My car will probably never get stolen: report back from late 2016 reveals that 18 percent of U.S. drivers know how to drive a stick shift
One thing that I’m proud of, and am kind of a hipster about is the fact that I can and I do drive a manual transmission car. I like knowing that I possess a skill that is rapidly becoming forgotten and that I can drive a stick well enough to where I can boast that I’ve never once had to replace a clutch ever, even after nearly 400,000 miles between my last three cars, all of which were stick shifts. Not to mention it just feels cooler to be driving while utilizing pretty much your whole body, between wheel, shift, clutch and gas.
But the fact that the dying art of the stick shift is resulting in the gradual reduction of manufacturing of manual transmission cars to the point where only 5% of vehicles even come with an available stick shift is a truly sad one. Sure, I know the technological differences between sticks and autos have not only diminished but in some cases been surpassed by some makers’ easy-mode cars, but I still like, and have little regrets of owning stick after stick, regardless of how hard it’s been to continue on with choosing to do so.
I’ve conceded that my next car will probably be an automatic, probably because by the time I’m in the market again, all stick shifts will probably be gone by then, but lord help me, if I can manage, I’m going to try and keep my current car running and serviceable, because I think a piece of me would die if I had to completely give up having a stick shift and driving with a manual shifter completely.
I blame the rest of America for being so lazy and incompetent to fail to learn how to drive manual transmissions. I’m not mad at everyone who can’t drive a stick, but I certainly am disappointed. The only ones who suffer from your laziness is the 18% who did nothing wrong to deserve their capacity for automotive satisfaction.
