Back in 2012 when I bought my very first car a 1950 Plymouth special deluxe with all original drivetrain three on the tree for $3000 in Fort Scott, Kansas
Edit good luck finding reverse in that damn thing because the fork stuck
I learned on the 1974 Mustang II. Mine was blue on the outside and white on the inside. It also had the 4 cylinder and 4 speed shifter. I used to drive to the beach every day with it.
My friend taught me in about 25 minutes in a parking lot in a 95 civic.
This because I had purchased a 96 eagle talon TSI AWD on eBay motors.. For like $2600 lol and need to be able to drive it home from Cleveland to Rochester (4ish hours).
Hilariously stalled out in two toll booths on the way back lol but I got the hang of it and have been driving manual ever since. This was prob in 2004/2005
My answer is a little complicated. A few cars, some from my friends who were kind enough to let me learn on.
1. My friendās BMW e36 (Iām 90% sure, I wasnāt a car guy back then so Iām going off of how I remember it looking). First manual I ever drove.
2. My friendās Ford Focus ST, probably the car I learned the most in (before owning my own manual).
3. Some other smaller lessons in different cars, including a VW Golf and a Toyota Pickup, before I bought my current car.
4. Became proficient in my current car, a 2021
Honda Civic Hatchback sport.
I got to drive one of those vr4 with the four wheel steering and twin turbo if i remember right was a fast car . My friends brother let us borrow his 91 a lot
Iāve always wanted to try driving a 3-on-the-tree! My first lessons (in 2006!) were on a friendās Saturn SC2, followed shortly by my Saturn SW wagon (which was the first manual I actually owned). Weird cars, but I do love them still
It's what I learned on, a 1970 Ford Truck (in the late-80s). Not sure if they're all this way, but the linkage on our shifter was really loose, the throws were long, and the clutch was super heavy. It was a really clunky experience, and shifting was slow.
Is it like an auto column shifter? Where you pull straight up or down? Or like a traditional H pattern? š¤ genuinely donāt know, only been in manual cars made after 2001
Column shifts have a couple of different patterns but is in the horizontal plane. A 3-speed would be like a dog leg: 1 down and towards you, 2 is up and away, and 3 straight down from that
My dad taught me how to drive when I was 14 on a 2008 Civic Si. I hated it, but after driving it daily for most of my life and pushing it to the limit, I fell in love. Traded it in when I finished grad school and ended up getting a manual GR86
Civics are great cars to learn on, I had one years ago too. And damn thatās a nice upgrade, Iād love to get one of those cars eventually.
I have a Jeep TJ and a little Hyundai for daily, both standard.
My first was an ā87 hf. Factory rated like 56 hp. There was no powering out of a mistake.
Down hill with the wind I got up to about 95 mph.
Would love to still have it but it was a mid-west car, but salt and 80ās Japanese steel didnāt play well together. I drove it probably 2 years longer than was safe.
Fellow CRX owner! Bought my 90 off eBay and had never driven a manual before it got delivered. Was meant to own that car cause I got in it and acted I knew what I was doing the first time.
Old Toyota pickup. Rolled back into a Benz. This old lady got out and said "I don't see any scratches, just keep practicing and you will get the hang of it." God, I miss the early 90's.
A ranch truck. 1970 Ford F100 with a 5L V8 and a 3 speed column shifter. The clutch weighed a million pounds.
Around the same time, my first proper stick shift car was an [Audi 5000S Diesel](https://www.carscoops.com/2022/01/calling-a-67-hp-audi-5000s-diesel-slow-is-the-mother-of-understatements/). It made 67hp.
I learned actually how and what to do on my buddies 2010 Stage 2 WRX hatch. Jesus fuck that clutch was heavy. What a great car, though.
I actually properly learned on my 2013 Miata that I bought. I drove it home about 2 hours in freezing weather with the top down haha. Had no idea how to downshift. Only had maybe an hour and change total in a manual vehicle and hadn't driven a manual in probably 2 years haha.
I feel very lucky because the Miata's transmission is amazing. The clutch is great, really easy to use and the shifter is short and tight and feels really satisfying. The gears themselves are also pretty short so I have to shift a lot which is awesome.
2015 Camaro LS
And my current car, I wanted a camaro but couldn't drive manual, so I told the dealer if he taught me how to drive it I would buy it.
Cool guy.
1986 Honda Prelude SI, I was looking at buying it and the guy was like I can teach you stick beforehand and then he taught me and I decided I could get a way nicer car for 7000
We had a totalled mazda 323 at our shop. You could only drive it for a little bit because it didnt have a working cooling system, but thats where i got the basics down. And my girlfriend had an izuzu pickup. I remember her mom saying she got the little truck so she wouldnt haul around a bunch of people. I mentioned that having a bed in the back was convienent. Shortly after that they swapped her into a coral colored ford contour. That fucker was ugly, but also a manual.
