It can pay to drive a stick

[thehubster]

Ok so i found this story today while reading the news. I guess sometimes it can really pay to drive a standard. I know there is someone on here doing a documentary news article about saving the manuals and this just kind of highlights how far the manual transmission has fallen out of use.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/29...es-in-florida/

A Florida Corvette owner said he was almost carjacked at gunpoint, but the would-be thieves ran away because they couldn't figure out how to drive his car.

Randolph Bean was sitting in his bright yellow Corvette when two men took him by surprise, MyFoxOrlando.com reports. It was parked outside Orlando Regional Medical Center in downtown Orlando.

Bean said the two came from behind, and he "barely caught them in the mirror."

According to the police report, one of the men had a gun.

"He started yanking on the door and made me open the door. He kind of flung it open and dragged me out and demanded that I get on the ground... face down, so I couldn't look at him, of course," Bean told MyFoxOrlando.com.

Bean, 51, said one of the thieves pointed a gun at him while asking how to use the car.

"They apparently couldn't start it," Bean said. "I had to tell him four different times to push in the clutch, because it's a standard transmission."

The suspects reportedly gave up and ran away, leaving Bean on the ground. Police tried searching for the suspects, but they took off.

"My first thought was I guess we don't have driver's ed in school anymore because no one knows how to drive a stick," Bean said. "And my second thing was, don't shoot me because you can't start the car. I'm trying to help you out here."

Though the thieves left the Corvette, they still made off with Bean's phone, keys and wallet.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/29...#ixzz2JPB6XiU1

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[cbdallas]

This country is descending into anarchy.

I like having a stick because nobody asks to drive or borrow my car (not that they have a prayer in hell of that anyway). Everyone takes one look at the shifter and re-thinks it. Nobody I know with the exception of my older relatives and a couple of friends knows how to drive one. It's ashame....they're missing out.

[josephd]

I will own nothing but stick.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...l-headquarters

[Buickboy]

lifes too short to drive a boring automatic. Ill always have a manual as long as I'm able to

[WiscoGTI]

Read this on Vortex earlier..

If they were smart, they wouldn't be criminals.

[FLYLOW]

Originally Posted by cbdallas

This country is descending into anarchy.

I like having a stick because nobody asks to drive or borrow my car (not that they have a prayer in hell of that anyway). Everyone takes one look at the shifter and re-thinks it. Nobody I know with the exception of my older relatives and a couple of friends knows how to drive one. It's ashame....they're missing out.

This!

Wife can never drive my car! Relatives can never ask to borrow my car because theirs broke down... All this only means no door dings, no slipping burnt clutch, no wheels left in every curb, no using my gas without filling it back up etc etc ;)

[FocusOnMeNow]

I love my 5MT.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Xparent Blue FF Mobile

[lyonsroar]

Originally Posted by cbdallas

I like having a stick because nobody asks to drive or borrow my car (not that they have a prayer in hell of that anyway).

You just.say.no.

People know no one but me is ever going to drive my car...

I wouldn't trade the DSG transmission in my GTI for any manual. No sirree...

[mjd4277]

I said it once and I'll say it again:

"You can have my manual when you pry it from my cold,dead hands!!"
(even then I'll have a death grip on it)

[Elizabeth]

The only problem is if you need a friend to drive your car for some reason...

I only have one friend who (at least) drove a manual forty years ago as a college student. No one else i know would even have a clue to drive my car.

And the op is correct. The same thing happened locally. Two thugs tried to carjack a fellow midday. They forced him into the trunk, then they were totally unable to get the car to move, with tons of gear thrashing and engine stalling. Finally folks started watching and the two guys ran off.

One other idea is the use a no PATS key IN the ignition, but have the real PATS key close by so the car will run. So if you have to evacuate, take the real key, leaving the non PATS key. (the car will continue to run for awhile.. and definitely will not start next time.)