How many of you old guys still drive a vehicle with a manual transmission ? And what's your age ?

I did up until a few years ago.

🙋‍♂️
59
3.5L 5 cyl SOTF 4wd 5 spd
05 Colorado Z71 LS
Not many of em made reg cab short bed.
1st chevy I have ever owned.
Bought it summer 2019 used with 126K on it IIRC
Got 177k on it now.
Needs new tires...

Sold mine in Feb.......63........still miss it......

45 - just bought one yesterday. Drove it home. AFAIK - there are only 2 trucks available today with a stick. Tacoma and Gladiator.

I haven’t had one since my 73 gran torino

My car and pickup are both standard.

06 Honda Accord and 06 Ram 3500 diesel.

Age 66.

All but one of my trucks are standards and if I had my way they all would be.

A couple of tractors and a retired fire truck. I'm in the process of building a home-brewed tractor with a 4 cylinder Mercruiser Marine engine, a 3 speed automatic main transmission, a 4 speed manual auxiliary trans, and a 2 speed vacuum shift rear axle. 24 forward speeds and 8 in reverse.

Bought my first automatic transmission, a Nissan pickup, in 2020.

Still driving the stick hi-mileage Corolla until it dies, could be awhile.

I got the auto truck because no sticks were available at the time and I cannot guarantee my knees going forwards.

58 drive an F-350 Stroke with a 6 speed.
Trucks should have manual transmissions. Also, good anti-theft devices.

1 truck and 2 tractors are standard..... 1 truck auto.

71 GMC 3/4 ton 4wd 350 ci with SM465…71 today

Mid 50s and I still drive a manual, VW Rabbit. It'll be a shame when they go away for good, there's something special about a small car with good handling and a manual.

Drove a standard from when I was 16 in 1979 ( 59 years old now) until 2 years ago when a moron texting and driving totaled my Ford Ranger. Standards are getting hard to find so I ended up in my first automatic. I prefer a standard but good luck finding one these days.

'99 F-350, 66 YO.

I've been driving the GTO for over 51 years and the 2000 GMC 3500 with a 454 and a 5 speed manual. I always thought the manual transmissions were better, but not anymore. These newer automatics are damned good. 68

I drove a std almost all my life. The last one I had was a 4cyl 5 speed Tacoma. I sold it 4 yrs ago and bought a newer 6cyl for hauling a trailer. This one is an automatic.

At 62, I miss driving the std.

74 k10 3 on a tree was last standard truck, had to upgrade to crew cab for the kids. 39

5.9 Cummins Ram 3500 HD, just turned 125K. It's a 2003, bought at 33K in 05. I'm 74.

After 20 years of automatics, wife and I both had to relearn - lots of missed and grinding gears. . (She's still working on it........especially the revving/lugging down on gear changes, and clutch popping - but then she doesn't get much practice.)

It's on it's 3rd clutch as of a few months ago. 2nd one was installed by incompetents and didn't last long. Likely cheapest inferior part as well. Won't have that problem with this one. Maybe.

That year model was pretty lemony for some reason. Money pit, but otherwise I sure like it. Just picked it up again last night...3rd water pump and new thermostat.

43 here...got a '99 PowerStroke and a '91 Cummins, both standards but they're not my daily drivers. They're only used when needing to haul something.

My daily driver is a '12 Titan with an automatic, but only because it is nearly impossible to find a newish 1/2 ton that is a standard. I never should have sold my '08 1/2 ton Ram standard...I sure miss that pickup.

47 and yes

46YO

99 F350 diesel 6-speed

At some point it will need replacing, and I'm not looking forward to it.

Millennials don't know how to use a clutch & manual transmission.

Sunbeam Alpine with Ford 2.8 V6 and Mustang 5 speed tranny. More fun than the law allows.
Also Tahoe with automatic tranny.

PS -- age is largely state of mind.

Tremec five speed in my 73 Mach 1.

At this point the only stick shift I drive regularly is my hot rod AC Cobra. Nothing like rowing through the gears in a hot rod a listening to the pipes and accelerating out of corners without worrying about your tranny shifting at the wrong time....


However, when it comes to my other vehicles I just find the Auto tranny to just have too many advantages to ignore. My kids all learned to drive on a stick shift and can get by just fine with a stick or auto.

Oh yeah, I'm 69 going on 21.... but my wife thinks I'm crazy...

I haven’t for almost 15 years but am getting a 2001 Ford Ranger tomorrow with a five speed. I’m 63.

Learning to drive stick certainly has little downside. My dad made sure we could - young, in case anything happened while at the cabin, regardless of vehicle - we could go get help. So I taught my kid for the same reasons.

2016 Z06 corvette, 7 speed manual
Age 71

Does a motorcycle count? The Harley is a 6 speed.

2007 (with the 5.9) Ram 3500
2016 VW Golf R 6 speed

Good anti theft deterrent

Fewer years ahead than behind

My last one was a 1984 Jeep CJ7 that I sold in 1990, so 1990 is the last manual I owned.

I sold an 03 Jeep Rubicon with a 5 sp. in 09, big mistake. I thought.

