Asklemmy

Yup. Learned from my dad. Actually, for a little bit, I taught folks in the military to drive stick as well. US mid 40s

No, but I also don't have a drivers license.

Does shifting on my bike count?

EU and I most definitely can (that may not be surprising). But funnily enough, I bought my first car a few months ago (I drove family cars only before - all manuals) and that one is the volume knob automat. I wanted to stick with manual (pun intended), but my fiancee convinced me and I have to agree that there's a certain comfort in automat.

I am 17 and don't even have a driver's license (I already could). However I don't want that in the first place. I don't feel comfortable about being in control of a heavy vehicle moving at relatively high speed. I know I'd drive over a pedestrian the first month because I got lost in my thoughts and completely forgot to pay attention to being in a damn car.
Or just fall asleep. Being in a train, bus, or even just playing a bus simulator on my phone immediately makes me sleepy. Sleeping driver is not a good driver.
Additionally there's the high prices of gas to consider, low prices of bus transport, and for me as a student non-existent prices for trains.
Why pay extra to create additional traffic and kill people?

Yes. I'm from Wisconsin, USA and bought my first manual car (2018 Focus ST) in 2021. I'm 29 years old and was 27 when I bought the car.

I'm actually about to sell that car but replace it with another manual car. My other car is an (automatic) 2020 Supra.

Yes. F, mid 50s, West Virginia.

Midwest US, 48, and it's all I drive.

Yes, only ever driven manuals. Wouldn't have the slightest idea how to drive an automatic though!

I made it to 39 without ever learning to drive a manual. At that time though my girlfriend had a manual. And one night she was too drunk to drive. So I managed to make it work well enough to drive us maybe a mile through luckily mostly empty nighttime streets home.

I later learned to drive her car for real.

US, mid 30s, and nope. (I learned on a friend's car but didn't spend enough time for the muscle memory to build in, even way back then)

Yup, although I don't currently. It's my preference, but not a strong one. I'm 48 and American.

I don't really have a good reasofor preferring it. I guess I just feel more involved and in control. Fun story, I didn't learn to drive a manual until I was in my mid thirties.

Yes, Italy, 36 (since I'm 18).

55M, Australia. I have a manual license, always drove a manual until my new-to-me car. I have osteo-arthritis and my knees hurt when I drive a lot, but I drive it like a manual with automatic clutch.

German, just 18, and I drive a manual.

Not learning manual would mean extra courses in order to be allowed to even make the license to drive larger trailers or trucks.

Also, manuals are cheaper, or actually, automatics are probably newer and therefore more expensive.

PNW US, late 30s, and yes. I learned how to drive a manual on an ATV when I was around 11 or 12. From there it was easy to adapt to doing it in a car and I've owned a couple of manuals over the year, though I prefer an automatic for the comfort. I think if I were doing any high performance driving/racing, I'd prefer a manual for the control, but I'm not, so I don't currently own one.

USA, mid-40s. My husband made me buy a manual car 20 years ago and taught me how to drive it. I’ve been driving manual since and love it.

Yep, my family only had manual vehicles growing up so I had to learn stick just to start driving. AZ here, also mid 30s.

Mid 40's, Northeast US.

Learned to drive on manual, and only owned manuals until early 2000s. Would be driving a manual now if it was available in vehicles that otherwise meet my wants/needs. Currently have a DCT with paddles, and a manual transmission motorcycle.

Yes, 43 year old in America. Work in the DMV.

I've only owned one automatic. Currently drive a Fiesta ST. I can heel toe brake too.

Early 30s, US. Yes I can drive a manual. They have their moments when they are better than autos.

30-something in the US here, and out of the 6-7 cars I've owned in my lifetime, only one had an automatic transmission (cause it was a Hybrid).

I learned to drive a car on stick so that's what I prefer.

Yes, 24, army taught me on deployment. It was fun! I'm tempted to get a manual on my next car, but I'd like my wife to be able to use it :P

Yes, US, late 30's.

Yes. Houston TX. Mid 30s. I learned around age 15-16 on a 1940's Willys jeep my grandpa owned. Steering wheel had about 90° of play in it. Also drove a manual is Mexico. If I win the lottery, I'll buy and build a Caterham kit car.

