I also prefer a manual in heavy urban stop-and-go traffic. Annoying situations like that are when I crave control the most. And I used to worry about wear and tear on the clutch. But I drove a manual transmission Scion xA for fifteen years and never once had to do any maintenance on the clutch. So I stopped worrying about that.
I was being facetious. I consider manual transmissions to be old technology, that needs to go away, as did the pull chain toilets. Someone else posted that there was great desire in returning to older technology. Hence my joke which you didn’t perceive.
Why does it need to go away though?
Clearly there are still people who want manuals, but according to you they shouldn’t be able to have them.
It’s not like you can’t find a car with an automatic because the market is flooded with “old” technology. Drive whatever you want, and let others drive what they want. It’s a pretty simple concept, with no need for such hostility.
Yes, this! I’ve been flabbergasted throughout this thread, that someone would react with anger toward someone else wanting a manual transmission.
I love sticks, but if someone needs an automatic because their right hand is busying doing other things, that’s their business…
…
eta: like eating an Egg McMuffin is what I meant, it’s the my only downside to driving a manual.
Someone called it “peacocking” upthread. I don’t consider myself to be bragging when I say I prefer it, although I used to consider it an important skill. Now it’s not really, in the US, at least. I’m guessing the hostility comes from some sort of perception of bragging and/or feelings of inadequacy. Possibly in part because when sticks were more common, some people did make a big deal out of it.
But the hostility seems odd to me. I mean, if someone says, “I prefer riding my bike to driving a car,” they don’t get attacked for liking an “obsolete” form of transportation. No one is saying automatics should be taken away from anyone. I for one will not judge anyone’s skills as a driver if they can’t drive a stick. I just like it better. No judgement on anyone else.
When I was in high school, I ate a Big Mac once using both hands while driving a manual transmission. (My left knee braced the steering wheel, except when shifting because I had to operate the clutch, so the steering wheel was briefly “unattended” for a moment while changing gears. I held the sandwich with my left hand in between bites so I could operate the stick shift with my right hand.)
Ah, to be young and stupid again…
At least I learned my lesson. No two-handed food while driving!
Like I tell my kid, there’s only one time in life to be young and stupid, because old and stupid is… stupid.
Oh, by the way, the answer to the headline above is “The Stick!”
One thing I’ve wondered about is how automatic transmissions have changed traffic patterns, like stop-and-go traffic. With an automatic, it’s not much effort to stop, creep, stop, creep, etc. since you can just let off the brake and the auto transmission will creep the car forward. But in a manual, it’s more of a hassle to stop and go because you have to use the clutch to get started, and it can wear the clutch to just engage it a bit to creep the car forward. When I’m driving my manual, I will tend to leave more space to the car in front of me so I can keep the car in gear and just use the gas pedal to slow down and speed up rather than stop-and-start. I tend to drive more smoothly this way compared to when I’m driving my automatic.
I think some people like to frame it as being a stick shift “enthusiast” or being “passionate” about manual drive.
I’m neither of these things, and thing manual and autos have their pros and cons. If I knew I had to spend a day driving around a busy city I’d be annoyed to discover I needed to do it in a manual car.
Overall though, I prefer stick shift as I get to decide when to change gear. It makes a big difference for certain maneuvers like overtaking.
Yeah, love manuals for the control and the fun. But automatics are fine, and when we go on a long trip I drive my wife’s (much more dependable) car. My first reaction is often “Hey, I’ve got an extra hand! I’m stopping for coffee; it’ll be easy to drink and drive.”
In my younger, stupider days, I could drive 20 miles and emerge from the car wearing an entirely different set of clothing (entirely) than the one I had been wearing when I got in the car. And eat a light meal on the way.
I don’t do that anymore.
Still, an Egg McMuffin sounds trivial.
Even in an automatic, if you’ve got to eat chicken while driving, nuggets are vastly preferable to a two-piece KFC box.
Unless you want to arrive at your destination covered in grease drippings, shreds of chicken and skin.
< points and drools >
You gonna eat that?
Agreed. Fried chicken is so messy (for me, anyway) that I wouldn’t eat it in my car even if I was parked.
Incidentally, reading this thread makes me realize why I tend to drive with only one hand (usually the left hand) on the steering wheel. I must have gotten used to leaving my right hand free for the stick shift. Even though all of our current vehicles are automatics, I learned to drive on a manual transmission, and my first three vehicles (and 20 years of driving) were all manuals.
My wife is always telling me to put both hands on the wheel, but I inevitably lapse into single-handed steering.
Because I can sit in a critical situation (end of the world) for any car! and go. If you only know how to use an automatic, then the old Buick will be just a piece of metal! lol
Hhehe, and I might be able to drive a Model T. But that would be because I’ve watch more than one video on how to start/drive one. Even if you know how to drive a non-synchro three pedal manual transmission, that’s not going to get you going if you’re dealing with something like a T’s weird transmission.
Regular Car Reviews’ Model T review queued up to the transmission (he’s right, it’s a big riding lawnmower!):
So there are people on my messageboard who are hoping for a post-apocalyptic world where the only escape from the alien/monster/zombie horde is … a vintage manual car?
Ok, I’m on board; we’ll all be heroes as we jump behind the wheel: “Come with me if you want to live! I can double-clutch!”
(cut to capable-yet-gorgeous female lead, swooning with gratitude)
Dam. I learned to drive on a thee on the tree. But that’s pretty crazy. But I’m sure easier than harnessing a horse to a buggy. Well… maybe not.
There’s an op-ed in the weekend Wall St. Journal by David Scott, mourning what he thinks is the impending loss of manual transmissions. It is paywalled, but the key passage is as follows:
"Despite impressive improvements in vehicle technology, my devotion for manually shifting gears, listening to the rumble of the exhaust, and maintaining a tight grip on the steering wheel through a sharp curve remains undiminished. Gripping the shifter knob allows a driver to become part of the vehicle rather than someone who is little more than a passenger. Manually accelerating through the gears and downshifting into a curve are two of motoring’s most satisfying experiences.
The sound, feel and thrill of driving are to be relished, not relegated to the trash heap and memories along with carburetors, fender skirts, steel wheels and hubcaps. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway in a sports car with a manual transmission and you too will become a believer."
I don’t share his view that manual transmissions will vanish overnight and that we’re about to lose everything that made driving enjoyable, but I do like driving a stick shift along our country roads. By the time I need to think about trading it in, maybe I’ll be ready for a self-driving nannymobile.
But for the vast majority of people, driving isn’t intended to be a satisfying experience. It’s a way from point A to point B. People view cars as transportation appliances, and manual transmissions don’t fit into that picture.