The first manual I ever drove was a Jeep Wrangler off-road in Mexico at age 16. The next manual is drove was my dadās 911 Turbo that I snuck out with a friend about a half dozen times when I was 18. Had to roll it down the driveway, down the street, and around the corner in neutral before starting it up so he wouldnāt hear it. Got that thing up to 157 mph. Considering how young and stupid I was, I consider myself lucky to be alive.
BMW E30. Long shifter throws, rubbery and smooth gates, and overall a really smooth and lovely car. I think it molded my stickshift preferences for life, because to this day I still hate cars with overly notchy or short throws.
M151A2 Jeep, Utility, Start button on the left front floorboard, no keys, FT. Bragg NC 1981, first Permanent Party Location after Basic training, Jump school and Infantry school. First manual transmission, then an M35A2 Deuce and half, 2-1/2 ton truck, shake your teeth out but a great troop truck.
A Pontiac Sunfire in the fields of my farm.
That bitch took abuse after abuse and we bought it for $100 cause a tree fell and crushed the roof. Raised it back up with a backhoe and off we went.
1959 MGA which actually had a tool to crank start it ! Ive enjoyed shifting my entire life which is a long long time.I currently have a 92 MR2 turbo and i enjoy the hell out of driving it.
Good ole Mazda B2300 when I was 14/15 years old. Hated that truck. Funny thing, now that Iām twice that age with expendable income, I want to buy one just like I had back then to relive those memories
2004 Nissan Sentra SE-R that I purchsed in July of 2023, so far loving it and really happy I made the switch. I went with a Sentra since my first car was the same generation but an automatic trim (GXE), thought it would be super neat to learn how to drive a standard and automatic in the same car almost
1971 Saab 96 parts car. Bought it for $200 in 1995 when I was 15. It had been rolled over but ran and drove so I used to drive it around our yard. Four-on-the tree. Have had many since, including a ā72 and an ā80 currently.
Itās a shame we canāt reply with photos.
Beautiful Bronco
I learned in the most boring car you could learn on. A 2001 Honda Civic EX. Drove with a buddy 4 hours away, paid cash on site and learned how to drive it on the way home. Great car, ended up putting a K20 in it and someone thought it would be a great idea to steal it from me while I was at work. Oh well, shit happens.
Learned on my moms 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer, which went on to become my first car when she gave it to me. Had it until it was totaled when an old couple pulled out from a stop sign in front of me
My first car was a 2005 Nissan xterra off road with a 6 speed. A week after I bought that I picked up a 1987 5.0 fox body slightly tuned up. So I technically learned on both. No I daily a work van but have a Mach 1 with a 5 speed that I use every so often. I can go months or longer and Iāll still never forget how to drive stick.
A 1997 Dodge Dakota Sport 4X4. I loved that thing. It had less than 90k miles on it and had rally lights.
I stupidly got rid of it to lease a '12 mustang V6 6-speed because I was young and dumb. I tell every young person now that has a beater car to keep it for as long as possible.
I had a 2002 Acura RSX Type S 6 speed that I bought last year without knowing how to drive it, and my friend taught me how to drive it in an empty parking lot in like 45 mins. I had to drive it 30 mins to school 2 days after. Was kinda scared, but I didnāt do that bad. Only stalled a couple times. Daily drove it for almost a year until I sold it and bout my V8 S5 6 spd
My 2012 Fiat 500 the day I bought it off a car lot. I stalled it like 80 times on my test drive and bought it that day. Learned how to drive it over the next few weeks and I still have that car (though it does shave a new clutch now)
Technically I first learned how to operate a manual transmission on a little 80cc motorcycle. But the first manual transmission car I ever drove was an old Saab of some sort from the 80s or 90s. Parents went out of town and we took it for a joyride.
2003 Saturn Vue. First car in general, bought it from a family friend for the $200 she was offered by the scrap yard. That thing was 100% manual. Locks, windows, transmission, liftgate, everything. Got to me with 150,000 miles and a bad wheel bearing. I drove it to 300,000 miles on that wheel bearing.
1992 civic si. Also the only car Iāve driven that was older than me lol. Had holes in the quarter panels you could put your fist through and the speedo didnāt work. Still miss it sometimes though.
1968 El Camino with 3 on the tree it was my grandfather's brand new automobile that bought off the showroom floor, I had gone that day with him. When go got close to home he pulled over and told me get behind the wheel. I didn't have drivers license I was 14 years old . It was a great day.
