A- Yes, that is pretty damned good.
B- Stick is far more fun to drive, can be better on gas mileage, and looks way cooler, too.

I want to learn, but no one I know will trust me with their car.

A - I did the same thing (empty parking lot and all) immediately after I *bought* a stick shift.
B - yes and no. A stick is fun to drive *sometimes,* but if you have to do a lot of shifting (like, say, in rush hour traffic), or you live in an area with lots of hills, it can be a real drag. And the gas mileage savings are overrated with the technical advances in automatic transmissions these days. Even Click and Clack from Car Talk say so. :-)

But, I should add that it's still a pretty good accomplishment. My wife never could get the hang of the manual shift, so we only have automatics now.

A-- definitiely great. No stalling first time out. All is fabulous.

B -- I never found it fun. The car I liked didn't come in an automatic when I bought it so I had a stick. Not only do I have to do stop and go (sometimes for hours in SoCal traffic but I live where there are lots of hills.

Impressive! I drove my father nuts learning to drive a standard shift, on the second car I owned. Once I got the hang of it, I got extremely good, and I hate driving an automatic by comparison. I feel like I am not in control in an automatic! It's better in snow, too.

There is one circumstance in which standard sucks: city or traffic jam stop and go crap.

My Sentra is standard and that's one reason I prefer the feel of driving it to driving my van. Also, I replaced the transmission - and then they had to replace the replacement - in the van. I've never had to replace a standard transmission, and replacing a clutch (a couple times) is far easier and cheaper. Actually I may only have needed one clutch ever; the first time that came to mind was a clutch cable, and I was able to rig a wire out the window and under the hood to clutch by hand and limp home. But I digress.

Standard rocks! She'll have to practice things like hill stops, but sounds like she learned the basics instantly and smoothly. Ah, memories... I taught my brother to drive on a standard, and he had to stop and start on the Allerton Street hill in Plymouth. That was fun.

Good for you, Dean's wife. 8)

It really all depends on the car. I learned stick on a Mazda 323, which was a surprisingly good little car. Then I went to my '86 Mazda RX-7, which had an *amazing* shifter! Butter smooth, and I *never* missed a shift. I could row that sucker through all five gears in about 1.5 seconds.

Then I drove an early '90s Ford Escort. Uggghhh. The word "truck-like" came to mind. It was the most anti-social transmission I've ever had to use. The whole car was utter crap.

Then I got my Dodge Stealth R/T twin turbo. The previous owner had installed a "tri-force" racing clutch or something, so the clutch took a massive effort to fully depress and its engagement (the "friction point") was miniscule. Not fun at all.

But I'd say that no matter what the car, even if it was a Miata (best-shifting manual sold in the US), your wife did very well for the first time.

I've heard about the fuel economy claims... but in my experience a manual just encourages me to rev 'er out more often, which hurts mileage (this was particularly true on the RX-7, which made sounds like a spaceship under full throttle and seemed to beg for more all the time).

It also depends where you live. Out in the boonies, with lots of twisties? Manual is the best. In the heart of a giant city? Better go for an auto or at least one of the new "manu-matic" transmissions. But I think Jay has a point about control--once you master a manual, it enables you to harness the power of the engine more directly when need by, without waiting for a stupid computer to decide to shift. I also lost all the brakes on my Stealth once, on the highway, and would have been in more trouble without the engine braking a manual provides for.

Happy [belated] fathers' day, Dean!

I write on behalf of your BlogChildren -- all those those geeks, weirdos, and shoegazers (including me) who you helped wean from Blog*Spot and migrate to MT.

Thanks, Dad!

Good? That's amazing! I've taught 3 kids & 1 grownup to drive a stick and none of them even came close to catching on that quickly.

I've pretty much always driven a stick since I learned to drive at the ripe old age of 12. More control over the car, especially on slick roads...a must where we live. Sure it can get annoying in stop & go traffic, but everything else is much more funner.

My daughter recently switched to an automatic because she was tired of always shifting in city traffic...a move she's apparently regretting because now she's always begging to drive my car when we go somewhere together. She misses driving a stick, she says and automatics are too boring.

Manual shift is cheaper too. We've been looking for a new vehicle for Mike, and an automatic adds $800 to the sticker price for the vehicle we've been looking at. Cheaper, more control, more fun. What more could you want?

Ah, the stickshift. My first car was a 4-speed.

When I went out to learn how to drive it, I didn't do the smart thing and use an empty parking lot. I made a lot of people angry.

But it was great motivation to learn how to let out the clutch gently.

Rosemary,

My mother taught me how to drive a stick shift.

