# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/142 "2022-12-30T19:00:09Z")
Sure I get to my destination, it is just no fun. I thought maybe it was just my ineptitude in driving with automatic transmissions. But apparently it is just a feature of them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/143 "2022-12-31T14:15:41Z")
I think you need smaller gears for more engine braking. (3rd gear is the largest in a “standard” automatic?) ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/144 "2022-12-31T14:38:25Z")
Modern automatics will have as many as 10 speeds. Aids in acceleration and fuel economy. Most if not all modern automatics have “lock up” capability which allows engine braking in the lower gears. There’s also other types of transmissions like CVTs and Dual Clutch designs which muddle the picture. I’m a luddite who likes manuals. Going down hill in an automatic transmission car finds me using the manual selector to get lower gears and more braking. It just seems “out of control” to my lizard brain. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/145 "2022-12-31T14:56:18Z")
This vehicle has 6 normal forward gears. At 75 mph, the engine RPM is well over 3K in 3rd gear. Going into a lower gear would put the engine over redline. It’s designed as an off-road vehicle, so it is geared fairly low. Redline is around 25 mph in 1st gear. BTW, in case you were interested, it has a “secret” 7th gear which will allow travel at 2 mph with the engine RPM at 2K. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/146 "2022-12-31T16:34:36Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > That’s what I was thinking too. I learned to drive a stick on one, a 1975 VW Microbus just like this one ::swoon:: My first car was a '75 microbus! In canary yellow, to boot! 4-speed manual, for reverse you had to push the gearshift into the floor. It had curtains and a Deadhead sticker on the back window from a previous owner. It was straight and clean and in excellent shape. Of all the cars I’ve had over the years I miss that one the most. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2023, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/147 "2023-01-01T04:20:51Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > I think you need smaller gears for more engine braking. > (3rd gear is the largest in a “standard” automatic?) All the automatics my wife has had since 2005 have been at least 4-speed. The current is 6-speed. The last one was 6-speed as well. I’m not sure when the last time I saw a 3-speed auto was. 1990s? ---
**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:** [January 1, 2023, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/148 "2023-01-01T06:55:11Z")
Even four-speeds are pretty much obsolete now – critics panned the Dodge Journey because among other things it still used a four-speed automatic all the way until it was discontinued in 2020. Nowadays they’re all either dual-clutch autos with anywhere from 6 to 10 gears, or continuously variable transmissions (CVT) with effectively an infinite number of “gears”. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/149 "2023-01-05T07:49:03Z")
My 2016 diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee’s tranny has 8 speeds. And paddle shifters at the wheel. Its compression braking is pretty good too, and I often use it. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/150 "2023-01-05T18:23:41Z")
This blog post might be of interest to readers of the thread – the author searches for surviving examples of the last full-size American cars with manual transmissions, the 1970s being the waning days of the “three on the tree”. > **[Curbside Unicorn Hunt: 1970+ Full-Sized Cars With Manual Transmission, Part 1...](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/curbside-unicorn-hunt-1970-full-sized-cars-with-manual-transmission-part-1-gm-edition/)** > > It may seem difficult to believe, but some American full-size cars were available with a manual transmission as late as 1973. After the decline of full-sized muscle cars in the \[…\] ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2023, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/151 "2023-01-06T12:23:05Z")
I learned on a three on the tree. My cousin had her 2001 CRV stolen (again) and she’s going to be mad at the limited choices of cars with a manual tranny. She much prefers a manual. I don’t really care. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/152 "2023-01-06T15:33:56Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Even four-speeds are pretty much obsolete now – critics panned the Dodge Journey because among other things it still used a four-speed automatic all the way until it was discontinued in 2020. Nowadays they’re all either dual-clutch autos with anywhere from 6 to 10 gears, or continuously variable transmissions (CVT) with effectively an infinite number of “gears”. Most of those high gear count transmissions are not DCT, but conventional automatics. The DCT is on its way out and even in its heyday was primarily used mostly in high performance cars as it can be an abrupt, jerky experience at low speeds, and mild throttle use. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2023, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/153 "2023-01-07T10:27:18Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I learned on a three on the tree. > My cousin had her 2001 CRV stolen (again) and she’s going to be mad at the limited choices of cars with a manual tranny. She much prefers a manual. I don’t really care. What a total bummer! My last car was a 2001 CRV and that car just ran and ran and ran. It had a 5-speed manual, too. It was a great car. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/154 "2023-01-07T12:52:15Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > What a total bummer! My last car was a 2001 CRV and that car just ran and ran and ran. It had a 5-speed manual, too. It was a great car. Yeah, she loves that car and I think that this time it’s gone for good. It was perfect for her. It’s name is Guido. Scum sucking thieves probably took it for the cat converter. That had already been stolen twice. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/155 "2023-01-07T22:32:05Z")
I drove manuals until 2007. I changed because my town has stop signs every 100 feet\*. I happened to look up Hondas yesterday and discovered that, for the Civic hatchback that might interest me (since they have ended the Fit), the manual costs $100 _more_ than the automatic. My son tried to teach his kids to drive his manual. One of them took to it well, two more tried it and quit. I am nor sure about #4. \*Ok, I exaggerate. But it is really true that, with the exception of a few through streets, every. single. intersection is a four-way stop. And even the “through streets” will have a stop every 3-4 blocks. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/156 "2023-01-08T01:11:30Z")
You will soon get round-abouts. Some are good, some are stupid beyond belief. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/157 "2023-01-08T05:06:37Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > the manual costs $100 _more_ than the automatic That is another issue lately. In the US market autos have become so pervasive that it’s the manual that has to be a special consideration. Though now I am wondering if there is a difference in that sense between the models who have gone CVT and the ones that have stuck with geared autos – as in if CVT are much cheaper than advanced geared automatics. I feel I waited too long for trying to learn to drive stick – at some point I figured, nah, try it _now_ I’ll be replacing clutches at every regular service, nobody got time for that. ---
**Author:** ![Redcanoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b487fb/32.png) [@Redcanoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redcanoe)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/158 "2023-01-08T05:28:21Z")
My 2020 Jeep Wrangler Sport is a 6 speed manual, which is standard. At the time the automatic was $2500 more. I just checked and that has dropped to $2000 for the automatic. I’ve driven a manual for 38 years now, don’t even think about it. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/159 "2023-01-08T17:38:47Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > That is another issue lately. In the US market autos have become so pervasive that it’s the manual that has to be a special consideration. In my particular vehicle, a 6-speed manual is standard. Auto will run you 1500 clams. ( I have the manual, by “cost no object” preference ) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/160 "2023-01-08T19:47:09Z")
The other thing about manual transmissions. They used to get better gas mileage. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. The engine and transmission act as one now for best MPG. Hard to do with a manual. \*\* Correct me if I’m wrong of course. \*\* Side note… I have a cousin that would cruise down the road in a manual in 2nd gear at 5500 rpm - She didn’t understand why she should be in 5th gear. Since it wasn’t ‘red lined’ she though it was fine. She does not drive anymore, thank god. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901/161 "2023-01-09T00:32:21Z")
No. I never learned to drive one and don’t have any desire to do so at this late stage in the game. I am going to buy a new car in about a year or two right after I retire. It should last me the rest of my life barring any accidents. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-stickshift-car-in-2022/966901.md?page=9)