# Who else drives a manual transmission by choice...or am I the only one left??? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716 "2012-12-21T07:25:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/1 "2012-12-21T07:25:20Z")
Every time someone rides in either of my vehicles for the first time, they are surprised that I “still” choose a manual transmission (aka- ‘stick shift’). Apparently, I am the only person that many of these people know who still prefers to shift for myself and knows how to use that third pedal in the floorboard!? 🆒 I am 38 years old and have owned 12 vehicles in my life, but not a single automatic transmission in the bunch. For the first 14 years or so, I always drove a Honda (or Acura) and they are still one of the few brands that offer the choice of a manual on at least a few trim levels of most models. I currently have two Mazdas, a 2006 Mazda3 s 5-door (5-speed MT) and a 2007 MAZDASPEED6 4-door (limited production performance version of the Mazda6) with All-wheel-drive, turbocharged/intercooled 4-cylinder and 6-speed manual. The last Honda that I owned was a 2004 Acura TSX 4-door with 6-speed manual. I got the MAZDASPEED6 when an idiot t-boned me in the TSX (but I have great reverence for side-impact and side-curtain airbags after that)! My mom taught my sister (3yrs older) and I how to drive and she insisted that we learn on a manual. I learned on my sister’s '85 Nissan 300ZX- back then I thought the 160hp 3.0L V6, 5-speed stick and t-tops made it a real sports car! Never mind that it was White with the most horrible RED plush cloth interior (almost like velour) and the oh-so-80s DIGITAL everything covering the dashboard! 🆒 Does anyone else around here like to shift their own gears, so to speak? ---
**Author:** ![allyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/2 "2012-12-21T07:36:36Z")
Manual transmissions are still quite common in the UK and probably the rest of Europe as well. In the US, manual transmissions seem to be more “niche” ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/3 "2012-12-21T07:41:55Z")
> [@allyn](#): > > Manual transmissions are still quite common in the UK and probably the rest of Europe as well. Yes. In the Netherlands, manual is standard. Automatics used to be seen as “old peoples cars”. That chances now that hybrids are also automatics. me, I got taught in a manual car, had the hardest time with it to learn, but I did, because that is what everybody does, and averybody does because everybody does, even if automatic is better. Much like the Querty keyboard. When we got a Prius, I was used to automatic in an hour and have never looked back. Automatic is so much better. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/4 "2012-12-21T07:50:05Z")
My first car was automatic. Every one after was manual. By choice. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/5 "2012-12-21T07:55:27Z")
I would prefer a manual transmission, but don’t currently have such a car. I’m in the US. I generally think a human driver is going to make smarter decisions about when to change gears than an automatic transmission. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/6 "2012-12-21T08:08:12Z")
Very much depends for me on where I am living, and also the type of car. It is a mistake imo to say one kind of transmission is better than the other for everything. For exampe, if you mostly drive a commute, **especially** if it’s full of stop-start traffic, then an automatic is best. Also if you are a lazy person or you do not know how to drive, which is 90% of people\*, then an automatic is better. Current main driver is a manual. \*Figure is being super charitable. I estimate 1 in 10 000 drivers is as good as me at ROAD driving, which is a very different skill to say circuit or rally driving. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/7 "2012-12-21T08:16:02Z")
I drive a 1997 Acura Integra GS-R 5-speed. I loved the car when I lived near the wide-open roads of Florida, but after having moved to the northeastern US, I find myself a bit annoyed with having to deal with a standard transmission while so often stuck in the stop-and-go traffic that is common here. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/8 "2012-12-21T08:23:00Z")
I still prefer manual. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/9 "2012-12-21T08:31:42Z")
I have, by choice, driven manual transmission cars since 1994. They include a 1994 Mustang, 1996 Mitshubishi 3000GT, Honda Civic (still stick but boring!), Volkswagen Jetta’s (2006 and 2008), and now a 2010 Audi A4. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/10 "2012-12-21T08:42:47Z")
ME! ME! ME! _Hate_ automatics. My left foot gets bored. You don’t drive an automatic, it drives you. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/11 "2012-12-21T08:46:26Z")
