How Much is Knowing How to Drive Stick Shift Worth?

**kork13** · 02-28-2012, 01:49 PM

The price difference between standard (aka "stick" or "manual") and automatic cars is less today than it used to be... But many cars (purchased new...used cars normally have almost no difference for transmission type) will be between $500-$1000 cheaper for a stick-shift car. I think it's just a function of a simpler transmission with fewer working parts to build/install. Fuel economy difference has also narrowed... In fact, some automatics now actually get better mileage than their manual counterparts (standards used to have a significant advantage over automatics). For insurance and maintenance, I have no idea if there's a significant difference between costs for manual vs. automatic. My guess is that it's minimal, if any at all.

I find it's good to know how to drive manual, just so that you can drive anything out there. If a friend needs me to drop his car off at the airport, I'm still able to help even though it may be a standard. Plus, I just find it more enjoyable to drive a standard... Automatics seem so clinical, just "from here to there." It's harder to enjoy driving a car that has an automatic tranny (IMO). Bottom line, it's totally up to preference these days. The majority of cars today are automatic, so it's really not a critical skill anymore.

Teaching you to drive a stick should be an easy task, and you really don't need to pay anyone to do it... just find a friend and an empty parking lot. Pretty much anyone with some experience on it could teach you to drive manual within just a few days. The hardest part is learning where the clutch catches, and balancing the gas/clutch at that point. From there, it's just experience. To this day, I'll occasionally stall out, just because I'm not paying attention, and I've driven standards for 10 years. Honestly, the measure of patience isn't on the instructor, but on the student. At least for me, having taught 3 or 4 people to drive stick, it's actually quite entertaining to watch the 'student' get all frustrated at stalling out.

**MonkeyMama** · 02-28-2012, 04:30 PM

My experience is different. I think you could easily save a few thousand dollars with a little legwork. (But on the flip side, is going to be harder to sell - only worthwhile on a car you keep a LONG time. Might be easy to trade in, but you will get a lot less for it). I suppose it depends how you car shop.

It's funny you bring up because I just saw a rock botton price on a brand new car - I figured the catch was that it was a stick. Further digging and it was so. (The price was $11,995 - savings was at least $3,000). That said, we always buy those deals from the dealerships and have been able to save as much on automatics, in the past. I was actually surprised the *catch* was that this car was a stick, because I have never come across that before. But, it seemed the obvious answer to the super low price, all the same. I am sure it had little in the way of extra features, but I prefer that anyway. Less stuff to go wrong...

As for me personally? No desire to learn - rather just have an automatic. My spouse learned to drive a stick because he got a great deal on a stick. He bought a car he couldn't even drive at first. He'd probably do it again, but I insisted we get an automatic since we both bought his last car together. But ask me again next time we go car shopping. It depends what the price differential is at what we are looking at then. My dh got a barely used automatic for $8,000 last round, so no need to bother with a manual.

**jeffrey** · 02-28-2012, 06:15 PM

I agree with MonkeyMoma -- the problem is that a whole generation of drivers have no idea how to drive a stick meaning they are much more difficult to sell. I went to a dealership and ended up getting a used stick for $2000 below bluebook -- the car was perfectly good, but had been on the lot for over 5 months because nobody knew how to drive stick. When I said I could and was interested, I was treated like royalty. I think it's one of the best ways to save money on even used cars these days.

**pretty cheap jewelry** · 02-29-2012, 01:15 PM

Even though I know how to drive a stick (learned 20 years ago) it is of little value now:

1. We are not frequent auto buyers, but are heavily favoring hybrids in those we do
2. The next time we purchase it will be due to 2 new drivers in the house (my teen kids), and most assuredly they will get hand-me-downs of what we already own (Prius, Corrolla) while we go even further into the electric options.

**FrugalTexan75** · 02-29-2012, 05:55 PM

Thanks everyone! It sounds like to me that it might be a good thing to learn just in case I come across a rock bottom deal with the caveat being it's a stick. (Whatever car I get next will also be driven into the ground, or nearly so, so resale value isn't a biggie to me.)

So now to find someone who knows how to drive stick and is willing to teach me.

(neither of my parents have stick cars anymore)

**Nightfly** · 03-06-2012, 02:41 PM

Go to a nicer hotel with a valet stand. Most valet parkers are required to know how to drive a stick shift. Offer to pay one of them $50 for a couple of hours of his time to tutor you. Perhaps you have a friend who owns a stick shift that will offer it up for a few hours as long as he rides in the back seat? Just a thought.