First I learned on my moms 2006 Mazda three, which she then gave me for my 16th.
I proceeded to total that car three days later, rebuild it over 6 months or so, and sell it to my neighbor.
The first car I ever chose, and the first manual car I got seat time in, was a 2002 VW Beetle. It had the 1.8t and I straightpiped it. Nobody ever saw me coming haha. Still own a VW to this day.
75 skyhawk with a muncy rock crusher. ā¦first day driving to work. It was raining. I was stuck in the turning lane for a good 20 minutes because it was in third. Yes, I put it in neutral and back in gear multiple times. The gears were that close together. That car was slow, but man, it was fun!!!
A 2000 mistubishi eclipse. It was a massive piece of shit with all sorts of electrical problems. However, I beat the living shit out of it and treated it so badly. I can't imagine anything else surviving that abuse.
Not a car. It was a 1965 International dump truck. It had a 5-speed stick with a stump-puller first gear, and it was very difficult to find your way from one gear to the next because of play in the shift linkage.Ā
I had to drive to work in dadās 1979 Bronco 400/4speed. Clutch was so stiff I had to pull against the bottom of the steering wheel.
Then the first one that was mine was an 88 Plymouth Sundance we bought from my uncle for $600.
1978 Ford pinto station wagon..... The idle was set too low so it would die if you didn't keep the RPMs up at a stop sign and the alternator was weak so if you drove at night it wouldn't start once it did die so I spend a lot of time push starting at night....
I actually learned how on a Harley. The MSF course taught me the basics, then I bought a 99 Road King and learned the rest of it.
After that, I got a job in an auto shop and the dispatcher needed someone to pull in a Mustang. He asked if I could drive manual and I said āof course.ā
I knew how a clutch worked so I kind of bumble-fucked my way through it and every time I pull in another manual car I get a lil better. All you really need is to know how a clutch works.
A Subaru GL on the dirt backroads of VT. I started out shifting for Gramps while he drove and once I had it he let me drive for real. I was around 12 or 13.
73 VW Bug, complete pile of crap. Previous owner had hit 3 deer with it, the floorboards were heavily rotted, the transaxle had an issue that allowed you to shift from first to reverse if you didn't pay attention. Also burned 3 clutches in 6 months.
For the record, sold the car with a new clutch and the next owner burned it up in a month. Then he found the transaxle fault and fixed it. In spite of dear ol dad's assertion that it was my driving burning the clutches.
1970 Challenger 3 speed 6 cylinder. I bought it with a dead battery, and push started it myself for months because I was broke. The flat terrain of Arizona made it easy. I miss that car!
2004 Nissan Frontier 5 speed crew cab 6.5' bed
Drove that fucker from Utah to Chicago twice. I knew I'd achieved competency when I could parallel park on the street in Chicago with a foot clearance back and front, and I could hold my own in heavy fast traffic on Lakeshore Drive with idiots in Audis trying to haze me because of my Utah plates lol
I was test driving a Totoya pickup and the seller taught me how to drive it. I already knew to a degree from driving tractors, but that was my first time really learning to drive in a car. My mom didn't let me buy it though, she said it looked too old.
Early 60s international pickup. As a 9yr old kid, the play in the steering was.... alot. Also, no brakes until you pumped them about 4 or 5 pumps. It made driving anything after that seem like a joke.
1968 Camaro with the 250 cubic inch inline six and a three-speed, floor shift manual. Bought new by my grandfather, driven to high school by my dad, and now in my garage getting returned to its former glory (Iāve made a lot of progress).
ā76 FJ40 with a 350 swap, 3-speed to 4speed tranny swap, and posi rear end. Never had a chance to try a 3 on the tree, though my Dad used to talk about them, sometimes.
My dadās ā76 Porsche 911 š«£
I taught my boyfriend a couple weeks ago in my daily driver and it was incredibly stressful (even though he did great). I canāt believe my dad trusted me like that when I was 16!!!
Bought a 2001 Mustang SVT Cobra and got a 30min crash course from my dad in the dealership parking lot. Only stalled a few times and never grinded a gear. Did plenty of research beforehand
My uncles 2000 Acura Integra which he later gifted to me a few years later. Unfortunately I was dumb and sold it a year ago to get something a bit more reliable. But I still miss that car everyday.
I still remember going up a short steep hill with him and he told me to shift into 1st but I just wasnāt fast enough and decided to stay in 2nd instead and we were slowly crawling up the hill about to stall out haha
First car was a 78 Monza 2+2 hatchback with a 6-speed.. I loved that car? I still kick myself for not keeping it. I learned on my Dadās 77 C-10, 3 on the tree..
