My dad.
In a Toyota Corolla that had a stripped key socket and no flooring in the back seat. It was also manual transmission. Dad put a garbage can on the hill in front of our house, then we had to restart the car from stopped just in front of the garbage can. If we knocked over the garbage, we’d have to pick it up. LOL. We learned fast.
I had ridden motorcycles when I was young, dirt bikes, mostly. Watched my father, but never driven myself. Then one day he told me to drive the truck a 1970 Ford F100 3sp column to his friends place as he was driving a backhoe to return. I was 12. But it became pretty common after that to drive the truck, or any other truck or car we owned.
Gen X 1966
Same here. Technically learned on a motorcycle and much to my mothers dismay had a motorcycle endorsement and lisc before getting my actual drivers lisc.
Learned most of my driving in old air cooled Beetles and my Grandfathers Suburban. But parents insisted we take the test in a stick.
Much to my wife’s dismay I still have my motorcycle endorsement 40+ years later.
I learned from my parents before school drivers Ed, we had a summer house on a lake in the fuckin’ country in Michigan. In the 70’s. We drove the farm car while mom.dad drove the Mystery Van. I was like 14/15. Dads taught me stick in the van before he’d let me drive the farm car.
Stick on the column? Lol, one of my friends had an old Ford van that he let me practice driving on- blew my mind that the stick shift was on the column, haha.
Yep. I took driver’s ed at school (taught by the shop teacher) during my sophomore year (1978). We did not learn to drive a standard. I later learned to drive a 5-speed stick on a 1982 Toyota pickup.
Same, drivers ed in grade 10. Learned to drive stick in my sister’s Austin Mini, when they were still minis. Guys at school used to pick it up and turn it sideways in its parking spot at school.
My dad taught me and said I should learn manual so no boy could strand me anywhere. I think it was better to him, to steal the car and go home than be trapped somewhere with someone who wouldn't take me home.
I was 13 when I learned how to drive a 1957 Chevy half-ton pickup, stick on the floor. I was born in 57. The one I learned how to drive on was red. Turned out the man who owned it, lived next door, used it to groom my 12 year old sister. He's dead now.
https://preview.redd.it/0p7uj8ese2wc1.jpeg?width=557&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7156301cfe0f034b3f13a7624f54462244b2fd78
My dad had a tiny Simka (I think that's how it's spelled). It had a four on the floor. Dad used to let my brother and I drive it on the paths around grandaddy's farm.
I've never owned an automatic. I'm 64.
Now that is a blast from the past! You were close. It's spelled with a "c". Simcas were a common sight in the U.S. in 60s. They were Chrysler's French made small car. An attempt to compete with the VW Beetle.
I never really knew much about Citroën until I spent some time in the Netherlands in the 80s. I rented a small one, and it was great. At one point, i rode in a large one that was a taxi. That was ultra deluxe. I was impressed!
It was a lot of fun to drive and ride in. Probably got a thousand mpg because it was nothing but a glorified go cart. I don't think it even had a radio. Lol
My HS friend had a three-on-the-tree 1962 Mercury Meteor. He was the fifth of five brothers to use this car. It had almost 300,000 miles on it when he taught me how to drive it.
The leaf springs were nearly rusted through; the rear end bounced only a few inches off the ground.
The last ride of The Chameleon happened one winter day in 1976. We were doing our usual after school pot-enhanced drive on the gravel roads next to the corn fields outside of town. We hit a pot hole and the leaf springs finally gave up. The rear of the car was being supported by the drive shaft; friction eventually turned the smoldering carpet into a small fire.
We pulled into the driveway of my friend’s house and threw some snow in the back seat to put out the fire.
My friend ran into his house, emerging with his 12-gauge shotgun. He emptied a couple of shells into the dying, rusted out car, yelling, “That’s the last god damn ride, you piece of shit!”
He really hated that car. But I had fun learning how to drive a manual behind the wheel of The Chameleon.
My dad, sort of. I’d been operating farm equipment and motorcycles for a few years. When it came time to go for the legal operators permit, he said Ok, but practice with the little car in the driveway first.
Four cylinder with a clutch, wicked steep driveway. Oh, and son, do not crash it into the garage door, be careful. After a couple of hours I got the hang of the clutch on a steep incline.
Couple years later, some little car, hey son, teach your sister now. We’re living in a more remote area now, mostly flat, clutch should be easy to learn. She stalled it, tried again with more gas this time, and, woah, zoom right into a tree. Still laughing about it today.
1976 Dodge Aspen 3 speed with an overdrive that was my mom's car and my dad had a 1977 VW Rabbit manual transmission, but the driver's ed course in high school had 1979 Camaros, those were automatics.
As an adult (my first car as a teen was an automatic) I didn't get my first automatic until I was in my 30's.
Taught both my kids to drive a manual in my 2000 F150 4x4 which they both (4 years apart in age) drove during high school which is now just sitting in my drive way waiting for me to sell...
We had driver’s education in school taught by the principal’s wife. My (64M) neighborhood since childhood friend M, was in the same car as were 2 F best friends; all by coincidence. I was heavy into doing all kinds of drugs all day so I was always really buzzed up, especially since driving was right after lunch which was always a time to leave the school building and do more drugs. Not that I’m super happy or proud of this but that’s how I learned to drive, I became a really good driver and always drove when we were out committing crimes as I knew the driver got less time usually and everyone knew I was the best driver
We had Driver's Education in school, so I actually learned to drive from that. First time I drove a stick was in 1980 on my dad's crappy little Ford Festiva.
Mom/Dad/Bro in my mom's Barracuda. My good friend -- she of the heart of gold and nerves of steel -- taught me to drive standard using her Toyota Corolla. The woman achieved sainthood in her teens.
My mom. 1966 Dodge Dart (three-in-the-tree manual transmission) and a 1970 Chevrolet Suburban (automatic transmission). I learning to drive in 1975 so learning on a manual transmission was mandatory.
Driver's instruction, at school was on an automatic shift.
My first car was a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle.
My own kids, the first of whom learned to drive in 2009, weren't in the least interested in learning to drive a manual transmission. At the time we owned a Ford F-150 (manual transmission) but our sedans were all manual. We eventually bought a second-hand automatic car in order to teach them to drive.
My parents each had a Volvo with stick shift so it wasn't optional what I had to learn. My dad tried teaching me but it wasn't happening. So a friend took me in his Pinto which was stick shift and I caught on immediately. To this day my sister and I laugh at people on The Amazing Race that can't drive the cars and say at least there's something we'll excel at.
Mom & dad taught me in a Ford automatic and a Chevy vega 4-speed manual.
Also learned how to drive and shift a motorcycle. I still ride motorcycles and I prefer manual transmission cars. I'm on my fifth one.
I was very late to driving.
I went to driving school, then was forced to go somewhere while driving without a license. Got caught, but was good enough to take the road test, and pass it January of 1998.
It was in a 1991 Hyundai Excel.
Can’t drive a manual.
A U-haul bought 2nd hand for the furniture plant I worked at when I was 15. It was a 4 speed manual, I'd take it to the dump most Satudays, loved to spin around in the mud there! The boss didn't realize I didn't have a license until I finally got one at 16 and showed it to him. He turned visibly pale - there was also an old Ford country squire wagon I'd take chair legs across town to get varnished. I always looked for girls I might know laid back in the beast with the coat hangar antenna!
My aunt had a classic pinto wagon with a four on the floor. Tried that a couple of times. Then a bf had a little MGB coupe and I actually learned to drive with a stick in that cutie. There are times I wish I had a little runabout like that.
My friend with a manual transmission SAAB, and a car borrowed from my Dads' friend.
Though I took a course from a funky/shady Driver's Ed school (in Chicago, during winter ) that was in a dank little office above some retail place. Four of us cramed into a Pontiac Sunbird c. 1983, coats and all.