Looked at a Tacoma with a manual the other day & thought it fun to knock around in, but had been out all day & my knees were killing me. Got to thinking about sitting a a long red ight or the like, & holding the clutch in. My left knee said fugg that clutch & I passed on it. I'm 69.

My 1985 BMW M635Csi 5 speed is one of my relaxation devices……

The pedal on my Taco is pretty light, compared to many other older ones I've driven.

52 and have 03 BMW 325 and a 91 Dodge 350 with stick. One is just the backup car and Dodge is the farm truck that gets less than 20 miles a year on it. Has the 24 valve Cummins and only 127,000 miles. BMW has 223,000...

a 2003 hd 2500 farm truck with a 5 speed. Have driven standards for the last 30 years.
My daily driver is f150 auto. I am 67.

57 and have a 2012 VW Beetle with a stick to help teach my kids how to drive a stick. I also drag race a stick shift. That is a real thrill.

99 Frontier
Daily driver
I'm a few month younger than Renegade

or a rotary phone...

I think I'm not so old at 68 but still drive a manual. Mostly had F 250's and would still if I could get one with a manual trans, now drive a 6 sp. Tacoma...

Am I old???

49 and the only vehicle I personally own is my 2014 Toyota Tacoma regular cab, 4x4, 4 cylinder, 5 speed. 182,000 trouble free miles. I bought it after totaling my 2003 Tacoma hitting a deer. By chance 2014 was the last year for regular cab tacos.
[/img]

I'm 61.

Still driving my 2001 F250SD with 5-Speed manual, and manual hubs, manual windows, manual door locks, rubber floor, AM/FM radio, and no AC. Just a basic pickup.

97 4runner, 5 speed. 30 years old. Don't know if I qualify for this thread but what the heck

59 and my daily driver is a 98 BMW M3 3.2 liter 6 with a 5 speed standard.
225K on it
Have had a standard shift car of some variety all of my life.
Truck is a 01 F250 7.3 auto

In my sixties and drive a VW GLI with a six speed. Teenage sons are driving it too on private property.

There's always neutral if the light is really long, or one is stopped at a RR crossing or road work.

I still have the '01 Tacoma and love driving it. Except when I have to go to a real city. Little piss ant cities around here aren't a big issue, as I'm usually not there for long. Recent trip in the Taco to SoCal was a real pain in the ass though. Stopping and starting all the way from Adelanto south. It sucked.

Took a trip to the Big Town up the road yesterday, granted it was in the newer car with the auto trans. Had it been in the truck though, it would have been no problemo. 2 miles from our driveway to the first stop sign, right turn. 2 miles to the next stop at the main county rd, left turn. 12 miles to the State highway, left turn. Next stop 88 miles or so unless I stop to pee or for a bagel at the little coffee hut in one little burg.

If I lived in a city again (shiver here) I'd likely get another daily driver with an auto and leave the truck for hunting and fishing trips.

Oh, I'm older by far than some here and younger than the REAL BOOMERS. You can tell because I even listen to that rap crap sometimes.

I started out driving on a standard shift 56 years ago. I’ve owned both standard and auto over the years and really don’t have a preference between one or the other. Drove a standard shift Jeep Monday for a few hours. It was a 6 speed. Other than 6 th gear being a little hard to get in to a couple of times I didn’t see it as a problem. I’m 71 and would buy a standard tomorrow if the vehicle I liked had one. A standard shift doesn’t slow my wife down one little bit either.

Yup. My dedicated H&F truck. I am the original owner. 2004 Tacoma Xtra Cab 4x4 TRD Offroad SR5. About 78 K on the odometer. Not even broke in yet. Also 1987 SR5 Four Runner& 1994 4x4 Taco.

Yes, numerous, including my everyday pickup.

5 vehicles...4 are manual, 1 auto (only because Tundra dropped manual). I'm 76 yrs old. I don't do manual trans for fun..50 yrs in the heavy equip repair I know starters, solenoids, relays and batteries fail all too frequently. I park and shut it off where I can roll start it, when I am really out in the ginsengs in Nevada or eastern Oregon where it's easily 50 or 60 miles to cell service and if you are lucky maybe a rancher will go by every third day.

1995 Jeep Wrangler 4.0 Straight 6, Just had the Engine Rebuilt and had a real transmission put in about 4 or 5 years ago
2015 Harley

Honda Quad do not remember the year
and 61

My 22 year old son just purchased a 2018 Ford Focus ST with a 6 speed manual....it's a beast!

I have no desire or need whatsoever for a manual shift transmission. There is a reason they are fading into obsolescence.

It’s been a long time.
Nowadays you can think about it as built anti-theft device.

92 Wrangler YJ with a 5 speed.

Got my tractor stuck a couple of weeks ago on the deer lease and called a younger member to bring my Jeep. A few minutes later he called back saying he didn’t know how to drive it.

Got one of the old pharts on the phone and he came and pulled me out. I guess I can start leaving the key in it now.

Pics?

Do your bicycles come with an auto shift system???

flintlocke mentioned a good reason, especially when one lives Out West.

My Tacoma has crank windows, and manual door locks for the same reasons. If it had come with a distributor with points in it, it would be about perfect.

