Yes, I can, Mrs can, we taught both boys and DILs, and will teach the grandkids when they're old enough. GD is close, shes 12,and 5'2 already. Her time to drive will be soon. I think it is sad that so many folks don't know WHY they were given a left foot ! LSG

 

Correct. A car enthusiast website? Its going to be way off. The percentages will be much higher that CAN drive a stick. I'm thinking.

 

This group is probably not a good cross section of America.

 

Definitely, but interesting either way.

 

Interesting poll - but a lot of selection bias here.
My wife does, as well as my daughter who just was licensed to drive. My son who is 15 will also learn.
i also said to my kids that their first car will be a manual car... it gives them less time to use their phones while driving as they have to be concentrating on the task of driving.

Rob

 

The same rule exists in my home as well. All three daughters received manual-transmission vehicles as their first. It mitigates texting-while-driving abuse... By nature engenders more self-awareness and involvement/thought while out on the road... Ensures that no matter what the situation or where they might be, they possess the skills to drive whatever is at their disposal.... And likely ensures that none of their boyfriends will ever be stealing/joyriding their car, because the dopes probably won't know how... LOL.

Last, I drive plenty of manual-shift cars, and if I ever have some sort of health emergency, I don't want my daughters or wife staring at me on the side of the road saying "we can't drive that thing to the hospital", as I'm sitting there dying in front of them.

I've never quite understood how many say "my wife doesn't know how...", as it really only takes 10-20 minutes to teach minimally-functional basics (i.e. be able to get down the road, albeit probably a bit jerky ).

 

technically every car I own is a manual transmission.

69 Mustang, 64 Falcon, 37 Ford, and 03 Cobra, all 4 with a man pedal.

 

I've driven a stick shift car since I was 12, my first auto car wasn't until I was 18 and it was dirt cheap. Growing up on a farm necessitates it. My son will drive a stick as well, for all the reasons list above.

 

Learned how to "drive" on a ford 8N at around 12. Moved to driving Grandpa's 72 C30 4 spd Dump Truck around family property in granny low, then when it came time to drive, going through the gears in my first vehicle, a 1967 C10 with a 3 OTT was pretty easy.

I'm currently a little short on Manuals. I converted the 65 from a C4 to a T5. My 68 Bird is a manual. C10 was swapped to an AOD but I have a 5 spd for it now. All the dailys are autos...

I tried to teach my wife how to drive a manual, but I was afraid she was going to blow the timing chain in my S10 at the time. lol

 

I grew up with manuals and my first '66 was the 3 speed, would love to stick with manual.

But I have an auto now, mostly so my wife can take the car. I was in a crash about 10 years ago that still causes pain in my left leg, so while I miss shifting gears at least I don't have to cringe and walk funny after a long drive.

 

My first car was a manual 3-speed and my current car is a manual 3-speed. In between it was 25 years of automatics. I was a bit clumsy driving my new one it at first but it all came back pretty quick. My biggest challenge is remembering to set the damn parking brake when I shut it off lol. At least I know its has a built in millennial anti theft device.

 

Likely I was among the last generation to learn to drive in a three-on-the-tree pickup.

Tried to teach Mrs. Klutch when we were quite young. After four minutes, nope, She don't wanna. Tried to teach Dear Daughter when she got her license. After four minutes, nope. She don't wanna.

Dear Son's first car was a stick. He was quite motivated to learn. He is now the only one among his peers who can drive a manual trans.

Last year the kid next door got his first car. Dad bought him a spiffy little Toyota with a 5-speed. Kid never even got into the driver seat. Nope. He don't wanna. Dad sold the car. No more car for kid. Serves him right.

 

Anyone born after about 1996 would be a better poll and it's probably lower than 20%. I haven't owned a stick besides the mustang in 20 years.

 

I have always considered driving an automatic as not really driving. Come on- stopped at a red light on a steep hill with the guy behind you on right your bumper- what's not to love about that. But times have changed. You can't get an F-150, new Shelby or Ferrari with a manual and paddle shifters just dumb down the automatic which is plenty smart. Lets face anything you can do with a standard, a new slushbox can do a thousand times faster. Unless you are going to drive some heavy duty and even those are moving to automatics. Hell- standards are almost an anti-theft device these days. Try telling a kid how to drive a 3 (or 4) on the tree and you get some serious incredulous looks. I do miss the idea of standard transmissions but the older I get the more I like automatics.

Thanks John
67 convertible 4 speed
68 Mini Cooper 4 speed.

 

Hell- standards are almost an anti-theft device these days.

Had someone break into my '98 F-150 and I'm confident the only reason they didn't drive away with it is because it was a manual transmission.

 

I also had an 88 F-150 with a 300 and a granny 4 speed and it was always fun to see someone try to drive it for the first time.

 

Dirt bikes, lawn tractor, small dozer, cable log skidder, etc., all before 14. MGB in high school with 4 spd.
Wife had a VW 4spd in college and used to scare the heck of me in it. S-10 with a 5 spd for several years. 1.5 ton work trucks, etc.