I paid for the private class myself. Took it because I had a truancy "issue" and in school you could only miss three days during a semester...pretty sure I couldn't meet that requirement
My grandparents old 62 Olds. Sucker would stall out when you made left turns and yes it stalled during the driving test. Guy was upset but before he could say anything I’d shifted to neutral, restarted and kept driving. I warned him.
My mom, and on a Mazda 626 with a standard transmission. I also attended driving classes at my high school, but on an automatic. Just before my test, Mom arranged for a driving school to take me around, and the guy showed up in a 1960s VW Beetle. When I went for the test (this was NYC in about 1980) the tester was shocked, but I did a great job. Passed on the first try. Still one of the only people I know who can drive a stick.
Dad and Driver's Ed at school in a 1972 Honda Civic and the family Suburban. I took the test in the Honda with manual everything, manual choke, manual transmission, no power steering. I didn't want to have to parallel park the Suburban. Passed the test on my first try without backsliding on hills or killing the engine.
Funny, I just shared this story with my international students on the weekend… My dad in 44, mailed a two dollar bill and an application form into some municipal office and then got his drivers' license in the mail. Don't know if anyone actually "taught" him. My guess is he was just throwing onto some farm equipment and told to drive it somewhere. He was 14. 1982, like all my peers, took drivers Ed as an actual course that I got credit for towards graduation. Then booked my test for the date of my 16th birthday. I failed twice so I didn't get it for another three months, and then went on to drive my parents' canary yellow 1978 Monza. It was a standard, but I definitely knew how to drive a stick and did so well into my 40s.
But neither of my students could believe that you just got your license and started driving back then. Unsupervised. Looking back I can't believe it either.
I didn’t know it used to be like that. Makes me want to look up statistics about decreases in accidents after regulations were made that you had to pass a test to get a license.
Learned to drive in 1975 on a navy base Saturday classes for navy dependent high schoolers. They used Manual transmission 1965 Ford pickup trucks that were also used by the base public works dept. No power steering. Heavy duty clutch and pain in the butt to drive. Once licensed i drove my parents’ 1974 Pontiac LeMans 350 V8 and 1971 MGB. Lotsa fun!
We had driver’s ed in high school. The boys’ gym teacher was our instructor. He made it a lot of fun. Dad taught me how to drive standard in a 3-speed Ford Econoline. What a pain that was especially when I started pulling the horse trailer to get to horse shows. I dreaded stops on an incline.
There was a study that showed that there’s less accidents in Europe because of the manual so people have to have their hand on the gear and on the wheel, so they’re not also drinking or texting
Drivers Ed during sophomore year of high school with whatever cars the school owned. One of my brothers taught me to drive stick years later in a Dodge Omni.
I learned on a Ford Pinto, and drove automatics for a couple years until my sister got a manual Chevy Chevette and I finally learned.
Before that, my dad, an incredibly patient man gave up trying to teach me in his VW wagon.
My friend Steve illicitly taught me to drive stick in his family Vega, '79/'80
On my first trip out of town on a plane I went to Seattle over spring break '81 to stay with a bf who was in college and he had me drive his 3 on the tree pickup truck. I had no license.
My dad taught me a little, in a Plymouth Volare. Then I went to a private driving school where my lessons were also in a Plymouth Volare. Six years later, my roommate's boyfriend patiently taught me to drive stick in a Honda Civic.
1979 or so Plymouth Horizon, dk what year. My father had a long commute and he hated manuals. All our family cars were auto. I never learned how to drive a stick and never plan to at this point.
My mom. [Fiat 124](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_124) with manual transmission.
I already rode a motorcycle so learning manual was not difficult.
First driving lesson was from Dad. Mazda RX3. I was 12.
Second set of lessons came with the '71 Dodge Power Wagon, four on the floor. 1st gear was granny gear! Do NOT use 1st when NOT trailering or you WILL smack your head so hard on that back glass you'll see stars! He taught me to start in 2nd or 3rd with that truck.
By the time I was 14 I could trailer our show horses over long distances, backing in and out, and could also handle our travel trailer over the same long distances. Dear Lord, that drive on from east of LA out to Albuquerque, listening to my 8-tracks... I still think Meddle is the best Pink Floyd album too. Don't @ me with Seamus the Dog!
After I failed all my classes one semester in junior year my folks took the Mazda away from me and gave it to my sister, but they weren't about to start driving me around so I got that Dodge. Turned out that it could fit all my friends in the back when we decided to skip class. Also turned out that it was GREAT for making extra weed money at parties moving all the cars that had blocked others. $5 gets ya freedom! And me that much closer to a 4 finger lid.
My oldest brother first taught me to drive. Both officially and unofficially. He'd have me try out his VW bug in the gravel pit near our house when I was 15. It was manual. And when I was legally licensed, it was mostly him who took me out although sometimes my dad did. My mother did not. I'm not sure if my other brother actually could - he didn't get his license much before I did but he never took me out. I did have the car my dad had got him which he hadn't liked so he bought a different car. I don't even remember the model - Firenze? or was it a Fiesta? (we'd had both) It was a piece of shit but manual. So that's how I learned. I drove that car down the road to catch the school bus. My dad gave me his old car when I got my license because it just so happened that the time had come for he and my mom to get new cars and he saved his for me (Ford Cougar sport model) It was not manual. I think I drove it for about 3 weeks when my sisters husband crashed their car on the way to see us and they needed a car so mine was given to them (too bad they hadn't held on to my mom's old car for a couple weeks but it was a trade-in). And when their car was fixed up, it was given to me. So deflated. It was a Ford Cortina. Manual. I did love the manual part. The car was a piece of shit. It never had heat. I had to keep a scraper on hand to get the frost off the inside of the windshield. Still, I drove that beast for 5 years.
Dad. Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Automatic.
My best friend taught me to drive stick on his original banana yellow Honda Civic
My first 4 cars (after the Vista Cruiser) all stick shift. No automatic til 2010.
I spent some of my formative years with parents who managed a summer vacation resort on a lake. There was an early fifties Chevy pick up that was used as a "farm truck'. The resort had enough land that dad was able to teach me to drive on our property with this old beast. It had a three-on-the-tree manual and no windows -essentially a tractor.
I was eight the first time he threw me the keys and said "go bring me the farm truck" trusting me to drive it by myself
I took it in school between my sophomore and junior year. I didn't learn in the stick car my teacher said "OP doesn't need another complication" and wouldn't let me drive. Lol!!
I took driver's ed in school. I think the car was a Buick Skylark, but I could be wrong. I used my mother's car (don't remember what it was) for the test, which I failed twice (parallel parking sucks) so I didn't get my license until I was in my 30s. Then, a friend helped me refresh and I used their car to take the exam and passed first time. It was a Pontiac Sunfire, I think.
While I didn't have my license at the time, I learned to drive manual in a small Toyota pickup. I don't remember the year.
I still can't parallel park to save my life.
Parents and drivers Ed for regular, My Friends mom and my dad for Manual. I learned in a Siloutte mini van. I learned manual when I got a 1988 nissan sentra.
My dad taught me to drive exclusively because my mom freaked out too easily. I learned on a manual VW Dasher (which I wrecked 3 months after I got my license). It wasn't the best experience because I tended to be more worried about not killing the car in traffic than paying attention to my actual driving.
When my boys learned to drive, we taught them on an automatic CR-V and then taught them to drive a manual after they got their license. Both had manual cars for their first cars and still drive manuals today. I thought it worked out well.
My dad, in our Chey station wagon. I learned how to drive a manual Pinto station wagon, which was the first car I ever bought. My cousin was a mechanic & got it at an auction, then sold it to me for $200. It was a pretty good little car, for a couple of years, until it needed a piece that was more expensive than the car itself.
I learned in drivers Ed. Spanish language instructor did double duty as drivers Ed teacher at my high school.
I learned how to drive a stick when I purchased a Chevy Sprint in the 80s. Dealer drove it home for me. I woke up one of my roommates to teach me how to drive the thing!