I'm mid 50's, last stick I bought was a beater 05' Honda Accord 5 speed a few years ago. My Gen Z son owns and drives it now.

My little gay outback is a 5 speed , manual. It's a cool car, just don't want to get filmed driving it!

I’m 36.

2007 F150 and 1967 Mustang are both standards.

OTOH....

Yeah, & I don't think it's because a few of us have tired of them.

Thinking mfrs. can more easily meet strict Gov't. fuel mileage & emission standards by ever more management of the engine & eliminating the driver input. A benefit for them, maybe, is that they can streamline parts sources & production lines by offering less options.

All the mfr's still make & sell vehicles with manual transmissions, just not in the states. Same with ultra fuel efficient small diesels.

I had to upgrade to a larger truck years back, and traded my last standard transmission vehicle off because I got a sweet deal on a low mileage 2001 Tundra. I learned how to drive on a '68 3/4 ton Chevy with a 4 speed and a dump truck engine. A lot of 16 year old kids today would curl up in a fetal position if they had to drive a truck like that.

51

And I drive standard tranny Tacoma.

2005 F150, long bed 4.2 liter V6, 5 speed. Twist it up to about 3600 rpm in second through fourth and it spins down the road pretty good. The fifth gear overdrive is too high to use unless you're doing 80. I pretty much treat it as a 4 speed. I'm not sure what its top end is, but I've had it up to 105 and it was still pulling. The small V8 they put in them back then only add about 20 HP and they're junk motors.

In my opinion, Ford made a mistake phasing out those Essex 4.2 liter V6s. You can find them still out on the road with 200K miles on them. Mine only has 76K on it. It'll rust away before the motor goes.

Been helping a friend with the bean harvest just claimed out of a 2015 freightliner with a 13speed roadranger

Started out with a 1/2 ton (F100 at the time) Ford p/u w/ "Three on the Tree".
Have owned several "sticks" over the years. Last I bought was an '06 Dodge 3500 4 door, dually w/ 6spd and Cummins diesel.
Was a huge waste of dollars. '06s were crap. Sold it and kept my '01 Dodge 3500 dually! THAT..is one tough s.o.b.!
403 actual miles. Still on original clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing!
Six speed that shifts smooth as butter.
Also still have a '95 Dodge 2500 w/360 cid and 5 spd.

I'm 72 and have no intention of swapping, trading or selling either manual tranny!

Wife drives an '03 Dodge 2500 single cab with auto trans, but even she prefers the manual trans.
Both kids grew up driving manuals.

My son and his girlfriend both bought manuals. They like sports cars and decided that was what they wanted. I occasionally drive a manual pickup for delivering tractors.

I'm 52 and my hunting & fishing truck is a stick shift 1999 f150 4x4.

Arrived in Ireland after an overnight flight with little or no sleep, at rental car agency was presented with a manual transmission car with the steering wheel on the right side where the passenger typically sits, on top of that, you drive on the opposite side of the road there. I was convinced I was going to crash at every traffic circle as they have lots of them over there. I grew up learning to drive my dads '73 F100 three on the tree so I'm familiar with manuals but shifting with my left took a bit of getting used to. Driving that car around Ireland was one of my favorite parts of the trip! My sister recently showed up at a family wedding with a rental, a Mustang 5.0 GT manual, the only car they had on the lot at the airport. Naturally I had to take it for a spin, a quick smoke of the tires and doing 80 in second gear, I figured I would not do well with a car like that!

2004 LJ 6 spd, all day every day. i'm 83 Rio7

A couple stick shifts over the years. Learned to drive on a 1956 Plymouth Savoy, 3 on the column. My first new truck was a 1981 F150, 300 in-line 6 and 4 on the floor (believe there was overdrive too) 260,000 miles on that truck. Two Fox Body 5.0 Mustangs (1985 GT and 1993 LX) with 5 speeds. Those days are sadly behind me.

Age 73
2013 Tacoma.

5 speed, driving it since new 17 years ago.(Almost 78)

Born in '57. My Cummins has a G-56.

Edit: Oh....my John Deere is a manual, too!

1 manual pickup

81 F150 300 straight six with a 4 speed manual(firewood truck)

2000 F250 7.3 PS with the 6 speed manual.

I’m 44. All my vehicles have been manual for the most part but not easy to find now a days.

58 years old and enjoy driving my GMC Sierra with the 8.1 liter backed by a ZF-6.

Next question: How old/ young is the original poster and can he/they/she/it drive a manual?

55YO....searched for a long time in 2020 to find a new Civic with a 6-speed manual....had to wait about 2 months.

I'm 79 years old.

There's one 4 wheel vehicle in our family. It's a 2001 Ford F250 SD 4x4. Do-it-all every day driver and hunting rig. Deer, antelope, elk, nilgai, hogs and javelina.

Truck is regular cab, long bed, manual hubbed 4x4, 5 speed stick, V8 gas, AM/FM radio, manual doors, windows. No AC. Rubber mats.
Bought new....now has 160,000 miles. Even has a manual oil dipstick!!! No USB ports!!!

