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Can you drive a manual shift?

oldbee

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My better-half says sure. What did you learn on? “ a VW”. She doesn’t know anybody can drive a VW, throttle?, who cares; those blasted things would still move uphill w/o any throttle! C’mon guys, need some “stick” stories..
 
I learned to drive on a manual.
I’ve always owned at least one at any given time.
At present, my 2008 F-250 is a manual and my coronet now has a manual.

It drives me nuts when someone can’t drive a manual.
 
I learned to drive in a 59 morris minor ragtop .4 banger 4 gear.
 
Yes I can drive one. Still do till
This day.
When I turned 16 we had a nice 62 Willy's wagon that my dad put a 283 chevy and a Muncie 4 speed in. Learned to drive with that.
Thinking about it every vehicle I have bought had a stick.
 
I learned to drive on manual 1961 Volkswagen bug. It was just about the most basic car I ever drove. No radio, no gas gauge, pretty darn basic beetle.
 
8 or 9 years old, sitting on my Uncles lap in his Dodge Power Wagon. He clutched, I shifted from Gooderham to Haliburton.
 
The TV repair shop I worked at in the late 1970s had three on the tree 200 6 cylinder econoline vans. Had three Shelby dodge fwd cars that were all 5 speed manual.
 
My dad stopped facing up on a 25* hill and said here ya go with a 50’s Ford 3-spd on the column. First try, I ended up at bottom of hill, 2nd try we went over the top! ( since then, I have progressed to 18speeds,lol). Keep ‘em coming.
 
learned in a 1973 escort Mk I panel van with one of those clutch's where you either had it or not .no in between. lots of burn outs :thumbsup:
800px-1974_Ford_Escort_Van_%2813713207593%29.jpg
 
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I learned to drive in a 64 VW bus.
Got my license in a 57 DeSoto.
 
I grew up on a farm so Dad just put me up on a tractor and showed me how it was done. We had a '59 Ford pickup with three on the tree. I ended up taking my driver's license with it. I can still see the look on the instructor's face!

We always tried teaching my Mom how to
drive a stick but she would get frustrated and give up on it. One year she saw a 1962 VW for sale and just had to have it. It was like new. My brothers and I took turns trying to show her how to drive it. It wasn't going that well but she was determined. Next thing we knew she was driving it to work and back.

One day I was at my brother's house and here she came up the driveway. It was a backwards drive from the main road and it was up hill. The car was bucking and jumping and just made it before coming to a abrupt stop.

I asked her about downshifting and she said she didn't know how to do it right. I asked her what she does when she comes to a stop sign? She said she just goes through it! I asked her about the stop light in the town that she worked and she said she just times it right. Oh boy, back to class for her. She acually got pretty good after awhile.
 
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Learned on my dad's 74 Nova Hatchback, 6 cyl, 3 on the tree. When I meet my wife she had a 68 bug, kinda fun to drive. Then Mercury Topaz, 4cyl - 5 speed. Then wife got a 92 1/2 Ford Escort GT, Mitsubishi motor and 5 speed. That was the last stick. I want to put a 5 or 6 speed in my Coronet, but that'll be a couple years down the road. I was looking recently to lease a new truck and was going to look into a stick but decided to wait.
 
I learned how to operate a clutch on motorcycles. I learned car shifting in my parents' '76 Datsun B210. I took my road test in that car, too - easier to parallel park than their Raunch Wagon.

I taught my daughter how to drive a stick in our Hemi Satellite. :D Still the only stick car she's ever driven.
 
My grandfather had an old ford ranger. I was probably 7-8. He lives on a dirt road of nothing but kin folk. He would sit next to me and tell me when to shift. Once I got pretty good instead of staying on the road he wanted me to cut through my cousin’s yard. Told me to shoot the gap on two pine trees maybe 9 foot apart. I tried so hard to focus on the gap and my shifting. I ended up knocking the driver side mirror off because I was so worried about the passenger side. He just laughed and made me stop so he could pick up the mirror. He never did reattach the mirror. Everyone who asked what happened got told his grandson knocked it off because ‘he can’t drive and shift’ hahaha. He also taught me to drive his 10 speed western star. Got me on driving concrete trucks before I was old enough to have a CDL. Them old Macks had 7,8, and 9 speeds in them. I don’t own a stick currently but I have been looking for an old beat up cheap farm truck with one. My wife has never driven one and it’s bout time she learns.....
 
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