Does anyone drive a Stick Shift car/truck?

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No problems here... I also was riding motorcycles prior to driving, so I already understood and had a feel for the clutch. You'll learn it fast, and it's not actually multitasking (for me, at least). You do it without thinking, once you practice. I would recommend learning and practicing in places where you don't have to stop & go while on hills, as that's the place where you might let it stall, and need to restart the engine (embarrassing if there's traffic behind). There are good methods of starting up hills with traffic behind without rolling backwards, including using the hand brake to hold the car as you start to let the clutch out, and releasing it in harmony with the starting of movement of the car. Of course that assumes you have the type of parking brake that has a pull handle, and not a foot pedal as many American cars and SUVs have.

Oh yes; "three-on-the-tree"... I learned one of those after I had learned the standard European floor shift pattern. And to make matters more complicated, Reverse can be in several places depending on which American column shifter you have. Most common is toward you and up. Usually the "standard H" is toward you and down for 1st; away from you and up for 2nd, and then straight down for 3rd, and 4th (Overdrive) is usually automatic or has a button someplace. Neutral is always middle between up & down, and verified by being able to move the lever fully toward and away from you freely. And in some cars, there is no synchro to keep the gears from grinding, so you have to pause in neutral and let the clutch out for a split second to synchronize, then in again and go to 2nd. for shifting into reverse, most cars have to go into 2nd before they'll go into reverse without grinding; even late model cars.


Charles

I've never driven one like that, only a stick.

I drive manual transmission. In Europe it is still the standard option and I had no other choice when I learned to drive back in1990. I tried automatic though I find it difficult not to use my left leg. I like the fuller control that manual gives over automatic. And strangely enough I couldn't learn to drive a manual motorcycle. However, I think if I tried harder I could manage it too.

I am the same way. I most definitely prefer manual transmissions as it is a stim of sorts for myself, letting the clutch out and shifting gears as smoothly and efficiently as possible is like a game for me. I also enjoy the feeling of being more engaged and in control of the car with a manual. Though in heavy traffic or areas with a lot of steep hills/mountains, I do prefer an automatic sometimes....


Many people and friends have also told me I'm the best, smoothest, safest, & most confident driver they know. And I too am into racing, I used to race Shifter Karts and was working my way up into one of the SCCA Formula racing classes but all of my racing stuff was stolen and I don't have the funds to get back into it at the moment .

My car is stick shift and I am used to stick shifts. If I drive an automatic, I fine myself slapping on the breaks thinking I am using the clutch before shifting. I have to be careful there and remember I am not driving a stick shift.

Hope you can get back racing soon, if someone stole my stuff i'd be done too. funny thing I have happen is when I drive a car, any car I try to clutch it with my foot even if its auto, feels so werid. Maybe thats why I failed a driving test. But in a truck or van I don't have that issue. I learned to drive stick in a figure 8 car during a race so I think I got some bad habits from that, no one in my family has a stick road car I can practice on so i'm good with the clutch but need to work on shifting.

I've only ever driven an automatic because that was the transmission of car my family had at the time I got my L plates. You're not allowed to change transmissions of car until you're off your P plates here. If you learn in one transmission you have to keep driving a car with that transmission until you're on your unrestricted licence. Watching lots of sports car videos lately has made me wanna learn how to drive a manual (just in case I ever buy one). I'm on my unrestricted licence now.

When I was learning to drive my parents taught me to keep my left foot free and let my right foot do the braking and accelerating. This was so I'd already have my left foot semi-trained to use the clutch should I wish to drive a manual one day (this is for RHD in Australia btw). My mum who drives an automatic puts a foot on each pedal, and as a result failed to drive a manual properly because she couldn't retrain her foot co-ordination.

I learned to drive a manual transmission on a tractor (that was built from car parts). And then when I started to learn to drive from my cousin, I completely forgot everything and was unable to work the identical controls because the car was different.

Overall, I swore never to touch another manual transmission again.

A number of the old American cars from the 50's and well into the 60's had a shift on the column.

I never had any trouble getting them in the right gear, though.

On every purpose built tractor I ever saw, you never shifted gears while moving. You slowed to a stop, select the gear you want, engage the transmission, and go.

I tried to shift gears once while moving on a tractor just to see it work, but those transmissions just aren't built for that.

I've always understood that automatic transmissions generally last considerably longer between major rebuilds than standard transmissions.

Where did they move the brake? And why?

I have never seen a car, pickup, or truck with a standard transmission that didn't have a brake pedal in the usual place.

Probably the automatic.

One thing to keep in mind is that, in general, standard transmissions require major repairs more often than do automatic transmission.

I learned how to drive a tractor when I was a kid too! Had to help out with hay bailing at my grandad's farm.

In the UK geared cars are much more common, and after getting your license in a geared car you can also drive an automatic, but not vice versa. So it made more sense to learn how to drive using the stick. My first car was very old, so when I was fixing it up (I brought it for £50, it needed some work) I changed out the gearbox as it only had 4 gears originally!

I find I concentrate better driving a manual. Automatics are too easy, just stop and go, so you don't have to pay as much attention. By now changing gears is ingrained in me and I can tell exactly when to switch, how far I can push the car, etc. When I drive my mum's automatic (rare, but it does happen) I find myself constantly reaching for the gearstick!

I'm generally happy with either, but on snow and ice, I prefer an automatic transmission. That said, I did drive from Childress, Texas to Gorman, Texas on glare ice the entire way in my '64 International C-900 pickup one winter day in the late 1970s. That was the only time that I ever drove that pickup very far without anyone passing me -- it is notoriously underpowered.