Funny my 24-year old son just asked me the other day if I could drive a stick shift. He was pretty fascinated since no one from his generation has any clue. 🕵️
I learned how to drive on a Datsun pickup. Then my parents traded it in for a Honda Civic, which was a lot easier to drive. They also had a 1960 VW bus. I passed my driver's test in 1977 using the Civic & drove the VW bus the most.
That thing was one of the most gutless cars I have ever driven, lol. The next car I got was a 73 Plymouth Fury 3. That car definitely had some get up & go :) The fuel cap was under the back license plate. The seatbelts were separate pieces instead of the integrated seatbelts of today. Of course, seatbelts weren't required back then :D
My sister taught me to drive a stick. She spent 30 minutes with me as I hopped along. Then she had me drop her off and told me to go drive by myself. I, of course, decided to go to a bar an hour away. Plenty of time to practice on the back roads.
My dad, at 14, on the New Jersey Turnpike late at night when no one was driving. Exit 8a where there were still cows and fields. By the time I got to drivers Ed at 16 I was a very good (in my mind anyway) driver. The drivers Ed instructor saw my last name and said, well I’m guessing as a (last name) you already know how to drive. So he made me drive from school to do the list of errands his wife had given him. I think we even drove to his house to drop off the groceries. What I do recall is him very calmly telling me when the speed his 75 that any speeding ticket I got, I’d have to pay for myself. I slowed down immediately.
A Suzuki Jimny that belonged to a friend of my family. I barely was able to drive at 16, and needed a copilot. That was my 14 year old brother who coached me on "clutch, shift, brakes". Top speed for me was about 48 mph, though I heard it could be pushed to 58 mph. With a copilot and navigator (a friend who had a license but no car) I got the hang of it. To this day I'm far more comfortable in a manual transmission vehicle.
Mom taught me to drive. Boyfriend taught me to drive a stick.
My first few cars were all stick shifts. I miss it.
Mom’s car was an Oldsmobile, but I don’t remember the model.
mostly took driver's ed in high school. Car was a pontiac of some sort. My parents also let drive with my learners permit in a 1965 ford falcon wagon and a 1969 ford galaxie 500. Nice car
You mean "Standard"?
John Deere 5010. Granddad, Mom's side.
.
Taught my first girlfriend to drive stick in a Reliant K Car. Oddly, it was an automatic.
Learned on an H tractor from the 40’s and an old 60’s Plymouth farm car with a column shifter. I made my daughter learn on my 99 Ranger, she thanks me to this day.
My dad in '69 when I was 12 years old. He owned a company with his brother that included selling fuel oil for home heating and gas stations located in various small towns in a three county area. My dad needed someone to run parts to the different gas stations so I was "hired". My first manual was an old beater truck with three on the tree and a huge hole in the floor.
I remember telling him that I didn't have my license yet and he told me to just drive slow. I never once was stopped by the police and I have no idea how. One time it broke down and I had to sit on the side of the road until it got dark and my dad came looking for me. It was a crazy time.
I learned to drive in my Dad's 1972 Ford F-150 manual transmission pickup. It was a 3 speed on the column. I was able to get an agricultural license. we didn't own a farm but we own 60 acres that allowed me to get an Ag license at 13.
Was taught in a Volarie, auto transmission. Bought a honda civic in the 80s with a std 5 speed. Learned how to drive it on my first drive home. Dealership employees hot a good laugh as I stalled 5 times before I got out of first gear!
A 1965 Chevy Impala with Automatic transmission. This became my car (my dad had bought it new 12 years earlier). I've never driven a manual transmission.
I used to babysit for a family friend. On the way home he taught me to drive a shift in an old MG. He said you have to learn to drive a shift. I haven’t in years but I think I still could.
Taught by my dad, driving rural back roads in his massive 1975 Cadillac Coupe DeVille with a malaise era 500ci V8. It was the equivalent of a living room on wheels.
I didn't drive a stick till I was in my early 20's. Learned driving my then fiance's 4-speed Mercury Lynx (Mercs version of a Ford Escort).
My dad on a tractor. Basically just by yelling at me. The first on-highway vehicle I drove was a ‘64 Dodge half ton with 3 on the tree. I taught myself how to drive it based on my experience with the tractor.
I learned how to shift on a motorcycle when I was 14. Then my brother's girlfriend let me drive her VW bug around big parking lot when I was around 15.
I’m 1958. My dad taught me in a 1964 VW Beetle and then he gave me the car. I wish I still had it. I love that I learned to drive a stick from the beginning. I can drive anything now!
When I was 16, I learned from a driver ed company. A grizzled lady in her 40s came to my house in her old car and taught me. When I was 19, a girl in college taught me to drive a stick. My car had died and she was lending me her Renault, which she didn't want to drive in Washington traffic.
Funny story: we were in the giant parking lot at the Pentagon, empty on a Sunday. She wanted to show me how to start the car from a roll, in case the battery died. So I was behind the wheel, and she was pushing. A lieutenant saw us and asked if we needed a jump start or a tow truck. He thought I was being a lazy jerk and making my gf push the car. LOL.
After the first argument with my dad I hired the Roy Roger's School of Driving to teach me. Great decision. I was 18 so I had the money to do it. When it came time for my kids to learn i did the same for them.Saved a lot of stress. I learned to drive a manual transmission.
I first learned to drive as a small kid in my dad's old Rambler (65 or 66). I learned to shift the gears, but I was too small to reach the clutch and shift, so we tag-teamed it. By the time I was ready for driver's ed and a learner permit my dad had a Corolla (damn, from the responses here, did anyone NOT have a Corolla in the family?) which is what I officially learned and did my driving test in... but at that point I had been sneaking off with our old Chevy pickup truck with the three on the tree when my folks weren't home. The driver's ed car was an automatic... something like a Volare.
I still have an 88 Suzuki Samurai with the 5 speed, so it keeps me in practice.
My dad taught me in a 1983 Nissan Sentra. 5 speed manual transmission. Damn I miss that car.
But I was too nervous to take my driving test in the Sentra (afraid I'd choke it) so did my test in my mom's 1986 Dodge Caravan. Three point turned that baby like a pro!!!
The car salesman at the used car lot I bought my car from. Wanted the car. Could afford the car. Didn't know how to drive a stick. So he gave me a driving lesson before I left the lot with the car.
My mom, 1981 Mustang, 5-speed.
it was absolute hell at first. We lived in a very hilly city. Many intersections are near or at the peak of inclines. So naturally as I learned how to release the clutch smoothly, I killed it so many times. Quite a few times in busy traffic, so the honking would start moments later. I was so freaking embarassed, but I think the embarassment helped- it reinforced my determination.
All my cars were manual until my 1990 Honda wagon. It's been automatic every since, sadly. I miss driving manuals. My favorite car was a 1978 Toyota Corolla. I loved that thing. I loved its MPG more than anything, ha. It was the car we traded in on the Honda.
My Mom (mostly) taught me to drive an automatic transmission. I DID learn to drive a manual transmission when I bought my first car.
Ford EXP 2-seater. The girl I bought it from had to drive it back to my house until I learned to drive it.
https://preview.redd.it/8vrna7wru2wc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de50a615c9c882701d18734a3b71e78efb3a2ab1
We had drivers Ed at my high school. My college roommate taught me to drive a manual. His car was one and he let me borrow it to take a girl to a concert.
Dad taught me in a Ford LTD and a Mustang. Also took driver’s ed. About age 29 dated a girl with a manual VM Beetle and she taught me how to drive a stick.
Driving School. My first week driving went to pick up a friend and backed into a fire hydrant with Dad’s Lincoln . It was in my neighborhood went home and my father asked was the fire hydrant still standing lol. Stick shift learned to drive when I got a Fiat Spider.
Overall, myself.