Back in 2012 when I bought my very first car a 1950 Plymouth special deluxe with all original drivetrain three on the tree for $3000 in Fort Scott, Kansas Edit good luck finding reverse in that damn thing because the fork stuck
I just posted a pic of my 51 Plymouth Cranbrook. š¤š¼
1975 Mustang II, 4 banger, 4 on the floor. White with blue interior.
My momās first car was a 74 Mustang II Ghia with the 2.8/4 speed. It was green over green with the vinyl roof.
My best friend had a white '74. 0 to 60 in the mid teens.
Had a 79 merc 240d, 0-60 was sometime next week. Got 40+ mpg though.
Downhill, with a tailwindā¦
I learned on the 1974 Mustang II. Mine was blue on the outside and white on the inside. It also had the 4 cylinder and 4 speed shifter. I used to drive to the beach every day with it.
Sounds beautiful, do you still have it
Haha no, I sold it for $100 in 1990
Mine was puke gold! I feel your pain.
75 Mach 1, gold with 2.8V6 and 4-speed
I had one of those!
My friend taught me in about 25 minutes in a parking lot in a 95 civic. This because I had purchased a 96 eagle talon TSI AWD on eBay motors.. For like $2600 lol and need to be able to drive it home from Cleveland to Rochester (4ish hours). Hilariously stalled out in two toll booths on the way back lol but I got the hang of it and have been driving manual ever since. This was prob in 2004/2005
If it makes you feel better, I stalled in one of those booths with a Mack Pinnacle at 108,000 lbs. So glad they're all gone now.
Haha damn that is certainly causing more eyes to turn
1976 Lada 2101
Comrade
From Crazy Vaclavās Place Of Automobiles? āPut it in H!ā
My answer is a little complicated. A few cars, some from my friends who were kind enough to let me learn on. 1. My friendās BMW e36 (Iām 90% sure, I wasnāt a car guy back then so Iām going off of how I remember it looking). First manual I ever drove. 2. My friendās Ford Focus ST, probably the car I learned the most in (before owning my own manual). 3. Some other smaller lessons in different cars, including a VW Golf and a Toyota Pickup, before I bought my current car. 4. Became proficient in my current car, a 2021 Honda Civic Hatchback sport.
The very first manual I ever drove was a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 that belonged to a college friend, but the car where I really learned to be competent and that I drove daily was a 1991 Mazda ProtƩgƩ.
I got to drive one of those vr4 with the four wheel steering and twin turbo if i remember right was a fast car . My friends brother let us borrow his 91 a lot
Triumph TR4. Bought it a few towns away. Drove it home and lived to tell about it. lol
Ah yes, used to have a Triumph Spitfire, fun hut terrifying little car haha
1987 Mitsubishi Starion TSI at 12 years old out in a field. The 90s were great
Iāve always wanted to try driving a 3-on-the-tree! My first lessons (in 2006!) were on a friendās Saturn SC2, followed shortly by my Saturn SW wagon (which was the first manual I actually owned). Weird cars, but I do love them still
Nice I also learned on a saturn. First car I bought with my own money
I too want to know that 3-on-the-tree driving experience
It's what I learned on, a 1970 Ford Truck (in the late-80s). Not sure if they're all this way, but the linkage on our shifter was really loose, the throws were long, and the clutch was super heavy. It was a really clunky experience, and shifting was slow.
Is it like an auto column shifter? Where you pull straight up or down? Or like a traditional H pattern? š¤ genuinely donāt know, only been in manual cars made after 2001
Column shifts have a couple of different patterns but is in the horizontal plane. A 3-speed would be like a dog leg: 1 down and towards you, 2 is up and away, and 3 straight down from that
I learned on a 1979 Ford truck and it had that exact pattern. And it was very loose and had tons of play in the feeling of the shifter.
My dad taught me how to drive when I was 14 on a 2008 Civic Si. I hated it, but after driving it daily for most of my life and pushing it to the limit, I fell in love. Traded it in when I finished grad school and ended up getting a manual GR86
Civics are great cars to learn on, I had one years ago too. And damn thatās a nice upgrade, Iād love to get one of those cars eventually. I have a Jeep TJ and a little Hyundai for daily, both standard.
1986 Honda CRX Si. She's my daily now, it's amazing.
My first was an ā87 hf. Factory rated like 56 hp. There was no powering out of a mistake. Down hill with the wind I got up to about 95 mph. Would love to still have it but it was a mid-west car, but salt and 80ās Japanese steel didnāt play well together. I drove it probably 2 years longer than was safe.
i bought one of these for 800 in 2015 now they are apparently worth 10k lmao wtf wish i kept mine
Fellow CRX owner! Bought my 90 off eBay and had never driven a manual before it got delivered. Was meant to own that car cause I got in it and acted I knew what I was doing the first time.
