I learned stick on my friend's 1978 Jeep back in high school, but I wasn't great at it. My first few weeks in France, I was pretty rough on that poor little Citroen. But I got the hang of it and now it comes back pretty quickly any time I need to.
Oh yeah!
In 8th grade a senior who lived close to us let me ride with her to school since the middle and high schools were next to each other (I think my parents paid her, maybe, so I was probably income in her eyes). I knew how to drive a little bit, but not a stick. One day she stopped for gas and for some reason at the counter she asked me to go start her car. I couldn't crank it, because I didn't know about engaging the clutch to turn the engine over. I sat there turning the key, mystified and embarrassed. I had the sense I was doing something wrong and the battery wasn't dead or something like that, but I had to go tell her I couldn't do it. She rolled her eyes and told me nevermind.
She was pretty cute and iirc I had a decent sized crush on her, so that was all very irritating to me and I vowed I would not let myself remain helpless with half the world's car population, should I ever be called upon again.
I mentioned elsewhere the 64 1/2 Mustang my friend's dad got him, which was about a year after that, and I learned a little bit on that thing, but it wasn't the most helpful because that car didn't seem to care what you did with the clutch. It just
went.....you could grind a gear and you could spin tires and you could get very little movement for the amount of gas you gave it....but you couldn't really kill the engine by not knowing what you were doing. So it wasn't the best teacher. After a year with my first car, an '86 Crown Vic in my junior year, I got a new car for my senior year and I begged my dad for a manual so I'd have to learn to drive one.
Kept that car for about 7 or 8 years and you're correct, it's like riding a bike. Never had any problems in recent times when I have to drive someone else's stick. It comes back to me with no problems.
