I'm pretty sure the ratio of manual to automatic transmission in the UK is the exact opposite to that in the US.

I only know one person with an automatic. I would never buy an automatic. Couldn't do without short-shifting and such. That said, I would love to try a car with a sequential gearbox.

Marsupialized wrote:
Why would you never get your license?

How would you move say, a drum set around if you had to?

Even if you never drive you should at least know how to drive a fucking car. What if it's a matter of life and death and you must jump in a car and drive someone to a hospital?

You just wait for someone else to do it who wasn;t too fucking lazy to take a few hours and learn how to drive a fucking car?

I agree with all of this. I'll also add that the people I know who never learned to drive are also the most self-absorbed .

I once purchased a used van from the band Rectangle and drove it home to the Fox Valley. It was the first time i had ever driven a manual transmission. My lessons consisted of Victor from Rectangle taking me around Champaign a couple times the morning i drove it home. It was an old van with one of those enormous long gear shifts sticking out of the floor, and it was a fucking nightmare learning by the sink or swim method.

About a month later the drive shaft blew or some shit, so it wasn't the smartest purchase. I haven't driven a stick since, and i don't really give a shit if i never re-learn it. Whatever. All that time Marsup thinks i should spend learning stick i'm using mastering the art of the pick-up line.

Dude.
Press in clutch, shift, release clutch and press gas.

That's it.

Learning how to wipe your ass is more difficult.

at some point (in the u.s.)a manual transmission became a high price addition on new cars.

horrible.

ever seen those 2door sport cars with an automatic?
pathetic

r0ck1r0ck2 wrote:at some point (in the u.s.)a manual transmission became a high price addition on new cars.

horrible.

Dude, I just went looking at cars a few days ago and manual cars are way cheaper than automatic cars. It's like at least 600 extra bucks to get the same car in automatic.

The first car I ever bought was when I was 17 in 1991. It was a 1973 VW Beetle for $200. I had only driven an automatic up til that point and after buying the Bug I spent half the night driving it around town learning how to drive stick. After that I was a master.

Since then I have only owned one automatic car and I just bought it yesterday.

If I hadn't known how to drive stick then learning to ride a manual scooter and a motorcycle would have been a pain in the ass. Since I already understood how to work a manual car, learning to ride was a breeze.

Man up and learn stick. You will be glad you did.

I have no interest in "manning up" and I can pretty much say I hate people who have any interest in "manning up" but anyway.
I never have but I am 100% confident that I could drive manual with no problem. I understand shifting and pay attention in automatic when my gears shift so I think I could figure out manual in like 2 minutes tops.

Also my boyfriend doesn't drive and it's not a big deal. He knows how he just doesn't. He's a lot more self sufficient than most people.

Placing value judgments on people for not knowing how to do something trivial = CRAP!

I learned to drive on a stick. Haven't driven a stick in quite a while though.