Yesterday our youngest turned sixteen. He got a truck.
When he was five years old, his brother got his first vehicle: a used, black, standard Ford Ranger. Both of them loved that truck.
So when it came time to select a vehicle, he was pretty decisive about his preference.
He wanted a Ranger. Not a Frontier. Not a Tacoma. Not even an F-150 (the State Truck of Texas, apparently).
And he wanted black. Not silver, green, white, red, or yellow. Dark gray would do in a pinch. But preferably, black.
And he wanted a manual transmission. Just like his brother had; and just like his father told him he needed to know how to drive.
So Tuesday, I caught a ride down to Austin to get a used, black, standard Ford Ranger that I’d found on autotrader.com. Fortunately the deal worked out, because I had no real plan for getting back to Abilene otherwise.
Yesterday morning, I took son two to the parking lot of Shotwell Stadium and taught him how to drive a standard. Around noon, I told him he was on his own and to stay away from as much traffic as possible for a while.
Today he’ll be back on the roads. Most of the day, I’d guess. You’ve been warned.
Glad I live in Lubbock. I took my girls to the cemetary to learn how to drive since they couldnt hurt anything. Told that story last week to the funeral director at Resthaven and he had a great laugh then wanted to charge extra for the use.
I was turned loose in a Mustang with a standard transmission. I told my mamaw that it was a bucking Mustang! For a while, I could get most places without going up a hill at at a traffic light but it took a long time to get to those places!!!
A truck? With these gas prices? Well, at least getting around Abilene involves short distances.
My son two returns from camp this weekend, gets his license on Monday, and will then be driving the SAME ‘93 Civic, a standard of course, that his older brother drove five years ago. I’m not sure that he was quite as excited about having the same car as his brother as was yours, but 34mpg will help.
My mother bought a standard transmission when I was 15, which irritated me to no end, because “You can bet I won’t learn to drive with that thing!!” Turns out it was great fun, and all my friends wanted me to teach them to drive it - something I told my mom when I was about 25. Everybody needs to know how to drive a standard. Unfortunately we were unable to find one when our son turned 16.
Manual transmission is the only way to fly, baby!!
Every time I’ve had to buy an automatic — such as when my family’s size required I buy a minivan — I sold the car as soon as I was able and bought another manual.
My brother and I went in together (I was 16 and he was 14, both of us had jobs - yet I still chuckle as my brother was not old enough to drive, but wanted to at least have a chauffeur) to buy a Jeep Wrangler. Our Mom dropped us off at the dealership 67 miles away. The Jeep was bare-bones. No radio, only a drivers side-mirror, no carpet, no A/C, no power steering, no automatic transmission. I’ll never forget our Mom looking at us and saying, “Be safe, take your time, and I will see you when you get home.” It was the first time I had ever driven a manual transmission… I was pretty good by the time I had driven that far through the West Virginia hills to get home. I have been driving for 22 years now, three of which have been with an automatic transmission. I miss the five-speed manuals…
My first car was an ‘85 Chevy Cavalier. It was silver-grey and had a standard transmission. I had already learned how to drive an automatic on the country roads around the family farm. My second car was the same make, model, color and also standard. The first car I bought after moving back to the U.S. was also a silver-grey Chevy Cavalier. It’s an automatic though, and my wife drives it. I drive a little 4-door Nissan to work.
Hey Adam G - Don’t knock it. I’ve driven a “little 4-door Nissan” for 14 years now and it still gives me 26 MPH in town and about 28-30mph on the road.
What a great story Mike! I love my 2001 Ford Ranger - even after Susan tried to run it over in the driveway one day. But, honestly I do love the automatic at my age.
And, he’ll go far in life with the experience of stick driving. A gaggle of ACU kids went to Tennessee this week - and I think 3 of the 11 knew how to drive one of the caravaning cars - a standard. Where will our country be without stick-shift drivers?
I owned a Ford Ranger - Standard (b/c you can’t own a truck any other way). I loved that truck. One day on the interstate in South GA I hydroplaned and was hit on the driver’s side door by an 18-wheeler. He pushed me about 100 yards down the road until we stopped. I walked away with some stretched out cartiledge on my rib cage and no other injuries. Did I mention I loved my truck?
