The Lost Art of Driving Standard
If you mastered the fine art of driving stick, congratulations! You are one of the elite few in society who knows so and can claim bragging rights if and when the topic comes up.
Chances are, though, if you don’t know how to drive stick, you aren’t alone. In fact, according to CNN, only 4% of new cars sold in America are manual. So you might be waiting a while if you’re wanting to claim those bragging rights.
But there will undoubtedly come a time when you will be called upon to drive a stick. Like if your friend is drunk and you need to drive her and her pick-up truck home. Or if there is a meteor headed towards earth and the only way to high ground is via a semi-truck (though we hope that never happens to you because semi-trucks have something, like, 18 gears).
Here are 5 reasons why you should know how to drive stick.
Travelling Abroad
In most countries, driving stick is the norm. You would be laughed out of the nearest pub, church, or café you’re if you admit you’re a grown human being who has never once driven standard. Do yourself a favour. Before you go, it’s best to learn or do a quick brush-up course, especially when navigating the roads.
Better Fuel Economy
Another bonus to driving standard? Better MPG’s. The transmission weighs less than an automatic (weight savings = fuel savings, yay math). Not only that, but you can go itno neutral between your shifts, which drops fuel consumption, and you can coast to a stop. It’s almost like you’re getting paid to drive manual. Sort of.
More Focus
Having manual transmission forces you to pay attention to driving. More focus means less texting or eating McNuggets which means fewer accidents. Yay! We get it, we know. We all say we don’t text and drive. But driving manual means you really stick to your word. Because driving and texting and handling a stick is just too hard.
Cheap
Ah, a word we know and love. Because manual transmissions cost less to build, they are cheaper in price points. You can save thousands just by choosing to go standard. We know the luxury of convenience in an automatic is there, but your bank account will thank you. Not only that but standards are cheaper to maintain. A manual transmission takes less fluid and there are no expensive gaskets and oil filter kits like its automatic counterpart. Repairs are also cheaper, and can almost always be easily fixed by yourself.
Cool Factor
If we haven’t sold you on how great it is to drive a stick, then think about how cool and worldly you look. It’s an art. You’re the James Deen of cool. Get yourself a leather jacket and a pair of suave-looking sunglasses, and you my friend are the ultimate in cool.