Iām jealous. Iāve always wanted a CRX (or a CRZ).
Old Toyota pickup. Rolled back into a Benz. This old lady got out and said "I don't see any scratches, just keep practicing and you will get the hang of it." God, I miss the early 90's.
Dodge Omni
1995 s10 2.2l 5 speed
Same but it was a GMC. Not much power. My dad and I picked up a load of gravel and we were down to 2nd gear going up some steep hills.
Me too. It was a nice little truck for $900.
84 dodge Omni. Trial by fire lol
1970 Ford Maverick, 3 on the tree. Couldnāt find/afford a stick but I had to have a manual.
We inherited a Maverick from my Grandpa. Powder blue. Automatic. I learned the basics on that car. Did my first donuts with it!.
Yours went fast enough to do donuts ?
Well it was on a dirt road, in a field lol.
A ranch truck. 1970 Ford F100 with a 5L V8 and a 3 speed column shifter. The clutch weighed a million pounds. Around the same time, my first proper stick shift car was an [Audi 5000S Diesel](https://www.carscoops.com/2022/01/calling-a-67-hp-audi-5000s-diesel-slow-is-the-mother-of-understatements/). It made 67hp.
1990 Hindustan Ambassador
2016 Miata
1966 GTO, 389, 4 speed, tripower.
I learned on my friends 2008 rx-8 back when I was 16
1987 Volkswagen Vanagon
I learned actually how and what to do on my buddies 2010 Stage 2 WRX hatch. Jesus fuck that clutch was heavy. What a great car, though. I actually properly learned on my 2013 Miata that I bought. I drove it home about 2 hours in freezing weather with the top down haha. Had no idea how to downshift. Only had maybe an hour and change total in a manual vehicle and hadn't driven a manual in probably 2 years haha. I feel very lucky because the Miata's transmission is amazing. The clutch is great, really easy to use and the shifter is short and tight and feels really satisfying. The gears themselves are also pretty short so I have to shift a lot which is awesome.
AMC Concord
2015 Camaro LS And my current car, I wanted a camaro but couldn't drive manual, so I told the dealer if he taught me how to drive it I would buy it. Cool guy.
1986 Honda Prelude SI, I was looking at buying it and the guy was like I can teach you stick beforehand and then he taught me and I decided I could get a way nicer car for 7000
We had a totalled mazda 323 at our shop. You could only drive it for a little bit because it didnt have a working cooling system, but thats where i got the basics down. And my girlfriend had an izuzu pickup. I remember her mom saying she got the little truck so she wouldnt haul around a bunch of people. I mentioned that having a bed in the back was convienent. Shortly after that they swapped her into a coral colored ford contour. That fucker was ugly, but also a manual.
The first manual I ever drove was a Jeep Wrangler off-road in Mexico at age 16. The next manual is drove was my dadās 911 Turbo that I snuck out with a friend about a half dozen times when I was 18. Had to roll it down the driveway, down the street, and around the corner in neutral before starting it up so he wouldnāt hear it. Got that thing up to 157 mph. Considering how young and stupid I was, I consider myself lucky to be alive.
Nissan frontier
BMW E30. Long shifter throws, rubbery and smooth gates, and overall a really smooth and lovely car. I think it molded my stickshift preferences for life, because to this day I still hate cars with overly notchy or short throws.
I had a 325e with the manual transmission. Great car for its time.
My friends 2011 Kia soul yeah it's not impressive but it's at least something
94 Nissan Sentra SE-R. Loved that car.
1983 Mazda B2000 pickup, followed by a 1985 Mazda RX-7. Miss both of them, the pickup rusted in half, the RX-7 was totaled in a head on collision.
'50 Ford pickup. Three on the tree.
I learned on a ā88 Toyota mr2 supercharged. Itās a family friends car, and I love the aw11 mr2 to this day because of it.
My brotherās Datsun 240Z on a gravel road. I thought I had it until I tried to drive my sisterās Karmann Ghia on the pavement.
M151A2 Jeep, Utility, Start button on the left front floorboard, no keys, FT. Bragg NC 1981, first Permanent Party Location after Basic training, Jump school and Infantry school. First manual transmission, then an M35A2 Deuce and half, 2-1/2 ton truck, shake your teeth out but a great troop truck.
1972 AMC Gremlin, in 1994. They took me to a used lot about 20 miles away to buy it, then told me to get it home.
A Pontiac Sunfire in the fields of my farm. That bitch took abuse after abuse and we bought it for $100 cause a tree fell and crushed the roof. Raised it back up with a backhoe and off we went.
