The manual transmission is starting to go the way of the dodo, although there are still several new cars, trucks, and SUVs you can buy that have a stick shift — and, of course, used options abound.

Proper off-roading is an art that takes time and lots of experience to master. But of all the environments any adventurer can encounter on the trail, sand can be one of the trickiest and most complex.

When most people learn to drive a manual transmission, they're worried about stalling the engine at a traffic light. When I learned how to drive a manual, an instructor was telling me over a ...