Folks Of Interest Did you learn to drive a stick or a automatic?

Sitting on gradpas lap steering his truck 5-6yo, yard tractor 8yo, farm tractor 11yo, go-cart 11yo, mini-bike 12yo, dirt bike 13yo, field car (stick) 14yo, first road car stick 16yo...
Chappy

 

Learned on my dad’s 54 Ford, 3 on the tree, at age 13. He was a minister, so he let me drive the car around the empty church parking lot after school. At age 16 took my driver’s test in Miami Springs, Florida in an OT car that had a four on the floor. Been driving manuals ever since.

 

Learned to drive a stick first by stealing my sister's '52 Buick Special. It was way too easy to hotwire it without a key. Just jumper across the back of the ignition and press the pedal to the floor to crank it over! I was 13 years old, and when I was home alone i took it out driving almost every time!
When I turned 16 she traded it in on a '57 Chevy, and the lot was going to give her $25, so I gave her the same $25 and bought it instead.

 

while I learned to drive on a’49 Chevy 3100, I got out of my system beating on a car when my dad bought a ‘59 Ford wagon with a 352 interceptor with a 4 barrel carb for spare parts. Car ran well, for a while. Kept it parked on a hill to start it. I burned up the fields in that car mercilessly.

 

I learned mostly on a stick.

When I'd go out for practice my mother would sit with both hands on the passenger door. One hand on the door handle and the other on the door below the window, as if she was ready to jump out of the car.

Hahaha.

 

53 Ford wagon tree on da tree
6sally6

 

My first time driving was in a 1948 Ford F6 COE. Flathead V8 spur gear 4 speed with a vacuum 2 speed rear end. It was in a large pasture, once I figured out how to let the clutch out without killing the engine I drove while my dad threw hay off the back for the cows. I was 8 or 9. I still have that truck.
B

 

This was the very first vehile I ever drove at eight years old on the ranch. No syromesh transmission! And I still have this truck!








Bones

 

After 41 years of driving 5-speed manuals I'm about ready to transition to automatics. Grown a little of tired of hills and inclines. I'm convinced this is correct, I think, maybe, could be, should be.

 

The first vehicle I drove by myself, was a 45 Jeep. I was in the woods with my two uncles, who were busy falling a large tree. They sent me back to the farm to pick up something they had forgotten to bring with them for the job. I was so proud for being able to navigate the muddy and deeply rutted road all by myself.
A few months later, I drove for the first time in town on my own, in a 37 Dodge. My uncle needed some part to complete a job he was doing, and he didn't feel he had the time to stop what he was doing, so he sent me. The only thing I was scared of, was getting stopped by the cops. I had that crazy feeling that the whole world was looking at me.
I got my license in my own 39 Ford coupe.
The most fun I had, was driving my uncle's Dodge Power Wagon work truck, complete with a 300 amp Lincoln welder in the box. I worked as his swamper on his welding jobs, going out in the bush to repair anything from sawmills to mining equipment. That truck would go anywhere. It was a wonderful experience for me.
Bob

 

Took my drivers test in my 1960 VW, passed the first time out. Years later my son took his test in my 1995 Saturn SW2...he passed first time out, the instructor said he never had anyone take a test with a manual transmission.

Everyone I knew growing up could drive a manual transmission; it wasn't until I joined the military that I discovered that a lot of people didn't know how. We had a small truck that my supervisor blew up because he didn't know that he had to shift gears; he just put it in first gear and kept it there while trying to drive 40mph.

 

I worked in maintenance at the Fire Dept in Muskogee for 33 years. About mid career we still had a few trucks with manual transmissions. A relatively new driver was transferred to station five where one of our 1960s Ford cab over was. Those trucks are known for spaghetti shifters.
This new driver had never driven a standard transmission, he was near forty years old! I couldn’t believe that a man that old had not encountered a manual transmission in his life! Well, you know what my job was that day! I guess I did a fairly good job..... because the next few vehicles the driver bought, personally, were stick shifts! Lol






Bones

 

1933 Dodge four door at the age of 12

 

I was 14, Neighbor let me drive his Austin Healey Sprite.

 

54 Ford coupe 3 speed. My Dad was just trying it out from the local Ford dealer. I broke a rear axle trying to figure out the clutch. Dad ended up buying the car because he felt responsible for the damage. That would have been back in 1966.

 

I learned on an automatic. How I learn to drive stick was interesting. I was working with my uncle. They needed a part delivered to a dealership in the next town over. I told him(he knew) I didn't know how to drive stick.They didn't even give me any advice other than "get in and drive" . I'm sure they watched and laughed as I started and jerked, killed the engine,jerked some more out of the yard.Once I got rolling I did ok. I knew where all the stop sign and lights were.Stopping wasn't the problem,it was getting going again.I got there and back without incident.

 

Stick in a Massey Ferguson tractor, then a 3-speed column shift in a 53 Plymouth station wagon (also in a field) then, an automatic 53' Cadillac on the road (1st road experience).

 

Learned how to drive on an automatic, but when I got my first stick, my father took me out at 5 PM on a busy road in rush hour and I learned how NOT to stall that baby out real quick!!

 

stick shift, our street cars are all stick
hotrod auto

 

Learned to drive stick in my dads '66 Mustang. Thought it would be mine one day... and then he sold it.

 

well...i learned on a vw bus...so i could get my first REAL job at a carwash....had to drive stick or no job.....23 window mother...worth a bunch today...lol.....i am interested in your falcon ragtop....sent my number in a thread....thanks...mark

 

60 years ago I took driver ed. and learned on a 60 Chev, 4 door, 6 cyl sedan.

 

I just realized that at age 60, for the first time in my life, my daily driver is an automatic. had a few old fun cars that were automatic, that's it. never my get around car.

 

I learned to drive a stick. I grew up outside Seattle, and when I was 12 my Dad was given a 49 chevy 1/2 ton pickup.The truck had rolled over on rainier Avenue in Columbia city. The drivers door was so damaged my Dad torched it off and never replaced it. The truck didn't need a key. I put so many miles on that truck, only hit a few trees and fence posts. Granny 4 spd with the good ol starter on the floor. Maybe thats why I prefer a stick, and advanced design trucks.
Todd

Sent from my SM-N960U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I learned to drive in the '60s with a 3-on-the-tree. Automatics had only been around for 15 years or so. My grandkids don't even know what a stick-shift is!

 

Learned to drive & took my test in my brother's 57 Chevy Bel Air w/ 283-3-speed on the column.

 

Danny, I was maybe 13 and got handed keys to a 55 Apache to go between hayfields and chase cows in South Dakota.
It was a stick and just rev engine and pop the clutch.

 

Learned to drive my 1939 Chevy pickup which was a standard 66 years ago and still have it today slightly modified.
Ed

 

White COE , non synchro , manual trans , pipeline truck . Instructor took me to the steepest hill he could find , stop and take off , if you roll back , no job on the gang truck .Low gear was similar to starting a tractor on a hill , clutch was either engaged or disengaged , my Grand Daughter could take off and not stall it . 45 MPH top speed , engine screaming near the tone of a steam whistle ! Those were hard days of manual labor work , I got the education of a life time and laughed together everyday with my Buds working our assess off .

 

I learned to drive an automatic, but the first manual transmission was a late 60's VW Beetle.