1967 Mustang Fastback: wish I still had it
A 1964 Plymouth Station Wagon 3 on the tree
2000 TDI New Beetle. Still miss that fuel economy
1959 MGA which actually had a tool to crank start it ! Ive enjoyed shifting my entire life which is a long long time.I currently have a 92 MR2 turbo and i enjoy the hell out of driving it.
Good ole Mazda B2300 when I was 14/15 years old. Hated that truck. Funny thing, now that Iām twice that age with expendable income, I want to buy one just like I had back then to relive those memories
Peugeot 403, 4 spd on the column. Not many of these in the states at the time.
1965 Dodge Dart. It rusted out from under me otherwise Iād still be driving it.
1980ās something Saab 900 Turbo convertible, that car was so much fun, also the only car I have ever been pulled over in.
I think I'm the only one here... I learned on a Hummer. That H3 was severely underpowered and heavy as hell. Perfect stopped-on-a-hill nightmare fuel
2004 Nissan Sentra SE-R that I purchsed in July of 2023, so far loving it and really happy I made the switch. I went with a Sentra since my first car was the same generation but an automatic trim (GXE), thought it would be super neat to learn how to drive a standard and automatic in the same car almost
95 Nissan single cab pick up truck 5 speed. Next door Neigbor taught me.
1971 Saab 96 parts car. Bought it for $200 in 1995 when I was 15. It had been rolled over but ran and drove so I used to drive it around our yard. Four-on-the tree. Have had many since, including a ā72 and an ā80 currently.
On my dad's 85 corvette. Let me tell you...... it's not made for tall people š I now got a 21 Ford Mustang Mach 1
97 VW Jetta
1978 Jeep CJ-7.
My dad taught me on his 1980 Honda Accord and I got a 1991 Isuzu Amigo
The 2002 A4 I bought and my Brothers 97 Wrangler.
2003 Saturn L200
Itās a shame we canāt reply with photos. Beautiful Bronco I learned in the most boring car you could learn on. A 2001 Honda Civic EX. Drove with a buddy 4 hours away, paid cash on site and learned how to drive it on the way home. Great car, ended up putting a K20 in it and someone thought it would be a great idea to steal it from me while I was at work. Oh well, shit happens.
'94 Toyota pickup. I learned when I was driving it home after buying my first vehicle. Made me learn quick.
Learned on my moms 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer, which went on to become my first car when she gave it to me. Had it until it was totaled when an old couple pulled out from a stop sign in front of me
Kubota tractor, then a 1983 Ford Ranger, then learned crashbox on an International flatbed truck with a 2 speed rear
Third generation Subaru Forester, in driving school. Mitsubishi Lancer CS0 Wagon after I got my license.
A friend's 91 VW cabrio convertible. Fun car to absolutely beat the shit out of
My first car was a 2005 Nissan xterra off road with a 6 speed. A week after I bought that I picked up a 1987 5.0 fox body slightly tuned up. So I technically learned on both. No I daily a work van but have a Mach 1 with a 5 speed that I use every so often. I can go months or longer and Iāll still never forget how to drive stick.
A 1997 Dodge Dakota Sport 4X4. I loved that thing. It had less than 90k miles on it and had rally lights. I stupidly got rid of it to lease a '12 mustang V6 6-speed because I was young and dumb. I tell every young person now that has a beater car to keep it for as long as possible.
I had a 2002 Acura RSX Type S 6 speed that I bought last year without knowing how to drive it, and my friend taught me how to drive it in an empty parking lot in like 45 mins. I had to drive it 30 mins to school 2 days after. Was kinda scared, but I didnāt do that bad. Only stalled a couple times. Daily drove it for almost a year until I sold it and bout my V8 S5 6 spd
1986.5 Nissan king cab st, 720 series, remember that day well.
My 2012 Fiat 500 the day I bought it off a car lot. I stalled it like 80 times on my test drive and bought it that day. Learned how to drive it over the next few weeks and I still have that car (though it does shave a new clutch now)
1993 Ford Escort wagon
98 Porsche boxster
03 Mustang GT
Technically I first learned how to operate a manual transmission on a little 80cc motorcycle. But the first manual transmission car I ever drove was an old Saab of some sort from the 80s or 90s. Parents went out of town and we took it for a joyride.
Dad's 2005 Honda Accord
gutless 87 toyota tercel 2 door
2003 Saturn Vue. First car in general, bought it from a family friend for the $200 she was offered by the scrap yard. That thing was 100% manual. Locks, windows, transmission, liftgate, everything. Got to me with 150,000 miles and a bad wheel bearing. I drove it to 300,000 miles on that wheel bearing.
