Letting spouse drive

[mikool]

Am I really going to be the first one to say this? Oh well...

My girl drives stick...from the passenger seat...in my AT.

#ifyouknowwhatimean.jpg


ANYWAY, I don't think anyone here assumes women can't drive MT, this is pretty much typical guy jokes and most women don't bother learning because it's just not their thing. Specially in a generation with almost every car being released in AT, it's just more convenient for non car people.

[trvth]

My 16-year-old daughter has only driven MT. She went with me on all the test drives and enjoyed them (except for the back seat of the '15 Mustang), and drove the FR-S within a few days of purchase. It may be my mid-life crisis mobile, but it is still just (insured, warrantied) hardware.

I realize now that I should have signed her up for the AutoX course I took shortly after purchase; I'll fix that next spring. The car's more fun when you have someone who shares your appreciation for the car.

[Bergen23]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Drive it? Hell, she won't even ride in it.
"It's too low I can't get in and out"
"It's too small and we are going to get run over by a truck"
"It's too bumpy"
"It's too loud"
"People are staring at me" (Not the car just her)
"Slowdownslowdownslowdownslowdownaaaaaaggggghhhhhh whydidyoudothatwhydidyoudothatdon'tdoitagainletmeo utIamnotridinginthereagainslowdownslowdownohnorail roadtrackswearegoingtodiedon'tdothatletmeout"

My girlfriend has gone from dreading going out in my car, to the point that she would beg me to take my truck. To begging to go on drives to no where. It's awesome, she also always reminds me to downshift through tunnels, and anywhere with tall walls/buildings to each side of the car.

[JazzleSAURUS]

Luckily my GF's dad taught her how to drive stick, so I helped her hone the skill in my FXT, (Built, coils, STi 6MT, sways, etc.)

She likes it on short trips but it's an uncomfortable car for those motion sensitive.

She loves the BRZ, though she hasn't driven it yet.

[SisterBlue22]

Originally Posted by trvth

My 16-year-old daughter has only driven MT. She went with me on all the test drives and enjoyed them (except for the back seat of the '15 Mustang), and drove the FR-S within a few days of purchase. It may be my mid-life crisis mobile, but it is still just (insured, warrantied) hardware.

I realize now that I should have signed her up for the AutoX course I took shortly after purchase; I'll fix that next spring. The car's more fun when you have someone who shares your appreciation for the car.

We have the Bondurant Driving School here in Phoenix, and they have some awesome classes for teens (and adult drivers too!)...everything from teaching newer drivers how to handle a skid in the "skid car" (equipped with outriggers), to defensive driving classes for insurance, to race classes, and they also teach bodyguards and chauffeurs, as well as law enforcement.

It's an awesome facility, and I was lucky enough years ago to ride with Mr. Bondurant himself in the passenger seat of his personal Vette for some hot laps. My dad used to street race Vettes in the early 60's, and he got to take one of the "race experience" classes on the track a few years back and he had a total blast.

[Talus1]

My wife learned to drive stick in an old truck as a kid but hadn't driven one in years until we got married. She "relearned" in my 323 GTX turbo. It took a little while before she was comfortable and confident. She did better when she was alone in the car. I know I did better when she was alone in the car...

She was never that worried about damaging the car, she was just being hard on herself about her skills. She really only got freaked out when we bought our first "expensive" car, a Saab 900 (MT). She took the Saab to a skid school in Toronto and had a great time. That really helped her confidence with overall car handling.

We have always had two cars and, until a month ago, they were always manual. I like driving more than she does, so I have always driven "her" car more than she has, but she is just as comfortable taking the BRZ out as she is her car. (Maybe that is overstating it. Her car is MUCH more comfortable than mine).

[morbius]

Basically the only thing I've been seeing in this thread is

"Women can't drive/drive poorly and complain a lot and don't know jack about cars."

Which means that this entire forum is actually a time machine back to when women didn't have the right to vote. Come on people, you're better than this.

[kthxbai]

10 years ago, my husband taught me how to drive his '05 tC while we were dating for safety; in the event that we are out and he has had too many drinks to safely drive home. After several weeks of being scared of stopping and starting on a hill, asking him "is that burning smell normal", the e-brake miraculously being activated instead of rolling into the car behind me, and endless constructive criticism I finally got comfortable driving on the rare occasion.

When I got my FRS, I wanted to get it in M/T because driving the tC was really fun. I did not drive the FRS for the first 3 weeks of ownership because the clutch was so different and I went back to being scared of messing the car up. Fast forward nearly 2.5 years of ownership my husband continues to teach me today. My newest skill that I have learned over the past year is heel-toeing while downshifting. I don't use it all the time because it is just not necessary, but I have been able to put a smile on my husbands face when I heel-toe to take a clear corner a little more aggressively than usual.

To the gents that have tried to teach their spouse how to drive M/T and have failed I still commend you just as much as those who have succeeded. Continue to encourage and keep your criticism constructive, you may surprise yourself in the end.

