Do your teens know how to drive a stick shift?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's almost impossible to find a manual in the US, and even in Europe most new purchases are automatics. I think it's a useful skill, but if I ever decide to give up my Mini Cooper, I will have almost no options (beyond maybe Subaru and VW) for a manual transmission in a daily driver.

Honda and Toyota also make them. I test drove both and bought the Honda.

Mine is an Audi A4. Great family sedan, the right balance between comfortable and fun to drive, and has a stick shift. Win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's almost impossible to find a manual in the US, and even in Europe most new purchases are automatics. I think it's a useful skill, but if I ever decide to give up my Mini Cooper, I will have almost no options (beyond maybe Subaru and VW) for a manual transmission in a daily driver.

Our last manual car was a mini and DS learned to drive stick on it. DD never learned - ADHD so didn’t need one more thing to focus on while driving.

[Anonymous]

All five of ours learned to drive on a stick. It’s not a skill you necessarily need here. But sometimes renting a car overseas requires that you are able to drive a stick shift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My stick shift Honda on Capitol Hill never gets stolen. Street parking.

All the automatic Honda’s, stolen.

This. Which is why the last time I bought a car, I still wanted a stick shift (Subaru, this time). I have had cars broken into on Capitol Hill but never stolen. The teenager will most likely learn on this car, assuming they want to learn to drive at all .... right now they say they don't need to know how to drive, but we'll see how they feel in a couple of years.

[Anonymous]

Yes. They all learned. It’s a life skill, even if like PPs have pointed out, one not really needed so much these days. They felt cool doing it/knowing how.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is still about two years away from driving and my daily driver that she will learn on is an automatic. Once she understands the fundamentals I'll teach her how to drive stick.

For now, once a quarter she has to change a tire. Another important life skill that too many people never learn. #dadgoals

[Anonymous]

Mine don’t drive yet but no, they wont. When we were car shopping I wanted a stick shift and I would have actually had to pay more for it. I thought they just weren’t a thing anymore except for car aficionados.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine don’t drive yet but no, they wont. When we were car shopping I wanted a stick shift and I would have actually had to pay more for it. I thought they just weren’t a thing anymore except for car aficionados.

This was a Honda Fit by the way.

[Anonymous]

My 16 yr old is learning on a manual now (my Subaru). This will be my last standard transmission car, though. It’s a PITA in stop and go traffic and drive-throughs. We have a Lights on the Lake event near us and driving 45 minutes through that was no fun.

Definitely a fading skill, though. The last time I stayed at a hotel the parking was valet only—and I had to wait for 20 minutes until they finally summoned a manager (not a parking attendant) who knew how to drive one!

[Anonymous]

I imagine a commercial like the iPad one "what's a computer?"

"What's a stick shift?"

[Anonymous]

No longer a needed skill, unless your kid plans to join the peace corps or travel extensively by driving in Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. They also can't churn butter or send Morse code.

Haha, this. Anyone saying it's a life skill better also be teaching them to ride a horse to work, since both have the same amount of relevance today.

I actually tried to buy my last car as a manual (I don't live in the DMV, traffic there is awful and i never would drive it there) but it cost more, was going to take longer to get, and it took 4 dealerships before one said they could do it. It is absolutely not relevant except "for fun" today.

I know how to ride, and I could have done it as a teen/early 20s, living in Amish country.

I can also churn butter, but it's time consuming, so I save it for special occasions.

I know Morse code, for the simple reason that I teach the Morse code, Braille and sign language concurrently with the alphabet to kids as it's the easiest time to learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. They also can't churn butter or send Morse code.

Haha, this. Anyone saying it's a life skill better also be teaching them to ride a horse to work, since both have the same amount of relevance today.

I actually tried to buy my last car as a manual (I don't live in the DMV, traffic there is awful and i never would drive it there) but it cost more, was going to take longer to get, and it took 4 dealerships before one said they could do it. It is absolutely not relevant except "for fun" today.

We call it Earth Survival class with our kids, and it’s fun! They can change a tire, start a fire, drive a stick, change the oil, etc.

And rent a cheap manual car in Europe and S America!

This!

There are a ton of skills they'll "never need," but I'd rather over-equip than under-equip.