Who taught you to drive a stick?

"SaveTheIntegras" (jstnemerson) 06/15/2015 at 09:08 • Filed to: None

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I’m sure this question has been asked many times...but who taught you how to drive a stick? My mom actually taught my dad and I how to drive stick.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:11

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My sister.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:11

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The parking lot and a 1991 Audi 200 20v

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:11

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My Dad. I learned how to drive stick before I was even legally allowed to drive. I was putting around the neighborhood by around 13 or 14.

pip bip - choose Corrour > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:11

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my parents.

they have never owned an auto.

CalzoneGolem > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:13

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I guess it was my dad. He gave me the keys to his truck and said, “Figure it out.”

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:14

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Technically I taught myself, but when I was 5 my grandma had a 1982 Honda Accord Sedan with a 5 speed and no airbags. She let me sit on her lap when she drove with my legs over hers and my hand on hers while she shifted, so I gained a basic understanding at a young age. She also always let me shift into neutral at stop lights.

DeWayneV8 > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:14

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My dad....when I was 13, in a ‘91 Taurus SHO. I had a cool dad.

When I turned 16 he let me skip school and took me to the dragstrip!

Slant6 > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:16

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After 10 minuets in a warehouse parking lot my dad threw me onto the highway and had me figure out the rest. You can be taught the basics but you can’t be taught competency. That takes time.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:17

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I bet I’ll be the only one with this answer.

My sister.

She had an 86 Mustang LX as her first car 4 cylinder with 4 speed manual. It was also my first engine rebuild I was involved in. My dad taught her (she’s 3 years older than me), then she taught me when I got my permit.

She still prefers to drive a manual, she has owned 2 of them and finds automatics boring.

LongbowMkII > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:18

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My dad took my first car and me to the highschool parking lot. after getting frustrated and kicking him out of the car I made a few dozen stop and go laps. There was a slight incline to the lot so that was helpful for the real world.

Party-vi > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:18

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My dad gave me a primer in our old ‘87 Toyota pickup, and then I took it from there when I got the Cherokee 5 years later.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:19

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First stab at it was a friend of my dad, in... IIRC an old Nissan quarter-ton four-banger pickup. Light flywheel, tetchy clutch. This was a guy who by that point had already probably owned some 40 cars, so he’s probably had 15 since. I think I finished learning in a Volvo 240-series diesel - not sure, though.

SaveTheIntegras > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 06/15/2015 at 09:21

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second time someone said their sister actually. Pretty awesome either way

Brickman > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:23

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My dad. He tried to teach my sisters, but they never could get the hang of it.

BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:27

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My dad taught me the basics when we were looking for my first car. We were at a used car lot and saw a crappy old ranger with a five-speed. I’d been wanting to learn how to drive a stick for a while, so we test drove it. Dad said I picked it up faster than he expected me to so I was kinda proud of that. My manual education was furthered at an independent Porsche shop that I worked at for two summers. My boss, the owner (who also participates in PCA club racing as a driver), wanted me to be able to move cars around the lot, so he picked up where my dad left off. Needless to say, a Porsche is much more smooth than a Ranger.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:29

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No one. I watched my parents driving, got clear on the concept that way, and figured it out for myself, in short order.

Cé hé sin > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:29

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Driving school.

Smoggi - powered by 3 cylinders > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:29

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I learned the concept from playing video games and paying attention to my parents driving. First time I drove stick myself was in drivers education. I pretty much had it figured out after the first lesson.

AJ Feldman (alecmets2011) > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:30

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Older brother’s best friend

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:30

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I’m sure my dad would’ve if he still lived with us, as he is the one who got me into cars, but my mom happily obliged, I went driving with her when I still had my learners license (I had to drive with someone who had their full license) all the time.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:34

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My stepdad. I actually had to be taught twice. I originally tried to learn on a 68 Mustang. I just couldn't get the grasp of it as that transmission wasn't exactly the most user friendly. I tried again a couple months later in an 86 Accord and picked it up almost instantly.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:41

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Here’s a twist that adds up to most likely un-matchable:

She also taught me how to shoot a gun.