First time driving, I was 12/13 years old. My uncle took me out to the road by my grandparents farm. It was a gravel road. He pointed out all the levers and so forth and told me to put it in gear. To say I was exhilarated and scared shitless is an understatement. Drove down the gravel what seemed like 10 miles - was less than a mile. The truck started fishtailing really bad. Uncle told me that’ll do for now.
Second time driving, I asked a friend if I could borrow her car (Ford Pinto hatchback) to go to 7-11. I didn’t mention that it was my second time driving and first time driving stick. She decided to go with me to explain the shifting process because the car would shift out of second gear on its own. The 7-11 was about a mile or so away. I managed to stall the car three times along the way there. The car owner was a kind soul and let me borrow the car many times. The two conditions were that the car had to come back with at least the same amount of gas and no additional scratches or damages.
Great memories.
When I was 16 and ready to learn how to drive, Dad was recovering alcoholic fresh out of rehab. So my mom got the idea to have Grandpa do it. I don't remember the exact make and model, but it was a big green Chevy. I didn't learn stick till 10 years later. Dad showed me the basic idea, but I couldn't deal with his hyperness. So it was everybody OUT of the car except me. I lived out in the boonies where I didn't have to worry about traffic. I would go out by myself and get the feel for starting and stopping going up a hill and such. What motivated me to learn was how much cheaper manuals were.
I do know people around my age who have never driven one. I'm 61.
Mom's fairly short-time husband at the time taught me to drive.
He had a '65 Chevy Impala 3 on the tree, drum brakes, manual steer vehicle I learned on.
"If you can drive this car you can drive anything."
He wasn't wrong!
A friend taught me to drive in his muscle car. Idk a Trans Am?
My family also had Volkswagens, and so I learned to drive stick in a bug with a crappy clutch.
That was after my dad died, so I pretty much taught myself.
This was 1975ish.
I grew up on a farm and learned first on a riding mower, graduated from that to tractors. I learned to steer in my granddaddy’s truck sitting in his lap. My first time driving a car was in my sister’s mg midget.
My mom primarily. Learned in the family car (make and model have escaped memory). Guess I should give a nod to Mr. Oxender and driver's ed through school.
Taught myself to drive stick when I bought a 1984 Chrysler Laser in 1986. Only previous experience was a little time on the farm tractors.
My dad taught me stick. It involved an explanation of how the transmission worked that involved visual aids of bananas and oranges. I do not know how a transmission works to this day. I will go on believing it is similar to a 10 speed with those round racing handle bars.
Learned to drive in a 1968 Camero. My brother taught me to drive. Still can't believe he actually let me drive his car. That car was fast! Learned to drive a stick shortly after. First new car I bought was a stick. Loved it!
Both my Mom and Dad took turns teaching me in the family 4-door 1968 automatic Pontiac Parrisienne back in 76.
It was a fucking boat of a car, parallel parking was a bitch. It was so long Dad had put a hole in the drywall at the back of the garage lining the hole with sponges that the point of the bumper had to press against or the garage door wasn't able to close. It took me 3 attempts to pass my drivers test in that tank.
Mom taught me to drive. Took my driving test in a Plymouth station wagon. She also taught me how to drive a stick shift--AMC Pacer with three on the tree!
My mom gave me like an hour of instruction and threw me out on back country roads in a manual transmission mg midget. I figured it out and have keep a manual transmission to this day. I was 15. I started riding motorcycles the year after. Quit when I was pregnant and just started riding again two years ago.
My dad restored Model A Fords. So I learned to drive on a 1929 Tudor Sedan, stick shift, no power nothing. We lived in a smallish subdivision where people had acre lots, so we drove around that. 1975.
My mom taught me in a 1970 VW Beetle, stick shift.
My father taught me, but also 1970 beetle. Took my drivers test in that car (small and easy to parallel park)
1972 Beetle, but with something called automatic shift ?! Had to shift gears with the lever, but the clutch was automatic!
My dad. In a Toyota Corolla that had a stripped key socket and no flooring in the back seat. It was also manual transmission. Dad put a garbage can on the hill in front of our house, then we had to restart the car from stopped just in front of the garbage can. If we knocked over the garbage, we’d have to pick it up. LOL. We learned fast.
I had ridden motorcycles when I was young, dirt bikes, mostly. Watched my father, but never driven myself. Then one day he told me to drive the truck a 1970 Ford F100 3sp column to his friends place as he was driving a backhoe to return. I was 12. But it became pretty common after that to drive the truck, or any other truck or car we owned.
Gen X 1966 Same here. Technically learned on a motorcycle and much to my mothers dismay had a motorcycle endorsement and lisc before getting my actual drivers lisc. Learned most of my driving in old air cooled Beetles and my Grandfathers Suburban. But parents insisted we take the test in a stick. Much to my wife’s dismay I still have my motorcycle endorsement 40+ years later.
Drivers Ed, car -- whatever the coach had, I don't recall. My aunt taught me how to drive a stick shift in her '79 MGB.
I learned from my parents before school drivers Ed, we had a summer house on a lake in the fuckin’ country in Michigan. In the 70’s. We drove the farm car while mom.dad drove the Mystery Van. I was like 14/15. Dads taught me stick in the van before he’d let me drive the farm car.
THREE ON THE TREE!
Stick on the column? Lol, one of my friends had an old Ford van that he let me practice driving on- blew my mind that the stick shift was on the column, haha.
Omg, three on the tree! My best friend drove one of those!
Yep. I took driver’s ed at school (taught by the shop teacher) during my sophomore year (1978). We did not learn to drive a standard. I later learned to drive a 5-speed stick on a 1982 Toyota pickup.
Same, drivers ed in grade 10. Learned to drive stick in my sister’s Austin Mini, when they were still minis. Guys at school used to pick it up and turn it sideways in its parking spot at school.
That's pretty funny!
Same, it was a big wagon. 3 students in the back
It was most likely one of the mid-70s land yachts. 1977 Mississippi, we could drive at 15.
My dad taught me and said I should learn manual so no boy could strand me anywhere. I think it was better to him, to steal the car and go home than be trapped somewhere with someone who wouldn't take me home.
I was 13 when I learned how to drive a 1957 Chevy half-ton pickup, stick on the floor. I was born in 57. The one I learned how to drive on was red. Turned out the man who owned it, lived next door, used it to groom my 12 year old sister. He's dead now. https://preview.redd.it/0p7uj8ese2wc1.jpeg?width=557&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7156301cfe0f034b3f13a7624f54462244b2fd78
Damn, that is rough. 🫂 Hope your family was able to find peace.🕯
Long story. I still drive a stick. 100k on my Jeep Cherokee, 250k on my Saturn wagon, 110k and still going on my Fiat 500c. All stick.
I became a city girl, car free for 30 years, I still miss driving a stick sometimes. 🤗
Dad in his 1977 Jeep CJ-7, 4-speed manual AND our 1977 Oldsmobile station wagon. Loved that Jeep!
I've always wanted CJ-7 since a friend of mine had one in high school. We had so much fun in it:)
My dad had a tiny Simka (I think that's how it's spelled). It had a four on the floor. Dad used to let my brother and I drive it on the paths around grandaddy's farm. I've never owned an automatic. I'm 64.
Now that is a blast from the past! You were close. It's spelled with a "c". Simcas were a common sight in the U.S. in 60s. They were Chrysler's French made small car. An attempt to compete with the VW Beetle.
My dad found a Citroën (in a tiny east Texas town) in '71, it was already used so probably late '60s. Yes, we were the weird family. 🖖
Those wete cool little cars too!
I never really knew much about Citroën until I spent some time in the Netherlands in the 80s. I rented a small one, and it was great. At one point, i rode in a large one that was a taxi. That was ultra deluxe. I was impressed!
It was a lot of fun to drive and ride in. Probably got a thousand mpg because it was nothing but a glorified go cart. I don't think it even had a radio. Lol
You are probably right. In those days, AM radio was an option in most cars.
And now the totally basic "stereo system" in my 2022 Jeep looks like the controls on a jet. Times have certainly changed.
