Isn’t preparation the key to everything? You’ve talked about why drivers should learn to drive a stick shift: you’re more in command, you can avoid up-charges at car rental counters in foreign countries, it makes you a more in-tune driver. Plus, it’s a lot of fun. But then there are the reasons NOT to learn to…
I Drove a Right Hand Drive Manual Transmission VW Taigun Around LA for Two Days and This Is What it Was Like
“Hey lady, you’re driving on the wrong side of your car!” “Yeah, I know!” I laughed, and the guy did, too, as he walked down Colorado Boulevard, pushing his baby in a stroller with his partner. Surprisingly he was one of the few people who remarked about my unusual car, the VW Taigun (yes, Taigun,…
All the Golf You Want and None of What You Don’t: 2022 VW Golf R and VW Golf GTI
If you like to have fun behind the wheel, this is for you. Unlike many people who learned to parallel park in a city, I learned to parallel park in the mountains of North Carolina. I’d been able to skip this skill in driver’s education, but if you want to park a car on the…
Ten Affordable and Fun Manual Transmission Cars That Will Fire Up Your Stick Shift Dreams
It’s just like riding a bike. Really! Do you remember learning how to ride a bike? It starts with balance. You start, wobbly, with your feet firmly planted on flat ground (unless your parents were daredevils, of course, and started you on a downhill). As you navigate the pedals and the handlebars, you feel clunky,…
Teach Someone to Drive a Stick Shift in 8 Easy Steps
You can do this. And so can she. You learned years ago and for you, driving a stick shift is natural. Friends say enviously, ‘I wish I’d learned to drive a stick.’ But teaching someone to drive can be a harrowing, even friendship-breaking experience. Add in a manual transmission and forget it; you may never…
6 Real Life Reasons Why Everyone Should Learn to Drive a Stick Shift
Why should anyone drive a manual on today’s roads? They are complicated, cumbersome and inconvenient. A design feature from the olden days of the automobile. With the overwhelming majority now tilting towards automatic vehicles, it looks like the days of the manual are over. I did not always drive a stick shift, but after I…
Sporty and Roomy? You can have both in the 2015 Mazda3
“Quick question – can you or your husband drive manual vehicles?” When I received an email asking if I was interested in reviewing several cars in the area, that was the sentence that caught my eye right away. Of COURSE, I can drive a stick. I don’t need a man to do it for me! was my…
2014 Ford Fiesta ST Review: A Sweet Deal on a Thrill Ride
Sometimes, driving should just be fun. And if you have a gazillion dollars to spend on a Ferrari or an Aston Martin, it’s pretty easy: you just buy a car that could compete in a LeMans race. It’s why we don’t really love old guys in expensive sports cars: they have money to throw around…