Ava, I’m wondering if I’m missing something here.
For one thing, you can have cruise control on a standard. Our 2000 Accord has it, and so did our '86. And whether you’re driving a standard or an automatic, a cruise control isn’t much use where there’s a lot of traffic, since you’ll need to brake often enough to make CC useless.
You are talking as if stick driving is a choice, bah!
Those born in UK many years ago genetically had to use stick shift vehicles (automatics were too big and expensive for first time drivers). In this more tollerant age people can chose stick or auto, but I tell you did Jesus ever say it was allright to drive auto, NO!. In fact the old testiment says that auto driving (c.f. Sloth) is a sin!
I think a lot of it depends on whether you like driving or not. I don’t particularly enjoy driving, so I prefer an automatic. It makes driving easier. If I really liked driving for the sake of driving, I’m sure I’d prefer a stick.
I think the OP is way off base. The manual transmission is hardly obsolete, and it does give you a ton more control. I agree that people who look down on drivers of automatics are ridiculous, though. There are many good reasons to get an automatic, even on a “high performance” car. My dad just got a new Saab 9.5, and I’m sure he would have preferred a manual, but my mom isn’t able to drive a stick. So, sometimes compromises have to be made. So my dad isn’t a nitwit because he has an automatic. He’s a guy who takes his family’s needs into account when making major purchases. And if you’re wondering why my mom doesn’t learn to drive a stick–well, she can’t. Not all “handicaps” are visible on the outside.
Actually, I’m gonna extend this out to trucks and SUVs as well. Assuming you are actually going to take the thing off-road (or at least onto dirt) and drive it responsibly in bad conditions (none of this “I don’t have to slow down on ice; I’m driving a Land Behemoth” stuff) you need the greater flexibility a stick gives you. I’d much rather gear down myself when needed than either brake hard or have to try to get the machine to do it for me.
Also, I’ve found that I actually prefer a stick on the Interstate. I’ve driven my underpowered 1980 Volvo wagon, a 1986 Isuzu Trooper II (both stick), and a 2000 Windstar (automatic, of course) in heavy traffic on both surface streets and the interstates. Except for the fact that I wasn’t always quite sure where the gear was exactly in the Trooper (because I never drive it and it has a long throw), when on the interstate, I found it a lot easier to accelerate quickly if needed driving a stick, simply because I can more easily gear down a bit, get the revs up and move. (You see the same thing in driving games, I swear.) In surface traffic, however, I must admit the automatic was nice.
Granny shifters, the lot of you! Real men double-clutch. I pulled the synchro out of my gearbox. With my teeth. And ate it with a glass of diesel for lunch.
Pussies!
Not arguing or anything avabeth, but I lived for a couple of years just outside the beltway (Gaithersburg, if anyone cares) – if your idea of heavy traffic is what you see in and around DC, then you ain’t seen nothing yet (and certainly not the M6 or the M25).
Bippy the Beardless, and wasn’t there something about not coverting your neighbour’s ABS?
I’m still looking for a bicycle with an automatic transmission.
So, if manuals are superior to automatics in every way, why do city police cars typically have automatic transmissions. Certainly they should have the best, and since manuals are cheaper, the best is cheaper. So what gives? Are police officers as a class inferior drivers?
Manual is more fun. Sometimes I make vroom-vroom noises.
NotMrKnowItAll the reason is because police need their “free” hand to work the radio and computer. Most officers I’ve spoken to on other sites (car and driver etc) would prefer stick but it’s not practical.
I drive stick after driving auto for many years. I don’t look down on auto drivers but I wonder a bit when I see a high-performance vehicle with an auto. Autos put down less power than a manual because of the solid state linking between engine and wheels.
Autos, especially when doing a drag start, slip gears to smooth out the the shift transistions. That’s why with 2 equal cars with a manual and auto, the manual always wins.
IMO if you love to drive, a manual should be used. If you treat your vehicle as an A to B machine, autos are fine.
I was pumped for a debate on one-piece composite hockey sticks, since both my Ferrari and my Acura have sequential transmissions.
Your quaint little Luddite transmissions are so passé…
Learning to drive a stick actually improved my driving skills. I had to become more aware of my surroundings and more cautious of what I was doing.
It also helped me out last Christmas when I drove up to Chicago. I’m not used to snow or ice on the roads. Midway through Illinois the rain that I started in turned to ice and snow. The roads were covered. The cars around me started to ride their brakes and skidded off the road. I simply downshifted and stayed in a lower gear. I made it the entire way in complete control of my car.
I’ve encountered many people who refuse to learn how to drive a stick. My boyfriend gives the obsolete technology argument even though he knows that my past, current and probably future cars are sticks. If we ever have long trips we’re stuck taking his car.
One of my friends even gave me the excuse that a stick shift would be limiting. She wouldn’t be able to do the things she does in an automatic, like painting her nails. That thought just scares me.
I’m with Green Bean. I don’t drive for fun. I drive to get somewhere. The less I have to do to get to the end point of my journey, the better. As a matter of fact, forget automatic transmissions. I’m waiting for the automatic navigation device to be invented, that’s how much I hate driving mid-to-long distances…
Coldfire: Yeah, the Passat gets a bad rap for body lean in turns, etc, but on my test drive I took some turns relatively quickly and it felt pretty good to me. And “only” having 190 HP isn’t a big deal to me either. Both of these probably have to do with the fact that I currently drive a 97 Honda Accord, which has about 150 HP and handles, well, poorly.
I enjoy driving. I have driven a big 4-barreled carb 400 engine with and auto…and have been bored. I have driven a tiny Nissan 1.4 litre engine with stick and have had fun. (Nissan’s straight ‘H’ is very sweet).
Yes, in traffic, your ankle will get sore with a stick. But that goes away in time. If you have auto, your ankle will never hurt…but your mind will grow soft & lazy. Still, I don’t preach to people because its a waste of breath and I don’t have to: you are all old enough to choose who you want to be. So choose.
They’re called buses. They’re great if you like to read or sleep while on the road. I used to ride the Greyhound all the time. Unfortunately, the bus terminals are utter hellholes.
Your wish was their command:
The Browning Automatic Bicycle Transmission:
http://www.bsn.com/Cycling/articles/browning.html
Computer controlled too!
For all the exclusive automatic users out there: I do use a stick so nya! 
And don’t forget that an automatic does waste more gasoline than a manual.
I don’t get this argument. I drive a car with an automatic transmission, and the last time I looked the numbers “2” and “1” were on my gearshift, right below “D”. There’s nothing about driving an automatic transmission that prevents a driver from using low gears when necessary - I do it all the time in bad weather.
(For that matter, just keeping one’s foot off the accelerator insures that the automatic transmission will stay in low gear. Seems to me the problem isn’t with the transmission design, but with inattentive drivers who’ve never learned to adjust their driving speed to match the current road conditions.)
Also unfortunately, the big gray dog doesn’t always go where you need to go, or when you need to go there.