Like Dean she took me to the nearest empty parking lot--my high school.

I stalled the car repeatedly. Girls were pointing at me and laughing. It was humiliating.

But once you get the hang of it, a stick can be fun, especially when accelerating to get on a freeway, or passing a slower vehicle on a two lane road. Downshifting for power before going around a curve or up a hill can also give you a heightened sense of control over your vehicle.

The one time I don't like a standard is when I'm in stop-and-go traffic. Then it just becomes another hassle. But other than that, it can be quite a joy to drive.

Nothing new to add to the above comments, but does anyone remember when the standard shifter was on the column? That was a real challenge. My first car: 1962 Cehvy Bel Air, three speed on the column.

Rosemary: Don't listen to your husband. You did an OUTSTANDING job; it takes most people at least a year to reach what you did the first time.

does anyone remember when the standard shifter was on the column?

Yeah, the "three on the tree." My dad had a Nova or something with that arrangement when I was a kid.

Hey, that's pretty good!

For a girl, that is... Heh.

Not 3 on the tree! ANYTHING but that! 5 on the floor please!

I've driven 3 on the tree in a Ford Falcon, VW Bus, and a Dodge Van before, and NONE of them were a fun experience.

But 4 or 5 speed manuals can be very nice, except for the duly noted city traffic (or LA freeways during rush hour).

Rose,

You did good. Dad would be proud!

Jerry

Mrs. Dean,

Men are always impressed by a woman who can drive a stick shift. Trust me, it's right up there with watching an entire football game and beating them at darts. And it's so much fun to rev the engine as you downshift to go around the idiot in the automatic who's imitating a drunken driver because they're yacking on the appendage permanently attached to their ear, thus temporarily disturbing their conversation.

As much fun as I have with a stick shift now, when I was learning I stalled a dozen times and ground enough gears to make Big Ben look small. You did GREAT!

Author!, Author! Err..
Author's Wife! Author's Wife!

*-)

I love stick shifts and loath automatics. With a stick you feel a lot more "involved" with the car. Of course, anyone who buys an automatic sports car should be slapped hard. Doh!

My wife demanded a stick in every car she's owned BECAUSE she needs to be in control. Of course, when the new Camaros came out 10 years ago it just had to have the 6-speed, heh.

A tip for hills from here in San Fran: with vehicle in gear, clutch in and foot on brake, use right hand to use parking brake to hold spot (keep holding it with button depressed). Release floor brake and as you are giving gas/releasing clutch, release the parking brake as well. This essentially gives you the use of three feet and smooth take off everytime with no backward roll.

Not bad at all... and no one's brought up one of the key points of being able to drive a stick. There may, someday, be an emergency wherein you have to drive someone else's manual transmission vehicle. It's useful for EVERYONE to be able to drive a stick for just such occassions. And while you're at it, learn CPR.
:-)

A couple years ago, I wrote my "reasons a manual is better than an automatic". I found it:

•You can use engine braking with a manual transmission, saving your brakes, and possibly saving you if your brakes fail
•You can manifest better fuel economy by shifting into more appropriate gears which gives you the ability to mash the throttle less to accelerate the same amount
•You can launch the car much quicker by revving and dropping the clutch
•When you need to pass or merge, in an automatic you have one choice for quick acceleration--floor the pedal and hope the stupid transmission downshifts enough to get you by; in a manual you have much more delicate control over throttle , gear selection, shift point, how far to bring the revs, whether to clutch up before passing, using intermittent engine braking instead of having to hit the brakes, etc.
•Most automatics won't let you approach redline (where peak power is made on a good engine) no matter how hard you stomp on it; a manual puts the decision in your hands and you can harness the full potential of the engine you payed for when needed/desired
•Many automatics only have three or four gears, many manuals have five or six; more gears gives you more leverage and greater flexibility
•Manuals need no power-robbing torque convertors
•Except in the case of the Vette, which has a slick Borg-Warner system, manuals are generally cheaper than automatics
•Manuals allow you to shift into neutral while moving if desired
•Manuals allow you to decide how to short shift or hold out to redline or beyond, you can bust any combination of road speed, engine speed, gear, and throttle position without some damn intervening computer program, and you can skip gears if desired
•Manuals are more fun! Power to the people!

And then a couple days later, I wrote an addenda to that:

•In addition to being able to downshift so as to not press the throttle as hard to achieve better fuel efficiency, it's also possible to UPshift sooner to find the best cruising gear and to go into neutral going down a hill
•Most manuals have a tachometer, many automatics don't
•Manual transmissions weigh less
•A skilled driver can shift a good manual transmission quicker than an automatic transmission will shift
•Manuals are faster!