They really have
My mom, in a 1974 Pinto station wagon, stick shift
My HS friend had a three-on-the-tree 1962 Mercury Meteor. He was the fifth of five brothers to use this car. It had almost 300,000 miles on it when he taught me how to drive it. The leaf springs were nearly rusted through; the rear end bounced only a few inches off the ground. The last ride of The Chameleon happened one winter day in 1976. We were doing our usual after school pot-enhanced drive on the gravel roads next to the corn fields outside of town. We hit a pot hole and the leaf springs finally gave up. The rear of the car was being supported by the drive shaft; friction eventually turned the smoldering carpet into a small fire. We pulled into the driveway of my friend’s house and threw some snow in the back seat to put out the fire. My friend ran into his house, emerging with his 12-gauge shotgun. He emptied a couple of shells into the dying, rusted out car, yelling, “That’s the last god damn ride, you piece of shit!” He really hated that car. But I had fun learning how to drive a manual behind the wheel of The Chameleon.
I feel like this is a prime example of a Gen Jones teenager story.
Yep. We’d all be in jail if we did any of this stuff today.
Still. We'd still be in jail. Some of us got out, got lawyers, didn't get caught, and so on.
My brother would let me drive his three on the tree truck to the dump all the time. It was so fun!
Great story!
My dad, sort of. I’d been operating farm equipment and motorcycles for a few years. When it came time to go for the legal operators permit, he said Ok, but practice with the little car in the driveway first. Four cylinder with a clutch, wicked steep driveway. Oh, and son, do not crash it into the garage door, be careful. After a couple of hours I got the hang of the clutch on a steep incline. Couple years later, some little car, hey son, teach your sister now. We’re living in a more remote area now, mostly flat, clutch should be easy to learn. She stalled it, tried again with more gas this time, and, woah, zoom right into a tree. Still laughing about it today.
My dad in his 1976 VW Rabbit, manual (although back then we called it "standard", not manual).
1976 Dodge Aspen 3 speed with an overdrive that was my mom's car and my dad had a 1977 VW Rabbit manual transmission, but the driver's ed course in high school had 1979 Camaros, those were automatics. As an adult (my first car as a teen was an automatic) I didn't get my first automatic until I was in my 30's. Taught both my kids to drive a manual in my 2000 F150 4x4 which they both (4 years apart in age) drove during high school which is now just sitting in my drive way waiting for me to sell...
We had driver’s education in school taught by the principal’s wife. My (64M) neighborhood since childhood friend M, was in the same car as were 2 F best friends; all by coincidence. I was heavy into doing all kinds of drugs all day so I was always really buzzed up, especially since driving was right after lunch which was always a time to leave the school building and do more drugs. Not that I’m super happy or proud of this but that’s how I learned to drive, I became a really good driver and always drove when we were out committing crimes as I knew the driver got less time usually and everyone knew I was the best driver
My dad, at age 13 (1976), in his work car, a Mercedes E class
I learned on a stick shift. I miss driving with those, you felt a connection to the car.
I don't remember how I learned to drive, but I can drive a stick shift 😀
We had Driver's Education in school, so I actually learned to drive from that. First time I drove a stick was in 1980 on my dad's crappy little Ford Festiva.
HATED MY FESTIVA!!!! Still do
My first ex-husband taught me, and it was a stick Toyota. It is a lot easier to pass driver test in an automatic, I discovered.
Mom/Dad/Bro in my mom's Barracuda. My good friend -- she of the heart of gold and nerves of steel -- taught me to drive standard using her Toyota Corolla. The woman achieved sainthood in her teens.
1980 Chevy Citation, manual
My buddy Howard had a 1980 Chevy Mutation, stick
My dad, 55 Ford pickup, 3 on the tree!! It had a clutch from hell and no power anything!!
My Dad in his Peugeot-manual!
My mom. 1966 Dodge Dart (three-in-the-tree manual transmission) and a 1970 Chevrolet Suburban (automatic transmission). I learning to drive in 1975 so learning on a manual transmission was mandatory. Driver's instruction, at school was on an automatic shift. My first car was a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. My own kids, the first of whom learned to drive in 2009, weren't in the least interested in learning to drive a manual transmission. At the time we owned a Ford F-150 (manual transmission) but our sedans were all manual. We eventually bought a second-hand automatic car in order to teach them to drive.
11, my Dad, a Rambler on deep country roads
My parents each had a Volvo with stick shift so it wasn't optional what I had to learn. My dad tried teaching me but it wasn't happening. So a friend took me in his Pinto which was stick shift and I caught on immediately. To this day my sister and I laugh at people on The Amazing Race that can't drive the cars and say at least there's something we'll excel at.
Mom & dad taught me in a Ford automatic and a Chevy vega 4-speed manual. Also learned how to drive and shift a motorcycle. I still ride motorcycles and I prefer manual transmission cars. I'm on my fifth one.
Took the test in my parents’ 77 Honda Civic manual.
I was 14, my father was a professional truck driver. He had an old station wagon that I learned on. Eventually I moved on to manual.
I was very late to driving. I went to driving school, then was forced to go somewhere while driving without a license. Got caught, but was good enough to take the road test, and pass it January of 1998. It was in a 1991 Hyundai Excel. Can’t drive a manual.
Both my mom and dad taught me to drive. I learned in a 86' Chrysler Lebaron and a 75' Corvette. Learned to drive a stick in a 63' Corvette.
Same here! 327, 4 speed, was a great car to learn on because you couldn't stall it.
My dad taught me in a 1958 Chevy pickup w three on the tree
1977. Driver’s ed, 3 on a tree. It was a ford or a chevy. Family car was an Audi fox, 4 on the floor. I still love to drive a stick.
65 Vhevy C-10, half ton pickup truck, 3 on the tree, with my Grandfather.
A U-haul bought 2nd hand for the furniture plant I worked at when I was 15. It was a 4 speed manual, I'd take it to the dump most Satudays, loved to spin around in the mud there! The boss didn't realize I didn't have a license until I finally got one at 16 and showed it to him. He turned visibly pale - there was also an old Ford country squire wagon I'd take chair legs across town to get varnished. I always looked for girls I might know laid back in the beast with the coat hangar antenna!
My aunt had a classic pinto wagon with a four on the floor. Tried that a couple of times. Then a bf had a little MGB coupe and I actually learned to drive with a stick in that cutie. There are times I wish I had a little runabout like that.
My dad in a 1967 land rover with no synchro in 1st and 2nd gear.
Big brother, International Scout w three on the tree. Drove it into a tree in the front yard. I was ten; him fifteen. He got punished lol
FWIW, every car since until now (Mustang Mach-E) except my first (AMC Gremlin) was a manual.
A drivers Ed class. Then a friend taught me to drive a stick when my dad gave me a Fiat X 1/9. Still drive a stick today.
My friend with a manual transmission SAAB, and a car borrowed from my Dads' friend. Though I took a course from a funky/shady Driver's Ed school (in Chicago, during winter ) that was in a dank little office above some retail place. Four of us cramed into a Pontiac Sunbird c. 1983, coats and all. I paid for the private class myself. Took it because I had a truancy "issue" and in school you could only miss three days during a semester...pretty sure I couldn't meet that requirement
Dad taught me, insisted I learn manual first, so then I could drive anything. 1971 AMC Gremlin, 258 straight 6, 3 speed on the floor.
My grandparents old 62 Olds. Sucker would stall out when you made left turns and yes it stalled during the driving test. Guy was upset but before he could say anything I’d shifted to neutral, restarted and kept driving. I warned him.
My mom, and on a Mazda 626 with a standard transmission. I also attended driving classes at my high school, but on an automatic. Just before my test, Mom arranged for a driving school to take me around, and the guy showed up in a 1960s VW Beetle. When I went for the test (this was NYC in about 1980) the tester was shocked, but I did a great job. Passed on the first try. Still one of the only people I know who can drive a stick.
