Driving Standard

That's what she said.

 

Among the practical reasons to learn to drive a stick is that if you are buying a cheaper car that is more likely to have some issues, it's nice not to have to worry about replacing an automatic transmission. It's also nice to be able to push start the car in a pinch, if you have to.

 

I'd do that with my old Metro ... by my self. I was like a one-man bobsled team.

 

Outing alert -- BBAM is Jamaican.

 

I was lazy. In my younger days, I wore out my AAA membership with jump starts and tows.

 

I didn't learn to drive a manual until I was 28, and now I prefer driving a manual. That's all I've owned for the past 10 years.

 

these guys needed to spend a day practicing in a parking lot:

http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/667817.html

 

Yeah, except I didn't make it to the Games.

 

I think everyone should learn how to drive by driving a standard first. Then, when you take the driver's test in an automatic, it's a breeze.

 

In the early 1980s, I learned to drive on an old Dodge pickup with the shifter on the column. Now I'm driving a Jeep Wrangler with a standard transmission.

But my wife doesn't know how to drive a standard. She wants to learn, but I'm afraid my patience might not be able to handle teaching her. Any advice on giving lessons to a new standard driver?

 

Patience. Gobs of patience.

And disregard for the test vehicle's clutch could come in handy.

(If you were serious ... )
Go into a parking lot and work on easing the clutch out while pressing down on the accelerator. Then work on rowing through the gearbox. If the parking lot's big enough, your patience isn't fried and the flywheel isn't glowing red, then work on accelerating/upshifting and braking/downshifting.

Wash, rinse, repeat. And know you're a better guy for getting through this with some sanity.

 

My car is six years older than my wife's car, but I prefer driving mine because it's a stick.

I've tried to teach my wife how to drive stick but we've never even become close to getting the car to move before she became pissed at me and stormed off.

Whoever said you need a lot of patience is spot-on. My wife is very intelligent, but patience is not her strong-suit.