Manural Shift Automobiles

[copelandamuffy]

A contractors who clean up hazardous wastes was on our site recently. One of the employees is an exchange
student from Beijing, China. I was discussing with him automobiles in China. Most cars
in China are stick-manual shift. It made me curious how many of us know how to
drive a car with a clutch? I believe in Massachusetts one in seven cars is a manual shift
car.

When I got my driver's licensee in 1966, you had to know how to drive a manual shift car,
or no driver's licensee. The Massachusetts State Police took you out on the steepest
hill, stopped the car, shut off the engine, restart the car, and you better pray that
car does not roll backwards when you start to move forward.

This student also said in China, they drive on the same side of the road as we do.
I know Canada, France, and Mexico drives as we do. And believe
most of your countries in the Mid-East{Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia } drive on the same side of the
road as we do.

I think Japan, and of course the United Kingdom drives on the opposite side
of the road.

[Eric]

163,000 miles (260,000KM) on the present manual shift car. Learned to drive in a hayfield with a standard transmission on a VW bug when I was 13.

When I was 14, moved up to a milk truck.

[Charger]

I've got 2 vehicles. The family minivan is an automatic. MY car on the other hand, is not. It's also much faster than the minivan. But of course I wouldn't know anything about that.

[ACP01]

Ok, I gotta ask this...
Is a "Manural" shift very smelly? How about messy?
Sorry I know you meant "manual" but had to do that.

[SecureTN]

To be honest with you, I am just now learning to drive a Manual (I am 19), I have always owned Automatics (I have had 7 cars...Don't ask...) but am now hoping to drive a Manual.

[copelandamuffy]

Best thing about Manual Shift cars is in snow.
I can rock a car Manual Shift Car out of a snow bank.
Manual shift cars get about 2 to three miles per gallon better than Automatics

Worse thing about Manual Shift Cars is being in a traffic jam.
Constantly shifting.

[Mr. Security]

I learned to drive cars w/manual transmissions out of necessity when I bought my first car: An old Datsun 500 for 400.00---all the money I had.

[EMTGuard]

The first manual I had to drive was an old style Jeep in the Army when I was in Germany. I got pretty good at it and when I came back stateside I bought a Toyota Celica with Manual tranny.
All was fine until the day I had to check off on the new Humvee at Fort Hood, Texas. I got in, started the engine and my sergent climbs in with his clipboard. I put the truck in Drive, headed through a parking lot then, as I came to the street I hit the Clutch... The Humvee is automatic and that wasn't a clutch I pressed. It was the brake. I nearly put the sergent evaluating me through the windshield.
After the Army I went to truck driving school, JB Hunt, where I learned about double clutching.
It's been about 9 years since I drove a vehicle with manual transmission. I like not having to shift and as a Ham Radio operator who often talks while mobile I never want another manual.

[copelandamuffy]

My wife's brother and her Dad rebuild and maintain stock cars
Mustangs { Ponies}, Chevys, and Plymouths

She learned to drive on these souped up cars.
When we were 1st dating 25 years ago she was driving a Ford Shelby GT 500.
I was in the passenger seat. A couple of punk kids pulled up next to her
in a Pontiac at a traffic light. These smart as*es thought they would blow
the doors off some cute little girl driving a big Ford.

My wife left these kids in the dust. I knew that night I found the woman
of my dreams. Any woman 5 feet one inch tall 115 pounds who can handle
a car the way she did, is my type of woman.

[Charger]

^ You lucky, lucky man!

I guess I got semi-lucky... Mine loves muscle cars & stuff like that, she's just not terribly proficient at driving them in that way.

[Mall Director]

Oooo, big time Manual Trans lover!

I started out with manuals trans from my father on the farm, and stayed with em for the longest time. I had a moment in my life when I had nothing but autos, and it drove me nuts.. Now, I am back in a manual, and converting my other sports car to manual.. thats how much I love em!

[Charger]

^ Out of curiosity, what kinda cars, MD?

[T202]

I started out with manuals trans from my father on the farm, and stayed with em for the longest time. I had a moment in my life when I had nothing but autos, and it drove me nuts.. Now, I am back in a manual, and converting my other sports car to manual.. thats how much I love em!

MD, how do you like the new mustangs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgb_g_2qkGs

[Rooney]

I started on the farm driving manuals when I was around 10. On the road about 12 (farm roads in a very rural area). I've driven everything from farm tractors to heavy equipment. Now that I live in the city I drive an automatic daily but have a manual truck for other drives or hauling.

As for the new Mustangs. I say , about time they get back to the fastback look. It's MUCH better than those ugly Mustang II's.

[Andy Taylor]

I started learning to drive a manual on 1. VW Rabbit that belonged to my aunt and 2. finished learning on a '73 Ford 1 ton flatbed, that belonged to my boss.
Believe it or not I own a Suburban with a 4 speed manual.