Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

[night_son]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

 

[night_son]

Yes, I can.

I learned to drive a manual transmission at age 14 while working that summer for a soybean farmer. One morning the farmer asked me to drive his 1977 Chevrolet pickup a few miles to the field we were working in that day. I mentioned being too young to have a driver's license and how I had never before driven a vehicle on the road. He said he trusted me. So I followed behind his tractor grinding gears, popping the clutch and nearly stalling out the whole way. By summer's end I was a pro.

 

[Marion Morrison]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

I learned how to drive at 11 with a 1/2 ton Chevy van.

3 on a tree.

 

[flewism]

Mine also, first driving experience was on a Chevy 1/2 ton 3 on the tree. I've owned plenty of cars with manual transmissions over the years, but none recently.
Now you can't even buy a new pickup with a manual transmission from the big 3, they are now only offered in performance vehicles.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

/——-/ On a 1956 VW bug that was sitting in the back of a dealer. It was 1968 and I was saving up for my first car. The salesman knew I couldn’t afford a car but he taught me anyway. I then practiced a little on my brother’s 1965 Austin Healy. When I finally got my first car, a 1960 VW Karmann Ghia from the salesman who first taught me, I was OK with a stick. I had a part time job at a sports car clinic whose owner raced Bug Eyed Sprites. He taught me how to shift like a racer. My clutches would last 100,000 miles. My neighbor had a 4 speed Chevy who burned his clutch every 20k Miles. I tried to teach him but he wouldn’t listen. At 67 I gave up the stick for an automatic because my wife and I share the same car sometimes. This is more info than you wanted. Sorry.

 

[Marion Morrison]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

/——-/ On a 1956 VW bug that was sitting in the back of a dealer. It was 1968 and I was saving up for my first car. The salesman knew I couldn’t afford a car but he taught me anyway. I then practiced a little on my brother’s 1965 Austin Healy. When I finally got my first car, a 1960 VW Karmann Ghia from the salesman who first taught me, I was OK with a stick. I had a part time job at a sports car clinic whose owner raced Bug Eyed Sprites. He taught me how to shift like a racer. My clutches would last 100,000 miles. My neighbor had a 4 speed Chevy who burned his clutch every 20k Miles. I tried to teach him but he wouldn’t listen. At 67 I gave up the stick for an automatic because my wife and I share the same car sometimes. This is more info than you wanted. Sorry.

Speed-shifting, aye? I can do that. Just have to have the right RPMs.

 

[leftwinger]

Me drive at age 7 to 2nd grade. Smoking by 6.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

/——-/ On a 1956 VW bug that was sitting in the back of a dealer. It was 1968 and I was saving up for my first car. The salesman knew I couldn’t afford a car but he taught me anyway. I then practiced a little on my brother’s 1965 Austin Healy. When I finally got my first car, a 1960 VW Karmann Ghia from the salesman who first taught me, I was OK with a stick. I had a part time job at a sports car clinic whose owner raced Bug Eyed Sprites. He taught me how to shift like a racer. My clutches would last 100,000 miles. My neighbor had a 4 speed Chevy who burned his clutch every 20k Miles. I tried to teach him but he wouldn’t listen. At 67 I gave up the stick for an automatic because my wife and I share the same car sometimes. This is more info than you wanted. Sorry.

Speed-shifting, aye? I can do that. Just have to have the right RPMs.

/----/ It has to be done the right way plus, don't ride the clutch and start the car in neutral. Freewheel into red lights. Idle in neutral. The old saying goes brake pads are cheaper than clutches and trannys.

 

[Sunni Man]

When I grew up only the nerd kids in high school had cars with an automatic transmission. ...

 

[Cellblock2429]

When I grew up only the nerd kids in high school had cars with an automatic transmission. ...

/——/ The cool girls drove stick.

 

[Likkmee]

Mine also, first driving experience was on a Chevy 1/2 ton 3 on the tree. I've owned plenty of cars with manual transmissions over the years, but none recently.
Now you can't even buy a new pickup with a manual transmission from the big 3, they are now only offered in performance vehicles.

