@kmccune
So which of the three genders are we talking about who are hard on clutches ? My wife, daughter, a female friend and all the women I know who drive standards are excellent manual shifters. This IS Mother’s Day Kevin.
Man
Woman
Teenager . . . ?
Seriously though, it really depends on what you grow up with and how you were taught. We only had manuals in every car we owned while our kids were at home and driving our vehicles. The first auto we had as a third car, my wife for work and I for night travel refereeing games insisted using it because I got so darn tired driving home. My daughter always got my manual truck for school and weekends as a result. She drove it excellently as did my wife. My kids always ask me for my wife’s car when she wasn’t around because they liked her brand new Accord manual and knew she wouldn’t let them have it. But, I trusted them implicitly and would let them have it which irritated my wife a little. If I didn’t, it didn’t say much for how well they were taught to drive manuals which was my job. Plus, even though they were careful, they liked posing around town in it. Kids have to be trusted to be trustworthy.
Driving a manual is like learning to swim. You need to be taught correctly and you need to do it often.
Key info missing:
Has the OP ever ridden with the borrower to see how well she drives?
I would never loan my car (or any other device requiring substantial skill) without observing that they are competent.
Three genders? How 20th century. We’re in the transgender era (per Wiki):
“Transgender is independent of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual.”
Wouldn’t want to be in that last category . . .
The only clutch I ever wore out was on my '89 Toyota pickup, after 295,000 miles. My daughter had actually been driving it for perhaps the last 10,000 of that 295,000 miles, and it’s the vehicle I taught both of my kids to drive manuals on, but I have absolutely no problem “writing it off” to simple normal wear.
I had to replace the clutch in my '72 Vega too… when I changed the transmission… which decided to seperate itself from the bellhousing all by itself. NOTHING on that car was put together well… and it’s too bad, too, 'cause I actually liked the car. I just couldn’t TRUST the car. Got rid of it when the rear axle (RWD) decided to separate itself from the “C” clip in the differential and slide out of the axle housing. That was scary!
My wife is tone deaf so badly that she can’t tell if the engine is racing or idling. Way back ( waaaaay back ) in the high school year she attempted to drive a drunk friend home in the friend’s car, yep , a stick, and just like this instance there was no clutch left at the end of it all. ( I told her I could teach her ‘‘by the numbers’’ but she doesn’t want to try. She’s so tone deaf she can’t hear the …BEAT ! )
My daughter , on the other hand…
learned manual on her first truck, an used GSA motor pool Ranger I picked up for a song and repainted. I never even snapped that it could be a problem. I knew she didn’t ‘‘already’’ know but that we would learn together as 18 year old father/daughter time.
Guess what ? it worked. Great idea ! Also taught her to change oil, plugs, belts, tires, and other handy DIY stuff .
— if you’ve ever wondered what makes good quality time with older teens…there ya’ go…CAR stuff !