FjLee
Denver,CO

42 here and no longer any manuals in the driveway.

Had to park the 01 Civic for good with 300k miles on it last year, miss the stupid little car. In trying to find a replacement for it, was trying to find a car with a manual, they're out there, some Acuras, some Hondas, some Cadillacs, but most come with a premium price to get the manual.

Wouldn't mind adding a Tacoma to the fleet with a manual, but too many vehicles already in the driveway.

My boy is 11, when his time to drive comes, likely will find a manual of some variety just to force him to learn how to drive one.

I had a '84 with that same engine/4 speed manual combo. That motor is a tank and the best one Ford produced in my opinion.

Got my CDL driver's license in 1976 in a 1962 Mack B-73 with a 262 Cummins engine and a 5 X 3 Triplex transmission. Non-synchronized gears and two shifters.

A friend from high school had one of these as well. He still drive it, 40 years later. That engine will outlast cockroaches.

I've a couple. A better question is where can you actually find a manual equipped new vehicle these days. You're pretty limited but the new autos are so good, I'm not sure if there's any reason to have a manual anymore. It used to be fuel economy, but that's not been the case in 15 years or more now.

I'm 73 and currently have a Jeep Wrangler with a 6 speed. There have been very few years since my first car (67 bug) that I didn't have a standard transmission in one vehicle or another. All three of my kids had a standard in their first car just because I didn't want them not to know how to use one. My daughter was the hero of her class when a teacher asked who could drive a standard. She was the only girl and only a couple of the boys knew how.

The reason for me is to drive old iron. I've always like old 4x4's and I'm currently looking at buying a 82 Toyota Landcruiser FJ60 with a 4 speed. I've had lots of manual 4x4's over the years . I'm almost 61 and was just curious if they're were others like me who don't mind shifting.

I have 2 man trans currently sitting in my stables and daily one or the other. If not for them I'd need meds for my ADHD. I think automatics should be banned. If you're too old or young and incompetent or distracted by your hand held electronic device to mash the pedal and move the lever, you can stay home.

YMMV

Every vehicle I’ve owned except two. Couple Subies, F250, F150, 67 Camaro, VW Golf, S10…..Two exceptions I can recall were a 66 Charger and a 2002 GM 1500.

Oddly, not by choice. I’m happy with an auto.

I like a manual in something driven for fun, or for a smaller offroad/hunting truck that's going to be saddled with bigger tires (Jeeps, Tacomas, etc.) If it's a daily for commuting or working, I want a modern automatic. My line of work has me looking for properties, taking photos, reading maps, and so on. Not having to juggle those efforts with shifting is preferable.

Totalled my 6spd toyota a couple years ago. Wanted a half ton. Nobody makes them with manuals, so auto it is. If any manufacturer, gm, ford, dodge, toyota whatever offered a 1/2 ton with a manual, thats what i would have bought. It would have absolutely been the deciding factor that sold me on that make of vehicle. But nobody makes them any more. Ffs you cant even get a corvette with a manual anymore.

Totalled my 6spd toyota a couple years ago. Wanted a half ton. Nobody makes them with manuals, so auto it is. If any manufacturer, gm, ford, dodge, toyota whatever offered a 1/2 ton with a manual, thats what i would have bought. It would have absolutely been the deciding factor that sold me on that make of vehicle. But nobody makes them any more. Ffs you cant even get a corvette with a manual anymore.

dpd: NOYFB (noneofyourfuckingbusiness!) you arrogant little turd!
Sheesh - your parenting was ineffective, apparently?
Double sheesh.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Fugging howling

07 6 spd Taco. 45k on it.

I have an 89 jeep I drive most everywhere

My brotha - 2004 2wd Bought in 2013 @ 124K now 215000 2.8, 5sp, cruise and AC only.

That's much more of a "truck" than the S10 used to be back in the 80's and 90's - all those were good for was lowriders.

79 here. I drive a 2004 Tacoma standard,but my 2018 Chevy is an Auto. No standards on the lots when I bought it.

I don't have one now, 'cept for the motorcycles.. Last car I had with a stick was an old Elantra that I used to travel between home and the farm. That car was sold about a dozen years ago.. I miss a stick shift trans, frankly..

I drive a standard so that my wife, Rotunda, can't crash my car too.

I'm 65 y/o and our "second" vehicle is a Ford Focus with a 5-speed, which we bought new in '09.

It didn't get much use during my two knee replacement surgeries and rotator cuff surgeries.

Does this somehow define you? What's the big deal ? My wife occasionally drives a 99 Dodge dually with a 6 speed with a small horse trailer. She's 63 if that matters

I'm 61 and have driven manual transmissions on and off most of my life. Some as toys but most as daily drivers. This K10 is my only manual and probably my last. I don't mind them on the highway but wouldn't want one as a daily driver running around town.

[

Nice truck.

I have a 1963 Chevy truck with 3 on the tree,1985 S-10 that my Dad bought new 4 on the floor and my 1971 massy 175 tractor.

The S-10 in town is a lot of fun.

I'm 74. My pickup is a Dodge diesel 2500 with a standard. I had shoulder surgery last winter. Luckily it was on my left side or I would have been walking for a few months, unable to shift.

