I agree with you, and I can see why people make the argument, but I’d much rather “put up with” driving a manual in traffic if I can have a manual on those fun drives, vs. not having to deal with a manual in traffic but having to be bored with an automatic on the twisty back roads. My bigger point was that shifting gears is just part of driving a car to me – in traffic or otherwise, so I don’t really even consider driving a manual in heavy traffic to be any sort of a burden…but I know that’s a personal thing.
You’ve owned some sporty little cars and some powerful V8 pony cars – how do you like the Mazdaspeed 3? I’ve been seriously considering it as my next car, since I have a six-month-old and would like to get a four-door hatchback. I’d love an WRX, but I think the Mazdaspeed 3 is the next best thing (FWD vs. AWD notwithstanding) for a lot less money on the used-car market. I currently have a '97 M3, and I’d like something at least as powerful as that (it’s about 240hp)
Yeah, I don’t really notice shifting in stop and go traffic, if you do it enough, it just becomes part of driving and doesn’t even register. I particularly like manual transmissions when parallel parking, I find it much easier than constantly going from D to R in an automatic.
I’m actually a little worried about what I’ll be able to find in another 12-18 months, when I’m ready to replace the Accord*. I’m thinking about buying used (maybe a nice BMW coupe that I couldn’t afford new), which theoretically should help, but have you ever gone to the CarMax site and selected “manual transmission”? The number of available cars reduces by 80%!
*Yes, it’s relatively new: I bought it when my RX-8 became unreliable and Mazda had no interest in trying to troubleshoot/fix it. I kind of overcorrected, and went for the most reliable thing I could find that was even remotely sporty (hence the V6), but I quickly realized that I really miss driving a sports car. And while the Accord is a very nice car and has a lot going for it, the one thing it definitely isn’t is a sports car. So, my plan is to get another one as soon as I’m no longer upside-down on the Honda.
I’m in full agreement and understand your point. If I had to deal with a full-time slushbox auto vs a clutch controlled manual, there is no way I’d choose the former, either. I’d tolerate my time in traffic with a standard, for those fun times, too (and previously did just that).
That said, technology has come a long way since the early 90s sports car era (among my favorites), and I’ve fully switched over to manual control via paddle shifters. In effect, it’s the best of both worlds (for me), but I feel for the standard enthusiasts out there, who are finding it more difficult to find/buy anything with three pedals.
I still drive a stick, and so does my husband. I like a stick for my small, economical car because I think I get the most out of a small engine that way. My husband drives a stick because, well, it’s a Mustang.
I drive a 5 speed. Not so much because I prefer a manual transmission, but because I got a good deal on this vehicle and don’t mind driving a stick. Private parties tend to sell sticks cheaper than the equivalent automatics because so many people today can’t or won’t own one. Probably half the vehicles I have owed have been manual trannies.
Ditto. I have my heart set on buying a used 8J Audi TT in the next couple of months. Within 500 miles of me right now on cars.com, there are 113. Choose “manual” and it drops all the way down to 12!
6 speed manual transmission driver here, both of the 4-wheeled and 2-wheeled variety. Part of the driving experience to me, even in Atlanta commute traffic.
Over time (36 years of driving and owning cars; for almost every one of those years at least one has been a stick shift) using a manual transmission becomes so, well, automatic that it’s not the slightest bit of a deal in stop and go traffic.
Also I much prefer a stick shift in bad weather conditions, especially snow.
I know automatics have come a long way in the last several years, but I’ve never driven a new one. When I go back to Europe, I always rent a manual because it’s cheaper.
I love it. I’ve got about 74,000 miles on it now. It handles great, feels very solid and planted on the road. It’s faster than the stock 90 & 91 Mustangs, especially once you’re going 10 or 20 MPH it flies. It’s fun putting a little scare in the passengers when they don’t expect such acceleration. I can get 27 MPG and it’s got 4 doors, so people can get into and out of the back seat without doing the awkward loading/unloading process. Mazdas seem to have good quality and the dealer treated me right during the turbo replacement, I got a new Jetta as a rental car during the time I didn’t have my Mazda.
I like BMWs in theory, but the maintenance stories I hear bother me. I love the looks of the RX-8, but yeah I’ve heard about the problems with those too.
So the Accord V6 isn’t sporty? Doesn’t handle well, not fast, both?
I’ve only ever driven automatics. Even if I had any desire to learn (I think it sounds about as exciting as a treadle-operated dishwasher) I have no idea how I’d go about learning. I know my dad can drive one, but he hasn’t for at least 15 years and that doesn’t solve the lack of a suitable car. (Do US car rental companies even have them now?)
I’d happily stick to automatic if they were ever available when I needed to buy a car. Haven’t had one since my '92 Ford Festiva died on me in '01. RIP, USS Defiant!
My boyfriend drives manual. After causing a fairly bad accident a while back, he became super safety-conscious (he’s a much better driver now). He prefers having better control of his vehicle, especially when 'tis the season for spinouts. I prefer having fewer things to focus on, personally. I’d rather just have to handle the wheel, gas, and brake if I start to slide. Add another pedal and stick into the mix and I get all bamboozly.
I really, really did try to learn stick. When I was 17, my uncle spent an afternoon patiently trying to teach me how to drive his Jeep in a parking lot. After killing it about 50 times, I decided it just wasn’t meant to be. The BF said he’d teach me how, though (if I ever buy a stick, that is). He doesn’t want me to strip out his gearbox, hah.
I own one of each. I enjoy shifting my scion on a freeway onramp, but the Prius is a lot nicer on my craptacular 30 minute 5 mile commute home from work.
