For those of you who drive....can you drive stick?

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Hey, just out of curiosity, how are they lower maintenance than automatics? I know diddly about it, so please keep it simple.

Ive driven stick once and without anyone teaching me i had zero problems even on a decent hill.

I drive, and I learned on a 'stick' shift back in the 70's. Prefer it to automatic, for icy weather, etc.

I'm not a good driver overall, but I like driving a stick. Among other things, it gives me more to do, so I am less likely to find my mind wandering. Also, it really puts you in touch with the feel of the car, and the mechanics of it, which is another thing I probably never would have done without being forced to.

I learned shortly after college, when I bought my first car from a neighbor. It was a stick, and I had to figure out how to drive it since I had bought it, lol. I was definitely worried about it, I confess, and I'm sure it was a rocky start. I'm still a little hard on my clutch, but I can see why you probably took to it. It takes a different type of coordination than other things you've mentioned; this one is really about getting in touch with the machine, more than being physically coordinated, if that makes sense.

While I'm not AS per se, I think I share some of the common impairments many AS seem to have when it comes to driving. The stick actually helps overcome them.

I hope I'm not intruding here:
Automatics require a filter & fluid service(change) at 30k miles. Some older "ones" also had a reverse band adjustment at this interval.
Automatics have altogether between 13 and 16 quarts of transmission fluid. But a partial 5 qt. change is all that is needed @ 30k miles.
When they "go" it will cost $2000 to replace. If you get 175k you're doing good and are probably exceptional.

Sooner or later a manual transmission will need a clutch and throwout bearing replacement. Some need fluid changes at shorter intervals as my Ford used ATF fluid and required a 30k change. But it only took several quarts( 3-4?). And some go a lot longer.
My dad would do this work himself and I think you're looking at $200 for 80,000 miles.The wear/interval depends on driving habits.

If you look at a car as an investment, then the "stick" is more cost effective.

Thanks, you're not intruding at all, that was just what I was wondering. It goes a long way toward explaining why the manual transmission is still around when automatic is "easier" (which I put in quotes because not everyone has a problem with manual as we have discovered here).

female

First drove a stick as a teen.. my brother taught me on his Fiat.

It was love at first drive and this was in the steep hills near San Francisco.

More recently, I drove a Subaru Impreza WRX for years , awesomely fun! I really miss it!
I feel much more connected to the vehicle with manual transmission, as a previous poster said, you have to pay more attention to your driving even after it becomes second nature.
Shifting between 1st and 2nd is, of course, always the most difficult to do smoothly.
To hell with anybody who gets pissed off when you stall. Give an apologetic wave, then just relax and focus on the process of what you need to do. Practice, practice, practice - like anything else.

I can't drive stick shift. I would like to learn.

It's cheaper to maintain because the transmission is cheaper, in manual transmissions, to replace should it need replacing.

I drive a Fiat 500, stick. Wish I had one of the older model Fiats that you must have learned, on, beady.

kraftiekortie, you may really like driving a stick, so I suggest learning, if you have the opportunity. If you find it a bit nerve racking or frustrating, at first, don't give up, because, once you get it down, it becomes second nature, and can be a lot of fun. Or, at least, it can add dimension to the driving experience. Is that the real 'you', in your profile photo, by the way?

Yep....that's me about five years ago.

We have a stick shift, and an automatic vehicle. They both have their positives, but I occasionally keep wanting to hit the clutch in the automatic

Manual is the default car here. The only issue I had with a manual was the instructors car when learning to drive, the biting point was higher than on my car and I kept forgetting. Apart from that and the first 5 minutes figuring it out it was never difficult for me, I found it quite easy.

I have never seen or know anyone with an automatic car, when I first heard of them I thought they were self drive I drive stick. I imagine it's hard to learn if you're used to automatic. I don't know if I could get used to a car that's automatic - how do they deal with hills and ice? Hills you need to drop a gear and ice you need to increase a gear. Do they have that much control?

I've never driven one but my dad has hired them, we were in Austria at Christmas and you can shift them up an down a gear if you want. I'm not sure whether they'd pick themselves to go up or down a gear though.

I have been able to drive a stick since I was a teenager. In fact, I used to drive a semi truck (18 wheeler) for a living and that was an 18 speed manual transmission. I would rather have a stick over an auto, gives me more control over what gear I am in. Its also easier to cope with winter driving using the engine and lower gears to slow down instead of the brakes. dodger

My car is stick shift. I have been driving it since I was 19.