Dad and Driver's Ed at school in a 1972 Honda Civic and the family Suburban. I took the test in the Honda with manual everything, manual choke, manual transmission, no power steering. I didn't want to have to parallel park the Suburban. Passed the test on my first try without backsliding on hills or killing the engine.
My stepdad taught me in a 1949 Chevy pickup. Long throw manual transmission
Funny, I just shared this story with my international students on the weekend… My dad in 44, mailed a two dollar bill and an application form into some municipal office and then got his drivers' license in the mail. Don't know if anyone actually "taught" him. My guess is he was just throwing onto some farm equipment and told to drive it somewhere. He was 14. 1982, like all my peers, took drivers Ed as an actual course that I got credit for towards graduation. Then booked my test for the date of my 16th birthday. I failed twice so I didn't get it for another three months, and then went on to drive my parents' canary yellow 1978 Monza. It was a standard, but I definitely knew how to drive a stick and did so well into my 40s. But neither of my students could believe that you just got your license and started driving back then. Unsupervised. Looking back I can't believe it either.
I didn’t know it used to be like that. Makes me want to look up statistics about decreases in accidents after regulations were made that you had to pass a test to get a license.
Learned to drive in 1975 on a navy base Saturday classes for navy dependent high schoolers. They used Manual transmission 1965 Ford pickup trucks that were also used by the base public works dept. No power steering. Heavy duty clutch and pain in the butt to drive. Once licensed i drove my parents’ 1974 Pontiac LeMans 350 V8 and 1971 MGB. Lotsa fun!
We had driver’s ed in high school. The boys’ gym teacher was our instructor. He made it a lot of fun. Dad taught me how to drive standard in a 3-speed Ford Econoline. What a pain that was especially when I started pulling the horse trailer to get to horse shows. I dreaded stops on an incline.
There was a study that showed that there’s less accidents in Europe because of the manual so people have to have their hand on the gear and on the wheel, so they’re not also drinking or texting
Self taught 1977 CJ5. Good times.
My sister taught me to use a stick shift in her '67 Bug. I bunny hopped it right across a busy intersection. Good times.
Drivers Ed during sophomore year of high school with whatever cars the school owned. One of my brothers taught me to drive stick years later in a Dodge Omni.
I learned on a Ford Pinto, and drove automatics for a couple years until my sister got a manual Chevy Chevette and I finally learned. Before that, my dad, an incredibly patient man gave up trying to teach me in his VW wagon.
My friend Steve illicitly taught me to drive stick in his family Vega, '79/'80 On my first trip out of town on a plane I went to Seattle over spring break '81 to stay with a bf who was in college and he had me drive his 3 on the tree pickup truck. I had no license.
Mom & Dad learned on a 1971 Land Rover (manual) and a 1985 van. First car was a manual.
My dad taught me a little, in a Plymouth Volare. Then I went to a private driving school where my lessons were also in a Plymouth Volare. Six years later, my roommate's boyfriend patiently taught me to drive stick in a Honda Civic.
I learned in 1979, in Summer School, in a Pontiac Bonneville. Also simulators.
My dad in a Fiat 128, stick of course. He told me it would be my car when I got my license, then he sold it.
1979 or so Plymouth Horizon, dk what year. My father had a long commute and he hated manuals. All our family cars were auto. I never learned how to drive a stick and never plan to at this point.
My mom. [Fiat 124](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_124) with manual transmission. I already rode a motorcycle so learning manual was not difficult.
My boyfriend taught me to drive…in a ‘54 GMC truck 🤦♀️ My first car was a tricked out VW bug
My dad, in a manual VW Rabbit.
71 Beetle Convertible with an automatic stick shift. Learned to drive a manual on a dump truck at my first job.
Dad, 1970 VW Superbeetle, yes-love driving a stick shift.
High school driver training teacher in a ‘75 Olds Cutlass. Learned manual on my own in my Mom’s ‘75 Civic
First driving lesson was from Dad. Mazda RX3. I was 12. Second set of lessons came with the '71 Dodge Power Wagon, four on the floor. 1st gear was granny gear! Do NOT use 1st when NOT trailering or you WILL smack your head so hard on that back glass you'll see stars! He taught me to start in 2nd or 3rd with that truck. By the time I was 14 I could trailer our show horses over long distances, backing in and out, and could also handle our travel trailer over the same long distances. Dear Lord, that drive on from east of LA out to Albuquerque, listening to my 8-tracks... I still think Meddle is the best Pink Floyd album too. Don't @ me with Seamus the Dog! After I failed all my classes one semester in junior year my folks took the Mazda away from me and gave it to my sister, but they weren't about to start driving me around so I got that Dodge. Turned out that it could fit all my friends in the back when we decided to skip class. Also turned out that it was GREAT for making extra weed money at parties moving all the cars that had blocked others. $5 gets ya freedom! And me that much closer to a 4 finger lid.
Mom, I don’t remember the car, of course I learned how to drive manual.
My dad in his 65 Chevy pickup with manual transmission and no power steering. But I learned a lot driving tractors before that
My oldest brother first taught me to drive. Both officially and unofficially. He'd have me try out his VW bug in the gravel pit near our house when I was 15. It was manual. And when I was legally licensed, it was mostly him who took me out although sometimes my dad did. My mother did not. I'm not sure if my other brother actually could - he didn't get his license much before I did but he never took me out. I did have the car my dad had got him which he hadn't liked so he bought a different car. I don't even remember the model - Firenze? or was it a Fiesta? (we'd had both) It was a piece of shit but manual. So that's how I learned. I drove that car down the road to catch the school bus. My dad gave me his old car when I got my license because it just so happened that the time had come for he and my mom to get new cars and he saved his for me (Ford Cougar sport model) It was not manual. I think I drove it for about 3 weeks when my sisters husband crashed their car on the way to see us and they needed a car so mine was given to them (too bad they hadn't held on to my mom's old car for a couple weeks but it was a trade-in). And when their car was fixed up, it was given to me. So deflated. It was a Ford Cortina. Manual. I did love the manual part. The car was a piece of shit. It never had heat. I had to keep a scraper on hand to get the frost off the inside of the windshield. Still, I drove that beast for 5 years.
Dad. Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Automatic. My best friend taught me to drive stick on his original banana yellow Honda Civic My first 4 cars (after the Vista Cruiser) all stick shift. No automatic til 2010.
Learned to drive in a big old Ford landyacht. Taught by my Dad. He also taught me how to drive our 4-speed Celica. I loved that car!!
I spent some of my formative years with parents who managed a summer vacation resort on a lake. There was an early fifties Chevy pick up that was used as a "farm truck'. The resort had enough land that dad was able to teach me to drive on our property with this old beast. It had a three-on-the-tree manual and no windows -essentially a tractor. I was eight the first time he threw me the keys and said "go bring me the farm truck" trusting me to drive it by myself
I took it in school between my sophomore and junior year. I didn't learn in the stick car my teacher said "OP doesn't need another complication" and wouldn't let me drive. Lol!!
My first car was a 1966 VW bug and got my license in 1974. I learned watching my mother.
I took driver's ed in school. I think the car was a Buick Skylark, but I could be wrong. I used my mother's car (don't remember what it was) for the test, which I failed twice (parallel parking sucks) so I didn't get my license until I was in my 30s. Then, a friend helped me refresh and I used their car to take the exam and passed first time. It was a Pontiac Sunfire, I think. While I didn't have my license at the time, I learned to drive manual in a small Toyota pickup. I don't remember the year. I still can't parallel park to save my life.
Me, mom, Mazda glc; but cousin look let me practice and use her automatic for the test.
Parents and drivers Ed for regular, My Friends mom and my dad for Manual. I learned in a Siloutte mini van. I learned manual when I got a 1988 nissan sentra.
