sign of the times
 

Where we're headed

Re: sign of the times
 

I wonder if the traffic cone in the background is the result of one of those guys driving a manual car.

Re: sign of the times
 

I guess that includes Model A's. I occasionally take my Model A to Jiffy Lube to have the oil changed. I have to drive it in and after they are through, start and drive the car out.

Re: sign of the times
 

I do that when inspected.

Re: sign of the times
 

I wouldn't let the talent at Jiffy-Lube check the air in my tires.

Sad when the majority of Porsches have automatic transmissions.

Even your dental hygienist drives a BMW.

Re: sign of the times
 

I thought my daughter to drive a manual and my oldest nephew asked me last week to teach him. Gotta pass these skills down.

Re: sign of the times
 

How many of us know how to drive a team of horses?

Progress moves on whether like it or not.

Enjoy.

Re: sign of the times
 

Or a Model T Ford.

Re: sign of the times
 

My son had an early ‘90s Toyota pickup with a stick and lived in Los Angeles. He told me that he never worried about it getting stolen, none of the crooks knew how to drive it. Finally drove it (barely) to the auto recyclers with 365,000+ miles on the clock when it needed a new clutch.

Re: sign of the times
 

Years ago I was in the local JD dealership looking up parts to overhaul my dozer engine.The parts guy and I were scoping out the part numbers and writing them down.(microfiche).The owners son,mid 20's,came up and asked me to move my truck,they were rearranging the little tractor displays out front.The parts guy said,Keith always leaves the keys in his truck,you can just move it.I said sure,that's why the keys are in it.A few minutes later the guy is standing behind me kind of shuffling around,I said did it start OK? he said,It's a standard,I can't drive it.It's a family run business,and when his father and uncles came up into it,they started with the lowest job on the totem pole.They drove the trucks.A Mack with a rollback body,and a Mack lowbed tractor.This young guy couldn't even drive a Toyota.

Re: sign of the times
 

I didn't know how to drive stick before I got into antique cars. Now I do. It's not a big deal. In the big scheme of learnable skills, driving stick is somewhere down around "make an espresso" in terms of difficulty to acquire.

It is true that in the future you will need to learn to drive stick for a specific reason (antiques, racing, commercial trucks, etc.) rather than needing to know it as a general life skill. Automatic transmissions are mature enough that they shift better than manuals for street driving. Electric cars don't need them at all. It's not the end of the world. If you need the skill, you learn it.

Re: sign of the times
 

show and tell is one way to pass on to your family. Feed their curiosity. Free rides and answering questions should plant a seed. Not that many high school auto shop programs are around. I am not impressed with the electrics, a modified golf cart.

Re: sign of the times
 

In California in the 1950’s everyone had to take Driver’s Ed in 10th grade in High School. The local Ford dealer donated a column shift sedan to the HS every year in my home town of Redlands which had more orange trees than people or cars. In five minutes we could drive out to the orange groves and learn to drive with no traffic.

Our family had stick shift cars until the 1990’s. Both my daughters were motivated too Lean to drive stick shift cars at 15 years old because there was no alternative.

My youngest daughter bought a stick shift VW Jetta about 13 years ago because it was the cheapest option. She thought she’d pass it on to her son when he turned 15. It’s sitting in the garage now because my grandson had no desire to learn to drive it. My wife gave him her car with automatic to drive.

David Serrano

Re: sign of the times
 

The first time I drove a manual on the street it was an old Chevy pickup base model with 3 on the column. My cousin's step dad told me to take it to the store and rent us a movie to watch. I told him I didn't know how to drive it. He said "bull, that I had been riding a dirt bike with a clutch for years. All I had to do was swap my hands and feet" That was all the instruction that I got. Made it to the store and back after a little grinding and a few stalls.

Re: sign of the times
 

I remember learning to double clutch my mom's '56 Chevy column shift manual with non-synchro low to get back down into first gear....don't think I did any damage, it always worked OK :)

My dad had a '64 Chrysler convertible with a 3 speed manual on the floor. Doubt Chrysler made many of those.

Re: sign of the times
 

I got you covered on the team as long as it is 3 or less. Also can ride a horse with sirsingle and halter. Found that shooting rabbits while hoseback will get you a free walk home.

Dave the outdoors man.

Re: sign of the times
 

I've heard of your hunting prowess. Kept the stew pot full.

Re: sign of the times
 

We have all updated our skills as we go. When we were kids, who would have even in their widest dreams imagined that there would be such a thing as the internet yet here we are using it to talk from one side of the world to the other about learning to drive a car without a synchro gearbox.
Now read my signature line below!

Re: sign of the times
 

I raised 6 kids and made them all learn to drive a manual. The only 1 that could not master it was my left hander. I could understand that because I'm not sure I would be that good with a RHD car! To this day, one of my daughters will only buy a manual transmission car. Proud that any of them could get home in a pinch if they had to.

Re: sign of the times
 

You were born right handed to hold a steering wheel. The left doesn't need to do much.