Lost art?: Teens taught to drive a stick shift

[longnecker]

As teenagers lose interest in learning to drive -- why should they when they can just text their friends? -- the classic car industry is worried that it may run out of future customers.After all, many among the young today may never have even ridden in a car with a stick shift and clutch, much less driven one.
So one outfit is trying to do something about it. Hagerty Insurance, which specializes in policies to protect classic cars, put on a one-day class for young drivers in Philadelphia last month to try to drum up interest.
That meant trying to teach them about something that they thought they would never encounter: stick shifts and clutches.
During the Hagerty Driving Experience, the 15- through 25-year-olds learned to operate manual transmissions on the vintage automobiles that they could take for a quick spin. Sounds like it was fun. Says Hagerty:

After 30 minutes of instruction in car basics, the participants got behind the wheel of classic cars for 15 minutes, navigating a closed course. Some of the rare vehicles were a 1930 Ford Model A, a classic 1966 Ford Mustang, a sporty 1974 Karmann Ghia and a pint-sized 1960 Austin Healey Sprite.

"As summer comes to a close, it's been great to educate kids about classic cars before they head back to school," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance.
Hagerty Insurance had held the clinics in other cities as well.
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1#.UExt6bKPVqx

[cracker]

Every single time I get into an automatic I end up kicking the floor board looking for the clutch. Force of habit I guess.

[motherof3]

I LOVE having a stick shift. I still remember my grandmother teaching me how to drive a stick on my grandfathers Honda. Grinding gears and her just saying "that's ok honey you'll get it, just keep trying" LOL Yeah it wasn't her cars clutch I was killing! But I'm so glad I learned. When hubby ordered his Camaro he got a stick shift. That car is a blast to drive! And I want our kids to learn how to drive a stick shift on my VW bug when it's up and running. I'd love for them to have cars with stick shifts as teens because it is really hard to text and drive a stick shift!

[max1]

I learnt on an old New Holland farm tractor! Bush hoggin field edges cuttin shooting lanes for deer hunters harvest time.....and when I was too small to bale hay I would drive the tractor.....good times.

[Bellicose]

I learned by buying a car, dad drove it off the lot. Went down the street from dealership, in the opposite direction of home. Parked it, got out, and said, your driving home. I learned real quick. Taught Wifey how to.

[Grin]

I was 16, mid 70's. My dad took me out in his 1960 ford falcon station wagon. 3 on the tree. I am so cool, driving the old mans stick. After tooling around about a half hour he takes me to bishop hollow road in Clifton heights. pa. where there is a huge hill. I'm in second going up the hill to the light, which is green.
He starts freaking for me to stop the car. "Stop the car for crissake"
I stop at the light, which is still green and look at him, he stares back and the light changes.
"What!?" I say.
" Now your going to learn stick." he said. And grins that stupid grin.
I learned on that hill. He must of had a great story to tell at work.

[Bellicose]

Yeah when Wifey used to get on a hill she gets a little panicky. Havnt had a manual in a while so who knows how she would be now. I always try to get her to use the clutch as the brake on a hill, yeah I know it burns it up some. But, don't think she will ever get that comfortable with that. Imagine a cop behind us at a red light on a hill, and she is basically dumping the clutch to go. It's pretty funny, and ort of like wonder if we're getting pulled over this time.....lol

Wonder how I would do with one now?

[Kid Lester]

One of the biggest theft deterrents there are is a stick shift.

[motherof3]

Wonder how I would do with one now?

Trust me it comes back to you!! I'm sure hubby was HOPING I'd forgotten when he ordered the Camaro! hahahaha The only trouble I had was reverse is up to the left on his, not down to the right like I was used to and his has 6 vs 4 speeds. I love driving his car.