She’s a Sherrif’s Deputy lol

fhrblig > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:42

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Both my mom and my stepfather did. Previous stepfather, not current.

SaveTheIntegras > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 06/15/2015 at 09:42

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your sister sounds pretty fucking awesome lol

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:44

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Sure is.

Patrick Nichols > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:47

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I guess I learned somewhat on a friends honda 80 cc dirt bike (they had 2 and we would go out in their backyard). After that it was at the same friends house in their 1.8T jetta also in their backyard (we were ~13 and the grass would keep us from wrecking the tires on pavement).

After a few years away I relearned on our 02 jetta with my mom. Picked it up pretty quick on my own after that as it was my only transportation anywhere.

ttyymmnn > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:53

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Myself. A couple people tried to teach me, but it wasn’t until I spent an hour or so in an empty parking lot, learning the friction point on our ‘82 Rabbit, that I finally figured it out. But let’s just say that at point I could start and go from place to place. To drive and actually take advantage of the stick took a lot of practice and experience.

Sn210 > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:53

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My dad. He told me if I could drive a manual, an auto would be a piece of cake. He mainly wanted me to know in case I was ever in an emergency situation and the only car around was a manual, I'd be able to drive it. He taught my sister too. I ended up sticking with it and have had manuals ever since.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:54

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My dad’s friend, who owns a dealership, took in a 90ish GMC S-15 pickup with a 4 banger/5spd on a trade It was completely beat, the frame was rusted through in parts, so my dad talked his friend into letting me learn to drive stick in it since it was bound for the wholesalers anyways. I was probably 17 at the time, and dad and I spent the afternoon driving around the car dealership and up and down his friend’s drive

Hooker > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:54

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My mom’s co-worker/friend. She had an NB Miata and it only had 14K miles on it when I started to learn. It was incredibly easy to learn on and bonus, it was incredibly fun to drive. I still swap cars with her every once in a while when she needs a bigger car. Those days are awesome.

Lekker > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:54

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Gran Turismo 2 back when I was 7

The Real Dacia Sandero > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:54

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I first learned from a friend in his ‘72 Beetle on a video shoot. I was too tall to sit in the back, so I was relegated to driving.

Then when I got my Miata, my mom taught me. It took me a bit to get a hang of it in that car. Probably because at the time, the throttle was extremely heavy, so I wasn’t giving it enough gas in shifts.

Since, i’ve taught 3 or 4 friends how to drive manual in my Miata.

Entropic Force > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 09:55

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My good friend in Meat-Space @theoneelectronic . He’s such a good friend. Stranded me in a parking lot 2 hours from my house and said “You’ll learn to drive stick, or you’ll rot in this lot.”

Said he wasn’t as embarrassed to know me when I got back. What a swell guy.

Jcarr > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:00

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I didn’t learn until I was in college. My roommate had a ‘95 Mustang V6 with the 5-speed and he took me out one afternoon. It was surprisingly easy to learn.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:04

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JayhawkJake. I learned stick in the Super Sanic

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:04

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My dad. And much to my mom’s dismay. Dad never told her I was going to driver her BMW. It was all fine though.

Two Drink Minimum > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:04

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Taught myself.

The story: Visiting my girlfriend at college. We borrowed her friend’s car to drive to a concert about 100 miles away. Neither of us realized the car was a manual until we got there with the keys. Oops.

functionoverfashion > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:10

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My parents had me driving our tractor(s) around as soon as I could push the clutch down. I then learned how to start on a hill with out 1986 plymouth voyager minivan (yes, 5-speed chrysler minivan), before I’d been out of first gear. Which is really all the hard stuff, 2 and up is easy! I had barely driven an automatic when I took driver’s ed.

Hooker > Slant6 06/15/2015 at 10:13

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It’s a game of finesse and feel. I once taught a girl the mechanics in a parking lot and just said “alright, let’s go!” She wasn’t amused but later on she thanked me for throwing her to the wolves. It made a difference in her confidence level too.

DarrenMR > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:15

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My father passed away when I was 14. I was test driving a 2004 Mitsubishi mirage in 2006/2007. The salesman thought me basically on the test drive. A few years later I bought my Miata. 5 hours away from where I lived.

duurtlang > Cé hé sin 06/15/2015 at 10:18

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Same here. The vast, vast majority of adults in this country were tought how to drive (including using a manual transmission) by their driving instructor. Imho it’s the preferable way.

