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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Random story about lowballers and non-manual-transmission-drivers

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May 4, 2010 12:55 p.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

So I'm working on my house last night when I hear someone in the front yard call for my attention.

I go out front and a guy asks me if I'm selling that car (he points to my '83 Z28 sitting by the curb).

I was in a good mood I guess, because I made the decision to tell him, "I'm not trying to, but I would sell it."

So of course, his next question is, "How much do you want for it?"

I reiterate and clarify, "I'm not trying to sell it, so I haven't put a price on it. You came to me asking if I'd sell it, you'll have to make me an offer. Keep in mind, it's a 5 speed, has a 350, headers, new radiator, new exhaust, new battery, new radiator, new water pump, new carburetor..."

He looks inside and says, "It's a SITCK?!"

I reply, "Yes...and that makes it a whole lot of fun to drive...it also makes it worth a little something to me be cause they're hard to find with a 5 speed."

He says, "Aw, man...I don't know how to drive a stick. Is it hard?"

I said, "It's not hard for me, I rather enjoy it and it makes the car about 100% more fun to drive."

He says, "So, if I give you a thousand will you sell it to me."

I siad, "Nope...you'd have to get to about three times that and we can talk more."

He moped off muttering something about seeing if his grandfather would be willing to teach him how to drive a stick.

Clem
May 4, 2010 12:57 p.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

It's funny to me that the features I most look for in a car (usually, the LACK of features) is way different than the general population.

I'm pretty sure he was excited it had T-tops. I tolerate them only because it has a 5 speed.

I wasn't offended by the guy...I just thought it was funny he approached me asking about a car that didn't have a for sale sign in it and then expected me to give him a price, even after I said I wouldn't.

Clem
May 4, 2010 1:00 p.m. Kia_racer Reader

I don;t understand why people don't learn to drive a manuel trans car. If you can drive a stick you can drive an auto but not vice-versa. They should teach it drivers-ed.
May 4, 2010 1:01 p.m. EastCoastMojo SuperDork

HA! I wonder if gramps laughed at him too.
May 4, 2010 1:03 p.m. DukeOfUndersteer SuperDork

HAHAHA!!
May 4, 2010 1:04 p.m. mtn SuperDork

Very first thing I look for on almost every car is if it has a stick shift. If not, I move on.
May 4, 2010 1:12 p.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork

ClemSparks wrote:

I reiterate and clarify, "I'm not trying to sell it, so I haven't put a price on it. You came to me asking if I'd sell it, you'll have to make me an offer. Keep in mind, it's a 5 speed, has a 350, headers, new radiator, new exhaust, new battery, new radiator, new water pump, new carburetor..."

That radiator must've been expensive.
May 4, 2010 2:03 p.m. WilD Reader

I'm still amazed whenever I meet someone who doesn't know how to drive a stick. Everyone in my family drives, or has driven a stick on a daily basis.

On a related note, I recently met someone who claimed to know how to drive a manual but was overselling her abilities somewhat. My wife didn't feel well, so had a friend drive her car home (my wife's car is a SAAB 9-3 with a six speed). I got home shortly after they did and was greeted by the strong odor of cooked clutch. I'm not sure how she managed to do that, since I have never smelled anything like that before even in my days of reckless hoonage. It took about a week for the smell to go away, but the car seems fine. I suspect she burned a few years off the life of the clutch, but I really don't know much about the affects of abuse like that.
May 4, 2010 2:05 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

WilD wrote: 9-3 = six

aUTOMOTIVE MATH IS AWESOME.
May 4, 2010 2:09 p.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork

I'm one of about eight people (in my extended family) of the last two generations who can drive a manual. One of four of my generation.
May 4, 2010 2:10 p.m. NGTD HalfDork

mtn wrote:

Very first thing I look for on almost every car is if it has a stick shift. If not, I move on.

Yup +1
May 4, 2010 4:00 p.m. skruffy Dork

The thing I find most perplexing is people that have driven manual transmission cars for decades and still suck at it. My aunt in law (who's basically my wife's mother, but that's another story) falls into that category. She's had a bunch of manual cars and every time I rode with in her RSX-S she was a jerky, clutch smoking, stalling mess behind the wheel. Until I drove it she'd never even had it above 3k rpm, since her dad taught her to shift at 10 mph increments past 25 or so. She was completely flabbergasted at how fast it was. She had that car from brand new to 60k or so miles and it was probably only ever in the "hot" cam the few times that I drove it.

