Driving a manual shift vehicle may seem like a difficult task but it isn’t as hard as you’d expect. And once you learn, it’s with you for life! There are also heaps of benefits to driving a manual shift and I’ve compiled the reasons and benefits below.
- It Boosts Confidence
If this isn’t self explanatory, I don’t know what is. There’s something that just feels good about driving a manual shift, especially when you know you can drive it well. Call it ego if you will, but that little boost of confidence when you accelerate from first to fifth (or sixth or seventh) gear, flawlessly, is unparalleled.
- To Save Money on Foreign Rentals
As an American and a traveler I know a couple of facts: one fact being that Americans, as a majority, don’t drive manual shift – another fact being that the majority of the rest of the world does drive manual shift. When traveling abroad it’s typically, substantially, less expensive to rent a car – if you can rent and drive the vehicle in manual shift.
- To Keep You From Distractions
Cell-phone laws are changing all around the world. What’s great about driving manual is that you really need to pay attention to what you’re doing when you drive. After all, you might need your “texting hand” at the drop of a dime to shift down if you have to stop short.
- To Politely Say, “No, You Can’t Borrow My Car”
Since most Americans can’t drive manual shift – driving a manual shift is an easy way out when you just don’t want to let someone borrow your car.
*Sidenote: if you don’t have a car, stop putting your friends and family in the awkward position to want to say no but have to say yes when you ask to borrow their car. They don’t want to loan you their car. I promise. Just don’t ask.
- For More Control of Your Vehicle
One of the most basic concepts of driving a manual shift is being able to decide how fast you want to accelerate, as opposed to letting an automatic shift vehicle do it for you. When you drive a manual shift you have more control over your vehicle than just “moving forward”, “moving backward”, “braking” and “steering”.
- In Case Of Emergency
Hypothetical situation: You and all of your friends rent a cabin in the woods one weekend, where no one has cell phone service. You decide not to drink one night and when everyone else is intoxicated one of your friends falls and cuts open their head. OMG! You’re the only one who can drive your friend to the hospital! All of a sudden, crap, you realize the friend who arrived last, blocking everyone else’s cars in, drives a manual shift…. Or 1,000 other crazy emergency scenarios that you’d never think of until it happens. You never know when it might come in handy.
- It Makes Driving Fun
True Story: driving a manual shift is fun. Another true story: driving, in general, kind of sucks. However, when you truly master the art of driving manual shift – you have a blast when you drive.
- To Save Money on the Car You Want
Since “automatic” is practically the only option of transmission on a new car in America, most people are completely unaware that you actually pay more for an “automatic” transmission. Opting for a manual shift can save you hundreds, if not thousands on a new vehicle.
- For Better Fuel Economy
Now, if you don’t already drive a manual shift – I may as well be speaking Chinese in an effort to explain how this works. If you’d really like to know the science behind it, Wiki-How explains exactly how to save gas when driving manual shift here. But, all you really need to know is that it works and you save gas and money.
- It’s Sexy
Let us keep it real, a woman driving manual shift is hot. That’s where the boost of confidence (and ego) comes when driving manual.
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T
There has never been a person, man or woman, who learned I drove manual shift and wasn’t at least slightly impressed. It’s a rarity for anyone to drive manual shift in America, especially a woman – so that bit of knowledge and skill goes a long way when it comes to respect.
I agree with you that it feels nice when you feel that you can drive a car well enough to do it manually. When you said that the feeling of confidence when you accelerate from first to sixth flawlessly is unparalleled, I got this feeling that I need to learn how to drive now. I have been relying on my brother to drive me to and from school. But now that he has a job, I know he won’t be able to help me as much as he did. Thanks for sharing. I’ll begin learning how to drive.
This makes me so happy, Ysabella! You’re going to learn to love driving manual and it will boost your confidence behind the wheel of a car, for sure! Don’t forget to update me your lessons!
I do agree that driving a stick is a real, genuine fun 🙂 Unfortunetely, it does not give me that much respect, as I would like. I live in Poland, where basically everyone has a manual transmission, except of some latest cars, which are still concidered as „exotic”.
Well in my opinion you deserve all the respect in the world! Here in the states its extremely rare for someone, especially a woman, to drive a manual transmission. I hope to visit Poland one day! Thanks for checking out my post. <3
This just boosted my confidence, I got my drivers licence in 2010, didn’t drive till 2013 and I bought a Automatic. It was not easy to maintain it. long story short I just bought my self a manual car, its not easy yet, but I will get the hang of it again. 🙂
How are you doing with the stick?! I’m glad to have boosted your confidence, every time I shift I get a little boost in my confidence!