I much prefer a stick shift. Probably because I spent most of my life driving cars with manual transmissions. Primarily because I enjoy driving that way, feeling like I am actually responsible for how the car performs, knowing when to change gears up and down. I was taught to change down as I approach a stop, rather than just applying brakes. I don’t particularly like driving but I can do hill starts and drive a car without synchromesh or power steering. I watched a video once of Ayrton Senna driving an ordinary car (I think it was a Honda) and the way he coaxed the best performance out of it with his hands and feet was like poetry. That tiny car handled like a champ in his skilled hands.
I didn’t take driving lessons. In my day in South Africa you were normally taught by a parent (we had no drivers-ed classes in school), but I had none of those, so my then-boyfriend taught me. I passed my test on the first go as soon as I turned 18. What really made me a good driver was driving daily for decades. Being in a car in traffic or on long drives really meant that driving became second nature to me, and I had confidence and reflexive behaviour that came from being in a car every single day. I don’t really like driving – much prefer being a passenger – but I have driven for many many years and it is nice to be able to get in and go.
In Sweden, people almost always take driving lessons, which means they learn in a much stricter environment than I did. I have noticed though, that in Stockholm where people have licences and don’t generally drive much, they don’t have that instinct and confidence that comes with daily driving. And many people cannot drive a car with a stick shift. In Sweden if you take your test in a vehicle with automatic transmission, you are not allowed to drive a manual car. If you take your test in a manual car, you can drive most. When I grew up, automatic cars were rare. Nowadays, the opposite is true.
I have not owned many cars – a big pale green 1976 Chevy with a 4 litre engine, a 1973 metallic blue Lancia Fulvia, a pale blue 1987 Honda Ballade, a pale blue 1988 VW 10-seater bus, a red 1991 VW golf. My favourite car to drive has been my aunt’s silver four-door Toyota RAV 4. All had manual transmission. If I had to choose any new car today, I would love a MINI Countryman. If I had to choose an old one it would be a short wheelbase Series I, II or III Land Rover. I like them because they had no frills. You could drive them in the bush, on the beach, get them all sandy and scratched up, hose them down and do it all over again.
What about you? Do you prefer manual or automatic gearboxes? How often do you drive?