How many stick shift drivers do we have?

[bigx5murf]

You got one of the rare 2004/5 Mazdaspeed factory turbos!!

lucky basterd! Post up some pics - under the hood too!

 

[Just an Average Joe]

Bigx5 - that is one CLEAN Miata - Looks great, even more so when u consider it is 15 years old. How many miles on it?

 

[bigx5murf]

Bigx5 - that is one CLEAN Miata - Looks great, even more so when u consider it is 15 years old. How many miles on it?

40k, I bought it in 2011 with just under 6k on it. From 2012-2015 I daily drove it, and autox'd it on the weekends. Haven't driven it much since I got married, wife hates it.

 

[MAC702]

...Driving on the left and operating a manual transmission with your left hand, instead of your right, is a classical gas...

I worked a couple years in Papua New Guinea. Since I was going to be there for a long enough period of time, I imported a vehicle from Japan, a Toyota mini-van, 5-speed manual. Learning the stick on the left side was a piece of cake; it's just a good thing the clutch pedal is still on the left foot. Driving on the left side of the road took me a couple days to get used to. But in two years, I hit the wipers every single time I tried to use the turn signal.

 

[Gullwing]

Shifting with the left hand isn't that bad. Did that a lot growing up when my mom drove, I would shift for her.

 

[StarFire]

I learned to drive the farm truck. 1950's ford 3 speed on the column. 3 on the tree. That truck could go anywhere, do anything.

I have a 1980 F-100, one of the last made with "Three on the Tree."

I don't worry about it getting stolen, because nobody under 45 knows how to shift it and you need some real strength to turn the manual steering and stand on the manual brake!.

 

[MAC702]

Shifting with the left hand isn't that bad. Did that a lot growing up when my mom drove, I would shift for her.

Yes! It gave me flashbacks of shifting for my dad in the Jeep.

And I've always been shifting with the left hand crossed over my body because the beer is in the right hand.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

40+ years ago I briefly owned a Jag XKE that was right hand drive, left hand shift, driving it was easy enough, getting it to not leak oil not so easy!

 

[Gullwing]

40+ years ago I briefly owned a Jag XKE that was right hand drive, left hand shift, driving it was easy enough, getting it to not leak oil not so easy!

I had an Audi A4, it didn't leak, it was externally lubricated.

 

[Just an Average Joe]

I have a 1980 F-100, one of the last made with "Three on the Tree."

I don't worry about it getting stolen, because nobody under 45 knows how to shift it and you need some real strength to turn the manual steering and stand on the manual brake!.

Leave the keys in it and tell me where you park.... and I'll send my 16 year old son over for a joyride (he's learning on a manual).



He'll probably be the only kid in his high school who will be driving a stick shift to school in a year......

 

[Cirdan]

Nevada is the same for motorcycles. If you don't test with a manual xmission motorcycle, you can only get a moped license, whatever they call it, but it allows only the automatic transmission cycles.

Never heard that. I got my license through the MSF course, so I didn't take the exam at DMV. No one said anything about manual vs. auto transmissions, although there are very few traditional motorcycles with autos or CVTs.

The only restriction I saw from DMV's website is:

"If you take the test on a motorcycle of less than 90cc, your license will be restricted to 90cc or less (Restriction U). If you take the test on a moped of less than 50cc, your license will be restricted to 50cc or less (Restriction Q). "

 

[MAC702]

...I got my license through the MSF course,...

Same here. That's who told us. I even thought they gave us the actual license type so I remember hearing it with a ring of authority. Maybe I'll have to sharpshoot it later and make sure.

 

[MAC702]

Leave the keys in it and tell me where you park...

Make sure the air conditioning works first.

 

[bigx5murf]

40+ years ago I briefly owned a Jag XKE that was right hand drive, left hand shift, driving it was easy enough, getting it to not leak oil not so easy!

I had an Audi A4, it didn't leak, it was externally lubricated.

Guys, that's obviously the anti-rust systems.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Guys, that's obviously the anti-rust systems.

Anti Theft too, no one in their right mind would steal a car that leaks oil, you wouldn't get very far! And when they walked up to it, half the time they would slip and fall because of the oil puddle.

 

[Ramone]

Three on the tree: Once upon a time, in the dark, distant past, I drove a delivery van around Los Angeles with manual shift on the steering column. It also had manual steering and brakes. Even at that time, in the late '70s, it befuddled many of the newbies who were hired to drive the trucks. But I enjoyed it, and I still get sentimental when I see an old dude shifting on the column in a pick-up truck from that era. I read that such basic delivery trucks are still widely used in India because they are less expensive to make and maintain; they are reliable too.

 

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

Learned to drive on a "three on the tree" on my Grandpa's ranch. The old truck had blocks tied to the pedals so us kids could reach them.

My wife and I have twin daughters... the one I taught to drive drives stick, the one my wife taught doesn't. Weird.

