Well, the title of this post isn't exactly correct. There's more to it than what I wrote. I didn't want a title a hundred words long.
I've been driving since way back in the '70s. The first car I ever drove was probably one of the driver's training cars. We had a small fleet of 1974 or 1975 Plymouth Valiant four-door sedans at our disposal during our few weeks of instruction. Naturally, our cars had automatic transmissions to make our learning easier. Fewer clutches to replace, I'm guessing. At home, we had a 1965 Chevrolet BelAir station wagon with the dreaded "three-on-the-tree" three-speed manual with the shifter mounted on the steering column. Mom and Dad drove it with ease, and my older brother Mark picked it up fairly easily.
Then there was me.
When I tried to learn, I probably popped that clutch so many times people thought I was trying to make the car jump like the lowriders do. But after about three or four...hundred tries, I finally got it down. Once I felt comfortable with the whole process, I was good to go. Mark had a couple of early '60s Ford vans with the same setup, though a bit different with the driving position ahead of the front wheels. At one point, I was asked to drive a Chevy step van (think food truck or delivery van) for a friend. This truck had a three-speed manual, and I was nervous driving it out on city streets. But I did OK.
Over time, various friends got cars with four- and five-speed manuals. Those were floor-mounted, making them easier to drive. Despite knowing how to drive a car with a manual transmission, I played it safe with my choice of a first car—a used 1975 Oldsmobile with a floor-shift automatic. About five years later, my friend Bill showed up at my house and suggested that we go look at Toyota Supras, since I'd shown an interest in the car. During the test drive, the salesman said he was impressed with how I drove and handled the car. Next thing I knew, I was filling out a mountain of paperwork so I could drive my new car home. Wait...WHAT?!?!? That was a $16,000 car ($50,000 in today's money). I WAS PROBABLY NUTS TO DO THAT!!! No, not "probably." But they did knock $2000 off of the price.
So now I had a car with a five-speed manual transmission as my primary car. The Olds wasn't worth trading in, so I took it home. Mom gave me the Glare of Death when she saw my new wheels. Don't know why; probably never will. My sister Barbara drove the Olds for awhile, then one day it was just...gone. Someday I'll find out what became of it.
Aside from rockin' the gears, the Supra took me on some interesting adventures. Bill and I went to St George UT one weekend. Then my sister's friend Lori from work saw it parked at Mom's when she and Valerie stopped by for a visit. Lori joked about taking a ride in it, and Valerie set me up with a date with Lori a week later, giving Lori the chance to ride in my car and get to know me, too. A little more than three years after that date, we got married. Those cars were very popular with thieves, which resulted in my car being stolen three times. Read about that here.
The Supra took me about a quarter-million miles before it pooped out. I replaced it with a 2002 Honda CR-V with an automatic. We wanted a manual, but couldn't find one. A friend of ours found a 2002 CR-V with a manual and bought it, but, strangely, has had all kinds of problems. I don't know why.
My CR-V has also gone a quarter-million miles, but is having some issues. Whether it's at the end of its life, I don't know yet. I need to get it looked at by a good mechanic. In the meantime, thank goodness Diana's old car is available for me to drive.
How did Diana come to drive (and LOVE) a manual? Lori and I felt that if Diana learned how to drive a manual, she could drive anything. And it might limit texting behind the wheel if she had to mind the gears. She learned quickly and enjoyed it. So much so that after nearly 14 years at the wheel of her Corolla, she set out to get a replacement. Lori helped her find a couple of suitable choices. Diana chose a Mazda3 sedan with a six-speed manual transmission. As of this writing, I have neither driven nor ridden in her new car, but I'll get my chance.
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