Manuals also enable you to clutch-start the car with a dead battery or bad starter. On the farm that my dad grew up on, they had only two batteries for all of the vehicles on the farm, and parked everything at the top of a hill . . .

Many of the "advantages" of manuals you list, Kevin, are shared by today's automatics, as well. For example, most have the ability to lock the trans to a specific gear (or at the very least keep the trans from shifting above a particular gear), so engine braking is possible. I found that very handy coming down Mt. Rainier in my '92 Buick. You can also shift into neutral and back while in motion on today's automatics. Most automatics also have four gears today, although the top gear is typically an overdrive.

That's not to say automatics your other points aren't valid, of course, but the list is a bit out of date.

3 on the tree...oh yeah that brings back memories. My dad had a '69 Chevy truck with that, as well as my ex's '64 Chevy truck and my son's '66 Chevy truck. Talk about tricky, my ex's was cranky about shifting from 1st to 2nd...you had to shift up and let it fall down into neutral, then over and up into second. If you didn't hold your mouth just right, it would lock up the gearshift and you'd have to pull over pop the hood crawl up in the engine and unlock it. A real PITA...much like him, now that I think about it.

: )

That's true to an extent, and I'll admit I was "reaching" a bit on a couple. Still, the engine braking on my Stealth saved my life (or at least a lot of costly repairs). I used to commute in my RX-7 on the backroads without using brakes--only engine braking. I've driven a some late model autos (including a Vette) and never felt the same level of control (I worked for a car dealership for a while and got to drive lots of cars). "Shifting" on an automatic never seems as smooth as clutching and snicking the shifter. :o)

Of course, today "manumatics" are popular, where you can go into fully auto mode or a sequential shifting mode. And Ferraris have clutchless, paddle-shifted manuals.

Rosemary-

I had a TERRIBLE time learning to drive a stick shift. My poor brother (who undertook to teach me) must have gotten out and walked away from the car five times. If you could get to the store on your first run, then you are doing WAY better than I did.

And in no time it will be second nature. You'll be able to do it balancing sandwich and a cup of hot coffee and the phone.

It's much more fun than driving an automatic. More responsive. Just like a gas stove as opposed to an electric.

Good luck!
DF

Dean, I think that Rosemary did quite well. Most people have a heck of a time not chugging, stalling, or grinding gears for the first few times they drive a stick. I taught my wife how to drive a stick several years ago in a mid-80's Ford Escort. She did the empty parking lot thing and then drove us home and did fairly well, although she had more trouble than Rosemary did. She had very little trouble with it the next few days, getting better and better as her confidence got stronger. The only setback she had was one day when she started to back out of our drive and put the car in a forward gear accidentally, running over my mountain bike when she let out the clutch:( We didn't have a stick car for several years after that until I got a Ford Taurus SHO in the early 90's. By then she could speed shift with the best of us, even laying waste to a smart-aleck kid in a 5.0 Mustang one night, who was terribly embarrassed to be whupped by a female in a 4-door car with a V6:)

Um, "the investment is worth it"?

On what automobile does the stick shift cost extra?

(I did my first driving in a VW Microbus, which means that not only did I learn to drive a stick, but I learned patience as well.)

"The investment is worth it" refers, obviously, to the time spent learning to drive a stick, not to the cost of the vehicle. After all, nothing connected to a car is an investment; the whole thing is one giant depreciating asset.

First, of course I think she did well - a lot better than I did.

Secondly, to those asking what cars make stick trannies more expensive - this may no longer be true, but I remember that in the sixties a stick - and I am talking "three on the tree" here - added anywhere from three to eight hundred dollars to a US car. The Big Three decided everybody wanted automatics, and cut way back on making manual shifts.

The car that comes to mind is the Corvette. The Borg-Warner six-speed is an option that *adds* to the price of the car. It may have been true on the F-bodies as well (Trans Am/Z28). It may be true on some exotics (Porsches, Ferraris, etc.). It's certainly true if you're talking about the new clutchless paddle-operated manuals.

There are two other kinds of transmissions--the CVT (continuously variable, where the engine RPMs remain constant and the gears just expand and contract) and the hybrid model such as in the Civic Hybrid (it's a manual, but you MUST follow the cues the computer gives you, which Dennis Saimanaitas of R&T explained were counter-intuitive to how you'd try for good fuel economy in a traditional standard).

rita:
I had a 1961 Dodge Dart that was exactly the same. I called that car "The Streamlined Black Beauty" (hat tip to Green Hornet)

This was back whe CB radios were the rage.