Other than that, I don't know offhand who knows how to drive sticks. All of the adults in our household know how to drive sticks, and yet - we lost the interest in them a while ago. It's a nice thing to drive an auto when you've only driven sticks for years - I like to make a left hand turn while holding my cup of coffee! These days, new cars that still offer manual transmissions aren't more likely to get better gas mileage.

**FrugalTexan75** · 03-07-2012, 06:49 PM

Thanks

I had a friend offer to teach me how to drive stick ... if I had access to a manual transmission car... I'm nowhere near any *nice* hotels (maybe 160 miles or so West of me there might be a hotel with valet ...)

**Fr�gal** · 03-07-2012, 07:56 PM

Depending on how you drive, it could be worth quite a bit.

With our manual Ford Focus, I achieve 40 mpg in the city by driving responsibly/economically (that is 126% of the EPA est. MPG of 24/33/27 comb). This is not as easy to achieve with an automatic transmission.

How to beat the EPA est. MPG

**BuckyBadger** · 03-09-2012, 09:48 AM

Considering that many CVT transmissions have better MPG than their manual counterparts these days, it doesn't mean as much as it used to. That being said, 2 of our 3 cars are manual. The Mini Cooper is manual, because it's sporty and loud and that's how mini cooper turbos should be!

Our Element is also manual, which probably wasn't necessary, but I was in a manual mood at the time and it was available. Interestingly, my husband could not drive a stick when we go that Element, but the mini cooper inspired him and now he drives them quite well.

I prefer to commute in our automatic Toyota. Less stressful in stop and go traffic.

**kork13** · 03-09-2012, 06:19 PM

Originally posted by BuckyBadger View Post

I prefer to commute in our automatic Toyota. Less stressful in stop and go traffic.

haha I actually find the manual stress-relieving in traffic... gives me something else to focus on besides hating

all of the other drivers on the road (who *obviously* are doing everything they can to hold up traffic).

Plus, when I find an open stretch, it's further relieving to shift down and hammer the gas a little. But then, I really enjoy driving, so driving itself is nice for me.

**bjl584** · 03-12-2012, 07:45 AM

You can buy a stick for cheaper. But, it's also harder to sell it. So, it's a little give and take. Sticks can be fun to drive, but alot of people don't know how.

**AccountantSalary** · 03-16-2012, 12:03 PM

If you plan on traveling abroad and renting a car, knowing a stick-shift can save you a ton of money because nearly all rental cars abroad are stick. If you can find an automatic, it will be a large American care that rents for a lot.

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 03-17-2012, 06:47 AM

Valets and stick shifts...grrr. Believe me, not all of them do know how to drive stick shifts. I rarely need valet service, and choose to bypass them, park it myself because of the chances that they won't know how. Last time I encountered a valet was in the wee hours of the morning when I brought my friend to the hospital for a procedure. I needed to drop her off at the door and assist her, so the valet took my keys to park the car. Hours later, when I returned, I handed the valet the car number card and we walked toward the door. He just pointed at the car sitting just a few feet from where I had let out my friend. He handed me back my keys. So my car sat in the drive-way for seven hours, vulnerable to every car pulling through. The valets evidently did not know how to drive it. (I can now add auto valet to my list of emergency employment possibilities as I am evidently highly qualified. Oh boy, watch for that on my resume!

)

On the rare occasions that I drive an automatic I feel insecure. It is similar to the feeling of riding in a car with seatbelts that don't work. Also automatics feel like they have a lot of play or slippage. I sense a delay in the gears engaging compared to the solid, certain feeling of a manual transmission.

**mom-from-missouri** · 03-20-2012, 05:46 PM

I drive a stick shift as my daily run around in car (without kids--all the kids won't fit in it)--Chevy Aveo and love it. Have had several other shifts in the past as well.

My friend has the same car, same model and year, but I get much better gas milage than she does, my insurance is less, and I don't get stuck in the snow as I can usually rock myself out (first, reverse, first, reverse...)

We have 7 vehicles in our family, and its the only shift (other than the tractors and other farm equipment) and my favorite to drive.

How Much is Knowing How to Drive Stick Shift Worth?