Posted on 06/20/2007 12:59:29 AM PDT by Roy Tucker
Who needs the Club when you have a stick shift?
Two teenage robbers spent valuable getaway time Monday night trying to drive off in a stolen car — but gave up, police said, when they realized they couldn't navigate a sedan with manual transmission.
The teens bolted from the Honda Accord into some woods but were captured within minutes.
"You can almost imagine how it would look to an outsider watching a video of two people spending however much time to start up a car and get away," said Cobb police Officer Wayne Delk. "But luckily they didn't decide to shoot anyone because of it."
The teens had walked up to Isaac Zuniga as he left work at Bellacino's Pizza & Grinders on Sandy Plains Road in Marietta about 9:30 p.m.
Armed with a gun, the robbers — identified by Cobb County police as Joshua Johnson, 18, of Atlanta and an underage Smyrna teen — demanded that Zuniga gave them his wallet and keys.
Then the robbers tried to drive off in Zuniga's Honda but spent considerable time trying to get it moving, Delk said.
"These two guys were pretty amateur," he said.
Zuniga ran back into the store where he's worked for two years, informed his co-workers and called police.
"We opened the door after that and looked out, and there was still someone sitting in his car trying to get it started," said manager Ashley Johnson.
Zuniga was carrying just a couple of dollars in his wallet, but did lose something valuable once police arrested the two suspects and confiscated their belongings as evidence: his driver's license.
He couldn't be reached Tuesday — he was in line at the Department of Driver Services waiting for a replacement.
Your sons, I hope. Teach that to your daughters and you’re gonna be in BIG trouble.
stick ping
Well, you’d think if you were going into the car theft business, you might equip yourself with the knowledge necessary to do so.
Way too much like real work. Were they that disciplined, thoughtful and industrious, they wouldn't feel the need to steal cars.
Well, looks like they’ll have to venture into a new line of work as car theft seems beyond their ken.
There aren’t that many models that are available with manual transmissions anymore. Mostly economy cars and pickups, which is partly why I drive a pickup.
High-performance Ferraris still have a manual transmission.
:^)
LOL, I have drove a stick shift for 25 years now. Love em..
But unfortunately the wifey knows how to drive one too... but she does not like em, and usually leaves my truck alone. Whew...
But can you imagine not being able to drive a pick-up? Driving a manual is more fun.
Yup, a lot of the European sports cars still come in manual.
Manuals give a feedback to the driver in a way that automatics can’t. This factor is important when performance is important.
Driving automobiles was a joke after that, unwieldy four wheeled pigs.
When I first went to take my driver's test in my sister's VW microbus, her boyfriend immediately asked me if I was a bike driver.
Minimalist brakes, lots of gears, try to stay in the right power range, throw it into turns.
My sister didn't like to ride with me much, LOL.
I toned things down for the State Trooper a bit. And he took me to a torturous hill for the handbrake start test (bastard).
And he took me to a torturous hill for the handbrake start test (bastard).
LOL! Hardest thing to do on a manual transmission.
I learned to drive on a Chevy Nova my Mom had with the shift on the column. First car I owned was a fourth-hand VW bug with the little four gear stick shift. Not exactly a chick magnet but got me to college and back for four years.
LOL, I had almost the same thing, except it was third-hand and looked just like this:
Ran great in the snows of Varmint my second year of college. Didn't quite the VW rear bumper for, what was it we called it, loafer skidding?, around the snow covered campus loop.
Most cars in the UK come with a manual gearbox. When you take your driving test you can take a normal test which allows you to drive manual or automatic, or an automatic only test. 99% take the normal one.
Even my 71 year old mum drives a manual - she reckons if you can’t drive a manual, you shouldn’t be allowed on the road! :)
Oops, actually it was a 2-door ‘65.
I’m with your Mum on that.
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