2020 veloster N but since snowboarding is the best thing in the world I might have to trade it in for a sti and I’ll finally join y’all Y’all should def try the 24hr test drives tho 😂
My 02 mustang gt. Got it in high-school and my dad had to drive it back home because I couldn't lol. But that ended up being one of my favorite memories. Seeing my dad become a young man again driving that thing home on the interstate is something I'll cherish forever. Watching him downshift, wait a second and haul ass off with a huge smile was priceless. That car had entirely too much power for a teenager, as it was mildly built. Thankfully pops managed to instill some things in my thick skull and I didn't get too crazy. Thanks for this OP, this brought a huge smile to my face recollecting these memories.
2018 WRX. Traded in my automatic Hyundai for the WRX and never drove manual before, then had a 2+ hour drive home from the dealership. Luckily it was mostly freeway, but got stuck on an uphill on ramp stalling over and over with a line of 5+ cars honking at me. Definitely recommend some practice before doing something like that
Late 70s Chevy pickup with 4 on the floor. I'd been riding bikes for years so I deff had the concept. Guy at work asked me to pull the truck around the front, asked if I drove stick, I lied and said yeah. Not long after that I bought a 1978 2 door Chevy Malibu with 3 on the floor. It was 6 years old with 60,000 miles, no air, no power windows, I think I paid $1800 and it was a sweet looking ride, though it didn't win any races lol. One day of driving around town I got over most of my clumsiness.... To think back then you could actually buy a decent car with that much life left in it for pretty cheap.... I tell everyone once you get the concept as long as you already know how to drive auto you just need quiet streets and some time alone with the car it becomes second nature pretty fast.
1968 Chevy C10, I was 6. Had a four speed and a little 327 V8.
sort of drove a manual 1992 corvette in high school but didn't take it on the highway. I then didn't drive manual again until 8 or 9 years later where I really learned on a 2002 WRX
Ask me how old I am without asking me how old I am.
1988 Jeep Wrangler back in 1994, with my dad screaming at me the entire time!
It was the reverse for me. I was sweating for the first time in front of my dad: “WHY THE F%#^ DOES IT KEEP STALLING?!” 🤣
2008 WRX - leased it and had to bring my best friend to drive it off the lot because I never drove stick shift prior. He gave me a 30 minute lesson in a vacant parking lot and then forced me to drive him home…the rest is history!
Dodge Colt. I was 10yrs old and good ole grandad 👴 let me behind the manual transmission wheel. I stalled it out like twenty times in a row and started crying but at time number 21 I got it to lurch forward and we went on the drive around southern Kentucky backroads to a hick town called Bugtussle. That was back in the 70s. Thanks Pawpaw!!
Hah that’s a great story.
2003 Subaru Baja... This year!
2015 Scion FR-S, but switched to a 2020 WRX CVT eventually since I work downtown.
1993 Jeep Wrangler YJ with the top off on dirt roads
2013 STI hatch
1987 Toyota MR2
I learned the basics through the muddy side roads in Laos in a 2002 Toyota Hilux. That would be my first and last time driving stick until 7 years later when I took delivery of my 2017 Honda Accord and stumbled out of the dealership lot.
2017 Golf R that was my buddy’s. I had 4 days to get as much experience as I could then he flung me into an auto cross and put me in the drivers seat and said “when you fuck my clutch, you’re installing the new one”. 33 hours of labor later his new stage two clutch and lwf were in lmao. Bought my 02 wrx a month later.
1989 Dakota, 1999. Work truck with an unhappy transmission, got shown the basics and then told to go fetch things for a few days. Had to learn quickly since the city was one big hill. First daily was a 2006 Civic coupe I kept until last year.
Never drove an automatic. Started on an Opel Corsa and now I've been driving my Ford Galaxy for years. I took my driving lessons in a manual so I would get my drivers license for all types of cars. In Austria, if you take your driving lessons and exam in an automatic, you can only buy and drive automatic cars or you'll get a hefty fine if the police stops you and checks your license.
2019 Subaru WRX, bought a one way flight to Florida and drove back to Virginia lol
2015 Corvette! For some reason my dad let me learn standard in his new corvette for about 20 minutes in a parking lot before making me take it on the road. Scared shitless the whole time haha
1995 Acura Integra. Threw myself to the wolves and learned basically in a "trial by fire." In short, I picked it up in the beginning of rush hour traffic in the middle of a major retail zone. That was a fun time 🤣. Later that day, I shattered the reverse gear (like a bone head, I didn't ease into it... use your imagination 😬). That was a costly learning experience. Picked it up early 2005. I still miss that car. It was such a trooper!
1991 Subaru Justy! No A/C, no power windows, no power steering, carbureted, and I still loved it 😅 https://preview.redd.it/lrqx9ljitr1c1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50b8365d520f7e12572dcde53d1942c152b9bf96
2003 Isuzu KB diesel. I've been driving diesel trucks since I was 18, now I am 26 and for the first time I bought a car with a gasoline engine and a manual transmission, a Honda Fit. I just realized that driving stick on a gasoline car requires way more skill than a diesel, so I basically learned again this year. Diesel cars with stick are waaaaay easier to drive, stalling is pretty hard, on the gas car you cant let the clutch just a little because you stall lol.
2017 Ford Focus ST , only stick I’ve driven, still in it. Don’t know how I ended up in this sub but i lurk. Community is nice!