Asklemmy

Late 30s, US, nope.

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, 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.

American here. My first car was manual and I would love to still be, but I'm a musician minivan user and they don't make manual minivans.

Old guy in the USA. My first car was a sport motorcycle so six speed with clutch and shifter. I have a sedan with an auto trans, but also a 4WD truck with manual. When I learned to drive in my teens automatic transmissions were not as nice as they are now, just three speeds and not very smooth. Now they're typically six speed and much nicer. I really dislike a manual trans in heavy traffic, quite a chore.

British, Yes, Most people here can, In fact in my 47 years I have only met 2 people who had automatic only licences. And I ran a garage for 7 years so met a lot of drivers. I have personally only owned manuals and haven't done more than 100 miles in Automatics.

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

just turned forty, upper Midwest, yes I can but I prefer not to

I'm 36. Yes, I can. I learned on a stick shift.

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.

37m, USA

I can. The first new car I bought was a manual, because it was less expensive. I embarrassed myself for a bit, but that's when I learned.

I learned to drive on a 1942 John Deere in the early 70s. No on-the-fly shifting but the basics of steering, clutch, and throttle were there.

In 2017 I bought my first automatic; that vehicle was not available in manual or I def would have bought it that way.

Yes, Europe.

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.

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.

Yes, early 20s USA. Learned at 18 and drove manual every day until I sold my last car in November

My friend taught me for the most part in college when I was 22, and then when I bought my first manual it was 5 hours from my house. If I didn't figure it out I wouldn't have gotten home 🫣

Only killed it a couple times, and only when I was getting on/off the freeway. And once in stop and go traffic, but I don't think anyone noticed

Western Europe, and yes I can drive manual. Mostly because that's how I practiced for my driving exam.
I switched to hybrid, and later electric, driving and haven't really used manual transmission anymore.
The only exception is when I have to borrow my mother's car. Then it's a lot of grinding gears before the muscle memory comes back to me :)

US late thirties

I can but haven't in few years. Never been great at it though.

39, Philly. Up until my current VW, yes. Couldn't get a manual GLI when I was buying in 2021 and needed to make a decision. At least the dual clutch 7 speed DSG auto is fun as hell to drive and feels like a manual.

Yeah, here in South Africa most cars are manuals so you need to know how to drive them to get a full drivers licence. If you do your driving test in an automatic car, your licence only allows you to drive automatics. I'm in my mid 20s.

Yes. Mid 40s UK. I have never owned an automatic vehicle, and it looks like there's not much in the way options when it comes to electric cars with manual transmissions.

I can. I’m almost 50 though.

I think I can still do it. I haven’t driven one in twenty years.

My girlfriend and child cannot.

Most my rural friends can and my city friends can’t.

Yes, Poland, 18 and I prefer (and drive) it

Yes, I have never owned anything else. I really struggle to drive auto/CVT, honestly, it's so confusing for me.

Early 40s. Murica.

Austria, mid 20s, yes

30s. I was learning, and could drive with little to no traffic. I have an anxiety thing where my right side tremors, and learning to drive manual with traffic would always set it off. :(

From the US and yes I can

30, Chile, yes, I prefer it.

Midwest, 40, and yep. First three cars were manual.

First car i bought, in 1988, was a manual. The day before i bought it, i checked out a book from the library (no internet, you know?) that told me how to drive it and "practiced" in my bedroom. I bought it and drove it home, terrified traffic would stop as i was going over a big bridge. I have an automatic now because i need an suv for work and manuals are hard to find in the US.

I'm in Mexico at the moment and my first car was manual transmission. I didn't know how to drive manual when I bought it, so I just learned on the fly.

Late 40s, from the US. My mom drove a manual so I learned on her car. Then my first car was an old VW Bug, and my next couple of cars were also manual.

Now that I live in a city with soul crushing traffic and a completely broken public transit system, I drive an automatic. Driving a manual in stop and go traffic is just not fun. Plus, it's gotten hard to even find a manual transmission anymore. But when we went on vacation to Costa Rica a few years ago they gave us a car with a stick shift and I had a blast bombing that thing around.

When I got married, my wife moved up to live with me in Canada in the dead of winter. Our only car was a manual rust bucket my brother gifted us with. For some reason, it was always freezing cold in that car. I eventually squeezed an old pizza box in front of the rad and it helped retain a modicum of heat. But man what a junker...

At any rate, we'd get off work and it would of course already be dark and I'd take her to a parking lot to teach her stick. She'd be trying to do donuts in the snow while the car was lurching around or spinning the tires. She just kept getting angrier and it didn't help when I'd yell "you're gonna stall! give it more gas!" Our marriage was seriously tested at that point but by some miracle we're still together?

Yes, US, early 20s, drove one until recently when I had to get a new car.

37, US, and yes. I prefer manual for keeping my attention actively on the car and driving.