Same here. 1967 C20 small block 3 on the tree.It was at the Esso I worked at. Parts running truck

 

[Cellblock2429]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

/——-/ On a 1956 VW bug that was sitting in the back of a dealer. It was 1968 and I was saving up for my first car. The salesman knew I couldn’t afford a car but he taught me anyway. I then practiced a little on my brother’s 1965 Austin Healy. When I finally got my first car, a 1960 VW Karmann Ghia from the salesman who first taught me, I was OK with a stick. I had a part time job at a sports car clinic whose owner raced Bug Eyed Sprites. He taught me how to shift like a racer. My clutches would last 100,000 miles. My neighbor had a 4 speed Chevy who burned his clutch every 20k Miles. I tried to teach him but he wouldn’t listen. At 67 I gave up the stick for an automatic because my wife and I share the same car sometimes. This is more info than you wanted. Sorry.

Speed-shifting, aye? I can do that. Just have to have the right RPMs.

/——-/ You could also skip 2nd and go from 1st to 3rd with some practice

 

[blastoff]

Learned to drive in and first 3-4 cars I owned were VW Beetles, and every car I’ve owned since has been stick with the exception of the bride’s cars, although she still likes to get her hands on my stick now and then and drive my car too.

 

[WillMunny]

That's funny because I've always preferred stick-shift cars! From a dead stop you get so much more acceleration than an automatic and better gas mileage and better climbing power up a steep grade. And it's so much more fun if you throw fast shifts as you accelerate. In my entire life I'm proud to say I've never owned a car with an automatic tranny; my right arm and left foot need something to do while I'm driving.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

I learned in a stolen Gremlin

 

[night_son]

That's funny because I've always preferred stick-shift cars! From a dead stop you get so much more acceleration than an automatic and better gas mileage and better climbing power up a steep grade. And it's so much more fun if you throw fast shifts as you accelerate. In my entire life I'm proud to say I've never owned a car with an automatic tranny; my right arm and left foot need something to do while I'm driving.

My second car was a five year old 1985 Mazda RX-7 5 speed. I ran that thing hard; on weekends from Fort Hood to Galveston and on the ferry over to Port Bolivar and up the peninsula. Her rotary engine would purr at 105 and leave just about anything in the dust off highway on-ramps. The control afforded by a manual transmission cannot be matched, however the Nissan breed of CVT transmission comes close.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

I will not buy manual trucks anymore. After spending dozens of hours per week in stop go rush hour traffic after moving here I went automatic and will never go back.

 

[WillMunny]

That's funny because I've always preferred stick-shift cars! From a dead stop you get so much more acceleration than an automatic and better gas mileage and better climbing power up a steep grade. And it's so much more fun if you throw fast shifts as you accelerate. In my entire life I'm proud to say I've never owned a car with an automatic tranny; my right arm and left foot need something to do while I'm driving.

My second car was a five year old 1985 Mazda RX-7 5 speed. I ran that thing hard; on weekends from Fort Hood to Galveston and on the ferry over to Port Bolivar and up the peninsula. Her rotary engine would purr at 105 and leave just about anything in the dust off highway on-ramps. The control afforded by a manual transmission cannot be matched, however the Nissan breed of CVT transmission comes close.

Mazda has a long history of high quality cars. Anyway, you get so much more control of the engine's exact RPMs with a stick, it makes the engine's power so easy and instant to adjust. Because a manual transmission is so mechanically simple, it's a box with two rows of gears riding on each other. An automatic tranny has so many moving parts that a lot of power is lost due to the physical laws of friction; cars with an automatic even need an extra tiny radiator to keep the tranny oil cooled down - that shows how much heat/friction an automatic sucks out of any engine.

 

[ricechickie]

Manual Transmission Foils Car Theft for the Billionth Time

Quote:

"Nashville police arrested two teenagers last Wednesday, after a press release from the department said they attempted to carjack two women that day. The statement said the teens ultimately failed both times, with the second being because the car had a manual transmission. They had to run away on foot."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you drive a manual transmission?

How did you learn?

I can. My dad taught me. And I taught my daughter because I had a stick shift that she inherited. Unfortunately, it died before my son got too much practice on it.

 

[WillMunny]

I will not buy manual trucks anymore. After spending dozens of hours per week in stop go rush hour traffic after moving here I went automatic and will never go back.

I can understand that driving a stick is annoying if you always drive in stop-and-go traffic. But luckily, I live in a rather rural pocket of this fucked-up state (CA of course) and the rural, mountain road driving I do is a gazillion times more fun and efficient with a stick shift than an automatic. Bottom line, if your car is a 4-banger you need a stick to get decent power from it.