What did you learn to drive a stick in?

[Pumpkin1LT]

Dad insisted that I learn to drive a manual before geting behind the wheel of an automatic. He said if I could master a stick the auto would be a cake walk. So I learned in an old 1976 Volkswagon Beetle.

[nhra stocker]

1986 F-250 diesel 4x4 at 8 years old hauling grain for my uncle.

[helmincamaro]

I learned when I was 11 or 12 on an '84 John Deere 850 or 950 tractor (nobody remember's the model for sure, the stickers are gone). It was an I4 diesel with an 8 speed tranny and maxed out around 8mph (but at that age... 8mph was MOVING!). I would drive it with my dad a few times a year when I went to work with him just for fun til they quit using it and it just sat out behind the shop. I ended up working in the shop out there for 1-1/2 years up til last November. Last summer when business was slow, me and another guy there chained it to a forklift and pulled it out from behind the shop (the battery was dead). While he was towing it out (I was riding on it to steer), I decided to try something. I pushed in on the throttle, put it in 5th and popped the clutch. After a sudden lunge, and an awful sound.... a big cloud of thick black smoke came out the stack and she came to life! We were both shocked and amazed. I then drove it around for a few minutes while it cleaned out the spiderwebs. I drove past the office (I didn't know it, but the boss was sitting in there, he bought that tractor new and said he'd never sell it because his wife bought it as a wedding present). He saw it drive by and came running out of the office with the greatest look on his face I've ever seen. lol, then 2 weeks later he sold it right after I finished fixing it up and it runs like new.... I sure wish I could have bought it (he sold it really cheap). :(

Well, after learning on the tractor, the first car I drove that was a stick was a '65 Corvette Convertable with a 327/4 speed that I helped a friend get running. We went for the first ride in it after we got it running (I was 17-18 at the time) and when we turned around to head home he said "Hey, can you drive stick"? I think I did one of these and then jumped in the drivers seat. I was used to on the tractor (nobody ever told me how to drive a manual in a car). I was used to having the throttle set high enough so you just let the clutch out and go..... well, we didn't exactly go So, I restart it, try it again letting the clutch out really slowly and he starts saying "push in! push in! push in!" (oh, and its in the middle of the night and dark as can be, I can't see squat). Finally I realized why the engine cut off, I gave it some gas and off we went. After that, I never had another issue with it (mostly because we never had to stop on the way home) . I felt like a pro after that... atleast til I drove my next manual car probably 8 months later (a 2010 2SS/RS M6). lol, I stalled it 3 times trying to get out of the parking spot off the lot. The clutch in these things are so much different than on that corvette. The corvette's took a lot more effort, but I think it was easier to learn on. (plus the camaro was parked on a hill, and I had to back it up the hill with cars on both sides and behind me). I got in and put it in reverse and turned around to look behind me and did another one of . I couldn't see squat! I started to back up and when I got back to stop... I totally forgot about the clutch (I was trying to avoid the cars behind me). To make a long story short, I got off the lot, and did fine after that. Since then I've done it much more now and now.... I'm gonna quit talking

[csdmax]

Grandpa's old '69 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 out on his farm. I believe he is still laughing about it to this day and that was 25+ years ago. I don't blame him though cause looking back at it now I get a chuckle out of it too.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by fielderLS3

Not sure if this thread has been done before. I searched and couldn't find anything. For those of you that can drive a manual transmission, what kind of car did you first learn in?

For me, it was a 1992 Miata.

1950 chevy deluxe "straight six" .."3 on the tree!".....i was 14 years old!
it was my father's "rat"..he let me have it to "learn" how to drive in the woods!

[rgirocz28]

I learned to drive stick when I was 7 on my families farm moving bin trailers full of fruit with a tractor.

Ryan

[Sax1031]

1983 Toyota pickup.

[fugimo]

Late 70's Fiat x1/9, loved the car.

[snakekiller]

2003 ford f150 xlt 4.2Lv6 5M, at age 20
best truck my dad has ever owned, well until he got his 08 F150 4.6L.

[Skyblu]

our ford 8N farm tractor at the age of about 8, I could reach the pedals on it the best, then our 69 vw bug then on to the datsun pickup.

[IROC'D]

My dad bribed me to move to Tennessee from Texas. He gave me a choice of an 85 Firebird automatic no T-tops or an 85 Z-28 manual with T-tops. I couldn't drive a stick but I wanted those T-tops bad. He taught me to drive the Z-28.

[christianmotox]

VW Kombi.

[1bad65]

A '73 Bug.

[SS4Fun]

My brand new (at the time) 88 Firebird Formula...... my husband taught me.