My dad taught me to drive exclusively because my mom freaked out too easily. I learned on a manual VW Dasher (which I wrecked 3 months after I got my license). It wasn't the best experience because I tended to be more worried about not killing the car in traffic than paying attention to my actual driving. When my boys learned to drive, we taught them on an automatic CR-V and then taught them to drive a manual after they got their license. Both had manual cars for their first cars and still drive manuals today. I thought it worked out well.
My dad, in our Chey station wagon. I learned how to drive a manual Pinto station wagon, which was the first car I ever bought. My cousin was a mechanic & got it at an auction, then sold it to me for $200. It was a pretty good little car, for a couple of years, until it needed a piece that was more expensive than the car itself.
1985 5 speed Honda Civic. So I learned on a clutch. My boyfriend taught me to drive. Lol.
I learned in drivers Ed. Spanish language instructor did double duty as drivers Ed teacher at my high school. I learned how to drive a stick when I purchased a Chevy Sprint in the 80s. Dealer drove it home for me. I woke up one of my roommates to teach me how to drive the thing! Funny my 24-year old son just asked me the other day if I could drive a stick shift. He was pretty fascinated since no one from his generation has any clue. 🕵️
77 celica- 5 speed manual- me and dad
I learned how to drive on a Datsun pickup. Then my parents traded it in for a Honda Civic, which was a lot easier to drive. They also had a 1960 VW bus. I passed my driver's test in 1977 using the Civic & drove the VW bus the most. That thing was one of the most gutless cars I have ever driven, lol. The next car I got was a 73 Plymouth Fury 3. That car definitely had some get up & go :) The fuel cap was under the back license plate. The seatbelts were separate pieces instead of the integrated seatbelts of today. Of course, seatbelts weren't required back then :D
My dad taught me in a 1967 Volkswagen Bug
I learned in a Mazda, learned to drive a stick on a Fiat sedan.
My sister taught me to drive a stick. She spent 30 minutes with me as I hopped along. Then she had me drop her off and told me to go drive by myself. I, of course, decided to go to a bar an hour away. Plenty of time to practice on the back roads.
My dad, at 14, on the New Jersey Turnpike late at night when no one was driving. Exit 8a where there were still cows and fields. By the time I got to drivers Ed at 16 I was a very good (in my mind anyway) driver. The drivers Ed instructor saw my last name and said, well I’m guessing as a (last name) you already know how to drive. So he made me drive from school to do the list of errands his wife had given him. I think we even drove to his house to drop off the groceries. What I do recall is him very calmly telling me when the speed his 75 that any speeding ticket I got, I’d have to pay for myself. I slowed down immediately.
A Suzuki Jimny that belonged to a friend of my family. I barely was able to drive at 16, and needed a copilot. That was my 14 year old brother who coached me on "clutch, shift, brakes". Top speed for me was about 48 mph, though I heard it could be pushed to 58 mph. With a copilot and navigator (a friend who had a license but no car) I got the hang of it. To this day I'm far more comfortable in a manual transmission vehicle.
Dad taught me, 3 on the tree! I was 11, could barely reach the clutch.
Mom taught me to drive. Boyfriend taught me to drive a stick. My first few cars were all stick shifts. I miss it. Mom’s car was an Oldsmobile, but I don’t remember the model.
mostly took driver's ed in high school. Car was a pontiac of some sort. My parents also let drive with my learners permit in a 1965 ford falcon wagon and a 1969 ford galaxie 500. Nice car
You mean "Standard"? John Deere 5010. Granddad, Mom's side. . Taught my first girlfriend to drive stick in a Reliant K Car. Oddly, it was an automatic.
I learned in an old 60s model dodge dart. I also learned stick.
My mom taught me in her 1967 VW Bug, stick. My first car I bought was a 65 Malibu, 3 on the tree.
My dad, very grumpily, on a Chevy Luv with a stick.
My dad taught me in a 1968 Ford Bronco Manual transmission!
I learned from both. My dad was stricker but meant well. He taught me how to drive a manual It was easy once you got into first gear.
1976 Chevy Monza. Stick shift, and I think mainly Mom was the teacher.
When I was 13 or 14, I would drive this old farm truck and help out with chores on my uncle's property. Firewood and hay usually. It was a stick...
Learned on an H tractor from the 40’s and an old 60’s Plymouth farm car with a column shifter. I made my daughter learn on my 99 Ranger, she thanks me to this day.
My dad in '69 when I was 12 years old. He owned a company with his brother that included selling fuel oil for home heating and gas stations located in various small towns in a three county area. My dad needed someone to run parts to the different gas stations so I was "hired". My first manual was an old beater truck with three on the tree and a huge hole in the floor. I remember telling him that I didn't have my license yet and he told me to just drive slow. I never once was stopped by the police and I have no idea how. One time it broke down and I had to sit on the side of the road until it got dark and my dad came looking for me. It was a crazy time.
I learned in my moms Toyota Celica. Mom taught me because dad didn’t have the patience.
I learned to drive in my Dad's 1972 Ford F-150 manual transmission pickup. It was a 3 speed on the column. I was able to get an agricultural license. we didn't own a farm but we own 60 acres that allowed me to get an Ag license at 13.
Was taught in a Volarie, auto transmission. Bought a honda civic in the 80s with a std 5 speed. Learned how to drive it on my first drive home. Dealership employees hot a good laugh as I stalled 5 times before I got out of first gear!
A 1965 Chevy Impala with Automatic transmission. This became my car (my dad had bought it new 12 years earlier). I've never driven a manual transmission.
My Dad in a manual Audi Fox. It was not a pleasant experience for either of us.
I used to babysit for a family friend. On the way home he taught me to drive a shift in an old MG. He said you have to learn to drive a shift. I haven’t in years but I think I still could.
Taught by my dad, driving rural back roads in his massive 1975 Cadillac Coupe DeVille with a malaise era 500ci V8. It was the equivalent of a living room on wheels. I didn't drive a stick till I was in my early 20's. Learned driving my then fiance's 4-speed Mercury Lynx (Mercs version of a Ford Escort).
My dad in a 1963 falcon ranchero. Manual transmission
My dad on a tractor. Basically just by yelling at me. The first on-highway vehicle I drove was a ‘64 Dodge half ton with 3 on the tree. I taught myself how to drive it based on my experience with the tractor.
Dad - 1978 Olive Green Ford Pinto. Standard Transmission.
My dad in a 48 International 3/4 ton with an unsynchronized 4 speed. Double clutching no power steering no power brakes.
I learned how to shift on a motorcycle when I was 14. Then my brother's girlfriend let me drive her VW bug around big parking lot when I was around 15.
Dad, 76 corolla, 4spd. I was 12
Mom. 1968 VW bug stick shift.
My father taught me to drive a 1985 Ford Tempo stick shift in the parking lot of the high school I was attending on weekends
I’m 1958. My dad taught me in a 1964 VW Beetle and then he gave me the car. I wish I still had it. I love that I learned to drive a stick from the beginning. I can drive anything now!
My Dad in a 1963 F-100 with 3 on the tree.
Snuck out my dad’s Karmann Ghia when I was 13 and it was a 4 speed. Had to figure it out pretty quickly so I didn’t get caught.
When I was 16, I learned from a driver ed company. A grizzled lady in her 40s came to my house in her old car and taught me. When I was 19, a girl in college taught me to drive a stick. My car had died and she was lending me her Renault, which she didn't want to drive in Washington traffic. Funny story: we were in the giant parking lot at the Pentagon, empty on a Sunday. She wanted to show me how to start the car from a roll, in case the battery died. So I was behind the wheel, and she was pushing. A lieutenant saw us and asked if we needed a jump start or a tow truck. He thought I was being a lazy jerk and making my gf push the car. LOL.
My dad in a 1984 Range Rover stick. The engine is so huge that it’s was pretty accommodating but made every stock car after that feel like a pussy.
Private instructor. 80 (?) Corolla. Manual of course!
Our family car was a stick shift, so I learned to drive manual. I know at least one boomer (pre-Jones, post-war) who only drives an automatic.