When I was 15 my grandfather took me out into the woods to teach me to drive stick in a 30,000 lb dump truck. I had never driven anything bigger than a golf cart before. My space to work with was a clearing maybe three times the size of the truck. I did not learn to drive stick that day.

Can drive manual, 30s, USA.
I had a particularly bad automatic transmission in my first car and went with a manual shortly after.

I'm from Mexico I'm 22 years old and I have been driving since 14 or so (rural Mexico). My family has not own a manual since I started driving and I gues we will not buy one soon lol

My dad made me learn on one and take my test with one. I've had a few over the years, I really like them. Looking for a cheap one now so I can teach my partner how. Mid 30's Canada.

I'm SE Asian, early 30s, and I was taught to drive using a manual transmission van with a column shift. 3rd gear would just randomly disappear too.

I miss driving manuals, but my knees thank me every day whenever there's traffic.

25 years old, I live in Alberta, Canada. I learned on automatic and then my first car was a manual. I have only owned cars with manual transmissions since. So much more fun to drive imo

I’m 25 in the US and I can

USA, 40, and...it's complicated? Haha. I've never driven a manual car, but I have ridden a motorcycle which generally has a manual transmission.

And because this is as good a place as any--I suspect once self-driving vehicles are common, the number of people who can drive even an automatic will plummet.

Why? Because kids will be born, then grow up with parents driving them places for their entire life experience, and then will go into their teens using driving services (like some futuristic Lyft company) with automated driverless cars that drive for them. And if that works fine to get you everywhere you need to go...why bother to learn how to drive a car? Do you really NEED it?

I think there'll be a generational divide, with older generations boggling that the damn kids on their lawns are "so lazy" they never even learned to drive, and I think there'll be an urban/rural divide where rural kids might not have access to AI cars that can drive for them so are forced to learn in order to be able to get anywhere, while city kids can have a car summoned to them by their phone at a drop of a hat to get wherever they want to go.

But I think the younger generations, once one is born where self-driving vehicles are ubiquitous and being able to summon such a vehicle to you using your phone is commonplace (I think it'll be a generation or two after the Zoomers...we're on the horizon but not there yet), will not see why THEY have to drive when they can instead be driven. Driving is a waste of your time that you could use to be doing work, schoolwork, or something fun like a game. I know I would ditch it if I could go exactly where I need to go anytime I wanted while reading a book or something.

Edit: Self-driving cars would also be a HUGE boon to the elderly, giving them some sort of independence even once their reaction times dull. "No, grandpa, I can't let you drive yourself, but the car will totally take you wherever you need to go. Just put in your destination." There'll be a lot of bitching at first from some of the older people, then they'd figure out how easy it is to go places without worrying about their eyesight or something, and give in.

I suspect my generation might be the first in this position, of giving up keys and instead just ordering a car to take me somewhere without me being a danger of running someone over because my reaction times have degraded. I think it's reasonable to suspect in 40 years, when I'll be 80, cars will drive themselves.

I drive a manual transmission to work every day. [20, US]

Yes, 35, UK. Drive an automatic now, but drove Manual until last year.

Mid-30s. Yes. I used to daily drive a manual when I was in college, but I haven't touched one in like 10 years so I'd probably be pretty rusty.

Yes, but switched to auto for ease of use.

The worst manual gearbox, other than my MK1 Golf, was a single seater Formula Renault I did some track days in. Tiny little gate and very easy to hit 1st when going for 3rd

Yes, early 40s from the UK so most people here learn in a manual car. I drive electric now so it only has forwards and backwards to choose from. Can't say I miss the old manual much, it's just so much more chill driving an auto.

USA, late 20s, I've driven manual for almost a decade and have had a bunch of stick shift cars.

I've only ever driven a manual, but having heard how good automatics have gotten, I think driving manual is pointless nowadays unless you're doing it for fun. It definitely feels better when you're going on a highway, but if you're driving in the city it's unbearable.

Yes, California, late 30s. I drove a manual transmission when I was a teenager. I was proud of how practiced I got with it. I don't drive manual anymore, but my dad recently switched back after some decades driving automatic. He found out he's out of practice lol

Yes, I even have a class A CDL. However, I don’t do it much so I’m not the greatest in a big truck and am competent in a regular vehicle