 

[Earthquake]

When I first started working sheet metal as a 1st year apprentice I had to go out on a service call with one of the old-timer journeymen, he thought he would play a trick on me and make me drive the 69 ford with "Three on the tree", we got in the truck and I started to drive away shifting like I had been doing it for years, He looked at me surprised and asked how I knew how to drive a column shift, I said did you see the 65 ford Fairlane I drive to work every day? He just smiled and said OH! OK.

 

[Ronsmag]

1973 I was 21 I won a firemans 50/50 raffle $3,872 bought a 69 corvette 350ci /350 hp 4 speed I was in heaven after driving a Vette you never want to drive another car

 

[Smokiebear]

Can't remember the source but I believe only about 18% of the US population can drive a manual transmission. Cool to be part of that. Was taught to drive manual in my uncles 1992 Nissan 240sx when i was 15. Then got my 1st car a 1991 Nissan 240sx also in manual ended up destroying that cause my friend was the lead car and hit a deer and the deers head landed and broke my side of the windshield and lost control cause of it. 2nd was a 1989 Nissan 240sx and that got stolen from me after having it for 8 years. Had a 3 cheap autos and now back in the manual with my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek.

 

[johnthomas]

I learned to drive in a Rambler American 3 on the tree. In the service I drove many military vehicles with an array of configurations. I drove a Pete for 18 years. Myself, I think of a car or truck with a standard transmission as another layer of theft security in this day and age, lol. Most people have never been taught to drive one, now with the self driving car concept coming closer to reality, a car you have to drive yourself will be foreign in the not so far future. I forgot OP, nice ride.

 

[MP15Reloader]

Learned to drive on a 97 dakota pickup.

Stepdad got a new truck and sold it to me for 5k at the time as I was working and saved up some money.. Threw me the keys.. Asked him if he could teach me and how long it would take.. He literally said "when you stall at the first traffic light and piss everyone off, you'll learn yourself and really quick".. He wasn't lying.

 

[Mr. B]

My mom's philosophy was that if you can't drive a manual transmission, you can't really drive.

I agree with her.

 

[Dusty]

I still drive a stick.



The Jeep is a five speed and my daily driver is a scion with a five speed. My dodge 2500 Cummins has a auto in it. After the first rebuild on the auto tranny I bought the big truck. I actually bought it to pull my fifth wheel but got the trailer as part of the deal. So I use it to get hay also.

 

[Jetpackmonkey]

My primary has always been a manual transmission. I know many of the new auto shifters technically switch gears quicker, but it just isn't the same.
It's disheartening how few of the newer cars are available with a stick.

I made sure my son learned how to drive one as well because you never know when you might need it, and you haven't really experienced driving pressure until the first time you stall a clutch in a crowded instersection.

 

[Roach]

It's hard to find a car with a manual these days and even if I could I probably wouldn't if offered in a dual clutch with paddle shift. I'm a little disappointed that the M5 went away from the DCT gearbox and has a traditional auto trans now.

 

[7.62]

3 on the tree here too, 52 Ford pickup with a 292. My 4X4 4Runner is a 5 speed.

 

[Thelittlegreenguy]

I drive stick every day. Nice little KIA Sephi with a 1.8l engine, gets 27 mpg in the city and about 33 highway... 12 gallon tank... love it for getting around town... Learned to drive stick at 15, my grandpa had a Hog ranch in Perris Ca. used to drive the flat beds and other farm trucks, they were 3 on the tree.... finally graduated to my Dad's Renault 15, 4 speed... at 16 oh and had an Indian Scout from an uncle... got that at 13.. if bikes count... first new car I owned was a 1985 Honda Prelude with a 5 spd. at 19 I bought a 1968 Corvette. Convertible.. L68 option, 4 speed, loved that car miss it lol I have always had at least one car with a manual transmission, I love to drive a stick..

 

[StarFire]

Leave the keys in it and tell me where you park.... and I'll send my 16 year old son over for a joyride (he's learning on a manual).

He'll probably be the only kid in his high school who will be driving a stick shift to school in a year......

LOL - It actually doesn't need a key. It's so old the switch wore out a decade ago and it just turns.

But I have a couple of anti theft secrets. And the manual choke will stump those the rest. It stumps me sometimes!

As for the guy who asked about air. Yep it sure does have air. You open the wing windows and have all the air you want!

Oh and rock on with the 8 track tape deck.

 

[RK1911]

1961 Ford Falcon. 3 on 3. Learned on that. Then the 1966 Grand Prix 4 on the floor Hurst shifter (428 c.i. ?) , 1972 1275 GT Mini Cooper manual, followed by a 1974 Buick GS with 455 c.i. automatic. My last manual was a 2015 Jetta TDI 6 spd.

I'm in car sales and we have couple of sales people that don't know how to drive a stick. I have offered to teach...but no takers.