As soon as you leave the “econo-box” class of cars, manual transmissions just disappear. I would love a Hyundai Sonata - no manual transmissions available around here. Okay, maybe a Mazda 6 - oh, no manual transmissions. Hm, how about a Camry? Nope, no manuals. Just cause we want to get a car that will be comfortable enough for our eight hour road trips doesn’t mean that we want to stop driving stick. We like driving stick. It’s fun for us. Car makin’ poopyheads.
And those of you who are lucky enough to live in an area where manual transmission Sonatas are plentiful, good for you. I’ve been looking in the Calgary area for almost a year now, and they just don’t exist here.
My next car is going to be a manual transmission as well. In fact, that’s one of the “deal breakers” for my next car. If it’s an automatic transmission, I’m not interested.
The other “deal breaker” on my next car is body type. If it’s a sedan, I’m moving on. I wants me a coupe!
The manual transmission is a deal-breaker for me, too. I gave the automatic Sonata a try to be fair, but damn, that was sluggish. I likes me some pep in my ride.
Agreed. They’re more fun to drive, plus you have more control on ice and stuff. My car right now is the closest I could get to an offroad 4WD sportscar, and I LOOOOOOVE the 5 speed tranny.
Manual guy checking in. I want to pick which gear I’m in, not have some car company do it for me. When I bought my last vehicle (one of the smaller SUVs), I had to wait a *looooooong *time until a stick was available. Makes it a little tougher to use the cell phone on surface streets, but you probably shouldn’t be doing that anyway…
Yep, this issue was a pain in the ass when I was shopping for my used Sentra last year. In fact, a quick query of the CarMax database for used cars in the $14,000-16,000 price range, in this area, returns 69 vehicles … of which 7 are manuals. A search for a Mazda6 – any year, any price – returns 77 vehicles, of which a whopping 4 are manuals.
There is, however, one Hyundai Sonata (of 58) with a manual transmission: it’s a silver '01, with 62k miles. It’s in Houston, Texas. :rolleyes:
That’s why I keep driving Honda Civics. The last time out I wanted to move up to an Accord but since I was looking for used, I could find no manuals.
I read an article a few years ago that stated since the demand for manuals diminishes more and more every year model, they will probably disappear altogether in the near future except with the very high-end sports cars.
My mother told me decades ago that I would hate a manual as soon as I started commuting in heavy traffic, due to the constant shifting. In fact, the opposite is true - I got tired of braking at the exact same moment my car decided it was time to upshift. So annoying. I don’t like it when something with no brain is in charge of the situation (same reason I’ve never owned a self-propelled mower).
We’ve got a new Toyota Isis (what’s its called in Japan - who knows what it’s called in other places?!) and it is kind of half manual and half automatic. It is automatic in default mode but you can override that with a switch and change it to manual - you get five gears in the right places at the bottom of the drive shift stick. But there is no clutch.
My husband thinks this is great, and it sold the car for him (that and optional 4WD which we need for our harsh climate.) However the car is a week old so I haven’t tried it yet. If it does prove easy to use then I shall convert to “manual” for winter driving.
I just like it because its a pretty colour (“computer screen blue”)
I searched and searched for a Maxima with a 5 or 6 speed. Finally found one and then the dealer played games after the deal was made. Ended up with a BMW 7 series with an auto (but it acts like a manual). You can find Nissan Maximas with the manual “option” (ha ha), but they are scarce. Try that instead of the Hyundai.
Next car will be a manual. Preferably a 04 BMW M5 6-speed. Lots o’fun!
I have a manual '98 Mazda 626. Bought it new when I moved to Denver. They didn’t have any in Denver when I bought it, it had to be driven up from Colorado Springs. I love my manual, even in heavy traffic.
Can’t fathom driving an automatic every day. In fact, I paid an extra several hundred bucks to get my 2002 Corvette in manual. Can you believe they charge MORE for standard?
If you want a manual, you can probably find a Civic (as lorinada already mentioned), or you’ll have to go for something sportier (think Mini or similar) - the vast majority of sporty cars will be manuals. You can also look for a Subaru. I used to have a Subaru Impreza - there are many, many used Imprezas around that are manuals.
Yup, I suspect that is indeed how things are going. These last two cars of ours might be the last manual transmission cars we ever drive, and that will be sad. I like having and using a skill that took some time and effort to master.
It isn’t actually the constant shifting that’s a pain in the butt for commuting - it’s the creeping for half an hour with your foot on the clutch. After doing that once or twice when there was an accident or something, I would get out of my car at work and my left leg would be shaking.
I paid extra for a manual in my RX-8 also. The dealership didn’t even have any automatics in stock when I bought mine (not that I wanted anything other than a manual.)
Bingo. I enjoy manuals, but because of the awful clutch riding you have to do in heavy traffic, I will never own one if I live in a major city where I have to commute.
Oh lord, the lack of sticks makes me weep sometimes. Especially now that I’m pregnant with twins; just try finding a station wagon with a stick, they don’t exist. We have a RAV4, which will do just fine, but we were hoping to replace my Ranger pickup with something that could also be used to transport the chilluns. Ain’t gonna happen. Le sigh.