We can't blame the love boat people on this one

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Many, if not most Americans these days can’t operate a vehicle with a manual transmission.
Probably just because manual transmissions are kind of rare these days in the US. I'd bet most Americans have never even been in a car with a manual transmission. I learned to drive stick on my way home from a car dealership when I was 20... It really wasn't the big deal some people make it out to be. The one thing that sucks about stick is you need your right hand free to drive. I remember that being kind of annoying.

I bet in 20 more years (or maybe 30) some guy will be posting online about how weird it is to drive a car with a steering wheel.
 
Probably just because manual transmissions are kind of rare these days in the US. I'd bet most Americans have never even been in a car with a manual transmission. I learned to drive stick on my way home from a car dealership when I was 20... It really wasn't the big deal some people make it out to be. The one thing that sucks about stick is you need your right hand free to drive. I remember that being kind of annoying.

I bet in 20 more years (or maybe 30) some guy will be posting online about how weird it is to drive a car with a steering wheel.

It is not a big deal, but there’s nothing instant gratification about it. Most folks don’t want to get to know a vehicle. Ex. What is the engine telling you (time to shift up or down)? Monitoring gauges? They just want to get in, drive down the road, and text away. Driving a vehicle with manual transmission can be work, especially in heavy traffic.

Lol. You’re probably not far off on that.
 
Many, if not most Americans these days can’t operate a vehicle with a manual transmission. Sure...there are exceptions (most that started driving before automatic transmissions were the norm), but give it 10 or 20 years...I bet the percentage will be down to single digits.
Yeah, my daughter can't. I suggested that she needs to learn now that her hubby has his jeep, but that's not happening. I don't know if it's she's not up to it, or he's afraid of what will happen, or if it's not out of the shop enough.

I remember driving into town with a double-clutch Ford. I wish I'd written down the stories of my granddads with their first cars. One of them killed a good mule pulling it to try to start it.
 
Two words: roll bars

Army jeeps don't have them? Seems short sighted.

Nope - not that one. I was the radio guy in the back and remember thinking I could squeeze down on the deck and possibly the radio would be a roll bar. This was a very long time ago! Also no seat belts in those days so getting tossed out was a distinct possibility.
 
I wonder why people do a lot of things. They probably just want the look and experience of a jeep, to ride in the wind without a top.

When I was on the big island in Hawaii there were lots of people who rented the standard 2WD Jeeps just for that reason... Tour around in the wind without a top. Obviously they were unaware that you go from sunshine at sea level to clouds and rain up the volcano/mountains in a matter of minutes or from arid dry at sea level on the west side of island to pouring rain at sea level on the east side. Can't count how many times I watched people pulling over in their rental Jeeps to close up their tops as they drove into and out of rain multiple times a day, which finally leads to leaving the top up all the time. Sounds like a great idea but not so great in practice in Hawaii.
 
I remember one evening meeting at my parents' home for a family cookout when a call came in about cattle loose, so we hurried out in two vehicles. My brother drove one, and ran along on foot, and we put the cattle back - then saw that dad had buried his Bronco in playa lake mud of an old bison waller. My bro and I hurried to farm HQ to get a tractor, drove it ten miles to the lake, and buried it. We hurried back to HQ to get the biggest tractor with extra wheels, drove it to the lake, and buried it! A thunderstorm was closing so we gave up, went home, and dreamed about seeing parts of the fleet sticking out of the water the next morning. When we got back to the lake the next day, we discovered that the rain had failed leaving high ground dry and dad had hired a county road grader to come out with a cable. It still took several tries over many hours as the cable eyes were pulling apart. I carried the wrenches to repair the cable, retreating on pull attempts in case the cable snapped, then rushing in to repair the eyes each time. The grader was using everything it had, twisting its body left and right to vary traction, and after several tries finally pulled the biggest tractor out of the lake bed, then the smaller one, and easily the Bronco. We spent the rest of the day washing lake mud out of the tractor wheels.
That story reminds me of the old song that starts out, "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly..." :D
 
Virtually any Jeep you'd rent almost anywhere is the cheaper 2WD version. True 4WD Jeeps cost a small fortune to rent because they know what people are going to try to do with them. I don't know of any national rental company that rents true 4WD Jeeps... Have to go with local boutique/specialty car rentals to get one.
We rented many time with Alamo/National out in the Western half of the US and deliberately got things that actively-spun all four corners. There has been much desert "roading" of Montero-Sports, Chevy Trailblazers, Wrangler Unlimiteds, Nissan Xterras, Grand Cherokees, etc. over the years. Always brought them back un-harmed (if a bit dusty and once a tad muddy).

My favorite was, without advance fore-knowledge of what we were getting into, leaving the Race-Track in Death Valley in a Chevy Trailblazer XL and heading over the Lippencot Grade (& Recommended Route: Racetrack Valley, Lippincott Pass, Saline Valley) into Saline Valley and then out to Panamint. My wife got out and walked half-way through; My 18moth old son was singing away happily. I blame not believing the "Warning" sign on years of the NPS playing Nanny everywhere else - in DVNP, they aren't kidding.
Lippencott-Pass-sign.jpg
 
I love when idiots get bogged on the beach and have to pay outrageously to get pulled out.

Hint: Let some air out of the tires.

No kidding! I've taken my 2000 F-250 (non-dually) out on soft beach sand, air down to 5 psi and cruise around all day. LOL

Which begs the question: Why pay more for a 2WD jeep than a car?

Because that's how Ken and Barbie do it in Florida.... Style baby! :rofl3:

But in all seriousness, I can't believe what those folks did... so sad. I'm not familiar with that area, is the beach marked with signs stating Turtle Nesting Area?
 
I'm not familiar with that area, is the beach marked with signs stating Turtle Nesting Area?
On the road, yes. Not down on the sand as no vehicles are supposed to be down there at all.
No kidding! I've taken my 2000 F-250 (non-dually) out on soft beach sand, air down to 5 psi and cruise around all day. LOL
To 5 psi?! I'd be afraid of losing a seal. I guess you carry a tank or compressor to air them back up before getting on the road.
 
You can drive on the beach about 50 miles past this sign, if conditions allow. Vehicles and turtles get along in Texas.
Beach.jpg
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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