I was taught in a brand new 2000 Ford Focus diesel.

OPPOsaurus WRX > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:19

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i had a 95’ explorer 4 dr. v6. I added a k&n intake and a Gibson exhaust. My buddy wanted to try driving it and offered to let me try his 96’ 2dr Explorer sport 5 speed if I let him have fun with the new performance parts for a bit. I got to try it, did fine but never left the parking lot. first time on the streets was test driving an 08’ WRX

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:24

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I was shifting for my dad for a while, and when he actually took me to a parking lot to drive around I learned the clutch pretty fast.

GUYMANDUDE > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:33

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yamahog > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:34

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My dad taught my sister and I how to ride dirtbikes and assumed the knowledge would magically transfer to cars. One of his girlfriends taught me how to drive on his Mustang, though. No first gear and you had to slam into every other gear. Fun stuff.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Patrick Nichols 06/15/2015 at 10:35

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I, like you, got a grasp of the basics on a 80cc dirt bike. I had actually never driven a stick until I purchased my first car, a manual Alfa Romeo. I just got in it an drove. It made perfect sense to me.

kanadanmajava1 > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:40

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Coworker gave my short introduction and then I had the learn the rest myself as the first vehicle with a manual gearbox that I drove was a Stiga lawnmower. It had 5 speeds but it had only the brake and the clutch pedals. Instead of the accelerator pedal it had hand operated lever that was quite hard to reach. You had to up shift super fast or otherwise the poor Stiga stalled when the driving speed lowered too much.

When I eventually went to the driving school the driving instructor complained as I had been used to do really fast shifts as this was what I had learned with the lawnmower. The first road legal vehicle that I drove (also the first vehicle with three pedals) was a rather large MAN truck. And here we didn’t practice in the parking lot but head straight to the road. The first driving lesson was intense.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 10:47

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My rabbi.

RazoE > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 11:10

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Me myself and I.

Bought a Supra without knowing how to drive it and proceeded to drive it 11 miles each way to work.

MPA > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 11:25

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my friend Dave, because I had just bought a ‘81 Accord hatch and didn’t know how to drive stick. I was 18.

TrickJos > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 11:27

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Dad taught me in his 1989 S-10 Blazer. 2.8L V6 4X4. I miss that Blazer all the time. He ordered it in 1989 and drove it until 2007.

boxrocket > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 11:37

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Myself when I was 16, IIRC, when I worked at a Ford dealership as a porter, starting with a Ranger (good stick to learn on, BTW, very forgiving) and further practice with a few used cars we had. Took a few tries to figure out, and I’ve refined my technique over the intervening years, such that I get no criticisms and am the go-to for teaching stick to the uninitiated at work, and taught others at prior jobs. Admittedly, I used to be paranoid that I was doing something wrong or instructing improperly, but so far so good.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 12:07

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My dad took me out in his Tacoma, parked it halfway up the biggest hill in town, put me in the driver’s seat, and told me to get it going.

AASHOUR6 > SaveTheIntegras 06/15/2015 at 14:03

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Yesterday with my cousin, currently on vacation in Jordan and my cousin taught me on his early 90s Opel vectra. My first time behind the wheel of a stick and I didnt even stall once. Had some issues keeping my foot of the gas when shifting but eventually got it. Already planning on getting a stick as my next car.

T5Killer > SaveTheIntegras 06/18/2015 at 14:19

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My mom. Until her current car she always had Manual cars. I learned on her ‘89 Dodge Ram 50 4x4 and previously her ‘86 Corrola 5speed.

T5Killer > DeWayneV8 06/18/2015 at 14:22

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Now I know what I am doing with my son and daughter when they turn 16!

T5Killer > duurtlang 06/18/2015 at 14:26

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Some areas in the US are now requiring driving school now. (Rural and backwards NM started in ‘98) The other states I know of that require it are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, Virginia, Wyoming.

DeWayneV8 > T5Killer 06/19/2015 at 13:26

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I wish I could double-recommend this post.