1970 all automatic training.

Around 1980 bought a beat up old Ford van for a work truck. 3 on the column.

Told the garage I bought it from never drove a stick. He said nothing to it.

clutch when you start it, clutch to change gears clutch when you stop.

I drove it away and kept it until it fell apart many years later.

Drivers Ed in 1965 in a HUGE old land yacht of a Pontiac. Also had the "instructor panic pedal" on the passenger's side.

Grew up on tractors and pickups with manuals so that was a non-issue. Plus Dad always had manual cars until after I'd left home. Got to the point where he didn't really have a choice...

Took my driver's ed in an automatic (mid 90's timeframe). We didn't own any manual transmissions so wasn't a thought at the time.

Learned to drive a 5 speed from a roommate of mine in the military a few years later.

When shopping for driver's ed for my kid, there was a company that touted having both standard and automatic transmission vehicles for the class, but after seeing the "quality" of their program we passed on them.
Their students failed the first license test over 70% of the time, the class my kid ended up with had under 40% failure rate.

My driver’s Ed was also on an automatic in ‘87, but we had manual transmission cars my whole life up until 2005. I was taught to drive by my dad at about age 13, and was proficient on a stick by age 14. My wife’s father also had manual transmission cars and made both his girls learn to drive on them. These days I would love a car in a manual, but it is becoming near impossible to find one in a vehicle I want.

I took driver's ed in 1972. Half the semester we drove a big old Ford LTD, then the second half we drove a Subaru manual. I drove a manual until I got an automatic 4Runner then a Tacoma. Still miss driving a manual but probably a better choice for the wife when she needs to drive my vehicle.

What I remember most from Drivers Ed (1974) was that the horn is for emergencies and the Left lane is for Passing!

I drive for a living and have no desire for a manual transmission... except, I do miss my wife's Porsche .... a real Porsche should never have an automatic transmission.....

Driver’s Education was done purely in automatics, but my neighbor taught me how to drive a stick when I was 18. Learned on his wife’s Jeep Wrangler. I’ve owned 7 vehicles with manual transmissions and honestly miss driving them.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
...My father did own one car with a manual so I did learn before I had my license.

Ha! Same here. Still remember practicing it in the VW stationwagon in the back of the shopping strip next door.

Learned to drive in my teens on my dad's Nissan Frontier. Then drove it later full time in my early 20's. It's amazing that thing never needed a new clutch! LOL

My Dodge SRT4 was a manual as well. Fun little car. But in city traffic... no way. I'd rather have a auto.

I started driving around our property at age 11 on a manual transmission '62 Ford Ranch Wagon in 1966.
When I got my license in 1971, driver's ed was with an automatic and that was the car used for the test.

I bought and drove manuals until I was about 50; I've only driven automatic transmissions since then.

Learned to drive in my dad’s manual Corvair Corsa on the runways at auxiliary field 4 at Eglin.

Drivers Ed in 1963 in a little Ford Fairlane that could barely get out of its' own way. Three on the tree and panic brake for our pipe smoking instructor. I actually learned to drive stick in a 1953 Chevy station wagon in a farm field a couple of years earlier. Another 3 on tree with the starter pedal on the floor by your left foot.

Learned on a Honda Trail 70 and various other dirt bikes at a yout, we didn't have any Manual vehicles in the family fleet.

Bought an 86 Supra with Manual, then got a Boxter S with stick. Always enjoyed driving them.

Driver's Ed was in an auto 98 Corolla
Learned stick when my dad tossed me the keys to our 97 Saturn SL2 & had me bring it home from next door (20 acres, private property)

Had a 97 Civic with a stick, and 2 [loaned] motorcycles.
Just bought a 4 speed Midget, glad to have 3 pedals again

Took drivers Ed in ‘74 automatic was used.

1970 VW bug left hand steering in the UK. that was "fun"

I took Driver's Ed in 1964 Ford Station Wagon. The teacher was our high school coach. The local Ford dealer donated the car for the school to use. The coach wanted everyone to know how to use a standard and the station wagon was the only car the dealer had that was a standard.

I grew up on a farm so I learned early (10-11) how to drive a standard so it no big deal for me but some of the girls had a "little" trouble.

I started driving in 1954. The first vehicle that I ever had with an automatic transmission was 40 years later, a 1994 VW Passat.

Now, with hips and knees that are not 100% functional, automatic transmission is a better match for me.

Took drivers ed in 1977 in high school. It was a class, and after school drivers training, no fees. The school had a couple of Datsun B210 cars, auto transmission. I learned to drive stick two years later on my friend's mother's Honda Civic.

My hish school was fairly new and didn't have Drivers' Ed yet. My dad taught me in his car, which haad a manual traansmission. I wasn't very well coordinated and my dad wasn't very patient. When we came in from a session my mom said she didn't know which one to feel sorriest for. I did learn, though. I was a few weeks shy of 18 yeaars old in 1955 and a freshman in college.

flashguy