I’m in the US and almost all of my vehicles\* since I started driving here in 1979 have been manual trans, by choice. Including an 18-speed 18 wheeler when I drove a semi for a few years in the 1980s. 🙂 - Exceptions have been a few minivans (virtually impossible to find with a stick shift), a 1972 Cadillac and a Pontiac Fury of about the same vintage. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/12 "2012-12-21T08:54:33Z")
I like manual transmissions. I learned how to drive on one, and have owned and driven a number of manual-tranny cars over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/13 "2012-12-21T09:31:57Z")
I prefer a manual. Automatics always used to be an extra-cost option on new cars. As manuals get rarer, I’ve heard it suggested that they might continue as a more expensive option on some sporty models. I learned to drive in an automatic, it was all my family had at the time. I eventually learned to shift later. If I were teaching someone (and had access to both types) I’d probably do it the same way. I find it easier to learn one skill at a time. Manuals aren’t dying out. I think every motorcycle you see has one, for a start. > [@Beelzebubba](#): > > My mom taught my sister (3yrs older) and I how to drive and she insisted that we learn on a manual. I learned on my sister’s '85 Nissan 300ZX- back then I thought the 160hp 3.0L V6, 5-speed stick and t-tops made it a real sports car! Never mind that it was White with the most horrible RED plush cloth interior (almost like velour) and the oh-so-80s DIGITAL everything covering the dashboard! 🆒 Well, if you want to be a real traditionalist, white is the correct color for a Japanese car. ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/14 "2012-12-21T09:40:53Z")
As a teenager, I wanted a manual because they were cheaper to buy, more fuel efficient and (most important, at the time) they were much quicker than their automatic counterparts! My first car was a 1985 Honda CRX with a whopping 74hp 1.5L 4-cylinder- the difference between the 5-speed manual and 3-speed automatic in that car was huge! The first automatic that I have truly liked is in my mom’s 2012 Mazda CX-9 SUV. It is an Aisin 6-speed Automatic and it always seems to be in the right gear OR it doesn’t hesitate to downshift a few gears instantly when needed. It makes the most out of the 273hp 3.7L V6…and it’s surprisingly quick, but it barely gets 17mpg when I drive it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/15 "2012-12-21T09:45:29Z")
I love manuals. They’re like driving go-karts. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/16 "2012-12-21T09:50:00Z")
You drive manuals. You steer automatics. Yes, I prefer manuals. ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/17 "2012-12-21T09:50:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I learned to drive in an automatic, it was all my family had at the time. I eventually learned to shift later. If I were teaching someone (and had access to both types) I’d probably do it the same way. I find it easier to learn one skill at a time. My mom has been a school bus driver for 27 years. For the first 4-5 years, her school bus was a manual, so she was very comfortable with manuals. She decided to be a hard-ass and make us learn to drive and take our driving exam in a manual…which was cool with me. She also taught me how to adjust my mirrors so I don’t have any blind spots either…ironically, her Mazda CX-9 has a Blind Spot Monitor that drives both of us crazy! I’ve had various friends and family ask me to teach them how to drive a manual over the years. My answer is always the same- I’ll be glad to teach you…but NOT in MY car!!! One of my favorite things about my cars being manuals- no one ever asks to borrow them! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/18 "2012-12-21T09:59:15Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > You drive manuals. You steer automatics. Yes, I prefer manuals. _Exactly_ what I came in to post. My first care was an auto, but every car since has been manual, and it will remain that way until I’m a crotchety old lady and they take my licence from me 😃 ---
**Author:** ![allyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/19 "2012-12-21T10:16:36Z")
I grew up in the US and drove automatics. I’m in the UK now taking driving lessons on a manual. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m comfortable enough to enjoy driving with a manual. I still have to take things a little slower than I would driving an automatic so that I don’t muff up the gear changes… Learning to drive a manual is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time… ---
**Author:** ![Crackrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Crackrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crackrat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716/20 "2012-12-21T10:24:35Z")
I drive stick, and greatly prefer it. I get all antsy at stop signs and lights when I drive other people’s cars. If you don’t have to think about the shifter and the clutch, what the hell do you do while you wait? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-drives-a-manual-transmission-by-choice-or-am-i-the-only-one-left/644716.md?page=2)