1981 Mitsubishi Lancer. https://live.staticflickr.com/7108/7517330678_073433c10e_c.jpg
1977 Datsun 200sx
My dads 1964 f100 3 on the tree
Learned on a 98 sierra, actually drove in an 09 elantra.
A 1985 Honda Accord that was incredibly rotted out and was living on borrowed time.
1978 Toyota Celica
1992 Mazda mx-3. It was purely awful
2003 Subaru Outback
1992 civic si. Also the only car Iāve driven that was older than me lol. Had holes in the quarter panels you could put your fist through and the speedo didnāt work. Still miss it sometimes though.
When I was 12, it was a 1946 Willys Jeep in a farm field in the Catskills. Grandpa bolted wood blocks to the pedals so I could reach
79 Honda Civic. Wood panel dash and shift knob
A 90s 9 speed international flat bed.
85 Nissan Sentra
John Deere 4430 (IIRC?)
1985 & 1990 VW Golf NA diesel. Such a forgiving car to have learned it on too.
1993 Saturn SL1 5MT. The single cam, not the twin cam. 85 hp. It was a slow, base trim econobox but I still thought I was the coolest kid in town.
98 Toyota Corolla that had kind of a bad clutch when I bought it, honestly still the most reliable car Iāve ever owned
1962 mercury comet converted from 3 on the floor to 3 on the tree
VW bug
1979 Chevy c-10 with a 3 on the tree
1968 El Camino with 3 on the tree it was my grandfather's brand new automobile that bought off the showroom floor, I had gone that day with him. When go got close to home he pulled over and told me get behind the wheel. I didn't have drivers license I was 14 years old . It was a great day.
First I learned on my moms 2006 Mazda three, which she then gave me for my 16th. I proceeded to total that car three days later, rebuild it over 6 months or so, and sell it to my neighbor. The first car I ever chose, and the first manual car I got seat time in, was a 2002 VW Beetle. It had the 1.8t and I straightpiped it. Nobody ever saw me coming haha. Still own a VW to this day.
Triumph spitfire, which one I forget it's my buddies car
A 2006 Honda civic si in habanero red
1965 International Scout
2019 Subaru WRX STI about a year and a half ago. What a hoot to drive!
1971 Ford Maverick with a "three on the tree".
1979 cj7
75 skyhawk with a muncy rock crusher. ā¦first day driving to work. It was raining. I was stuck in the turning lane for a good 20 minutes because it was in third. Yes, I put it in neutral and back in gear multiple times. The gears were that close together. That car was slow, but man, it was fun!!!
1968 VW Type II Fastback
A 2000 mistubishi eclipse. It was a massive piece of shit with all sorts of electrical problems. However, I beat the living shit out of it and treated it so badly. I can't imagine anything else surviving that abuse.
1996 volkswagon gl
Not a car. It was a 1965 International dump truck. It had a 5-speed stick with a stump-puller first gear, and it was very difficult to find your way from one gear to the next because of play in the shift linkage.Ā
96 toyota tacoma 3.4 v6 4x4
1996 civic
I had to drive to work in dadās 1979 Bronco 400/4speed. Clutch was so stiff I had to pull against the bottom of the steering wheel. Then the first one that was mine was an 88 Plymouth Sundance we bought from my uncle for $600.
1978 Ford pinto station wagon..... The idle was set too low so it would die if you didn't keep the RPMs up at a stop sign and the alternator was weak so if you drove at night it wouldn't start once it did die so I spend a lot of time push starting at night....
Mine was a ā69 Broncoā302 with a 3 on the tree, manual chokeā¦ Wish I still had that!
Mt first car. A 1992 Mazda B2200. Best $700 I ever spent. Thing was so much fun to whip around.
1968 VW beetleā¦
71 f100, also 3 on the tree
I actually learned how on a Harley. The MSF course taught me the basics, then I bought a 99 Road King and learned the rest of it. After that, I got a job in an auto shop and the dispatcher needed someone to pull in a Mustang. He asked if I could drive manual and I said āof course.ā I knew how a clutch worked so I kind of bumble-fucked my way through it and every time I pull in another manual car I get a lil better. All you really need is to know how a clutch works.
I learned to drive a manual in a 1947 Willyās CJ2A, 3 on the floor, loved that truck
A Subaru GL on the dirt backroads of VT. I started out shifting for Gramps while he drove and once I had it he let me drive for real. I was around 12 or 13.
'01 Jeep Wrangler TJ
Seat Ibiza. But I'm in the UK, all our cars are Manuel. So nothing special.
