Manual vs Automatic (Split from Driving a BTR)

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Targan

I can't imagine what it would be like not to know how to drive a manual gearbox car. Is that a common situation in the US?

I would say that a majority of passenger vehicles in the U.S. are automatic, nowadays.

I'm ashamed to admit that I never learned to drive stick. My old man tried to teach me when I was a teenager but we both kind of gave up on it after a few tense, testy trial runs. I was a tall (6'4") gawky kid with size 15 (UK 14) feet and the family VW was just too cramped for me to manage three pedals.

Society would have us believe that stick is more masculine (the stick as an extension of the penis, perhaps?). I wish I could drive stick but I don't feel any less manly because I can't. I hope I never need the skill, though. It would probably be handy to have come the apocalypse.

My little bro is an automotive elitist and refuses to drive anything without a manual transmission, so I understand the "real drivers prefer manual" mentality.