first manual car you ever drove?

Stole my buddy's chevette and took around the block while he was drunk and passed out ,I was 15 at the time,I never drove a chevette after that ....Upgraded to all automatics after thgat ,But had manual steering in all of my chevelle's and elcamino's .Just didnt like manual brakes in the first couple of chevelles 4000 lbs at 65 ,Just wont stop.

 

a '74 dodge pu 318 / 3 on the tree

 

it was a late 80s mustang

 

A new '58 Ford drivers training car.

 

an old ford courier minitruck that my dad bought from u-haul. it was white on top and orange on the bottom. drove around the property planting trees and stuff.

 

My first would have been our '63 International 3 ton stake truck. I was probably 14 or so at the time, driving it around the farm. A funny story though - several years ago I was in Germany on business.....3 of us rented a BMW, and I was the only one who could drive a standard. I returned home, and my 96 year old grandad wanted to hear about the trip. Showing him the pictures he asked - "did you get to drive that car?" I tell him that the other two couldn't drive a standard and after a very long pause he said, " grown men?"

 

My mom's 63 Ranchero, 6 banger, 3 on the tree. I don't know what was wore out the shifter the linkage or the tranny. If you were not PERFECT in your shifting that bitch would lock up and you would have to get underneath to smack the linkage to unlock it.

 

Mine was a '63 econoline window van. I took my drivers test in it. Strange enough my wife's family had a '61. No wonder we've been together 34 years, soul mates from the '60s.

 

A guy I work with bought a car with a manual trans for his 16 year old son and the kid wont learn how to drive it so they sold it and bought him a automatic,if that was my kid he would be walking until he learned and have a good talk to his mother for giving me a wimpy son.

 

My first car, a '59 Chevy Biscayne. 235 and a 3 on the tree.

 

67 Malibu 327, 4 on the floor.

 

1959 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite. With a name like "HealeyRick". what did you expect? Bought my cousin's Bugeye. A one hour lesson on the cranberry country roads of SE Massachusetts, I was turned loose. If you can't drive a manual ... you can't drive.

 

1956 Ford big window custom cab PU was the car I learned to drive.

 

VW Beetle in high school.

 

1950 Plymouth fastback.

 

My fathers anglia back in 69 without him knowing, 70 when I got my permit

 

37 Ford wagon

 

My stepdad taught me in a '58 Ford F350 @ 13yo in the alfalfa field behind our house

Then as soon as I had it down, I became the delivery boy for his roofing business. I knew he was being too nice teaching me the stick shift.

 

The All New for 1976 Mercury Capri. Probably the 4 cyl as we had more on the lot. I started working summer of 1976 for Community Motors in Canonsburg, PA. I worked as a mechanics helper/ car washer/ go fetch kid.

Community Motors recently closed and was the last stand alone Mercury dealer in the US.

 

9N Ford tractor pulling a load of grapes I just picked

 

My dad's '56 Ford F-100 272/3 on the tree. I'll never forget it.

 

I was 8 years old and it was a 1971 Chevy C50 water truck on my dads ranch. I sure do miss that old beast it was like family heirloom grandpa bought er new.

 

Took my drivers test in a 63 Ford Galaxy with a three in the tree and the instructor was a bit concerned since most people took their tests with automatics.

 

Mine was not a car but a 1976 ford f250 with a 460 4x4 4 speed, that was more like a 3 speed with it's super low granny gear.

 

Mine was a POS '68 Chev flatbed pick up that was used as a tobacco boat on my uncle's farm. It was a totally clapped out 3 speed on the tree that would jam the baffed linkage between shifts, forcing you to pull over and bang it loose with a tire iron. Near the end of it's career we just left it in 2nd. There was no foam or upholstery to speak of on the driver side of the bench seat - just wire with an old raincoat thrown over it. Shocks were only on it for looks as it wheel hopped with the slightest indication of acceleration and thankfully the brakes were the best part of this work truck.

As I remember it ...I was only 12 or 13!

 

What's an automatic?

Not very desirable over here in the UK, as the smaller engines popular in the UK due to fuel prices and taxation need the torque multiplication of a manual gear box, not a power sapping auto.

Large O/T luxury cars here with autoboxes are worth less than manual versions, ( this does not apply to US Iron but manual boxes are still more desirable)

There is a thriving market for manual gearboxes to replace autos especially for the more sporty saloons ( Jaguars and BMW etc), and for the enthusiast market where Jag and other manual boxes are adapted for US V8s in Cobra replicas etc.

Hot rodders tend to go with US products and build LHD as it is will be easier to sell in the future, (Continental Europe drives on the right) so autos are ok here.

Ford Anglia !

 

All this stupid stuff we used to do off highway/ in fields (with permission of course) teaches you to be a better driver as you will have experienced, skidding sliding, loss of control is a safe environment and you will have learned how to deal with it, this type of experience together with some skid car training may one day save your life and/or the lives of others.

I AM NOT CONDONING UNSAFE / DANGEROUS DRIVING ON THE PUBLIC HIGHWAY IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM.

 

This 1948 Willys Jeep, Model CJ2A. Year was 1970. Shortly thereafter cooked the engine while off-roading.

 

My dads '52 Chevy pick up, I was 12 at the time we lived out in the country, so everybody started driving as soon as we could reach the pedals.

 

I "borrowed" my sister's '52 Buick Special when I was 13 to ride around the neighborhood. It was a stick and it took me a few minutes to learn it by myself, but then it was fun until my brother caught me.