I drive a 5sp Trooper, my play rig quite often. I prefer an auto for everyday driving!

Mid 40s. My kids are teenagers and they can both drive manuals. Two currently. A Corolla and F250 460.

When I married my wife I had to teach her how to drive my 95 ford ranger. She’s pretty good with one now. The teaching was rough 😬 My son learned ALOT quicker than his sister and mom.

Still or can drive a standard is a better question

Couple of Troopers and an old Taco dedicated to the 12%-14% grades of WV.

Manuals save calipers... kinda thing.

The autos get popped in 4L as soon I leave the public road.

I had a F650 with and Eaton Fuller 6 speed behind a Cummins once... THAT was perfection on ratio.

The 68RFE auto is pretty good also... for an auto (with gear control).

Only standards we have are five or six 25-50 year old farm trucks.


Gasoline powered, quirky(brakes, carbs, trans...), hay and grain trucks that don't get too far from home.






You couldn't pay me to go back to a standard transmission pickup.

Manual is good for a feed pickup though. That'd be alright.

I teach youngsters how to drive a manual with 4L and a diesel...

...a couple of head smashes... from popping the clutch... clears things up right quick.

2000 Volvo 610 vnl with a manual Eaton 10 speed as our 5th wheel puller for the win !

Oh, 61 years young, but 25 in my head !

We have 3 in the family. My 85 toyota 4x4. My son's 74 Datsun. And a 76 Ford F 150 4x4. I also have an 85 Kodiak 5 speed work truck.

My work truck and pulling trucks are all autos.

Sam, A clap out to you to find so many young citizens to help you on the rancb. Subtitles how America is [bleep]

I still use Dad’s old Ranch Truck around the place for hauling seed and deer feed.
92 Chevy 2500 3/4 ton with a 350 and a manual 5 speed. Has granny low for 1st gear and 5th gear is overdrive. 380,000 miles and still going.

Yeah they’re good, but can you fix it in your garage? Repair costs? The great thing about my 71 GMC is that I don’t have much guessing to do if it starts acting up.

78 here. My Tundra is automatic, but my Saab and Kawasaki are both manual.\\

Wife and I drove a 4 speed Galant for a dozen years till it went goodbye. Any drive a Toyota GR Corolla?

54. 1963 Studebaker R/2 Super Hawk. But I'm not an old fart... yet.

Working on it in your garage is what you have to do with those old cars and trucks. They wouldn’t ever last 100,000 miles without an overhaul.

Working on them easily isn’t better than not working on them…

Dang, don't miss rowing in a truck but sure do miss a tight shifting car and throwing it thru the gears... 65 here...

I hear you there - wouldn't buy a manual truck today, but a sportier car is another story. I'm currently debating on a smaller truck, probably a Tacoma. I could like a manual in something like that...

I'm not old, but I still get a little surge of nostalgia the few times a year I hop in something with a clutch.

Wouldn't go out of my way to purchase one new anymore, especially in a pickup.

...Raise your hand if you can still hear the rage in your old mans voice the first time you were pressed into service pulling the boat out of some sh*thole, scum covered landing in an F150 with a straight 6 and a 5 speed.

When I was at racing school in Nevada a few years ago I ran some new corvettes and some had manuals and some had autos. I demanded a manual at first but an instructor said you should really try these new dual clutch autos with paddle shifters. Isn't better lap times in the autos every time.

Before that I thought it couldn't be a sports car with an auto. But, the new autos do really well. I loved the 8 speed auto in my 2019 ram. It seemed perfect with the hemi. The 10 speed ato in my f150 is pretty good too but a little funky at times. The 4 speed in my 94 yukon just doesn't feel like it has enough gears after driving the new ones.

Back when the choice was a 5 or 6 speed standard or a 4 speed auto the standard held more appeal. In the 2016 vettes it was a 6 or 7 speed standard or 8 speed auto. I learned to like the auto better. I think they even dropped the standard soon after because that 8 speed auto was so good.

Bb

No one can claim to be a real man if he drives anything else - if he can't convert an automatic to standard with nothing more than a Vice Grip and a socket set, he is just a waste of protoplasm.

84 here.
Diving a total of 9 different trucks with manual shifters, 8 of them are the Muncie SM 465 and one the 6 speed whatever in the big 2001 Dodge - and the 4speed in the old Corvette. I appreciate a manual trans.

One 72 Chev with a T400 (only 32k miles) and a Chev Duramax that runs with the Allison automatic - great auto trans.

sounds like a fun build, friend of mine had a 13 speed with a 4 speed aux making 56gears . about an 88 Ford Louieville used as a lowbed tractor mostly on steep logging roads on Vancouver Island,

Myself 76 years Gravel truck 18 speed manual

norm

damn you’re rich 🤑

This one I still drive


This one I wish I still had

In 1975 i taught myself to drive stick at 12 yrs old (in a salvage yard) in a 57 Chevy 3/4 ton, Straight 6, 4 speed with Granny low... Put it in low gear, Clutch out, Key on, Hit the floor mounted starter button and it would start and walk away by itself, Step on the gas and start rowing gears... Great fun till i had to Stop... (no brakes) I would jam it in low & shut the key off, Engine braking to a stop... Eventually i got very good at it and could almost stop on a dime (as long as i wasnt' going to fast)... Next up was a 70 F250, 360 4 speed (again no brakes)... After the exhaust fell off, That sumbitch would backrap on a shift just like Mcqeens Mustang... Have liked Sticks ever since!...

