A friend shared an idea with me a Christmas time that stuck with me. He said that we should give the gift of a skill rather than something we buy from the store. Well, I gave my Grandson a Nintendo gift card, but I also told him I was going to teach him how to shift the 914. He’s only 14. His dad has given him some driving lessons in their truck on gravel roads while out hunting, so he was comfortable behind the wheel already.

On Christmas Day it was snowing in Seattle, so all we did was sit in the car and practice the shift pattern and pressing in the clutch. Still he was happy. Finely, this morning the weather was good and both of our schedules fit.

We did an hour of starts and stops. He was very gentle with the throttle so we didn’t have too many neck breaking events. Overall he did great and I had a blast! He even shifted into second a few times. I’m going to need to find a longer empty road for the next lesson.

He had to ask me if we could quit because his leg was tired. It’s funny, but he’s the only other person who has driven my car.

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Love the idea!

Great job.

yup..I'm getting ready to do the same with my grandson...all though his only 8

Very cool Billy...good on you!

Tony

Nice work. Seems like a good kid. Keep it up.

Good job ! Funny how the times have changed. The family vehicle when I learned to drive was a Corvair Monza 4 speed. I never thought twice about using the clutch.

Great idea. I tried that with my niece but she never really caught on to it.

Must have felt strange sitting in the passenger seat.

priceless gift. Life skill to drive a manual transmission.

My son is 12 and I get him to shift my 911 from the passenger seat. That's how I started.

I still remember learning on a VW microbus! Great fun. When we taught my son, it was also a special event.

The simple things that makes everything better.

Thanks for sharing.

You were far kinder teaching on a flat on trafficked road. My dad took me out for the first time in a 67 beetle. After stalling it about 15 times finally started getting the hang of it until... we were on a busy two lane road that went up a slight rise to a stop sign onto another busy two lane road. In a sheer panic I stalled it about 20 times (he didn’t tell me to use the handbrake to keep from rolling back). Meanwhile about20 cars were impatiently waiting behind me, including a Sheriff car right behind me which I was slowly rolling back into. Hopefully they were feeling some of my pain. At one point I said, dad you drive! He responded, you will do it. Since we are not still sitting there stalling it right now...

Like the OP stated, sharing and experience or a skill is the greatest gift. My dad shared a skill, faith in my ability and above all patience.

Good on ya Bill!

Although both our kids initially learned to drive in our 88 Westy, which is an automatic, I also took them both out to learn the stick in our 85 BMW 325e too, which my son picked up easily, while my daughter continued her lessons with her then boyfriend/now hubby. Then later they "shared" a stick shift 88 Honda Civic Hatchback, which is now our son's car - actually now his wife's since August when he got his Tesla S.

It just cracks me up when I hear on the news that some bumbling car thief tried to steal some high end Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche, etc. - but left it cuz they couldn't drive a stick!


Yes the modern autos are better, more fuel efficient & shift much quicker than a human - but the stick shifting skill is still good to have!

... as is parallel parking, which I have heard is no longer on the CA driver's test!

So there's your next "gift", teach him how to parallel park properly.


Tom
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Nice Billy! This is an experience I'll bet your grandson (and you) will never forget.

Nice!
I bet he's looking forward to the next lesson.
I'm sure he thinks that the 914 is the coolest car, and he's right

I had my daughter shift from the passenger seat when she was 10 in the Joshua Tree National Park.

Now at 16, she's learning how to drive with the family car but I can't wait to put her behind the wheel of the 914.

I learned at 7 on a 74 Ford pickup in the hay field, because I was the only one too small to throw a hay bale onto the trailer. 1st gear, clutch, let off, clutch, let off for several hundred bales. Continued a couple years later on the new truck with shifting from the center seat when my dad had shoulder surgery. He'd rarely tell me when to shift or to what gear, even at night...I was supposed to learn.

My wife, before she was my wife, learned when she moved to Italy. Her sponsor was nice enough to teach her because finding a MT car was much easier than an auto.

Kids will probably start learning in a few years on my Jeep.

Good Idea!

I look forward to passing on the skill..And a few grinds! Stock tailshifter can't be more vague than just about anything.. Like a knife in butter.. "somewhere over here you'll find a gear - maybe 2nd, maybe 4th.. hopefully not reverse!"

Thank you for the example.