Reading over the posts, I'm surprised at the number of spouses/significant others -- mostly female -- who can't drive a stick, and how that affected the decision on the Mini. So, a couple of questions:

1) Can your spouse drive a manual;

2) If not, would you consider teaching her on the Mini?

To answer my own question, both DH & I can drive manual (although he wasn't allowed to drive the Mini until after 1000 miles ). I would consider teaching my nieces and nephews on the Mini because I find the shifting very crisp -- but only after I put a good many miles on it.

 

My significant other cannot drive a stick, and refuses to learn, even if that means not having any transportation.

Now my two young daughters, 20 and 18, both cannot drive a stick, but I have taken each of them to an empty parking lot in my old 02 MCS and I have put them through one lesson each. My other car is a 71 Triumph TR6 and I would teach them on that also, except that car is physically a bit different than a modern car and that makes it a bit more difficult to master the skill. And learning to drive a stick works best when the driver is relaxed so the TR6 is not the way to go.....unless they want to learn on that car!

 

My wife can't drive a manual but she wants to learn on my BMW. That car is actually easy to drive because it has a light clutch, a good shifter, and plenty of torque off idle.

My 58 year old mom can drive a clutch and is rather good at it. She did own a Saab 900 with a 5-speed for ten years, so that helped.

 

My wife can drive stick. If she didn't a Cooper would be great for learning. Not so sure about a Cooper-S.

 

My wife can drive a manual, her MINI is an auto.

I taught my daughter how to drive a manual and then gave her a car with a manual transmission and she drove it for three years. I took that car back, sold it, and gave her a better, newer car with a manual and she drove that car for over two years until it caught fire.

I’m on my third MINI; the first two were manuals, this one is an automatic and I love it. I miss shifting, except for that daily commute.

If my wife or daughter couldn’t drive a manual I would consider teaching either in a MINI.

 

My wife loves riding stick.

 

My girl has a 6speed Jetta GLI. I can't imagine getting along with someone who refuses to learn stick, let alone marry them. I'm not letting my kids get a license without knowing how to drive stick. I'm not going to force them to have a manual car but they won't get away with not knowing how.

 

My wife says the manual tranny is FUN and wouldn't have a Mini unless it was a stick. Man, I love this woman!

 

I bought an 05 MCS w/ a six-speed manual. My wife can't drive a stick and doesn't want to learn. She tried once on my old Audi A4 and ended up crying.

 

Over 80% of cars in the US are automatics. Car enthusiasts don't get it, but most people just want to get from A to B without making it too complicated.

 

Both my Husband and myself can drive Manual Transmissions, we just choose not to. He is now recovering from Full Knee Replacement Surgery on his left leg, the right one will need to be done as well so right now a Stick is not in our Future, if a little Hardtop Vert Bimmer were dropped off in our driveway, I wouldn't complain!!

Oh well...in PDX Traffic I don't really want one.

We don't have Kids at home so teaching someone is not going to be an issue.

 

Timely topic! My wife had a 5-speed when I met her, met that criteria! After 17 years of marriage though, every car buying decision for me comes with arguments on why I need a manual! Just read in another post quite a few comments where the spouse issued an ultimatum of auto Mini or no Mini! I suspect that some stick entusuiasts have compromised based on their spouse's inability to drive a stick, but isn't that what marriage is about? However, car choice may be almost as important as spouse choice so maybe the spouse goes before the manual tranny goes! Well, I ended up buying the auto ('06 MCS), am learning to like it, but went and drove an '09 manual the other day and am waging a PR campaign at home on trading cars (but maybe not?).
Taught my 1st daughter how to drive a manual when she was 16, cried (both of us) the first few times out, but ended up loving it and then owned 2 manual tranny cars (Neon Sport Coupe, Mazda Protoge5). Daughter #2 is ready for drivers ed. classes, need to decide if I want her to learn stick, which would be the case if I trade the '06 for the '09. Like earlier post, having her learn may be a good idea regardless of what she drives in the future.

 

My spouse and I both drive manuals and would not have Minis without it. I have to teach two sons to drive a manual.

 

I taught my wife to drive a manual in the 1st car she ever owned. She still enjoys it once in a while, but prefers an automatic.

 

The majority of people don't go skydiving, mountain climbing, race their cars at the track, etc. Car enthusiasts "get it," they just prefer more interaction with the car ... more driving, less carrying.

 

...Oh, I'd personally never own or drive an automatic except under great duress. But if someone's interests lie elsewhere than in their car, I don't have a problem with them.

(Well, OK, the ones who have so little interest in cars that they'd rather talk on the phone or watch TV than pay attention to where they're driving, I have a problem with. They should take public transportation, so they can give their undivided attention to the activities that they actually do care about.)

 

The wife and I can both drive stick - I can't tell you how many dealers lots we have walked off of because a salesman looked at my wife - and said " maam, the automatic's are over here" ......

For the daily driver - hauling the kids around we have an automatic - for the fun car - we have the manual !!

 

My husband and I can both drive manuals as well. Out of all of the cars I have ever owned only 1 was an auto and that is only b.c the AWD model only came in an automatic.

I can't tell you how many times that has happened to me as well. Just b.c I am a girl doesn't mean I don't know how to drive a manual. When I explained to the one salesman that I was only looking for a DD so I could make my other car a full track car he kind of did this .

 

We both can drive a manual. I believe everyone should learn.

 

Absolutely - who knows when you will be forced to drive someones manual transmission car to get your friend home after a freak rock climbing incident (for example).

I've driven stick since I was 16 and my dad taught me in his Mazda MX-6.

My wife can drive stick when absolutely needed I suppose, she has driven our previous car a few times, but she'll need to learn once our manual JCW arrives in two months! I have been 3 years without a manual trans car and I really miss it.

BTW I keep telling my wife a woman who drives stick is hot - she doesn't seem to are.

 

My wife could drive a manual before we met. She preferrs an automatic but can drive a manual as well as anyone I have ever seen.
All three of my kids can and enjoy driving a manual. However only one of them even know another teen who can drive a manual.

 

That is crazy. I went to high school from 1996 - 2000 in a medium sized (30k population) town and most of the guys I hung out with in HS could drive a stick. Probably 25 percent of the girls in our high school class drove stick shift cars, mainly 10-15 y/o Accords and Civics.

 

I got a quick lesson on how to drive stick from my moms boyfriend in his toyota pickup a couple years ago, then didn't touch a manual until I bought my Mini in the end of March and picked it up again right away. I am single now, but I would absolutely teach a girl how to drive manual in this car. I actually have a friend who I might show how one day since she says she wants to learn

I wish more people would drive them :(

 

I learned on an automatic; if I had learned on a manual it would have taken twice as long with a whole lotta tears.

Didn't get a stick until almost 10 years later, because that's the car I could afford. Siblings gave me two lessons and away I chugged. I considered automatics when I was looking at used Minis ('cause that's mainly what was out there), but when I decided to buy new, I went with a stick and saved some bucks.

 

My significant other has the same attitude that I have--if it's an automatic, please just move along.

She drives a manual Countryman All4, I drive a manual MCS.