Five-speed high five
Driving stick is smart, sexy and something you’ll never forget how to do
08/06/2009
When I was learning to drive, my parents insisted that I learn to drive a stick shift. Maneuvering through the manual transmission was challenging for me and incredibly taxing on my dad. I remember his eyes closing as I laid patch after patch of rubber trying to accelerate uphill from a dead stop. I can still see the veins in his neck popping as I ground my way from first to fourth gear. But years later, I remain utterly grateful to him for letting me slowly turn his hair gray.
Though manual transmissions are disappearing faster than the ice caps, I still believe every driver on the road should know how to use one. Some of the reasons I think so are rooted in vanity, some in practicality and some in fiscal responsibility. So before the stick shift becomes extinct, I wanted to put on record some of the things I will someday tell my children about the good old days, when we used to drive with two feet.
1. You get to belong to the cool club.
I’m not afraid to say it. If a guy tells me he doesn’t know how to drive a stick shift, it’s a turnoff. It just seems to me that it’s something men should know how to do; like hooking up the new DVD player and putting together anything from IKEA. And as a member of the “fairer” sex, I take pride in knowing that I belong to the cool club of women drivers who can hop behind any wheel at anytime and take control. It feels oddly sexy.
2. If driving abroad, you’ll save a bundle.
A few years ago, I traveled to Spain and Portugal with my now ex-husband. We planned to rent a car in Barcelona, drive around the southern part of Spain and return the car in Lisbon. The price difference between renting automatic and manual transmission was substantial enough to choose the stick, even though my ex would have to be the passenger for all 1,100 miles. Remember what I said about a turnoff?
3. You can swap cars with anyone, at anytime.
I know very few people who drive a standard these days. But occasionally I bump into one. In this case, it was just last week when my friend Emaia asked to use my truck to take some friends to Long Beach to board a cruise. Her Mini Cooper didn’t have enough room to transport three adults, a baby and all of their baggage. She offered me the use of her Mini for the day. Suffice to say it’s a good thing I know how to drive a stick, because if not, my really important plans for the day (to go to the park and sunbathe) might have been thwarted. Alas, I shifted into gear and drove that little sucker with glee, reminded anew how fun it is to drive a five-speed.
4. It’s a skill you never forget.
Once you know how to drive a stick, it’s a skill you just don’t forget. Like riding a bike. Or walking on stilts. All of which are invaluable skills.
5. The purchase price and repair cost on a manual transmission are cheaper.
According to Edmunds.com, if you’re in the market for a new car, the manual version will cost you $800 to $1,000 less than the same car with an automatic transmission. Repairs are generally cheaper too. Edmunds also reports that a failed transmission on an automatic will cost $1,500 to $1,800 more to repair than a failed manual transmission.
Look, I’m not on any payroll for the manual transmission industry, I just happen to think that we’d all benefit from knowing how to use a stick. How could it hurt? If nothing else, when teenagers are learning to drive, at least they’ll be less able to text while driving. Plus, think of the added exercise you’ll get in the stop-and-go traffic on the 5 freeway when you’re constantly clutching, downshifting and accelerating.
Indeed, any which way I look at it, knowing or learning how to drive a stick shift is just smart, to say nothing of sexy. n
Contact Jennifer Hadley at jmhadley624@yahoo.com.
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