Getting a free loaner car from a dealership usually feels like a win.
You drop your vehicle off for repairs, grab the keys to a temporary replacement, and go about your day. Simple.
That wasn’t the case for one Mini owner whose dealership visit quickly turned into an unexpected driving lesson.
She was thrilled to get a loaner, until she realized it came with something many younger drivers have never used before: a manual transmission.
Her Original Car Had A Major Problem
@mazerlazer_I was so confused 🤣
TikTok creator Maze (@mazerlazer_) explained that she brought her personal Mini to the dealership after its drive belt snapped.
She was already heading there to get the belt replaced when the issue happened.
Thankfully, the dealership offered her a loaner vehicle while repairs were being handled.
At first, that seemed like good news.
The Loaner Wouldn’t Start
After getting into the loaner Mini Cooper, Maze tried starting it, but instead of the engine firing up, she was greeted by warning chimes.
Confused, she tried again. Still nothing.
Then She Noticed The Third Pedal
Someone off-camera noticed something unusual.
“Is that the parking brake down there?”
That’s when Maze looked down and had an even bigger realization.
“Wait… why are there three pedals?”
The dealership had handed her the keys to a manual transmission car.
Staff Had To Explain It
Maze went back inside the dealership to ask what was going on.
When she returned, she explained that dealership staff confirmed the car was indeed a stick shift.
Employees reportedly told her she simply needed to press the clutch pedal before starting the car.
That solved the starting issue, but driving it was another story.
She Tried Learning On The Fly
Maze admitted neither she nor her passenger really knew how to drive a manual.
Her passenger said his dad tried teaching him years ago, but it didn’t stick (pun totally intended).
Maze then watched a quick Google tutorial before attempting to drive the car.
That may not be the ideal way to learn manual transmission basics.
Manual Cars Are Becoming Rare
Manual transmissions continue to disappear in the U.S. market.
According to Lookupaplate, only 3.7% of registered vehicles in America currently use manual transmissions.
That works out to roughly 7.7 million vehicles compared to more than 200 million automatics.
This rarity is exactly why many viewers were shocked a dealership would hand out a manual loaner without first asking whether the customer could actually drive it.