Ever seen someone driving a manual transmission who probably shouldn't have?

y_p_w

y_p_w

Joined
May 6, 2005
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San Francisco Bay Area
I remember what it was like learning how to drive a manual transmission. I'd stall a bunch of times and be apologetic about it. Once I couldn't figure out how to back up in a parking lot with a slight incline, although now I know how to feather/slip the clutch (when previously I was worried about wearing it out) to not just lurch. Heck - I bought my first manual transmission car after only driving a manual about 3 or 4 times in test drives. I stalled all the way home, although I didn't grind the gears.

However, I've seen drivers looking like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman in Lotus Turbo Esprit grinding gears, stalling, and overall just looking like they shouldn't be driving it at all. Once I saw someone in a Ferrari F355 Spider, and it was clearly a manual transmission (I think the F1 was an option and had an automatic mode). The guy was with a hot woman he was apparently trying to impress. Not sure if it was his car, borrowed, or rented. However, he was just lurching forward like he didn't know how to drive it. I'm pretty sure that he was trying to look cool, but frankly he looked really silly.
 
y_p_w said:
I remember what it was like learning how to drive a manual transmission. I'd stall a bunch of times and be apologetic about it. Once I couldn't figure out how to back up in a parking lot with a slight incline, although now I know how to feather/slip the clutch (when previously I was worried about wearing it out) to not just lurch. Heck - I bought my first manual transmission car after only driving a manual about 3 or 4 times in test drives. I stalled all the way home, although I didn't grind the gears.

However, I've seen drivers looking like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman in Lotus Turbo Esprit grinding gears, stalling, and overall just looking like they shouldn't be driving it at all. Once I saw someone in a Ferrari F355 Spider, and it was clearly a manual transmission (I think the F1 was an option and had an automatic mode). The guy was with a hot woman he was apparently trying to impress. Not sure if it was his car, borrowed, or rented. However, he was just lurching forward like he didn't know how to drive it. I'm pretty sure that he was trying to look cool, but frankly he looked really silly.
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Yep!

But probably one of the most memorable was the mom of my sister's friend who drove a VW Eurovan that was standard and she was extremely rough, lurching it about and the like.
 
We used to have a Mazda B2300 with a manual for a parts truck. I loved driving that thing and always told the people at work that I knew couldn't drive a manual to teach them on it. No-one took me up on the offer. We had a tech who would slip every manual car like the clutch in that car shot his dog.
 
bdcardinal said:
We used to have a Mazda B2300 with a manual for a parts truck. I loved driving that thing and always told the people at work that I knew couldn't drive a manual to teach them on it. No-one took me up on the offer. We had a tech who would slip every manual car like the clutch in that car shot his dog.
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Nothing quite like that burnt clutch smell.
 
A bloke test drove a '85 Mitsubishi Galant. He knew there were 3 pedals and could shift but ONLY after I signaled him to.
He had no recognition of engine speed (noise) or bucking.
'Twas an unexpected combination of ability and total non-understanding.

Just yesterday I went past the house of the girl who did buy it 20 years ago.
She got in, zoomed off for 5 minutes and returned with the words, "I'll take it".
 
It’s a trick question. All people should have a chance to learn a manual.

A more recent concern is folks driving something so big they can’t park it, holding up traffic - after 7 attempts to park their vehicle I waited for an opportunity then shot past (2 weeks ago), or last week, they couldn’t get into one spot due to the turning angle, so they took two diagonally instead of parking a little further out. Both instances seemed less respectful to others to me - BUT I do not know the backstories…. Maybe it wasn’t their normal vehicle, etc..
 
bdcardinal said:
Another tech had just done a clutch in his 2013 Mustang GT. I remember it being a dual disc one, so not cheap. Idiot tech got in and slipped it something fierce to move it to another spot. Thankfully he is no longer employed with us.
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When my son worked at the Ford dealership, I asked him what he would do if he had to drive a manual shifted vehicle to be serviced or detailed. He still hasn't given me an answer to this day. :unsure:
(He's back to working in his original trade he went to school for, a pipe fitter)
 
meep said:
It’s a trick question. All people should have a chance to learn a manual.

A more recent concern is folks driving something so big they can’t park it, holding up traffic - after 7 attempts to park their vehicle I waited for an opportunity then shot past (2 weeks ago), or last week, they couldn’t get into one spot due to the turning angle, so they took two diagonally instead of parking a little further out. Both instances seemed less respectful to others to me - BUT I do not know the backstories…. Maybe it wasn’t their normal vehicle, etc..
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A coworker told me that his girlfriend wanted a Suburban. He had a friend with one so he borrowed it and let her try it out. Turns out that she didn't really want one after driving one.
 
Ex wife was begging me to learn how to drive manual. I agreed, I thought it was something everyone should know. Went to a HUGE school lot with not a soul in sight. I was driving my 99' Z28 LS1, and I thought, why not? She did great, I was very proud of her. And I was happy to have a new DD!! :D
Next step was my Dodge Dakota, she was doing great, for someone learning to drive stick the second time. Driving 28 mph in a development, I told her third and she left her foot on the gas and the engine rev'd up to the limiter. I saw her having trouble shift into third and I started reaching over to try grab her arm, too late she forced she had forced the trans into first and dumped the clutch.. Rear end started hopping off the ground, tires screeching, she had the right idea and pressed the clutch, stopped truck, got out and puked. Face white and she was wobbling a bit.
We never did that again. Tested trans and clutch everything was good thank jobu. I should mention that the Dodge had 220k miles on original drive line.

