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I learned stuff!

By LilFlightTest (Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 12:33:28 PM EST) (all tags)

And haven't broken anything yet!

Yesterday my loving, patient husband taught me to drive his car, which meant teaching me to drive stick. i'll say it now, his car is a bitch. the clutch and gas pedal are really, really touchy. VERY. enough so that when people who are experienced with manual cars get in it, even with warning about the touchiness they still kill the car on the first try. however, i managed to get going after killing it only twice, and drove around the parking lot in first gear for awhile. apparently it's hard to drive it in first, so the fact that once i got going the car stayed running is good.

then we shifted a bit, did a little reverse (also a pain in the rear) and i started getting used to the car a little more. i did kill it again at least once, as expected. you always drive badly (at least for a minute or two) the first time you get into an unfamiliar car, and i was learning stick at the same time. actually, i wasn't entirely learning stick. i've driven tractors and lawnmowers, though most of the tractors i've driven don't give a crap if you clutch or not.

we're going to have to go out and do it again, since the parking lot and the snow in it didn't really make me comfortable with going above 2nd, and i know i could use more practice, but i can now drive it in an emergency if i have to. he says that if i can learn to drive this particular (touchy) car, i can drive anything. at least he admits it's hard to drive...

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I learned stuff! | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

Good for you by iGrrrl (2.00 / 0) #1 Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 02:45:25 PM EST

I like driving manual transmissions in every situation except Boston rush hour traffic. And being able to drive anything is freeing.

"I don't have time for martial law, I have to get to the gym!" zarathus

Sounds like a good guy by marvin (2.00 / 0) #2 Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 02:58:55 PM EST

I tried to teach two girlfriends to drive a standard, but my cars were fairly easy to drive. Of course, I only married the one that actually figured out how to drive standard.

Your husband must have given you credit for the tractor experience :) Any woman who has driven a tractor is a definite keeper!!!

Standards have sooooo much more control in the snow because of the gearing. You should go back to that snowy parking lot and start throwing the car around, doing spins with the handbrake, starting slides deliberately and recovering from them, playing with traction levels when you gear down or accelerate, etc. Back when I was 16 and had just received my drivers license, my parents headed out for dinner one snowy evening, and my dad tossed me his car keys and told me to go out and play. My brother and I went out in a foot of snow and started slowly. After an hour or so, we were doing donuts in the cul-de-sacs, sliding sideways down every road, and having a blast. My winter driving confidence dates back to that evening.

: me too by LilFlightTest (2.00 / 0) #3 Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 03:24:33 PM EST

my dad took me out to a parking lot and TAUGHT me how to do donuts. my automatic trans car with a handbrake is also fun. the only problem with doing that in this car is that any snow over 4 inches deep will get the car stuck.
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if de-virgination results in me being able to birth hammerhead sharks, SIGN ME UP!!! --misslake
[ Parent ]

Congrats by georgeha (2.00 / 0) #4 Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 06:54:44 PM EST

Mrs. Ha has even driven my standard Tercel lately (though her Escort was manual).

Now you have to learn how to ride a bike.

Stickshift is fun as hell to drive by fluffy (2.00 / 0) #5 Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 08:32:35 PM EST

when you get the hang of it. If you're driving in areas without a lot of traffic anyway. Not so much fun in Seattle, and even less fun in San Francisco. Fortunately, I ended up not needing my car anymore so I sold it. If I ever find myself needing a car again I'll probably get either a double-clutched automatic or something with CVT, both of which are much more efficient than stickshift (which is in turn more efficient than a traditional automatic). Some of the current cars with high-end automatic transmissions also allow for manual control, so you can still have the same level of fun when you want.
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manual motorcycle by garlic (2.00 / 0) #6 Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 11:16:38 PM EST

more fun, and a small engine can be pretty efficient.

[ Parent ]

I have never driven a motorcycle by fluffy (2.00 / 0) #7 Mon Jan 07, 2008 at 03:30:10 AM EST

Generally if I don't need to haul stuff around I'm walking or using mass transit anyway. They do look like fun, though, as long as you're not afraid of getting brutally slaughtered by some idiot driver who doesn't check their blind spot.
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[ Parent ]

My car is a Toyota Tercel by georgeha (2.00 / 0) #8 Mon Jan 07, 2008 at 09:41:43 AM EST

I'm not sure if it gives me any more protection against an 18 wheeler than my bike.

[ Parent ]

: It doesn't protect you against a nuke either by fluffy (2.00 / 0) #9 Tue Jan 08, 2008 at 10:06:05 AM EST

but I'd much sooner be in a Tercel when that idiot driver is in an SUV.
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I learned stuff! | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback