Driving a standard car - like skill / waste of time

Back in the “olden days”, most cars, especially the ones that my father could afford, were equipped with a standard transmission. Automatic transmissions were an option. Now, it seems to be the reverse with standard trannys hard to find.
 
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In the early to mid 80's started on an automatic station wagon, it had fake wood paneling, was as big as a whale and seats about 20. Later learned to dive manual on a F250 and then on a Mercury Capri (?)
 
I learned to drive standard at 11 in 1976 in a 76 R Model Mack up and down my Uncles driveway in Elfrida ON. Then tractors haying was next. Most of the cars when I was a kid that my buddies or their parents let us driver where standard. First standard I bought was an 85 Plymouth Turismo brand spanking new in 85 for 8300 bucks.
 
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Learn to drive stick on a tractor bailing hay around age 11 or 12... farm boy... first vehicle was the farm truck hand me down... 67 GMC with straight 6 and 3 on the tree. Had a few different manual vehicles over the years... Just sold my last manual ride last week!.... driving a Silverado now. Kinda nice to be back in a truck and seeing over the idiots in front of me.

Perfect auto theft prevention... a truck with 3 on the tree, kids nowadays would have no clue....
 
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Shakey said:
I had only stick shift until my late thirties; my first was a 1981 Scirocco, my favourite car ever, a 1990 VW Corrado G60, It was so much fun to drive
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Back in my mechanic days in my 20s, a guy came to our shop regularly who had a Corrado! What a rad little car those were!

I too learned to drive on a stick shift as well - Ford Ranger Baby! lol
 
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AgentSmith said:
In the early to mid 80's started on an automatic station wagon, it had fake wood paneling, was as big as a whale and seats about 20. Later learned to dive manual on a F250 and then on a Mercury Capri (?)
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Did it have those suicide seats at the very back? (we had one like that as a kid, haha, good times).
 
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AgentSmith said:
In the early to mid 80's started on an automatic station wagon, it had fake wood paneling, was as big as a whale and seats about 20. Later learned to dive manual on a F250 and then on a Mercury Capri (?)
Click to expand...
fond memories sitting in the back of one of these as a kid moving to Orangeville from Chicago...
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tasuinam said:
Slow wednesday - so how many of us learnt to drive on a standard car ... mine was a datsun
bought a used standard to tecah the kids - I feel it's a life skill ... what do you guys think?
matbe if trucks were not automatic .. we wouldn't have as many accidents
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1967 army jeep. First car was a 74 Bobcat with a standard. I love them, but it is no longer a life skill to know.
 
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87 Honda Prelude, standard, flip up lights, hand crank sunroof, no power steering. Was a workout to drive. Shared it with my bro, the thing was never parked.
Drove several standards after that. Last several vehicles have all had the paddles on the steering wheel for shifting, it's just not the same without a clutch so I never use them.

Keep well, Happy Friday!
Mike
 
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