I’m 57, my daily ride is a 2010 Ranger with a 5 speed stick.
Wifey is 3 years older and has a 14 Crosstrek which is also a 5 speed. We hunted pretty hard to find something with a standard transmission, but that’s what she wanted.
I read somewhere that stick shift vehicles make up less than 2% of the vehicles sold yearly, and most automakers no longer offer a standard transmission, even as an option, and many are switching over to the CVT transmission only.
7mm

67 currently a 95 tacoma with 2.7 5spd manual. Had std transmission in vehicles all my life. When they started phasing out manuals in snow plow trucks for autos I stayed with the manuals so the worthless millennial fugs they were hiring could use the autos . Long live those old Internationals and Sterlings with Road Rangers...mb

Old enough to know better, young enough not to care.
2021 Bronco, 7 speed manual just because I could. Less computer integration.
Too bad you can’t get a manual transfer case with real levers.
Today’s automatics are adaptive to your driving style, the computer is constantly monitoring and adapting, great technology but a lot to go wrong. What will hold up better in the long run?
I don’t think there is any real advantage to a manual over an automatic anymore, just personal preference.
My first manual was in a ‘44 Willy’s jeep, top speed 40 and no brakes, that thing was a climbing machine. If you are familiar with push-up field terraces, it would climb right up the steepest ones I could find. Drive it through culverts and up creeks.

'05 Dodge W2500 Diesel 6spd... "Trusty Rusty"...

Sweet!!

Up until last november. 05 with the six speed.
[/url]

Kid ran a red and clobbered me.

Very Nice. I would love to have that one sitting in my garage.

I got tickled at my wife when she drove my new 88 GMC pickup. She grew up in a rural area and drove, pretty much out of necessity, from the time she was 12. The GMC had a floor shift and a light on the dash that came on as the motor was winding up. It was triggered by a vacuum system somehow to give you a hint when to change gears. Well, she was drivingalong and asked me why that light kept coming on. When I told her, she literally yelled at it," I've been driving for 30 yeaars and you've been driving for two weeks, and you're going to tell ME how to drive!".

Challenger, 5.7 Hemi, 6 speed Tremec with Hurst shifter topped with pistol grip, hard on tires.

Not my daily driver, and I don't act my age when I'm behind the wheel.

Age? Long in the tooth, long hair, long grey beard to match. Better looking then Beaver though.

I much prefer standard transmission, but all they dealership has, last time I bought a car, was automatic.

I get to drive my wife's 6-speed 2010 Miata once in a while, when she lets me. We've both driven sticks for years. She also had a 5 speed Maxima that was fun. My first was a 76 Chevy step side, 350, with a 3 on the tree - had to double clutch that old boy down and up

Very nice !!!!

To start my '08 Dodge Ram manual, you have to push the clutch WAY down to hit the neutral safety switch. I have 2 friends who are about 5'9". Neither can get the clutch down far enough without sliding off the seat. There's a switch that moves all 3 pedals forward for shorter people but then I have to mess around with it to get it back so I can drive it.

2015 Tacoma is a manual. Bought it brand new.

Found by playing around on the Toyota website. They have a "build your own Toyota" type of feature. Went through picking out a wish list of features I wanted. I wanted the 2 door with the extended cab, the 6 foot bed, 4wd, skid plate, V6, and manual transmission. Didn't think they'd have any near me. When I was done it showed available vehicles in the area. There were only 2 within 100 miles of Denver. Wrote down the pertinent info and drove to the dealer. Drove it home in 4wd in a blizzard.

Couple of weeks later, guys at work work lamenting obout the longevity of the CVT transmissions and asked what kind of transmission was in my new Tacoma. I told them it was a 6 speed manual. It should last quite a while.

Another time I was having an oil change and the sales guy was hinting at getting the transmission fluid changed too. I told him it didn't take automatic transmission fluid. He disagreed, and I left. Turns out, the guy who had the shop retired and sold it and the new owners kept the same sign. Went somewhere else. Shame. We'd been going there for years. Fast, reasonable, and honest work. Place closed later and a jiffy lube or some other chain bought the location.

I used to drive with a manual (73 Camaro, 68 Camaro, 95 Honda and 89 Jeep). Now they are harder to find in the vehicles I want.

My last 'standard' manual......

'14 Taco truck.....6 speed V6 w/96K miles

Sold in February '21

Replaced with Bubba the '03 Lexus LX & 193K miles

Bubba just turned 207K miles on a trip back from the Kaibab Forest

The Tacoma MT does take oil and they do recommend periodic changing.



Fluid - well regarded.

I'm not quite 53, I've been driving manuals for forty years. Mom and Dad let my sister and I learn up north on dirt roads in Mom's '79 Bronco. These days my daily driver is an '05 K1500 standard cab 4x4 with the 4.8 and a five speed.