My first standard was a Saturn sedan. My college roommate’s boyfriend took me to an empty parking lot for about 2 hours one night to teach me how to drive a “stick” and then 2 days later I bought the Saturn. I figured learning under pressure was the best way to go — fortunately I was right. That could have backfired on me.
NO! Not little Christopher! I was in Kenya the summer he was born and could not get to your house fast enough to meet him once I got back to Abilene! And now he is driving? WOW! So I guess that means your carpool days are over… I’m going to miss those stories but look forward to the teen driver stories!
Happy Birthday Chris!
My first ride - ‘65 Volkswagon camper van with the pop up top in the middle. It had the huge, horizontal steering wheel and a shifter that was about 3 feet long. I could fit my dirtbike inside and go wherever I wanted. I also learned to eat a hamburger in one hand, hold a drink in the other, shift with my right leg and steer with my left leg, all at the same time. (I hope my kids don’t read this)
Ok, here’s another standard story. When I was 20 I needed a new car, my Toyota Celica having been totalled in an accident, and my roommate took me to a car lot and dropped me off because I’d told her I would be driving SOMETHING home. They had a great little VW bug that I thought was perfect for me and in my price range - $700. (I was 20 a long time ago.) I decided to test drive it and the salesman asked me if I had ever driven a standard. I lied and said “yes” thinking how hard can it be if my brother can do it. Turns out I was right. I drove it off the lot, over to a friend’s house to have it checked out, drove it back, paid for it and drove it home. I loved that car. It was so much fun to drive! Those were the days. I know it’s hard for you and Diane to let him get out there and go but it is good. I’m sure Chris is a great driver and he has a great big God.
we were on our way back from the zoo, and we saw yall in the parking lot. i told the girls in the car that chris was probably trying to learn to drive a stick. i still remember when my dad taught me! one thing that chris can be thankful for- no hills in abilene! starting off on a hill brings back some very embarrassing moments of jolting fowards & backwards involuntarily while people stared on…
I spent 3 hours teaching my friends little sister at ACU to drive my Subaru with a stick so she could help me drive home to Canada for Christmas (Gas = 63 cents a Gal). She drove for 3 hours in the middle of the night while I slept and then proclaimed she was tired…
I wonder if she drives a stick today
When I was a kid ….
I do remember my parents Packard but the first car I remember driving was a 1953 Chevy with a three speed manual on the column. Floor shifts (e.g. four on the floor) were considered way cooler than having the shifter on the steering column. No way you would want to drag race an automatic aganst a manual transmission.
There were also a fair amount of automatics built by Chrysler Corp. (Plymouth, Dodge etc.) in the 1950s that had automatic transmissions and the “shifter” was a set of push buttons on the dashboard.
A neighbor and friend had a 1957 Olds convertible with a seek and scan bar on the radio - I believe it was called a “Wonder Bar” back in the 1950s. They were expensive and not that popular and seemed to disappear from cars until 20 years later.
Oh my!
One nice thing about Abilene is that there are lots of people who’ll keep an eye on our young drivers, and who’ll report back to the parents, good or bad. I’ll be looking for Chris! I can just imagine he is an excellent driver.
Learned on a ‘75 Ford Pinto. Yes, that Pinto. Apparently the news about the exploding gas tanks didn’t detour my parents. Hearty folks, they were. Manual transmission. Not really sure why my mother made us drive to a hill (one of the only hills in northern Indiana) next to our small-town police station. Oh yes, there also happened to be a traffic light that we always seemed to hit red as we neared the crest. I can’t tell you how many red-yellow-green lights we sat through as we were “admonished” not to grind the gears or burn out the clutch. The small, but curious crowds that always gathered must have thought that my mother was extremely patient or slightly crazy to be put through such humilation. Those were great moments. I would recommend that type of experience for any parent…just wouldn’t recommend the Pinto.
Sweet!
I’d kinda like a truck, too!
Randy, I just read your comment. Believe it or not I also learned to drive on a manual transmission Pinto. Mine was a 76 dark green wagon. The year was 1985. I was so cool.
It seems rather … odd … to me that kids should routinely get vehicles on their sixteenth birthdays.
Hmm.
Real men drive standards.
Great truck post. I was surfing on google and found your site. SS