Around this time last year, I was introduced to something completely new for me: driving. Well, not completely new, but I had never driven on an actual street until I got my permit last March. At first, I was scared to death of driving-- the first time I ever went on a major street, I was afraid to pass parked cars. It didn't help that the second time I went driving on real roads, the car next to me got pulled over for speeding. However, I persevered, and soon I was handling my parents' 2006 Sienna like a pro.
However, cruisin' around in a minivan all the time got boring, embarrassing, and above all, REALLY REALLY ANNOYING. I hated having such a bulky car as my only ride. It was hard to park, hard to see around, and I couldn't take fast corners in it. (Of course, I couldn't take fast corners if my mom was with me anyways, but thats beside the point). After about 2 months of putting up with the minivan, I finally decided to try to learn how to drive stick.
My other car (a 1995 Corolla) wasn't much better appearance wise--it's a station-wagon with one hubcap left, and numerous scratches from over the years, but it did have something new and intriguing: a manual transmission. After delaying for a week, my dad finally gave in to my pressure, and agreed to take me driving in the Corolla. I was impatient to get to the actually driving, so I vetoed his idea of starting in the VetMed parking lot and Business Park, where I first started driving the automatic. Instead, we just drove around my neighborhood for about an hour. OK, let me back up a little. We TRIED to drive around the neighborhood. What I mean by that is we would drive a block, stay still at a stop sign for 5 minutes as I repeatedly stalled the car until some benevolent gust of wind guided my feet as they worked the gas and clutch, and proceed to do the same thing over again. And again, And again. This continued for a week or so, until my dad revealed the age old secret to driving stick: "Be one with the car." I think he was probably joking when he said this, or else really desperate, but it actually seemed to work. I was so impressed by this "karate kid-esque" saying that i actually focused to being one with the car. I tried to judge when to release the clutch by feeling the vibrations of the car underneath me, instead of looking at the tachometer religiously. Soon I was confident enough to go out and about in the stick shift, all the while increasing my oneness with the car.
Now, I rarely drive the Sienna. Whenever I have a choice, I choose to drive the smaller car. I even chose to take my driver's test in it, which no doubt helped impress my tester lady. Since many of my friends have had their license for a while, the ability to do something many of them can't allows me to retaliate when they make fun of my youth. The thrill of masterfully maneuvering the Corolla around town gives me a certain satisfaction that cannot be reached by driving a car with automatic transmission, simply because it actually requires a small amount of skill to drive stick.
If you haven't learned to drive stick, I encourage you to learn, or at least consider it. Even of you don't have a license, even if you still have "student driver" stickers all over your car. It's a great skill to possess, and knowing how to drive stick could prove necessary at points in life, whether you're on vacation in Europe or driving Maseratis through Miami, as I plan on doing in about 10 years.
Hahaha great post, very reminiscent of an experience I had with miles bribriesco. When he first started he drove stick but he wanted to go for a ride so I went with. Very poor choice! we stalled at every other light all along the major streets leading to my house. The drivers around us were not happy.
ReplyDeleteI wish my parents still had a stick. Whenever I picture someone driving that looks cool, they are driving stick. so naturally, I need to be driving stick. unfortunately, thats not an option :[
My dad insisted on teaching me how to drive stick. It was horrible, he took me to that nasty little neighborhood near the Curtis Carle where all of the street names are patriotic. I would stall like 100 times in a row and get so jerked around that it hurt. Even though I got it down, I still prefer manual; I still have to think a lot when I drive stick.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I tried to drive a stick once in a parking lot and killed the engine three times. If they have an automatic then why drive stick I figure, though I would like to learn at some point. I also have a sienna van and since no one can stand to drive it, it stays in our detached garage, used only for emergencies. They really need to cease productions on all vans. They're such mom cars.
ReplyDeleteThis is very encouraging - because my father has a stick-shift and I have been scared to drive it. But hopefully it won't be too bad!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post. I've always wondered what it would be like to drive stick. It seems kind of difficult... I think I'll be driving automatic for the rest of my life (even if I try stick). It would suck to be late to something important because you stalled.
ReplyDeleteYou're a braver man than I, I haven't gotten as far as actually driving anything yet, and it's been like 20 months since I took Driver's Ed.
ReplyDeleteI want my liscense so bad. Great post though, hmorous but informative. You have an excellent voice as well, great job.
ReplyDeleteGreat post chronicling your driving experiences, I personally have only driven automatic. In the future we shall cruise in our Maseratis together.
ReplyDeleteI like your word choice: "vetoed." I'd like to veto other people's plans sometimes. I'm glad to hear about your actual driving, since attending Driver's Ed for thirty hours, driving with an adult for fifty hours, and driving with the instructor for six hours got annoying really fast. It's interesting that you use the stick; I haven't learned yet. I agree that driving in smaller cars is much funner.
ReplyDeleteI've never owned a car that wasn't a manual transmission. There's something almost creepy to me about driving an automatic. It's like you're not really driving, you're just sort of on auto-pilot.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I don't like my stick-shift is when I'm stuck in stop-and-go traffic. Then it's really annoying to keep stopping and starting, downshifting and upshifting. Luckily, living in Champaign-Urbana, I rarely have to deal with that sort of traffic.