Now, not so much. Daughters cannot drive stick. Wife "might" be able to, but likely looking a new clutch when finished. Hankering for a 60-80 pickup with manual. 66 mustang is C4. If I changed it, would go to auto with overdrive.

 

Yes I know how to. I haven't driven a stick in a really long time. The better halfs airport beater is a stick and it and other sticks I refuse to drive. I have no desire to ever drive a stick again. I get no enjoyment from driving a stick. If I wanted to drive manually I'd get a pedal car while I was at it...

I love it when I am next to a stick at a stop light. I push the gas and start pulling away from the stick and I am enjoying it. That guy driving that stick has his arms and legs flailing all over the place and he is having a blast and enjoying it. I don't get that enjoyment of flailing about that boy racer does but if that's what it takes for them to enjoy driving then all the power to them.

 

I meant to post this yesterday

 

I would almost like to have another 3 on the tree manual.
My kids have all learned to drive the 9N.

 

No one has mentioned learning in a clark tug. Am I the only one? LOL Not this one but similar

Many fond memories of trying to get it to do donuts in soiled hay.

 

Yup! Drove the one at KCNO many times. I volunteered and flew for Chino Air Museum in So Ca.
We had a Well Bike too. Look that one up! lol
I miss the museum, just not Commiefornia.

 

In a kinda backwards way, I taught myself..

When I was 11 years old, I received a Honda XR80 dirt bike for my birthday (best gift.. EVER..). An older friend in the neighborhood had already taught me how to ride his XR75, so I was off to the races..

When I was 13, I was detailing a rather-crazy family friend's (Scot) new BMW 323i. I was actually a pretty adept detailer, having spent all my childhood helping dad detail his 1957 T-bird for concours show.

So, Scot shows up at the house to pick up the detailed car, I'm outside cleaning up my mess, and he runs up and says "Wow! Looks f'en great! Let's go for a drive!!".. Well, I'm not about to turn this offer to drive a brand-new BMW down, and my mom's inside cooking dinner, so I figure "How hard can it be? Just do with my feet what I do with my hands on the bike, and vice versa..".

So I hop in the driver's side, he hops in shotgun, and away we went. Just getting out of the driveway was a steep uphill first-gear clutch endeavor, and for my first-ever go at driving a car, it was smooth. No stall.

We cruised out of the neighborhood, and took US441 across Paynes Prairie. At the other side of the prairie, we switch sides, and he took me for an E-ticket ride the whole way back, actually lifting the inside rear tire at one point in the neighborhood lol.. We get back to the house, with my mom standing in the driveway, hands on her hips, none too pleased as she had been looking out the kitchen window and saw me driving up the driveway.

So again, I don't get folks who live their entire life without learning it. Not hard.

 

I think a better cross-section would have been those born 81-up.

 

My wife will tell you she doesn't know how. However, when we first got married, she did drive my car which was a manual a few times as I wanted her to learn. She didn't really enjoy it, but she wasn't that bad at it.

When I get the Mustang back together, I do need to at least have her learn in case of an emergency.

Rick-My dad made me learn when I was about 11 or 12 when we used to go hunting in his 71 Scout with AMC 6 because he was concerned we were in the middle of nowhere and I might need to drive in case of snakebite, fall and break, etc. It was probably the hardest stickshift I have ever driven (the low hp six made it difficult), and since it was 4 wheel drive, when I first started, he put it in 4 wheel low, so the gear ratio made it a real easy.

Believe it or not, one of the easiest to drive manuals was our 65 Ford F600. It had a 5 speed (no 2 spd axle) and an FT 330 engine. I think it was a Clark 5 speed. I'm not saying I enjoyed the manual steering (at speed it was fine) but I loved driving that truck.

Jason

 

Yep, trucks are usually the safest bet for teaching new drivers. I started all of my girls out in our old 1990 F150 shop truck, and then evolved them from there.

My wife had a stick-shift Mustang when she was a teenager, so she's always been a sport when it comes to that.

And precisely, the dynamic of "OK, here we are, out in the middle of B.F.E., with a manual-shift vehicle, and I'm the only one who knows how to drive it??". Your dad was spot-on in his reasoning to have you up-to-it at an early age.

 

So I had to teach my wife how to drive a slushbox when we were dating. She grew up on VW bus and Fairmont with a stick.
Both my boys learned 3 pedal, and one now owns a Lexus with stick.

 

I've been trying for years, but all I can manage to do make the tires squeal, and the car wants to go sideways all the time.... lol

 

So much so infact I some times have trouble with automatics

 

LOL, many a time I've hopped into my wife's car and immediately "stomped" the floor with my left foot, forgetting that she's got an auto..

 

My brother was a long haul trucker for a while. When he was looking for a classic car, his number one criteria was that it absolutely HAD to be an automatic. He said there was no way he was shifting anymore. He was done with that. I was the opposite. When I was looking for a Mach 1, my number one criteria was that it had to have three pedals on the floor. I converted the factory 3-speed to a 5-speed.

 

Been driveing manuals since I was about 13. Only had 1 car as a teenager that was left an automatic & that was because it was a 56 Pontiac 2 door hardtop & Pontiacs were not my choice of cars
All the auto fords got converted to manuals which were easy to repair when I broke them.