stick/auto

[texasmom]

Hajo's car thread made me think of this.

For you younger folks, did you learn to drive on stick or automatic? Or if  you've got teens, did you teach them stick or automatic? What's your preference, and why?

[RedDg]

I learned on an old Ford F-150 with 3-speed on a column.

[Trell]

Never touched a stick,  Have always drove autos

[DiabloTX]

Learned on auto, drive nothing but manual boxes since.

[Chairboy]

All the kids in my nearby family are expected to learn to drive in a stick, with a transition to automatics later.  We're operating under the assumption that front-loading the extra coordination and planning of driving a stick will help make them a better driver in the future (even when driving automatics) because they'll have learned under slightly tougher circumstances and will be more aware of the role the engine plays.

The two pedals, "One stop, one go" is great for most drivers once they've learned, but makes for a less than ideal training platform, in my opinion.

[Trell]

I have the Go pedal down,  Still having issues with that stop pedal.

 

[Wes14]

slamming the 'go' and 'stop' pedals at the same time is fun
Someone should know what this causes


i think i can drive a stick

[VWE]

Stick, though todays automatics get just as good mpg's so unless you've got a sports car or are towing heavy loads I don't see that advantage any more.

[Airscrew]

My Driving leasons began on a M-F and Oliver tractors, 67 Chevy pickup 3 on the tree then International pickup truck (5 speed).  Mostly driving in hay fields and around the barns.    basically learning the clutch and shifting.  Actually learning to drive on real roads was a 63 Chevy Corsair, (Dark Blue, coicedence? ) automatic with the shifter on the dash board, it was either push button or a little flip lever (up Drive, middle Neutral, Down reverse) and 67 Camaro auto, 6 cyl.

Later came the Drivers Ed class, 1974 Cutlass 442, red and white.

first car, 1975 Vega GT, 4 speed.  

I prefer sticks because they're fun and not as complicated as automatics

[Nilsen]

Everyone learns on stick here so its the most common shifter in sold cars too.

[United]

I learned on both a stick and automatic.  I was "driving" a stick on the farm for several years before I got my license, but I never took it out of second gear or on the road.  I didnt drive the stick on the road until my automatic car died.

[Halo]

Probably always better to learn on a stick so you can drive whatever you want after getting a license.  

Already some families don't have manual transmissions, and maybe some day the only sticks we'll have will be options on fancy auto/stick combo transmissions with clutches a relic of the past.

[Sandman]

I think I started out trying to learn how to drive a stick, but it just didn't make sense to me. You know... the whole, "Give it some gas and let the clutch out slowly..." bit.

Anyway... I think I took autoshop as a sophomore and when we got to the part about transmissions, I got it. From that point on, I could drive a stick simply because I knew how it worked.

[rpm]

Airscrew, you sound a lot like me. I learned on Farmall tractors, a 68 Ford F100 and a 66 Diamond-T hauling hay when I was a kid. The Diamond-T had a 10 speed. Now I thought I was pretty hot stuff shifting that bad boy without using the clutch until Dad drove up in a 67 Pete with a 5 x 4. It had 2 sticks and I suddenly wasn't near as good as I thought I was.

[JimBeam]

i learn to drive on a 74 CJ5 3 speed it was pretty easy though it had a 304 in it so all you really had to do was let the clutch out and it would go