A friend of mine is the same way. He even dropped his bike a few times by misjudging easy downshifts and locking up the rear wheel. He never really figured out the choke either, he'd pull into my driveway with the bike idling at 5k rpm all the time.
May 4, 2010 4:29 p.m. confuZion3 SuperDork

skruffy wrote:

The thing I find most perplexing is people that have driven manual transmission cars for decades and still suck at it. My aunt in law (who's basically my wife's mother, but that's another story) falls into that category. She's had a bunch of manual cars and every time I rode with in her RSX-S she was a jerky, clutch smoking, stalling mess behind the wheel. Until I drove it she'd never even had it above 3k rpm, since her dad taught her to shift at 10 mph increments past 25 or so. She was completely flabbergasted at how fast it was. She had that car from brand new to 60k or so miles and it was probably only ever in the "hot" cam the few times that I drove it.

A friend of mine is the same way. He even dropped his bike a few times by misjudging easy downshifts and locking up the rear wheel. He never really figured out the choke either, he'd pull into my driveway with the bike idling at 5k rpm all the time.

I am always amazed that a person could spend $35,000 on a machine and then never bother to read the owner's manual and try to figure out how to actually operate it! Seriously, even if you're not really interested in it, you should page through it and make sure you know a little about the machine you are operating!
May 4, 2010 5:23 p.m. Jensenman SuperDork

I'm amazed at the dearth of manual tranny cognitive folks too. I look at cars and see the stupid stuff put on them like door closure pulldowns (so you don't have to exert any effort to close the door), adaptive cruise control (so you don't have to worry about adjusting your speed to match traffic), double glass (so you don't have to listen to the sounds around you like ambulance sirens etc), add that to the gazillion 'labor saving' devices etc out there and I despair of the future of humanity. The majority of us are the laziest damn things ever to breathe. I am surprised that most people even have the get up and go to propagate the species.
May 4, 2010 5:41 p.m. monark192 New Reader

Way back when I was learning to drive in the UK, there were different license classes - if you took your test in an automatic, then that was all your were licensed to drive. Luckily, they realised that if you could pass the test in a stick, then you were good to go on an automatic.
May 4, 2010 6:20 p.m. thedude Reader

On the bright side, a friend I know always drives a manual and the one time driving with them in an auto they had trouble working it. At least, I take that as good.
May 4, 2010 6:21 p.m. mtn SuperDork

thedude wrote:

On the bright side, a friend I know always drives a manual and the one time driving with them in an auto they had trouble working it. At least, I take that as good.

My girlfriend states that I am one of the best drivers she's ever ridden with when in a manual. The opposite is true when its an automatic. I don't like the feeling of always moving forward, get punchy on the breaks, and its just jerky all the way around.
May 4, 2010 6:31 p.m. Kia_racer Reader

mtn wrote:

thedude wrote:

On the bright side, a friend I know always drives a manual and the one time driving with them in an auto they had trouble working it. At least, I take that as good.

My girlfriend states that I am one of the best drivers she's ever ridden with when in a manual. The opposite is true when its an automatic. I don't like the feeling of always moving forward, get punchy on the breaks, and its just jerky all the way around.

Same here. Plus I try to break the floor with my left foot when I try to start the car.
May 4, 2010 6:32 p.m. mrhappy New Reader

The last time I drove an automatic I stuffed my foot down on the clutch and bounced my face off the steering wheel. Haha
May 4, 2010 6:42 p.m. ignorant SuperDork

Jensenman wrote:

The majority of us are the laziest damn things ever to breathe.

people said the same thing about those who used a car instead of a horse...

btw.. I believe laziness breeds innovation..
May 4, 2010 6:52 p.m. mtn SuperDork

ignorant wrote:

Jensenman wrote:

The majority of us are the laziest damn things ever to breathe.

people said the same thing about those who used a car instead of a horse...

The difference is that those innovations Jensenman mentioned don't increase productivity...
May 4, 2010 6:56 p.m. Appleseed SuperDork

If you want to know the easiest way to do some thing, ask a lazy person.
May 4, 2010 6:56 p.m. MrJoshua SuperDork

Actually a grand is really high for drive by lowballers.
May 4, 2010 6:56 p.m. oldsaw Dork

Automatic transmissions are great for practicing left-foot braking.

I rarely use LFB in the Honda's on the street, unless its' for a familiar corner with no other traffic. But, it is second nature in the truck (w/auto); so much so that putting the right foot on the brake pedal is damn awkward.
May 4, 2010 7:03 p.m. RX Reven' Reader

You never said exactly how much you want for it.

If it has needed all those repairs, it'll probably need more soon so you'll want to think about that before you set your price if you want it to sell quickly.

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