From: aas7@po.CWRU.Edu (Andrew A. Spencer)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: FLAME! Only a Manual!
Date: 10 Nov 1992 00:45:33 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: aas7@po.CWRU.Edu (Andrew A. Spencer)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc5.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, smith@ctron.com (Lawrence C Smith) says:

>In article <1992Nov8.211005.10020@nezsdc.icl.co.nz>, derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:
>
>>>this is a real life example of what i have been stressing.  EVERYONE should
>>>LEARN on a stick, as they can then drive EITHER!!..at their WHIM...but, 
>
>>Yeah right, EVERYONE should learn EVERYTHING.  Lets not leave out any 
>>of those driving skills.  We might be stuck in the middle of nowhere and 
>>the only vehicle available is an ARTICULATED LORRY,  or one of those TRACKED
>>CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES,  or a TRACTOR or a MOTORBIKE (yes I know we aren't
>>supposed to discuss motorbikes in this newsgroup). We might have had an 
>>accident in the middle of the Sahara and the only transport is a CAMEL - we 
>>should learn to ride one of those too!  EVERYONE should know how to put 
>>any 4X4 into 4 wheel drive IN THE DARK.  EVERYONE should also be able to fix 
>>ANY part of their vehicle on matter where they are.  EVERYONE should know
>>how to DOUBLE DE-CLUTCH in case their synchro's fail,  ditto CLUTCHLESS
>>SHIFT.
>
>Look, Derek, calm down, okay?  I've haven't seen so many exclaimation points
>outside of sci.environment.  The original poster was making a point about
>the relative likelihood of finding oneself faced with a stick shift.  Even
>today, a very large proportion of cars have them.  Last I checked, relatively
>few even had 4-wheel drive, and even fewer were articulated lorries or
>tracked construction vehicles - which are not legal on the highways, I might
>point out - and virtually none of them are camels, which don't come with stick
>shifts anyway.  Manuals are still common enough that it probably _is_ a worth-
>while skill for most people to learn to drive them.  Aside from giving people
>a better feel for the mechanicalness of a car - which might improve driving
>skills, instead of encouraging this "a car is an appliance, just point it and
>push the pedal" stuff that many people seem to be stuck on.
>
>And it widens the choice of cars.  When you can drive either, you can seriously
>consider getting one to improve the mileage in a econocar, _or_ you can decide
>to stick with the automatic.  Knowing how to drive any of the others confers
>no such wide range of choices.  I have _yet_ to find camels for sale _anywhere_
>in Nashua, and I doubt they can be licensed for the highway, anyhow.
>
>Heaven knows it's an easy enough skill to learn, and since most people in the
>US learn from the back of cereal boxes^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H high
>school driver ed classes, it shouldn't cost any real time or money - just
>replace the driver ed car with a stick shift car.  It seems to be that does
>nothing bad to one's freedom of choice - in cars _or_ cereal.
>
>Larry Smith (smith@ctron.com)  No, I don't speak for Cabletron.  Need you ask?
>-
>Liberty is not the freedom to do whatever we want,
>it is the freedom to do whatever we are able.
>
well said..thank you..you hit the nail on the head, i think
DREW
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