I know I am going to get flamed for saying this but at least the comments could be entertaining to read! Stereotypes do exist for a reason, but two of the most popular don't apply to me. I'm an Asian female driver and bad driving is not in my vocabulary. You don't have to believe me, I will still smile at you from my rear view mirror any day.

[morbius]

Originally Posted by kthxbai

10 years ago, my husband taught me how to drive his '05 tC while we were dating for safety; in the event that we are out and he has had too many drinks to safely drive home. After several weeks of being scared of stopping and starting on a hill, asking him "is that burning smell normal", the e-brake miraculously being activated instead of rolling into the car behind me, and endless constructive criticism I finally got comfortable driving on the rare occasion.

When I got my FRS, I wanted to get it in M/T because driving the tC was really fun. I did not drive the FRS for the first 3 weeks of ownership because the clutch was so different and I went back to being scared of messing the car up. Fast forward nearly 2.5 years of ownership my husband continues to teach me today. My newest skill that I have learned over the past year is heel-toeing while downshifting. I don't use it all the time because it is just not necessary, but I have been able to put a smile on my husbands face when I heel-toe to take a clear corner a little more aggressively than usual.

To the gents that have tried to teach their spouse how to drive M/T and have failed I still commend you just as much as those who have succeeded. Continue to encourage and keep your criticism constructive, you may surprise yourself in the end.

I know I am going to get flamed for saying this but at least the comments could be entertaining to read! Stereotypes do exist for a reason, but two of the most popular don't apply to me. I'm an Asian female driver and bad driving is not in my vocabulary. You don't have to believe me, I will still smile at you from my rear view mirror any day.

Stereotypes don't exist for a reason -- the USED to exist for a reason, but effectively don't apply to the majority of people, which is why they're called stereotypes. In 2015, they're lazy and offensive. But go you girl for defying them!

[SisterBlue22]

Originally Posted by morbius

Basically the only thing I've been seeing in this thread is

"Women can't drive/drive poorly and complain a lot and don't know jack about cars."

Which means that this entire forum is actually a time machine back to when women didn't have the right to vote. Come on people, you're better than this.

Yeah, this thread is constant amusement for me, from the very title, "Letting spouse drive". I think it's so cute how these guys "let" their wives do this and that. Even drive their very special cars! Their wives must be SO happy to be allowed to do such fun things in life!

[morbius]

Originally Posted by SisterBlue22

Yeah, this thread is constant amusement for me, from the very title, "Letting spouse drive". I think it's so cute how these guys "let" their wives do this and that. Even drive their very special cars! Their wives must be SO happy to be allowed to do such fun things in life!

It reminds me of this, frankly:



Looks like some guys have been watching a bit too much Mad Men Remember boys:

[Bergen23]

Originally Posted by SisterBlue22

Yeah, this thread is constant amusement for me, from the very title, "Letting spouse drive". I think it's so cute how these guys "let" their wives do this and that. Even drive their very special cars! Their wives must be SO happy to be allowed to do such fun things in life!

I'm constantly offering to let my girlfriend drive my "very special car", given how I'd like to see her get a full license in the next year or so. It's her that refuses to drive my "very special car" because she doesn't want to break anything, given that she has, oh, maybe 4 hours total driving in her life.

[morbius]

Originally Posted by Bergen23

I'm constantly offering to let my girlfriend drive my "very special car", given how I'd like to see her get a full license in the next year or so. It's her that refuses to drive my "very special car" because she doesn't want to break anything, given that she has, oh, maybe 4 hours total driving in her life.

Your situation is different from the people that are posting on this thread -- most of them are l33t JDM tun3rz who somehow think that women (their SPOUSES no less) are ill-equipped or not capable of handling their 1337 JDM br4h_y0 vehicles properly. And then they blame women for not being exposed to car culture at an early age, citing the same old disproven adage "stereotypes exist for a reason" when in reality it's an entirely societal issue that needs to be resolved by making gender roles as insignificant as possible and encouraging parents to let their girls get hands on with mechanical things at an early age.

[Cmorris8848]

Originally Posted by morbius

Your situation is different from the people that are posting on this thread -- most of them are l33t JDM tun3rz who somehow think that women (their SPOUSES no less) are ill-equipped or not capable of handling their 1337 JDM br4h_y0 vehicles properly. And then they blame women for not being exposed to car culture at an early age, citing the same old disproven adage "stereotypes exist for a reason" when in reality it's an entirely societal issue that needs to be resolved by making gender roles as insignificant as possible and encouraging parents to let their girls get hands on with mechanical things at an early age.

I apologize, but that adage has never been and will never be disproven. Stereotypes do exist for a reason. Even if they evolve over time into something different, they still exist. Many people tend to break the stereotypical mold nowadays, but more people fit the mold. It's the way humans are and always will be.