# Would you buy a stickshift car in 2022? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 26, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901 "2022-06-26T17:50:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/41 "2022-06-27T03:28:29Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > My Civic has this and it works flawlessly. The adaptive cruise control will slow the car down from any speed to about 23 or 24 mph then simply shuts itself off to prevent the engine from stalling. If (general) you aren’t paying enough attention to catch that you have no business driving at all. On my wife’s automatic Hyundai Ioniq, it’ll go all the way down to a full stop and re-engage as soon as traffic starts moving again (if it’s stopped for too long, you have to hit a button for it to engage). It’s pretty cool, actually, in stop-and-go traffic. With the automatic lane centering, you’ve got Level 2 autonomy, as I understand it. I’ve driven home from my daugter’s school in rush hour traffic with no foot on the pedal and just paying attention that doesn’t do anything stupid or somebody doesn’t suddenly cut into my lane. I’ve made the 35 minute drive from entrance-to-exit with no user input several times. It is a nice creature comfort, but wouldn’t work the same on a manual. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/42 "2022-06-27T03:45:22Z")
If Renault brings [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVk3UO_tsUU) back, I’m definitely buying it! For the “normal” stick shift, yes, I would buy one. But, as others noted, it would depend on a few issues before I would: fuel efficiency, terrain I usually cover, if I can get the wife to learn how to drive a manual… ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/43 "2022-06-27T03:59:33Z")
Personally no. I drove one for quite a while, but my left knee is bothering me and the clutch doesn’t help that at all. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/44 "2022-06-27T10:27:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I do parking brake hill starts in cases like that. Makes it pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I had to do a parking brake hill start as part of my license test. Then when I moved somewhere with hills I got lazy and used to just ride the clutch on hills instead of using brakes. Ended up burning out the clutch. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/45 "2022-06-27T11:19:20Z")
Would I buy a manual shift car today? No. I have one now, and shifting has become an annoying chore, given city traffic and aging knees. > [@pulykamell](#): > > When you’re stopped at an incline and need to start moving again, instead of balancing your car in first with your throttle (not really a good habit), or just being quick on moving from the foot brake to the throttle and clutch (which I find I’m not good at without rolling back or stalling once the grade gets steep enough), you use your parking brake. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I think I’ve used that technique when I am stopped on a fairly steep incline, and there’s another car on my rear bumper. This is another growing annoyance with my stick shift car. Chad and Karen in their trendy-mobiles insist on stopping 0.00003 inches from my rear bumper on a hill. And I’ve gotten tapped when the aforementioned dipshits launch based on my brake lights rather than actual movement. So when a car is close on my rear bumper on a hill, I just turn on my hazard flashers and pretend I’m having car trouble\* before the light changes. Eventually they’ll (angrily) back up and zoom around me. I’m retired, never in a hurry, and can wait as long as it takes. \*It’s an ancient, rusted Corolla that passed 250,000 miles many years ago. Breaking down is a believable act. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/46 "2022-06-27T11:30:15Z")
I’ve only owned standard transmission cars. I taught my daughter how to drive a stick, and she only buys them. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/47 "2022-06-27T11:49:06Z")
Currently drive a stickshift, due to be replaced (2007 Honda Civic SI). I’d replace it with another stick, but I’m concerned about greenhouse gas emissions now, so it’s going to be an EV not a stick. Funny story about the stick: whenever I take it to the dealer, the millennial service techs have to get into a quick huddle to determine how it will get driven to the service bay, whether any of them on the floor can do it, or who they can can call from another department to come move it. I see no real advantage in having the stick, except it’s fun to accelerate from 0-80 really fast on the highway on-ramp. Which I do about once every 6 months maybe. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/48 "2022-06-27T11:51:19Z")
I’ve owned both. Don’t really care. If I couldn’t get cruise control in a manual, that would be a deal breaker. Though I did install an aftermaket CC on a 1989 Nisan 240SX. Have to admit that was a fun car. But I need a good 4x4 with as much ground clearance as I can get. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/49 "2022-06-27T11:59:10Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I see no real advantage in having the stick I’ve heard they are stolen less often than automatics. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/50 "2022-06-27T12:59:44Z")
We were visiting friends in Utah. As our host drove us around, he kept shifting to adjust for the terrain. That is, he’d downshift when driving down the hill to limit the car from picking up too much speed. The car in question was an automatic. He said he’d learned to do that while growing up in a mountainous area and it seemed quite natural for him. The last car I bought was a Subaru with CVT. The manuals on “practical” cars had pretty much disappeared. I wondered why they would build a CVT but also have paddle shifters…I guess it’s for things like downshifting in mountain passes or maybe some towing applications? I always ended up with 5 speeds because they were cheaper to buy. Dealers would have maybe just one on the lot and they could bait and switch a lot of customers with it—oh, you wanted an automatic? Well we have those but not at that price we advertised. But I liked driving them and they got a little better gas mileage as well. I miss driving them, though I will say not all manuals were equally pleasurable. I once test drove a Corvette—it had a really short, tight pattern that I struggled to get the hang of. The Japanese manuals were like buttah. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/51 "2022-06-27T13:01:48Z")
