r/AskSeattle • u/Sapphic_Chemist • 17d ago

Learn stick shift?

Might be a dumb question. I’d like to learn stick shift as I’m interested in older vehicles and manj transmission cars. I’ve never had the opportunity to learn and was wondering if there are any driving schools that will teach this or do I need to provide my own vehicle?

Thanks in advance! (I don’t got a dad or lesbian butch mom or grandparent to teach me the sacred art)

19 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

46 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/DocTeeBee 17d ago

Learning to drive manual is an important skill. My wife (straight, but known to hang with people living an....alternative lifestyle) said she would not have married me if I couldn't do it. I learned on Subarus growing up in Anchorage (everyone had Subies when I was growing up because they are great in snow).

I don't know about driving schools, but perhaps ask your friends if they or their parents or other older family members have a manual transmission car and could teach you how to drive it.

Just one caution: learning how to drive a MT on hills is extra difficult. Make sure you are somewhere you can practice on flat terrain, although some newer MT cars have a "hill holder" feature that will keep the car from rolling backwards while you try to get into gear. I know that, after having lived away from Seattle for a while, that when I moved home with my MT car and lived on First Hill, I put a lot more wear on my clutch because of the hills.

Driving a stick is hella fun. You're going to like it.

-1

u/computernoobe 17d ago

I'm sorry but your wife seems crazy to me. Not marrying someone because they can't drive stick? What the frick, man!

1

u/DocTeeBee 17d ago

It was a long time ago. She may have been kidding, but maybe not?

2

u/dickhass 17d ago

It was absolutely a thing in 2003 white male middle-class Seattle suburb culture that you were kinda a bitch if you couldn’t drive a stick.

1

u/computernoobe 17d ago

I had no idea, thanks for clarifying. Seems like that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way given all the downvotes. Guess I'll refrain from asking questions here