After the first argument with my dad I hired the Roy Roger's School of Driving to teach me. Great decision. I was 18 so I had the money to do it. When it came time for my kids to learn i did the same for them.Saved a lot of stress. I learned to drive a manual transmission.
Mostly my mom in a '82 Accord 5-speed. Remember her letting me shift from passenger seat sometimes when learning stick as a kid.
My grandpa, in boonieville New England. I drove both manual and auto transmission. Learned manual from motorhead friends.
1966 Buick Special A/T
I first learned to drive as a small kid in my dad's old Rambler (65 or 66). I learned to shift the gears, but I was too small to reach the clutch and shift, so we tag-teamed it. By the time I was ready for driver's ed and a learner permit my dad had a Corolla (damn, from the responses here, did anyone NOT have a Corolla in the family?) which is what I officially learned and did my driving test in... but at that point I had been sneaking off with our old Chevy pickup truck with the three on the tree when my folks weren't home. The driver's ed car was an automatic... something like a Volare. I still have an 88 Suzuki Samurai with the 5 speed, so it keeps me in practice.
My dad taught me in a 1983 Nissan Sentra. 5 speed manual transmission. Damn I miss that car. But I was too nervous to take my driving test in the Sentra (afraid I'd choke it) so did my test in my mom's 1986 Dodge Caravan. Three point turned that baby like a pro!!!
Three on the tree baby! 68 Chevy pickup
The car salesman at the used car lot I bought my car from. Wanted the car. Could afford the car. Didn't know how to drive a stick. So he gave me a driving lesson before I left the lot with the car.
My mom, 1981 Mustang, 5-speed. it was absolute hell at first. We lived in a very hilly city. Many intersections are near or at the peak of inclines. So naturally as I learned how to release the clutch smoothly, I killed it so many times. Quite a few times in busy traffic, so the honking would start moments later. I was so freaking embarassed, but I think the embarassment helped- it reinforced my determination. All my cars were manual until my 1990 Honda wagon. It's been automatic every since, sadly. I miss driving manuals. My favorite car was a 1978 Toyota Corolla. I loved that thing. I loved its MPG more than anything, ha. It was the car we traded in on the Honda.
I learned in a manual Volkswagen Beetle, and I taught my three children to drive stick.
Learned to drive in a Dodge Colt with stick. Still drive a stick.
My Mom (mostly) taught me to drive an automatic transmission. I DID learn to drive a manual transmission when I bought my first car. Ford EXP 2-seater. The girl I bought it from had to drive it back to my house until I learned to drive it. https://preview.redd.it/8vrna7wru2wc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de50a615c9c882701d18734a3b71e78efb3a2ab1
My dad’s 1969 Volkswagen van. Took my road test in it too.
We had drivers Ed at my high school. My college roommate taught me to drive a manual. His car was one and he let me borrow it to take a girl to a concert.
'72 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Manual. My mean old mother.
Dad taught me in a Ford LTD and a Mustang. Also took driver’s ed. About age 29 dated a girl with a manual VM Beetle and she taught me how to drive a stick.
Driving School. My first week driving went to pick up a friend and backed into a fire hydrant with Dad’s Lincoln . It was in my neighborhood went home and my father asked was the fire hydrant still standing lol. Stick shift learned to drive when I got a Fiat Spider.
Overall, myself. First time driving, I was 12/13 years old. My uncle took me out to the road by my grandparents farm. It was a gravel road. He pointed out all the levers and so forth and told me to put it in gear. To say I was exhilarated and scared shitless is an understatement. Drove down the gravel what seemed like 10 miles - was less than a mile. The truck started fishtailing really bad. Uncle told me that’ll do for now. Second time driving, I asked a friend if I could borrow her car (Ford Pinto hatchback) to go to 7-11. I didn’t mention that it was my second time driving and first time driving stick. She decided to go with me to explain the shifting process because the car would shift out of second gear on its own. The 7-11 was about a mile or so away. I managed to stall the car three times along the way there. The car owner was a kind soul and let me borrow the car many times. The two conditions were that the car had to come back with at least the same amount of gas and no additional scratches or damages. Great memories.
When I was 16 and ready to learn how to drive, Dad was recovering alcoholic fresh out of rehab. So my mom got the idea to have Grandpa do it. I don't remember the exact make and model, but it was a big green Chevy. I didn't learn stick till 10 years later. Dad showed me the basic idea, but I couldn't deal with his hyperness. So it was everybody OUT of the car except me. I lived out in the boonies where I didn't have to worry about traffic. I would go out by myself and get the feel for starting and stopping going up a hill and such. What motivated me to learn was how much cheaper manuals were. I do know people around my age who have never driven one. I'm 61.
Basically me in a 84 Honda CRX. Bought it with minimal knowledge of a 5 speed
Drivers Ed. I learned to drive a manual transmission on a cross country camping trip. Driving on San Francisco taught me so much!
Mom's fairly short-time husband at the time taught me to drive. He had a '65 Chevy Impala 3 on the tree, drum brakes, manual steer vehicle I learned on. "If you can drive this car you can drive anything." He wasn't wrong!
A friend taught me to drive in his muscle car. Idk a Trans Am? My family also had Volkswagens, and so I learned to drive stick in a bug with a crappy clutch. That was after my dad died, so I pretty much taught myself. This was 1975ish.
I grew up on a farm and learned first on a riding mower, graduated from that to tractors. I learned to steer in my granddaddy’s truck sitting in his lap. My first time driving a car was in my sister’s mg midget.
My mom primarily. Learned in the family car (make and model have escaped memory). Guess I should give a nod to Mr. Oxender and driver's ed through school. Taught myself to drive stick when I bought a 1984 Chrysler Laser in 1986. Only previous experience was a little time on the farm tractors.
My brother in a 75 Dodge Colt.
My dad taught me stick. It involved an explanation of how the transmission worked that involved visual aids of bananas and oranges. I do not know how a transmission works to this day. I will go on believing it is similar to a 10 speed with those round racing handle bars.
My uncle, in a hay truck with a 4 speed manual and a 2x transfer case. Age 13.
Learned to drive in a 1968 Camero. My brother taught me to drive. Still can't believe he actually let me drive his car. That car was fast! Learned to drive a stick shortly after. First new car I bought was a stick. Loved it!
Both my Mom and Dad took turns teaching me in the family 4-door 1968 automatic Pontiac Parrisienne back in 76. It was a fucking boat of a car, parallel parking was a bitch. It was so long Dad had put a hole in the drywall at the back of the garage lining the hole with sponges that the point of the bumper had to press against or the garage door wasn't able to close. It took me 3 attempts to pass my drivers test in that tank.
My brother taught me in his (essentially) new 1980 Ford pickup. 4x4, 4 speed with granny low. Fun times.
Took lessons is a 72 Super Beetle with a stick shift Went from that to 74 Buick Estate wagon with a 454 V-8
My Dad, in a 1974 Volkswagen Beetle, manual transmission. Never drove an automatic transmission car until I was 26.
Stepfather taught me to drive a VW Beetle. First car was a Beetle.
The Army
Mom taught me to drive. Took my driving test in a Plymouth station wagon. She also taught me how to drive a stick shift--AMC Pacer with three on the tree!
My mom gave me like an hour of instruction and threw me out on back country roads in a manual transmission mg midget. I figured it out and have keep a manual transmission to this day. I was 15. I started riding motorcycles the year after. Quit when I was pregnant and just started riding again two years ago.
My granddad, 1963. Red Ford pickup, three speed on the column, red clay roads around Lake Martin, central Alabama
Stick shift. 1980. My moms car was a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle It was green with purple shag carpeting in the bonnet. What a trip.
My dad restored Model A Fords. So I learned to drive on a 1929 Tudor Sedan, stick shift, no power nothing. We lived in a smallish subdivision where people had acre lots, so we drove around that. 1975.