Proud Mama

Some of you may have noticed that Tim picked up a "new" car at Carlisle for Katie to take to college, a 2001 e46 BMW for $4000. Car's extra-clean, has good a/c, a radio, and doesn't rain inside, all new and exotic delights for Katie, who has been making do with an increasingly tired e30 convertible over the past couple of years. The complication? It's a stick, so other than a few training sessions before we left on our long summer trip, she's been afraid to drive it, although she had the basics down.

Well, today she wanted to go to the mall, so she asked to borrow my e28, which is auto. I said no. Katie spent an hour circling the neighborhood with a friend in her new car, and then off they went. They returned in high spirits, successful save for a couple of stalls and one scary honk-inducing backwards roll. I feel obscurely proud to add my 18-year-old daughter to the legions of manual-shifting drivers.

That is all.

Margie

well done

Good for you One of those basic skills that all people need to acquire.

Now she can escape. You keep seeing articles about highjackers who can't get away because they can't drive the car.

This means she's now also qualified to be the getaway driver on bank robberies. You've greatly increased her marketable skills and hence her job and income opportunities!!

Good job. You'll turn her into a car person yet.....

Congrats Mom!

As an added benefit, most concrete trucks have manual transmissions...

Could be handy if you need to expand the patio.

Trial by fire is the best way to learn. I taught myself to drive stick by test-driving a '82 Subaru wagon down business Rt 1 in NE Philly. Stalled it about 6 times... But I must have taught myself something... since 25 years later my TDI is nearing 319K miles on the original clutch.

Congrats!

Hoo boy. The Curmudgeonling is not really a 'car person' either and I need to teach her how to drive a dogleg. That means the using the Jensen and that spooks me a bit...

Very nice! Learning to drive a stick is a right of passage that fewer young'uns undertake these days. I'm proud of her.

Driving a stick solo is a right of passage. She may choose autos when she's paying, but at least its a choice now.

grafmiata wrote: As an added benefit, most concrete trucks have manual transmissions... Could be handy WHEN you need to expand the patio.

She's 18. FTFY.

As a side note, I need to expand my patio, so when you run out of room, I'm not that far away.

Way to take away the easy way out and get her out of her comfort zone. That is the only way to learn!

In reply to Marjorie Suddard:

This diminishing skill was a topic of discussion with some friends at dinner last night. We were marveling at how few people know how to drive a manual these days.

Good on Katie.

Save the stick! One new driver at a time. Love it. My kids will be learning it as well when the time comes

I miss owning a manual. I am jealous of your youngin

The more who learn, the more will be saved. Way to go!

mad_machine wrote: I miss owning a manual. I am jealous of your youngin

I miss also driving a stick.....I still have the geo, but it has been busted for a LONG time. I need to get it running again, but will finish the datsun first....only so much time and money.

when my sister was in dire need of a vehicle I sold her my '86 Civic (5sp) ... she didn't know how to drive a stick ... we spent an afternoon in the HS parking lot, and then on to the back roads ... (it had a something like 200k mi.) ... didn't take long for the clutch to need replacing ... but she kept it for about 5 yrs, then sold it to my niece

she's never had a stick since then ... but at least she knows how

you done good Mom ... once learned ... never forgotten

The real added benefit as the young lady heads to college is now it is a less likely chance she will find herself in a bad situation. She's out with buddies and the DD has one to many, but has a stick. Young Katie can now step up and say "I got this" and get everyone home safely. That along is reason to teach kids to drive a stick. Because as long as their are broke college kids, there will be a stick shift.

That's great! My friend recently learned by buying a new Focus. He test drove some autos and bought a 5 speed and made due.

Last night my wife was lamenting my decision to get another manual car, as she can't really drive it yet. I responded with the only Auto I will get for myself is either a 4th gen Taurus or a mini van, both of which I looked at in this round of car shopping.

To my knowledge, my child has ridden in a manual car, or see one function, maybe twice. Granted he's two- but both of our DD's are manuals.

Interesting anecdote: When I went to the GM Autoshow In Motion a few years ago, the lines were incredibly short for the stick shift cars......nobody knew how to drive them.

When I went to the Mazda Zoom Zoom event, the lines were incredibly short for the automatics. Nobody wanted to drive them.

I dislike lines, and wanted to drive: at either event, I used the short line.

7 years ago, the woman that I married bought a brand new Civic Si without knowing how to drive it. It was entertaining to teach her, but I made her wait a few days.