Friend wife insisted getting standard cars because she loved driving stick. When I rode with her I would cringe all the time as she shifted way too early and bogged the engine down in every gear, every time. This girl was a stubborn girl who knew how to everything better than everyone. Felt guilty one time and told her she was shifting too early, she said that I didn't know what I was talking about as she shifted into fifth gear going 35 mph. I tried. four months later the cars turbo took a dump and one of her rods broke. She killed a subaru outback wagon with the 3.6 turbo at 57k. I think it was 57k, all I remember it Subaru didn't warranty it. I tried. She still drives like that today.
 
My dad bought my four siblings and I stick cars and taught us how to drive them. My mom had no trouble driving my dads S10 that had a stick.My wife has an Audi with a stick. I taught my niece how to drive a stick and she has a Civic Si with a stick.



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I think most people that can drive a manual are generally better drivers altogether. They are more in tune with the car.

I learned on a dirt bike @8. Them my parents let me take the car to the mailbox @9 by myself. I understood how the 4 speed in the Subaru worked and had no issues driving it and shifting it.

When my little cousin was 13 she wanted to learn how to drive. She chose my Jeep with a manual over the other cars with automatics.

She literally learned how to stop,start,upshift and downshift in about 2 hrs on a dry lake.



She also backs up!

 
skyactiv said:
My dad bought my four siblings and I stick cars and taught us how to drive them. My mom had no trouble driving my dads S10 that had a stick.My wife has an Audi with a stick. I taught my niece how to drive a stick and she has a Civic Si with a stick.
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I live on an orchard, my back and side property border on it. When I was 11 , I'd hang around out back with the workers all day, playing with tractors while they were off, eventually they taught me to drive a Farmall Cub. I would drive the cub with them while they needed it moved, or when the were using the brush trailer taking the trimmings on a trailer to the brush pile. Eventually my neighbor hired me to work in the store, and then picking up drops on the ground for cider. My grandmother old car was sitting my driveway unused, so my dad made it a field car, and he taught me how to drive standard back in the orchard, and let me use by myself picking up the bushel baskets of drops making it so much easier to bring the bushel baskets to the barn. I used to go and drive around outback, driving to my forts, etc.. When I was 12, my friends parents went away for two days and left the keys to the truck hanging on the wall. Yup it was standard and I drove it all over town, went to the mall, drove pack to the pit and thought we were cool, etc. Driving standard was awesome! We never got caught, and went all over a few times that spring and got my first kiss in it. I was a really good driver because I'd been in the front seat watching my drive, seeing the signs, curves around town. Eventually his dad figured it out and set us up, left like something on top of two of the tires, he just looked at us and put the keys in his pocket.
 
HankHill said:
Friend wife insisted getting standard cars because she loved driving stick. When I rode with her I would cringe all the time as she shifted way too early and bogged the engine down in every gear, every time. This girl was a stubborn girl who knew how to everything better than everyone. Felt guilty one time and told her she was shifting too early, she said that I didn't know what I was talking about as she shifted into fifth gear going 35 mph. I tried. four months later the cars turbo took a dump and one of her rods broke. She killed a subaru outback wagon with the 3.6 turbo at 57k. I think it was 57k, all I remember it Subaru didn't warranty it. I tried. She still drives like that today.
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Depends on the car I suppose. I'm mostly used to import makes where the clutch pedal is pretty light. I was waiting in line to get into a show in Vegas when the discussion went to cars. I said it wasn't too bad on me knees, but then the guy I was talking to said it must not have been an older American manual transmission with a heavy clutch.

I've heard of the 90s Corvette with a 1st to 4th shift (at lower speeds) where 2nd/3rd were locked out to boost fuel economy. Then I test drove a Saab 900 once. It had a light that said "SHIFT UP". And it was telling me to shift when the revs were at about 2000 RPM. It was obviously programmed to encourage better fuel economy - probably for better fuel economy estimates. It was mostly just annoying.

 
y_p_w said:
Depends on the car I suppose. I'm mostly used to import makes where the clutch pedal is pretty light. I was waiting in line to get into a show in Vegas when the discussion went to cars. I said it wasn't too bad on me knees, but then the guy I was talking to said it must not have been an older American manual transmission with a heavy clutch.

I've heard of the 90s Corvette with a 1st to 4th shift (at lower speeds) where 2nd/3rd were locked out to boost fuel economy. Then I test drove a Saab 900 once. It had a light that said "SHIFT UP". And it was telling me to shift when the revs were at about 2000 RPM. It was obviously programmed to encourage better fuel economy - probably for better fuel economy estimates. It was mostly just annoying.

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My Z28 had a lock out of second if you engine was at the right RPM and Vehicle speed. It was annoying but it sure did work, I eventually had the lockout disabled. Can't remember how though.
I used to get 28 mpg in that car driving gently at 70 in 6th gear. The first time I did the mpg math for it, I checked my work four different times because I didn't believe it.
 
y_p_w said:
.... drove a Saab 900 once. It had a light that said "SHIFT UP". And it was telling me to shift when the revs were at about 2000 RPM. It was obviously programmed to encourage better fuel economy - probably for better fuel economy estimates. It was mostly just annoying.
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My Volvo 740 Turbo 4MT + OD did the same thing. I saw the "up-shift recommended" light for the first couple of weeks, then never saw it again. Had that car for 18 years too.
 
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