[Bellicose]

Oh I know it's like riding a bike. You never forget, first day maybe miss a gear or two, but then after that, it's all smooth sailing. Do you have to pull up on a clip that is on the shifter to go into reverse? That's how the Eclipse was set up, think it was pull up clip, and then left and up, 6 speed too. With the Ralliart we have now, it is a TC-SST (Twin Clutch-Sportronic Shift Transmission. So basically it has two clutchs to switch gears, but you don't actually have a clutch to depress when shifting. It's weak sauce, really would love to have a true manual in it. You have to pull up on the clip whenever you are moving it from park to anything.

[Pramick]

This is a wonderful thread. You all are so brilliant. You not only brought back the great memories I have of learning to drive but you also have a potential solution for the texting issue. And, in addition to that, it may be an autotheft deterrent!!! I am so glad to be in the company of such smart people.

[motherof3]

Bellicose it's a true manual. It's just set up differently than any other standard stick I've ever driven. Reverse is up to the far left. All the other gears (1-6) are same as any other stick shift. They do sell a paddle shift where you can either drive like an automatic or flip a paddle on the steering wheel to shift some how. That model doesn't have a clutch. Hubby special ordered his and got the traditional stick shift with clutch. To me you just have so much more control over the car and as fast as that car is with the way it handles I can't imagine it being half as much fun as an automatic. JMO I'm glad it's not my daily driver because we couldn't afford the tickets I'd get!! lol Next time we have a TD meet up you'll have to ask hubby to take it for a spin.

[Bellicose]

Yeah, we have paddle shifters, which are good, and you can really get the Rpms up, for the turbo to kick in more. But it just ain't the same, as pushing in the clutch and shifting.

[Chase]

wow pramick haven't seen you around in ages, good to see you.

[Crabby]

I learned on a 1954 Willy's Jeep, also on a friend's John Deere, in 1958. I buzzed around off road for three years, so I was a pretty good driver even before I took Drivers Ed in 1961.

[hockey]

The first car I ever drove was a stick. The only problem was the configuration that I got used to...

Now whenever I drive a traditional stick, I always end up trying to start in second gear thinking it's first.... habit. I'm just afraid to go into first because my brain panics, I keep imagining reversing into the lucky bloke behind me. It's instinct.

Has anyone here ever seen or driven a "3 on the tree" style transmission?
My mom taught me on an old and totally awesome pick up truck that we kept on the property. It was the only "3 on a tree" shift that I had ever seen. I'm not sure how common they were.

[longnecker]

The first car I ever drove was a stick. The only problem was the configuration that I got used to...

Now whenever I drive a traditional stick, I always end up trying to start in second gear thinking it's first.... habit. I'm just afraid to go into first because my brain panics, I keep imagining reversing into the lucky bloke behind me. It's instinct.

Has anyone here ever seen or driven a "3 on the tree" style transmission?
My mom taught me on an old and totally awesome pick up truck that we kept on the property. It was the only "3 on a tree" shift that I had ever seen. I'm not sure how common they were.

Yes that's what I learned on. Back then that was the "standard" transmission .

[Spyder08]

I love driving a manual. My dad tried to teach me when I was younger but he didn't have much patience so it didn't work out. Hubby ended up teaching me. I've had quite a few cars with manual but I still freak out every time i'm on any type of hill.

[max1]

The first car I ever drove was a stick. The only problem was the configuration that I got used to...

Now whenever I drive a traditional stick, I always end up trying to start in second gear thinking it's first.... habit. I'm just afraid to go into first because my brain panics, I keep imagining reversing into the lucky bloke behind me. It's instinct.

Has anyone here ever seen or driven a "3 on the tree" style transmission?
My mom taught me on an old and totally awesome pick up truck that we kept on the property. It was the only "3 on a tree" shift that I had ever seen. I'm not sure how common they were.

Friends dad had an old Malibu wagon with "three on the tree"

It also had the seat that folded up in the back, and a roof rack that would hold 5 or 6 cases of beer.

[Chase]

I had a 87 mazda rx7 that i learned to drive stick on, great car.

Then i had a 83 toyota tercel that was stick but was so beat you didnt need to use the clutch at all, you could just shift it with no clutch smooth as butter lol.







BEST CAR EVAR ^^^^

we called it "The Titty Bouncer"