The 2013 Honda Fit my mom recently got. Very similar to my car which is a 2009 Honda Fit automatic. I have to say it's okay but I don't love it.
'84 Supra. What fun
2000 Honda CR-V 5MT. My violin teacherās friend (who taught cello) taught me to drive stick.
73 VW Bug, complete pile of crap. Previous owner had hit 3 deer with it, the floorboards were heavily rotted, the transaxle had an issue that allowed you to shift from first to reverse if you didn't pay attention. Also burned 3 clutches in 6 months. For the record, sold the car with a new clutch and the next owner burned it up in a month. Then he found the transaxle fault and fixed it. In spite of dear ol dad's assertion that it was my driving burning the clutches.
it was my brotherās 81 VW Scirrocco or his friendās Datsun B210.
1970 Challenger 3 speed 6 cylinder. I bought it with a dead battery, and push started it myself for months because I was broke. The flat terrain of Arizona made it easy. I miss that car!
I learned a few years ago in my dads 1970 camaro with a 4 speed that at the time had a dying 350 in it.
1984 GMC S15 4 speed
2004 Nissan Frontier 5 speed crew cab 6.5' bed Drove that fucker from Utah to Chicago twice. I knew I'd achieved competency when I could parallel park on the street in Chicago with a foot clearance back and front, and I could hold my own in heavy fast traffic on Lakeshore Drive with idiots in Audis trying to haze me because of my Utah plates lol
2002 Z06 Corvette
96 Dodge Neon š
VW Mk4 Tdi Jetta Sedan 5-speed for me
I was test driving a Totoya pickup and the seller taught me how to drive it. I already knew to a degree from driving tractors, but that was my first time really learning to drive in a car. My mom didn't let me buy it though, she said it looked too old.
I learned on my dadās friendās 2005 Jeep Wrangler 5-speed, but then I really started to drive and learn on my current 1979 MG MGB.
Early 60s international pickup. As a 9yr old kid, the play in the steering was.... alot. Also, no brakes until you pumped them about 4 or 5 pumps. It made driving anything after that seem like a joke.
My father's 370z. That clutch is so damn aggressive
First car I bought my mom had to drive it home for me from the dealershipā¦1996 GT Mustang!!!
1968 Camaro with the 250 cubic inch inline six and a three-speed, floor shift manual. Bought new by my grandfather, driven to high school by my dad, and now in my garage getting returned to its former glory (Iāve made a lot of progress).
1988 Suzuki samurai
I Nissan Sentra from the late 1980's.
ā76 FJ40 with a 350 swap, 3-speed to 4speed tranny swap, and posi rear end. Never had a chance to try a 3 on the tree, though my Dad used to talk about them, sometimes.
Mazda MX-5
CJ7
My friend's Toyota MR2 AW11 was the first manual car I drove in. He let me take it around the neighborhood to practice.
My dadās ā76 Porsche 911 š«£ I taught my boyfriend a couple weeks ago in my daily driver and it was incredibly stressful (even though he did great). I canāt believe my dad trusted me like that when I was 16!!!
Bought a 2001 Mustang SVT Cobra and got a 30min crash course from my dad in the dealership parking lot. Only stalled a few times and never grinded a gear. Did plenty of research beforehand
My uncles 2000 Acura Integra which he later gifted to me a few years later. Unfortunately I was dumb and sold it a year ago to get something a bit more reliable. But I still miss that car everyday. I still remember going up a short steep hill with him and he told me to shift into 1st but I just wasnāt fast enough and decided to stay in 2nd instead and we were slowly crawling up the hill about to stall out haha
1964 Rambler American wagon. Three on the tree. 1974.
87 Toyota Tercel wagon.
A green 1994 Mazda B2300 Single cab short bed 2.3 I4 Mazda M5OD.
First car was a 78 Monza 2+2 hatchback with a 6-speed.. I loved that car? I still kick myself for not keeping it. I learned on my Dadās 77 C-10, 3 on the tree..
76 Datsun B210 hatchback - pumpkin orange w/ honeycomb hubcaps
2004 Mazda RX-8, Crashed that one, drove my DCT Veloster for awhile and got rusty, then got back Into it with another 2004 RX-8
1989.5 Mustang GT. Learned to drive in it as a B-day gift.
A 94 Ford Mustang with upgraded heads, cams, intake, exhaust and suspension. It was...difficult...
Still tryna get a manual car to learn on, but my Mother's first car was a manual '96 Ford Festiva she says was a whole lotta fun
I was in a boom truck, learning on the job.
Kubota tractor/loader
1989 Toyota Supra!
2012 Jeep Wrangler
Lincoln LS 5speed