Only 18% of all Americans can drive a stick shift

Trade

Trade

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https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/10/11/report-only-18-percent-of-americans-can-drive-manual/
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A new report shows fewer Americans own a car with manual transmission let alone know how to operate one. And there appear to be a number of reasons for it.

The report from U.S. News and World Report show only 18 percent of U.S. drivers know how to operate a stick shift. It says that because of advancements in automatic transmissions and fuel economy, only about 5 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. today come with a stick shift. That’s down from 25 percent of cars in 1987.
The third pedal is also bad for re-sale value, on average selling for $2,000 less than cars with automatic transmissions.
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That's hard to believe. Only 1 in 5 can drive a stick shift. When I was in HighSchool we used to laugh at the kids that couldn't drive a stick shift. I haven't had a stick shift vehicle since 2009, but I'm pretty sure I could still manage. And all three of my kids had to learn and pass their driving test with my old 1990 Nissan pickup with 5 on the floor. Although I did need to have the clutch replaced after that. :)

Come to think of it, I doubt my 20 year old grand daughter can drive one. I'll have to ask her. I guess it's becoming a lost art.
 

I learned how to drive on a stick shift VW bug. I probably still could if necessary, but haven't had to in over 50 years.

Another lost skill is sewing on a foot-operated treadle sewing machine. We learned on those when I was in elementary school.

This would be a good subject in our Games topic, where we list interesting things in the thread "Baker's Dozen." I think I'll try it the next time around: Lost skills that we personally learned.
 
I never learned but my husband and two kids knew how....in fact they learned to drive on a stick shift car (husband’s).

Although I never really drove stick I know the basics and if absolutely necessary probably could drive a car if I had to...wouldn’t be a smooth ride though. :)
 
Sunny said:
Another lost skill is sewing on a foot-operated treadle sewing machine. We learned on those when I was in elementary school.
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OMG, i sewed on a treadle sewing machine back in the 60's when my dad was stationed in Belgium there in the military. My mom and I sewed on it. I wish we could have taken it back with us to the U.S.
 
Sunny said:
I learned how to drive on a stick shift VW bug. I probably still could if necessary, but haven't had to in over 50 years.

Another lost skill is sewing on a foot-operated treadle sewing machine. We learned on those when I was in elementary school.

This would be a good subject in our Games topic, where we list interesting things in the thread "Baker's Dozen." I think I'll try it the next time around: Lost skills that we personally learned.
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I learned on a treadle sewing machine at school too in this was in the late 60's. WE had electric singer sewing machines in the class, but the teacher for some reason preferred us to learn on the treadle..I used to get real leg ache!!
 
I learned to drive on a stick shift and got my drivers licence using it also. I remember like it was yesterday taking the test. The instructor told me to act just like I would if I was alone driving down a street. I did everything he asked perfectly. After parallel parking, which was the end of the test he just sat there and did nothing. Finally he told me I didn't turn the car off after I had parked. I told him I was acting like I was actually driving . I told him I had to run into the store for some milk and was letting it idle because I was coming right out. He wasn't happy with that response but didn't flunk me. I was very lucky that day.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I learned to drive on a stick shift and got my drivers licence using it also. I remember like it was yesterday taking the test. The instructor told me to act just like I would if I was alone driving down a street. I did everything he asked perfectly. After parallel parking, which was the end of the test he just sat there and did nothing. Finally he told me I didn't turn the car off after I had parked. I told him I was acting like I was actually driving . I told him I had to run into the store for some milk and was letting it idle because I was coming right out. He wasn't happy with that response but didn't flunk me. I was very lucky that day.
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Oh that's funny!
 
I learned to drive on a standard, too. We lived on a farm so I could drive across the cornfield in the old farm truck without killing anyone. :D I was about 13 and my dad would let me drive anything, including the John Deere. I enjoy driving a manual transmission except for those pesky stops on an incline. :eek:
 
I learned on one and didn't switch to automatic until my r shoulder arthritis got bad from what I called rowing the car along, the shift was down between the seats. I wonder if I still could if I had to.
on the bright side, here in ABQ 2 thieves were foiled from trying to steal a good sports car because they didn't know how to drive a shift.
 
C'est Moi said:
I learned to drive on a standard, too. We lived on a farm so I could drive across the cornfield in the old farm truck without killing anyone. :D I was about 13 and my dad would let me drive anything, including the John Deere.
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My experience was similar.

I can still make the vehicle go but I wouldn't say that I can really drive a stick.
 
Same here .... learned on one and taught 3 of my 5 kids too. 2 of the 3 took their driving tests on a standard shift. Son #2 still looks for cars with standard shifts when he’s buying his sclunkers which is all he can afford right now....He’s the recovering drug adfict, and even though he’s four years clean, it’s still taking a lot of work to get his life back together.

I had had to drive his car a couple weeks ago. I hadn’t driven a stick in about 10 years. Took me all of a minute...went through all the gear changes once and it all came back like I’d driven yesterday!!
 
I don't currently own a stick shift vehicle, but have always preferred driving them over an automatic. I agree with Keesha, automatics are boring. When I sold my last stick shift car last year because it was just plain worn out, I promised myself that one day I would buy myself a 5-speed Mazda Miata :eek:nthego: :drive:
 
We've driven manual transmissions for decades, pretty much every vehicle we've ever bought together has been a stick, except for our first auto bought in '07, the Dodge Nitro. We've always had 4wd too, right now the Jeep Cherokee I drive everyday is a '96 manual 4wd, and our truck is a '92 Dodge Ram 250 cummins diesel with stick and 4wd, bought both of them new at the time. In the snow my Jeep drives like a tank in 4 wheel low, and rocking out when stuck in deep snow is much easier with a stick.

I guess I can see that people these days are more into driving automatics, with the technology it seems that everyone wants the easiest way to do things, including driving.
 
I took driver ed in my senior yer...so it would have been the 1971-72 school year. We learned on both manual and automatic . The stick shift was in a VW Bug. That was the only time I ever drove a stick. Never got the hang of it.
 
I heard the stick shift is easier on gas but I don't know if that's true. In the 70s I drove a Gremlin car and a Chevy Luv pick up with stick shifts. Just drove them a few times. I prefer automatics.
 
My first car was a ’54 Chevy two door post
Three on the tree
Drove it to DMV to get my license on my 16th birthday
Glad I passed

Drove many a stick then on, including an 18 wheeler, COE, 13 forward

My ’99 Jeep Wrangler is a five speed
My kids all drive sticks

My lady? Never
‘Never will’

I’m somehow happy about that

Drove a ’67 bug without the clutch for a few weeks
Rather easy to slip shift if the RPMs and road speed matched
Stops became interesting
 

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