Anymore, all the drivers are autos, just the farm trucks and the Kenworth have sticks. And even the new Kenworth that's coming next month will have an automated transmission. In the semi, the fuel savings are undeniable (although I still will argue that they should not be -- and lose the argument, lol).

For the rural driving I do for the most part, rowing gears is nbd. Downshifting on hills can be done with both style transmissions, but I just prefer the level of control I get with a stick.

Alas, times are changing. I still believe autos are much shorter lived than standards (maybe just be cause people abuse them and fail to maintain them), but that's the world we live in.

Been driving manual transmission rigs most of my life.

Daily driver is a 2013 Jeep Rubicon with a 6 speed.

My '04 Tacoma is a 5 speed, and my Wife's 97 4-Runner is a 5 speed.

Virgil B.

Forgot to add; I'm about to turn 70

Redline MT 90 is good stuff........GL4

Or Ravenol of course

Full synthetic

I'd love to watch some of you stick shift gurus drive a dump truck with a 5 X 4 setup loaded with coal through a few eastern Kentucky mountain passes!

In my previous post I forgot to add a pic of my 47 Willys. 4 speed T-18 with granny low.
Here it is with the 02 Jeep TJ that had an auto and I really like it.
And the old 71 F100 that has a NP 435 4 spd behind a 351W.

No thx..

We do have a 'coal road' near here

The 'Sufco' mine company built it several years ago...$28M

Drops off the mountain mine location at around 9K'

Semi belly dump dual trailers come off it with 40 ton of coal

Video on U Tube

Closest I can get is 18 speed down the highway floating while yacking on a CB and eating a burger

I'm not old, just 45. I do miss the old 4 speed with granny gear though.

Ruining a 3rd gen cummins...hope the kid is scarred for life to teach him a lesson.

My 92 Chevy 2500 3/4 ton Ranch Truck with the manuel transmission has that damn light.
At 380,000 miles, you’d think that damn light would have burned out by now. 🤪

I'm still pissed that Ford dropped the stick shift in the F150 back in 2010.
PJ

My 1965 Mustang was a 289 with a 4 speed. I have diabetes and can't feel my feet most of the time.
I changed it over to a C-4 automatic with a shift kit & performance converter. Now my wife can drive it too, if I ever get it finished.

I don't at all claim to be a "guru" but, if you truly would love to watch that, you should have come out to our area in the NM mountain country and rode up/down and around with me in this. 1952 Mack with supercharged big valve Cummins and 5x3 twin stick setup. Fairly easy with some common sense and an ear for RPMs.

Here are a couple other 4speed Muncie and 4wd items I like to drive.

Then, this 4 speed gives me some fun too.

Volvo VNL64 all day for a living. I don’t miss it even a little when I get into my automatic pickup.

I’m 64, I currently drive three vehicles, every one of them is a straight shift.

That Mack is almost a clone of the rig I learned to drive on- - - - -a B-73 with a 262 Cummins and a Tri-Plex 5 X 3. It was a 3 axle with a 1600 gallon water tank on it, used for compaction and dust control on construction sites in central California.

Since slushboxes have improved to the point where they're better at acceleration than a stick - I've had no need really. An auto sure makes driving easier. Just need to watch the heat.

I put massive aftermarket coolers on all mine and I have the trans temp up on the torque pro display if towing or buried up in any mud.

Well, I'm thinking my 1952 LTL could never have been a "clone" of any in the "B" series you mention, because the B Macks succeeded the L series, starting in about 1953. Mine originally had two axles and, for practical reasons, was reduced to one in the re-do process.

Nothing can compare with the thrill and adrenaline rush of switching from brake to clutch coming off a stop sign on an uphill slope with the street covered with packed snow/ice and another vehicle right behind you. How can anyone not love it!

Sweet baby Jesus. Grail truck for me there.

If you have a great truck with autotrans in such situations, that is a smart move.

Coming down a 6% hill with a load, I love turning on the engine brake in my Dodge diesel and dropping 1 or 2 gears with the stick. Then just sit back and let it ease your down the hill.

Absolutely.

Some vehicles I will not have an automatic.
Some vehicles I will not have a standard.

First auto was a '91 F150 extra cab lariat with 8' bed. Loved it for pulling trailers. Backing with the auto trans was so easy compared to trying to work the clutch and gas with your feet while looking back over your right shoulder. Had me hooked. Haven't driven a stick since.

'06 Miata 5-speed and '12 Frontier 6-speed sticks. I'll be 71 next month. Love the stick shift.
#savethemanuals

Heresy! Heresy! Alert the villagers! Prepare the stake! Oil up the rack!

Yep but not old, 57 ?

I'll take my steak medium rare. Who's rack are you oiling up? What's her name?

The tractor I'm in the process of building has a Mercruiser 4 cylinder engine, a 3 speed automatic trans backed up by a 4 speed manual and a 2 speed vacuum shift rear end. 24 forward speeds and 8 in reverse. It should be able to climb trees if it can get any traction.

