Posted on 01/29/2013 4:41:10 PM PST by grundle
Most rental cars in Europe are stick. You have to make a special request to rent an automatic.
“Most everybody drives automatics. Why bring race into it?”
BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUS, and unfair.
See Post 58.
...thanks, not that I had any doubts. I used to live in “LaHood”, I know what they drive...and what they don’t drive.
When I still lived in downtown Buffalo, it was a great comfort to me that young Amish people haven’t been taught how to drive a standard.
So, since these thieves were black, it was “obvious” to you that you needed to make some general statement about blacks?
My dad worked in construction for decades and he told me that back in the 50's Mack dump trucks had a weird transmission with 4 speeds on one lever and 3 ranges on the other.
Drivers of a certain ethnic persuasion could run through the gears like "Johnny playin' a bell" while the others stalled or burned out the clutches in no time. Apparently that talent has not rung down through the generations.
Try explaining double clutching to even the brightest i-whatever user. You'll draw a blank.
I used to drive a 1962 MBz with a 4-on-the-tree.
240s were when it was still Datsun, I thought..
My ‘02 Carerra has a 6 speed tranny. 5th and 6th are overdrive ratios.
My dad always described the 5-speed on his BMW as “The Ultimate anti-theft machine.”
“So, since these thieves were black, it was “obvious” to you that you needed to make some general statement about blacks?”
You’re right. Rush got in the same kind of trouble with you guys for making a similar statement (on Monday Night Football, of all places), so I’ll keep quiet next time.
My uncle had a ‘62 Galaxie with a 406 and a 4-on-the-tree. Well, sort of... Reverse was actually operated by a separate handle, somewhere near the driver’s right knee.
Old guys (and a bunch of gals) know what I mean.
In late '72, I got picked up hitchhiking between Louisville and Indiana by a crazy guy in a beat-up Karmann Ghia. He had lost the clutch many miles before and was crash boxing down the highway with skill and aplomb. What a site to behold. I asked him how he knew when to shift and he said it just felt right.
The thought just came to me that vehicle inspections have taken most of that kind of bomb off of the road.
Mine was an 89 240 SX. Gave me almost 240K miles.
My most favorite trick was synchronized shifting. You know, when you can run through gears WITHOUT the clutch. Just get your MPH in heavenly harmony with RPM and you could slide into the target gear smooth as silk.
I did that on my motorcycle without realizing I did it until afterwards. My thoughts, “wait a minute, I didn’t squeeze the clutch...”
What car rental companies have cars with sticks?
I think I rented a Dodge in England with a manual trans. It was back in the late 80s.
yep, me too! Am gonna make sure my 15 yr old also learns how to drive a manual transmission (will borrow someone’s car if I need to!) so that she can handle any vehicle she might need to drive. You just never know, right? Same things with boats, atvs, etc. If you’ve got ‘em, make sure your kids know how to properly steer/drive ‘em in case they ever have to when the adult can’t.
I learned how to drive on a dirt road when I was 13—my mom said I needed to learn cuz I spent a great deal of the summer with my grandparents, and she said if there was ever an emergency I’d at least be able to drive!
MGD was warned by friends that our marriage might not survive him teaching me to drive a manual transmission. But he is as exceptional a teacher as I am a student and we’ve been shifting happily ever after.
*applause*
Me, too. Daddy taught me how to drive almost anything. ;-)
Good for you! :-) Pass it on!
Actually, if your vehicle doesn’t have a clutch safety switch (or if it has been disabled, or if you can disconnect it), you don’t even need a clutch then. Just put it in gear with the engine stopped, then start up in gear, and away you go. I used to drive VWs all the time with bad clutch cables, sometimes going weeks at a time before fixing them. As long as the clutch stays engaged, you’re not stuck. It’s fun to teach someone how to drive without using the clutch, too.
This sort of thing has kept me from being stranded more than a few times.
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