Do you prefer driving a stick shift or automatic? Those years ago, was your first vehicle a stick shift or automatic?

First car was a '53 Ford Victoria hardtop with three on the tree. Every subsequent car/truck was a stick. Only when I started having hip trouble did I venture into the world of "gooey go" transmissions.
 

I prefer automatic. That's how I learned to drive.
Although, at times I did drive a boyfriend's vehicle with a stick shift and my dad's truck was a stick.

Stick shift is too confusing, and some were easier than others to drive.
 
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I prefer a car that can drive itself - can't wait.
There are fully autonomous taxi cars (no backup driver) driving in several areas of the county now. One such system is Waymo.
 

I have an automatic. As it's a van, it would be very rare to see such (though I did years ago) however, in today's culture, if car jacked, they'd be screwed. There's even videos of car theft that can't drive the car and abandoned it.

I've driven 5 speed straight, trained on 10 speed diesel, three speed Gremlin (security) The "Thing" (security again, which another guard wrecked, due to not realizing the shifting pattern)

The most fun? A 65 Dodge Dart with a left handed pushbutton transmission. My sister thought it was so cute. I actually hated to let it go, but sold it later.
 
Disgustedman said:
The most fun? A 65 Dodge Dart with a left handed pushbutton transmission. My sister thought it was so cute. I actually hated to let it go, but sold it later.
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That was my sister's first car. She was the first in our family to learn to drive.
 
Pam said:
That reminds me of when I met my husband to be. I had a Fiat 500 which didn't have syncromesh gearbox. Fortunately, I had been taught how to double declutch so it was never a problem for me. However, my husband had never been shown how to double declutch and despite my attempts to teach him he never did master it completely. He hated that car.... I loved it. ;) I've only every driven one automatic car and didn't like it.
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I much prefer stick shifts and was going to mention that here, but I have to ask, what the Hell is double declutching? - I'm impressed and I don't even know what it is.
 
Automatic all the way, now.

First car was a stick, 1962 Hillman Super Minx and had a 62 Hp, 97 cu.in engine.
4 doors, White and Green.
(Just right for cruising around on Oahu, where I lived at the time.)

Most of today's gas Moped scooters have more horsepower! (But mine had an 8-Track player, which I installed and Surfboard racks...)
 
As crazy as it sounds, I miss that little 1971 white ford pinto with the tan vinyl top and interior. I learned to drive a stick in that little car. I loved it, now it comes to me in dreams of the good/great times of my life. If I could find a classic I would probably buy it. These days it is all about the classic 55 chevy, the mustang, camaro, firebird. That poor little Pinto did not stand a chance.
 
I have always driven vehicles with a manual gearbox,
even crash boxes, as referred to previously, automatic
gear boxes can also be driven like a manual box and
they should be occasionally, just to give the engine
some high revs and clean it out.

When you start moving in Drive, immediately change,
to Low, that will hold the gear, change again to "D",
then immediately back to "L", you will now be in 2nd
gear, keep doing that, just to get some high revs going,
do this about once a month.

Mike.
 
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