We have 2 daily drivers (both Mazda) an F-250 for hauling the horse trailer and heavy farm shopping, and 2 clunkers that aren’t worth selling but are useful as occasional extra vehicles. All of them, including the truck, are stick shift. The only reason I would not get a manual transmission on my next car is if I go with a hybrid of some sort - there’s no choice but automatic there. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/52 "2022-06-27T13:03:06Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve heard they are stolen less often than automatics. Also, generally more reliable through the virtue of having fewer parts to fail. I purchased my most recent manual transmission in 2019, and I’m very likely to continue that practice today. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/53 "2022-06-27T13:19:27Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Funny story about the stick: whenever I take it to the dealer, the millennial service techs have to get into a quick huddle to determine how it will get driven to the service bay, whether any of them on the floor can do it, or who they can can call from another department to come move it. I find this the case as well, but not at the dealership. I take it to the dealer for all the routine maintenance but I’ve taken to both a local tire shop for some good wet weather tires as well as a local place to have the windshield replaced. At both those places an older tech had to move the car in and out of the shop because the younger gofers couldn’t drive them. The techs at the dealer seem to skew older. The only bumper sticker I’ve ever seriously considered is a small warning sticker: “This Vehicle Equipped With Anti-Millenial Security System” text surrounding a 6-speed shift pattern. However, at 41, I’m technically a millennial myself. My FIL, who was a mechanic in the army in the 80’s, says this is why the humvees at that time were all automatic: kids coming in couldn’t drive the old manual jeeps. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/54 "2022-06-27T13:25:25Z")
I don’t buy new cars, so I’m stuck choosing from whatever combination of options people who _do_ buy new cars are clamoring for. Which is generally not in line with what _I’m_ clamoring for. Beggars can’t be choosers, nor can used-car buyers. That said, the EV will be finally kills the manual transmission, and I barely drive anymore anyway, so… c’est la vie. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/55 "2022-06-27T14:24:33Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Funny story about the stick: whenever I take it to the dealer, the millennial service techs have to get into a quick huddle to determine how it will get driven to the service bay, whether any of them on the floor can do it, or who they can can call from another department to come move it. The standard transmission car I have is a 1966 MGB. Should a service tech try to drive it, s/he would have to know how to use a manual transmission. And they didn’t put synchromesh between 2nd and 1st until 1967, so there’s that. And if they don’t get to it in a while and the car cools down enough, they’ll have to know how to use the choke; which is a push-pull knob on the dash marked ‘C’. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I see no real advantage in having the stick, except it’s fun to accelerate from 0-80 really fast on the highway on-ramp. I love doing that. But SWMBO keeps saying ‘Slow down!’ and complains the leather seat is slippery. (That’s why I put seat belts in.) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/56 "2022-06-27T14:26:45Z")
I’ve had a couple of plow trucks. Surprisingly, it’s recommended that they be an auto tranny. Not a manual. Forward/Reverse/Forward/Reverse… again and again and again. Guess it plays hell on a clutch in a manual. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/57 "2022-06-27T16:19:28Z")
Every car I’ve owned in the past 20 years (all three of them) has been a stick shift. The first two were cheap econo cars; a Saturn and a Corolla. The current one is a sports car, a 2019 Miata. And that’s actually the trend I’ve noticed in the cars available with manual transmissions lately. It used to be that the manual was the cheapest transmission available on the bare bones base model. That might still be the case for a few cars in the US, but now most often if a stick is available at all it’s a niche option only available on the sporty model or higher trim level. I’ve heard Toyota is coming out with a manual Supra due to popular demand, but it might actually be an extra cost option. To answer the OP’s question, would I buy another one? I don’t plan on buying a new car any time soon, but I am seriously considering an EV for when I do. If I go that route, it obviously won’t be a stick because it won’t have a transmission at all. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Funny story about the stick: whenever I take it to the dealer, the millennial service techs have to get into a quick huddle to determine how it will get driven to the service bay, whether any of them on the floor can do it, or who they can can call from another department to come move it. When I bought my Miata I had to wait for them to find the one salesman who could drive a manual so he could bring it around so I could test drive it. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/58 "2022-06-27T18:03:06Z")
Manual transmission is still the default choice here in England, though more people choose auto than they used to. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/59 "2022-06-27T18:10:56Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > This is another growing annoyance with my stick shift car. Chad and Karen in their trendy-mobiles insist on stopping 0.00003 inches from my rear bumper on a hill. This is especially annoying when you’re driving a fully loaded dump truck. 😖 Why do people feel the need to ride the ass of the vehicle in front of them at stoplights? Being 10 inches away from the person in front of you vs being 5 feet away isn’t going to make a goddamn difference when the light turns green. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/60 "2022-06-27T18:26:17Z")
Yeah, we were taught at drivers’ ed not to get any closer than where you can still fully see the back tires of the car in front of you. And larger vehicles I give even a bigger berth. Especially so if on an incline (which happens a lot on the freeway overpasses when traffic backs them up. I always get nervous watching a car get right up on the ass of a semi – give the driver some space! They can’t even see you back there!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901.md?page=4)