I learned to drive a stick on an 84 Pontiac Sunbird on the floor. Next up a 3 speed on the column Ford Econoline cargo van, that was fun! Last stick I owned was a 1995 Nissan pickup truck that was the sweetest shifting stick I ever owned and it would absolutely fly.
I tried to teach my wife who isn’t 5 ft tall to drive the cargo van and Nissan. The clutch was so heavy she couldn’t get it depressed enough to change the gears and it was a 6 cylinder you had to work hard to stall. With the Nissan she wasn’t coordinated enough to do the let off gas, clutch, shift, let off clutch and hit gas again. It was like riding a bucking bronco and I gave up.
I learned to drive a stick working construction. The foreman came up to me and said they needed a jobsite gopher to go pick up materials and make some deliveries. He asked “Do you know how to drive a stick?” The only word out of my mouth was “yes.” I figured all I had to do was get that F150 pick up off the lot and over behind the Hardee’s where I could practice without him seeing me. And that’s what I did. So I spent hot summer afternoons driving around Kokomo listening to Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreaux broadcast Cub games on WGN radio.
Back in January I bought a new Mustang with a 6 speed. I love that car. During the shutdown, on some nice days I’ve taken it on some long rides on windy hilly roads in southern Indiana. It’s pure fun; that’s what I bought it for.