The first thing my father told me before I was old enough to drive was learning to drive was a right of passage onto the road and everyone should be able to drive a stick. And that is exactly what we did. First car I drove was his old crappy beat up Nissan pickup with a manual transmission. I was proficient driving that truck before I even got behind the wheel of an automatic. I sure do love driving a stick thanks to my dad that experience! One of these days I'll get something fun to drive again, but for now the priority is the kids needs.