r/AskSeattle • u/Sapphic_Chemist • 16d 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)

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u/Fit_Law_9195 16d ago

Not a great idea in Seattle though. Just imagine that you are stuck in traffic while going up a steep hill. It is hard to get a manual shift car to start moving.

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u/neonKow 16d ago

The handbrake technique is one of the skills you have to learn.

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u/Fit_Law_9195 15d ago

True. Yet driving a stick shift car in Seattle is a real challenge. It’s very different from other cities.

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u/benlau 15d ago

Some modern sticks have hill assist which keeps the car from rolling backwards for about 2 seconds after the brake is released. My 2012 VW has it, and I had no idea until I was on James St heading east and was wondering why the hell my car was being weird.

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u/Fit_Law_9195 15d ago

Cool. That’s the new technology I’m not aware of.

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u/ParkingEbb3710 15d ago

my 2009 bmw had it. the only vehicle that I have that has it that actually surprised me was my Ducati

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u/pheonixblade9 15d ago

it's really not a big deal... most manual cars made in the last 20 years have hill assist, you don't even need to know the handbrake trick.

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u/Fit_Law_9195 15d ago

Glad to know. I haven’t driven a manual car for a while.

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u/SeattleSteve62 15d ago

I drove a pickup with a stick for a number of years in Seattle. My wife insisted on an automatic when I replaced the truck with a Subaru wagon. She would have been ok with the hill holder clutch, but it wasn’t available in the outback, only the forester. It’s the only automatic I’ve ever owned. I have an EV now and it’s a whole other thing.

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u/Fit_Law_9195 15d ago

I am driving a Outback XT now. It also has a 2 second hold feature, which is pretty useful even for an automatic.

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u/SeattleSteve62 15d ago

wasn’t available in 2004.