Reply #86: Yep, learned in 1988

[Rob H.]

I actually learned to drive in my dad's truck, which had an automatic transmission, but when it came time to get a car for me to drive to and from college, my parents picked out a used, 5-speed Honda Prelude. They brought it home on a Friday, I drove it around on Saturday and Sunday, and then made the 45-minute drive to school Monday morning. I think the key to being able to do it relatively quickly was that I was already used to doing things like checking my mirrors, keeping the car in the lane, maintaining proper following distance, etc., so adding shifting to all that didn't seem like that much more. I'd already learned how to ride a motorcycle before that, so maybe that helped a bit, I'm not sure.

I think everyone should at least learn enough about how to drive one just in case they're in a situation where they have to drive one. (Emergencies, etc.) Plus, they're fun to drive. :)

<rant>

I've been looking to replace my 20-year-old, 200,000+ mile Jeep for about a year now, and it's depressing (and more than a little annoying) to me how few cars I like are available with a manual transmission. In some cases, they're only available on the bare-bones, base models, and in others they're only available if I spring for the tricked-out trim levels. I don't want or need satellite navigation, a leather interior, a touchscreen radio, or a sunroof, I just want a car I can shift for myself.

</rant>


Edited to add: my dad taught my late brother how to drive a stickshift (we didn't have the truck yet) and when Rich went to take the driving portion of the driver's license test, he was able to back out of the spot and pull away smoothly without poppping the clutch or killing the engine. As soon as he did that, the tester said,"Well, I'm going to go ahead and have you turn right out of the lot, drive around the block, and park the car when we get back here, but you've already passed the test."