Asklemmy

When I was 15 my grandfather took me out into the woods to teach me to drive stick in a 30,000 lb dump truck. I had never driven anything bigger than a golf cart before. My space to work with was a clearing maybe three times the size of the truck. I did not learn to drive stick that day.

My brother always use to tell me that driving manual is just driving with extra steps. Lol

Yes, 29 from Belgium. I got my first automatic transmission in January. Everyone around me drives a manual

39. Driving manuals for 20+ years. Yes, Europe.

Yes because here you can't get a driver's license without learning how to drive a manual transmission. All your lessons and final driving exam are always in a manual transmission vehicle. (Portugal, 28 years old)

However I know many people who switch to automatic after they're done with their exam because they don't want to deal with it. I've always heard that manual is for people who like to drive and auto is for people who just need a car to get from A to B.

I am 17 and don't even have a driver's license (I already could). However I don't want that in the first place. I don't feel comfortable about being in control of a heavy vehicle moving at relatively high speed. I know I'd drive over a pedestrian the first month because I got lost in my thoughts and completely forgot to pay attention to being in a damn car.
Or just fall asleep. Being in a train, bus, or even just playing a bus simulator on my phone immediately makes me sleepy. Sleeping driver is not a good driver.
Additionally there's the high prices of gas to consider, low prices of bus transport, and for me as a student non-existent prices for trains.
Why pay extra to create additional traffic and kill people?

I'm in my 30s grew up in FL and I can

Late 20s and in the Midwest US. I daily drive a manual 1994 Mazda Miata.

From India, late 30s and I drive manual. I learned to drive less than an year ago in a manual that I own. Manual cars are cheaper and I bought one since I believe switching from manual to auto would be easier than the other way around. I don't feel comfortable driving an automatic; and it is only recently that I realised that ALL of my friends and family drive automatics! I live in a large crowded city with terrible traffic problems and I sometimes wonder if driving an automatic would be easier.

Italian, 45 here. Always driven manual.

All my cars, bar one, have been manual transmission, as is my current one. To be honest, as I'm lazy, I do prefer auto, but it's easier to buy a car with manual transmission here in the UK, as you have more options.

Yes, almost 40, USA. I don't currently own a manual, but used to. It was a great way to save a few thousand on a car and it's a lot more fun to drive. But very few cars in the US have a manual option these days.

American, Mid 30s, and all cars I've owned so far are Manual Transmission.

The shitposty part of me wants to call it a giant stim toy

Yep - been driving for around 30+ years here in Australia (I'm late 40s). Grew up driving manual, have owned several manual vehicles, including my current one.

USA, 33, daily drive a stick.

Bought my first car with my own money in 2013, a 2014 WRX, it only came in manual. I've been driving it since.

I'm 19-20 and I'm from the eastern part of the US.

In a car, I have about 8 hours of experience and could do it in a pinch, although I'd feel unconfident with it.

On a motorcycle, I have about 20 hours of more recent experience and I feel fairly comfortable with it.

Big yes! Mid 20s and currently daily drive my miata

Yes, 40, Germany. And I actually do.

Nope, never learned. I'm 31 in the US. Never had the need to learn as I was raised with automatics only.

France, early thirties, I can. Automatics are still pretty new on the market, most people I know cannot operate one. It's easier of course, but kinda throws you off at first. My wife owns one and it's great for traffic and keeping a low fuel consumption, since the thing is made to shift gears exactly when necessary. The tradeoff is no sportsy driving, of course, but I can live with that for some time.

I'm 42, and can drive manual, but I've had an automatic the last 5 years.

My son is now learning to drive, but he will most likely not need to drive a manual ever.

35, Canada, and manual is my preference although my current car is an automatic.

I learned to drive on an automatic, but bought a manual for my first car and got my ex to teach me how to drive it. It was important to me that I be able to get into pretty much anything and drive it. After driving an automatic exclusively for the last year, I miss having that level of gearing control, especially on hills and corners.

30 years old. US. I can and do drive a stick shift.

Really hard coming from a family with only automatic cars. Very few people have stick cars, and even fewer are willing to teach you in their own car.

Can't even rent a stick shift to practice on. Your best bet is to sign up with a driving school that offers stock shift lessons, which I almost did.

Instead, a buddy of mine was kind enough to let me practice for 2 hours with him in a beater he had. Then I went and picked up my brand new WRX. Stalled like 12 times on the way home. But I figured it out!!

...american; when i learned to stick-and-clutch fourty years ago (driving fifty-year-old used cars) we still called it a standard transmission...

...we like to say that i married my wife because she drove a standard, but when she traded in my last hatchback the manufacturer only offered automatics in the new models; would've been a dealbreaker for me but she liked the car...

I'm 36, I live in the UK, and I've driven a manual car since I was 17. I've only driven an automatic twice in my life and I'll probably never own one.

Nope, I'm scared to even use the paddle shifters on my auto

Does a motorbike count?

Nope, manual transmission isn't common in Ontario,, I lived in the US for a bit and everyone seemed to drive stick, but I never figured it out. I don't understand why anyone wants to drive it.

Yes, I'm from the UK so pretty much everyone here can even if they own an automatic. It's not seen as a big deal here, it's just normal.

I prefer manuals, I won't be buying an automatic until my leg falls off.

37, Eastern PA. I CAN drive a stick, but I don't like to. It's another distraction I don't need while driving. Can pay attention to all the other idiots on the road when not worrying what gear I'm in or when to shift.

I drive an automatic but I learned with a manual and used it for years. I find manual impractical for daily use but I can use it if I need to.

32 years old, Italy

Yes and here in the UK if you fail your test enough times with a manual transmission you get to try with an automatic.

Yeah man. Australia. Mid 40s. My nieces have just started learning (we start here at 16). When I asked whether they were going to learn manual they said what's that?

German, mid 20s, can and do

UK, early 30s only ever driven manual, automatics are still more expensive here than manuals but are slowly becoming more common esp with the rise of electric cars. Although I doubt ill get one any time soon.

US, 37, been driving a manual since I was 16.

the great thing about manual transmission is it almost doesn't matter how big the motor is, or whether it's front/rear/AWD, as long as the platform is balanced you can have fun on it.. EVERY car nut appreciates a Golf with a stick, no matter how muscular a hot rod you drive..

30, german, yes I can, no I do not. I drive a hybrid, so no manual transmission.