How about a 9 speed ? Or 13, 15 ,18, 21 ???
Most youngsters can not that's why the trucking industry got automatic .. youngsters can not cut it ...

Heel & Toe Baby, Heel & Toe... Heel on the brake, Toe on the gas... Forgive me Lord how i Love (d) it so...

Nice truck!

Man that F100 is nice!

Both are very nice!

Guilty.....

In the early '80's, I drove in "the patch" - most of our trucks had 5X4 Brownie set-ups.
Learned to shift gears so young, I had to duck under the dashboard, stab the clutch, and get a gear - before bouncing back to where I could see through the windshield - '57 Chevy 4X4 - original.
Now keep an '09 Dodge Cummins w/ a 6 speed manual for ranch work & pulling trailers.
Beating the damn door down on 70!

Cummins has what's called a ZTL, zero throttle launch, in their stick shift Rams. Maybe it was found in other brands, too, I don't know. It's used for getting a manual pickup moving up a hill with a load. You let off the brake until it's barely holding. Then slowly let out the clutch. Don't touch the throttle (hence the ZERO Throttle). When it starts to stall, the computer takes over and handles the throttle for you, getting it moving easily. It will continue to drive it slowly until you touch the throttle, then you're in control again.

Actually - trucking moved to autos because they were recruiting drivers from older people looking for second careers. They found that people of advanced age had a harder time with the heavy clutch and double clutching on bad knees.

Anyway - that was the reasoning at the carrier I was working at when the autos started taking hold and we were buying 3800 new trucks every year to keep the fleet average at 3yrs.

NOW - I would state it's not because someone can't drive stick - as in unable to learn. It's because they never had to and training programs aren't revenue generating for carriers. Put them in an auto and not need to teach someone from zero how to drive a manual saves time and gets that trainee on the road, pulling loads sooner. Autos in class 8 have gotten a lot better but I still prefer to float a 10 or 13 speed if given the option.

My Tacoma has a "Clutch Start Cancel" button. Lets you start rolling without it. I've never tried it.

Yes autos and class 8 have gotten better. Where did it this way for the original talking about old farts.. but who double clutches who has ever double clutch that really drives a truck? Yes I know the driver's test...
I find it interesting nowadays that a CDL test you can take it in an automatic truck but you will have a license restricted to automatic only.. we have a few youngsters that work for us that are this way on a CDL..

Very nice. Bet you do have some fun with that one. My brother had one with the split rear window. I think it was 1967. Fun car. It would put you back in the seat when you banged second gear.

I picked up this 2001 Ford Ranger yesterday. I wanted a small 4x4 truck for a run around vehicle and all around hunting/fishing/trapping truck and didn't want payments. My old F350 is a great truck but only one vehicle makes me nervous. And diesel is a dollar or more a gallon higher than gas locally.

Pretty clean and it has been well cared for. 130,000 miles and very clean interior. Five speed. It's been a few years but it came right back to me. I splurged for a personalized plates for both trucks. The F350 is 400WHLN.

Idaho driver's licenses and plates now. It's official. We ain't Alaskans any longer.

Mart looks like you did better than most..mb

I think I did okay on it. Came with a second set of tires on nice rims. The tires weren’t much but I plan to have a set of studs put on for the winter. Drove it from Craigmont to Walla Walla yesterday. It handled well and seems to run great. The guy was pretty meticulous about maintenance. Just need to add a canoe rack to the canopy.

Those Danger Rangers are tough trucks. Always liked them.

Drive this 66 Fairlane every so often. 4 speed.
Was driving my dads 56 Chevy 3 speed on the column when I was 14. Am 73 now


.com/gp/132359712@N06/b03MKAXhF1]

Live action!

70 and still driving a 1985 Chevy C-10.

Not so fond memories of driving a delivery truck in rush hour traffic with a heavy, stiff, clutch pedal that would fully engage at 1/2" from the floor. Kept turning it in for adjustment and it never improved. Felt like my left leg was given a workout every single time I had to drive it. God I hated that thing.

Wish I still did.
You can sorta drive a manual without a clutch but you can't drive a modern automatic without the computer. Experience with both.

MAN !!!! You guys have some fine vehicles .

I sold my 99 F150 last year it was a 5 speed

If you can slide the gears without depressing the clutch, does that make it an automatic?

At 76, I really enjoy driving my Cobra! 5 spd Tremec manual.

Been there done that in a 71 Ford Pinto with a 5 speed. God what a turd.

Don’t do it in a standard with synchros. Blew up an international Harvester Loadstar 1600 doing that.

Just put the '94 Corvette away for the winter.

1984 Ford F-150…..”three-on-the-tree” and a 2003 Jeep Liberty that my wife won’t drive anymore - says it not reliable with 325,000🤔😄! Hope I never don’t have one and am 59.

PennDog

I still prefer a standard transmission and own two vehicles with them. I am old enough AARP sends me mailers and still young enough to tell them to eat dirt.

I've still drive 2 vehicles that have the old manual in them...08 Camry and an 88 4Runner....

I was born in June 1952, so you can do the math on my age...

Love pulling the 01 BMW convertible out of the garage and running through the gears.