Drove a stick for the first time today!

[dream on mcss]

As the title says, I got to drive a stick today! As some of you may have seen, my buddy jack (gmsforlife) has an 83 jeep cj7 that he's been working on in the non g section. It's got a 4.2 with a 3 speed and when I was offered to try it out, I couldn't pass it up. Jack was the first one to try it out, and he did pretty good. With no experience at all, he only stalled 3 times starting out in first because he let out the clutch too fast. Being on a small hill didn't help either lol, but he got it moving. Soon after that, it was my turn. I climbed into the drivers seat, put my seatbelt on, started her up and slowly started to let the clutch out while giving it gas. I was moving! I was amazed that with no experience I managed to get it moving without stalling it at all, and let me just say, it was the best feeling I've ever had. So now were rolling, time to shift into second. Pushed in the clutch, popped it up to second, and still didn't stall! The jeep bucked a little because I let out the clutch too fast, but I was so happy. Driving around that parking lot in this rusty old jeep was the most fun I have ever had driving, ever better than mud bogging in my blazer. I wish I would've gotten a video of it at the time, but I was so happy it was my turn that I completely forgot lol. Well, that was my experience driving a stick for the first time, any of you have any stories you'd like to share apbout yours?

 

[-83MONTESS-]

I learned to drive stick in an 80s F150 with a 300 straight 6 and a 5 speed. I drove it around the junkyard that I worked at to pull parts and just beat the sh*t out of it. It didnt have brakes so I just hit the clutch and used other vehicles to stop myself. That was the funnest time of my life! Just beating the sh*t out of any vehicle that could start there.

 

[kornball426]

Congrats once you learn it, it's a piece of cake... It amazes me that people who have never done it make it out to be like it's such a hard thing to do.

I learned to "drive" in a field in an early 80's Chevy k20 with a 350 and 4 speed granny gear. I was about 11 or 12 and it was my first summer job I would clean stalls and feed horses and such, at this old timers farm and his grand son who was like 16 or 17 taught me how to drive and use all kinds of machines, tractors, balers, manure spreaders, brush hogs, augers, backhoes, loaders, etc. It was a good time I just couldn't tell my mom they let me drive all that stuff or she would have forbid it. :lol: She was shocked when she let me drive her car for the first time (which was a stick shift) when I was like 14 or 15 and I knew how to do it without any instruction. :lol: Plus she didn't know that when I was about the same age, I used to take her car out at night for joy rides when she was sleeping, which she still doesn't know I hope. :lol:

That car was pretty loud too, I used to be able to hear her coming up the street long before I could actually see her, and then when you hit my gravel driveway it gets real noisy... So I always wondered how it never woke her up to catch me.

 

[CruizinKev]

here in europe/germany they all drive a manual/stick. so i learned it from the beginning. few people here are even scared to drive a auto because they never did before - only manual LOL so its pretty much the other way around here

 

[Bowiemontecarlo86]

I learned how to drive stick in a three speed toro lol. I stalled it first couple times mainly cause i didn't fit well in the damn thing .But soon i had it chirping the tires ,my buddy even taught me how to down shift brake . Then couple years later i went fishing with my brother in his ford focus zx3 5speed car .well he got sick and couldn't drive so i have to drive a hour back on the highway .First time on a highway or any public road in a stick never stalled it till i hit my first red light not 3 mins from the house lol .

 

[pontiacgp]

let me warn you about trying out a G body with a stick, it'll cause you to hunt down the parts and convert your car to a stick so if you don't have the time or budget for a conversion don't test drive it...

 

[lg1200]

word...yeah i i learned driving a 1980 S-10 4-speed...best car i've ever had..

 

[85Supreme]

My brother was who took me to get my drivers permit and at the time he had a modded 04 wrx. He wanted to see how well I could drive his car in the parking lot. Didn't stall at all. I think it was because I was in the car the whole time when my dad was teaching him how to drive stick years earlier. Stick cars are a lot of fun to drive but they just slow you down in a raceway

 

[khan0165]

I remember my first time... :wink:
I was working as a shuttle driver for a Ford dealership, who also happened to service government and construction vehicles. The other driver and I had an understanding that I had not yet learned to drive a manual car, so he would drive if we ever had to pick-up/drop-off a manual vehicle.

One day, we had to go pickup a truck from a construction company to bring back to the shop for service. We drive out to this place, I went inside to get the keys, he checked if I got the keys, said "okay! see you back at the shop" and drove off, assuming it was an auto truck.

So I go find the truck, it's a F550 with a carriage bed, with 15,000lbs of steel framing, and it's a stick...
like this...

The reverse was in 1st location, and there was an "L" and a "O" (which I had no idea what it meant at the time)

The lane-way exited onto a uphill bridge, with a signal... that happened to go red as I made it out. I couldn't find 1st, and after two green lights, a few stalls, and a bunch of people honking, I just found a gear and feathered the clutch till I got it going... lol

my dad's little 5spd Saturn felt easy after this incident

 

[oldtinsmith]

Once you learn how to drive on the streets, you'll never forget how to drive a stick (almost like riding a bike!). I learned in a 55 chevy Belair 6/3-speed and have owned many manual trans cars and trucks (from a 61 4-speed Corvair Monza to a 63 Corvette 327/340hp 4-speed split window coupe and up to a 4.3 5-speed 1998 Blazer (and alot in between).

Doug