How many of you guys also prefer manual transmission cars?

[Maledicted]

I thought this one might be an interesting one to throw out there. It seems to me that there's often a lot of overlap when it comes to people who like quality things, between people who like old fashioned things, and people who like to feel some guttural connection to the tools that they put to use. It seems to me that keyboard enthusiasts like to feel some sort of symbiotic unity with the flow/function of their boards. I know people who like stick shifts usually feel similarly. They want a more direct connection to the workings of their vehicle.

Have we got an abnormally high concentration of manual/standard drivers here?

[Steezus]

I absolutely love to drive a manual. I've only done 110k miles in the past 7 years of having of license but I'd say 3/4 of them were done in a manual.

[Maledicted]

I absolutely love to drive a manual. I've only done 110k miles in the past 7 years of having of license but I'd say 3/4 of them were done in a manual.

I would consider that a pretty decent amount of driving myself, but I know some people manage to put that on a car in just a few years. I had my license for a few years and decided I wanted a stick shift, before I knew how to drive one. My dad and uncle knew though. I saved my money and bought a used 5 speed 2001 Saturn SC2. My dad drove it home, and they both helped teach me to drive it. I have never turned back, and I still own that car 10 years later.

[tp4tissue]

[Steezus]

I absolutely love to drive a manual. I've only done 110k miles in the past 7 years of having of license but I'd say 3/4 of them were done in a manual.

I would consider that a pretty decent amount of driving myself, but I know some people manage to put that on a car in just a few years. I had my license for a few years and decided I wanted a stick shift, before I knew how to drive one. My dad and uncle knew though. I saved my money and bought a used 5 speed 2001 Saturn SC2. My dad drove it home, and they both helped teach me to drive it. I have never turned back, and I still own that car 10 years later.

My very first car was a stick shift. I figured learning to drive a manual in a sense was like learning to ride a bike, something you'll never forget but may get a little rusty at when time spent away from the practice. Valuable knowledge that could someday come in handy. I think everybody should at least try to learn how to drive a manual.

[Maledicted]

Would that be an affirmative? lol

My very first car was a stick shift. I figured learning to drive a manual in a sense was like learning to ride a bike, something you'll never forget but may get a little rusty at when time spent away from the practice. Valuable knowledge that could someday come in handy. I think everybody should at least try to learn how to drive a manual.

My first car was a hand-me-down, I don't know that I would have had the forethought to get one right away anyway though. I would agree with the usefulness aspect, but it seems that manual transmissions aren't even commonly offered as an option anymore, when automatics used to be an optional upgrade. I still agree with the idea that everyone should learn though, if only just to understand how much gas they're wasting for no reason with their bizarre acceleration/general driving habits.

Whenever I have to drive somebody else's car I'm sort of in the inverse scenario, where I go something like, "Oh god, there's no clutch. What do I do with my left foot?" and reach out for the shifter that's obviously not where it should be, and certainly isn't going to move where I want it to if I do find it.

[Steezus]

My very first car was a stick shift. I figured learning to drive a manual in a sense was like learning to ride a bike, something you'll never forget but may get a little rusty at when time spent away from the practice. Valuable knowledge that could someday come in handy. I think everybody should at least try to learn how to drive a manual.

My first car was a hand-me-down, I don't know that I would have had the forethought to get one right away anyway though. I would agree with the usefulness aspect, but it seems that manual transmissions aren't even commonly offered as an option anymore, when automatics used to be an optional upgrade. I still agree with the idea that everyone should learn though, if only just to understand how much gas they're wasting for no reason with their bizarre acceleration/general driving habits.

Whenever I have to drive somebody else's car I'm sort of in the inverse scenario, where I go something like, "Oh god, there's no clutch. What do I do with my left foot?" and reach out for the shifter that's obviously not where it should be, and certainly isn't going to move where I want it to if I do find it.

I've had the occasional slip-up when pulling out of the driveway in an automatic where I'll slam on the brakes with my left foot thinking it's the clutch. My left foot gets lonely and my mind starts to wander off when driving an automatic.

[Maledicted]

I've had the occasional slip-up when pulling out of the driveway in an automatic where I'll slam on the brakes with my left foot thinking it's the clutch. My left foot gets lonely and my mind starts to wander off when driving an automatic.

I think I have done that at least once or twice. It takes enormous mental gymnastics for me to just let cars like that drive themselves.

[AJM]

I had manual transmission cars all my (driving) life (= 30 years), only slightly interrupted by 3 years with a semi-automatic sequential gearbox.
But that's pretty normal for Europe - until recently, when engines got very limited rev ranges (presumably for efficiency reasons), which necessitates an absurd number of gears, which are no longer manageable "by hand".

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I've always owned an Automatic,

but by chance, I did learn stick when I worked with my father, who owned a small toyota manual truck. It drove well and I've played with the idea of getting that sort of truck again.

Whenever I have to drive manual I think of working because of that, but otherwise I drive an automatic.

[fanpeople]

A lot of people I know that were serious manual kinda guys, have in recent years started to port over to automatics.

I personally have an auto but secretly like manuals. My next car, as soon as they are more available (Suzuki Jimny gen 4) will be a manual.

In saying that, I don't prefer manual for going to work or the shops. But I prefer manual when driving for fun, offroad or blapping around town.

I would not be surprised if this thread pretty much indicates that most Europeans lean towards manual whilst USA/Australia (lol like 5 of us) are more prominent auto drivers.

[fohat.digs]

3 of my first 5 cars were manual, and they are great fun on the open road, but for city dwellers they just aren't enjoyable. Especially in larger metropolitan areas, sitting in traffic and shifting in and out of first gear multiple times per minute is excruciating. And continuously standing on the clutch is worse.

Decades ago, straight shifts were cheaper, lasted longer, and produced better gas mileage, but today those advantages are mostly gone.

[SBJ]

Currently driving a manual.
Wouldn't mind trying an automatic though. Even if I think it'd be weird.

[Rob27shred]

Manual all the way for me! Any automatic vehicle I drive just doesn't feel like it shifts right after using manual transmissions for so long. Automatics seem to wind the gear out way too long, which isn't an issue or anything. It just feels funny & I always find myself telling the vehicle to shift in my head LOL!

[Maledicted]

I know, all too well, how torturous driving in heavy traffic is with a stick shift. I have taken far too many trips through Chicago and Milwaukee. The rest of the trip is still worth not being behind the wheel of an automatic for me. I also know that many of the benefits of stick are decreasing, but having total control over the torque going to the wheels at any given moment is really nice, especially in the snow. It seems to me that many automatics are still terrible at gauging what gear they should be in while climbing steep hills as well.

I wonder why it is that Australia is so different from Europe in terms of manual vs automatic, considering its European roots.

So far, it does seem like almost everybody that's responded at least likes manual vehicles.

It does seem that some people, as they get older, don't want to deal with shifting anymore. My uncle had reverted to automatic for years and years as well, long before he even helped me learn to drive stick, but he just got a stick shift again in the last few years.

[OtherBarry1992]

Manuals all the way. Right now I have an S2000 and an FRS. Love them

[Kavik]

Dude, this is weird. This is the second time in a couple of days that someone has created a thread on a topic that I was thinking about that day.

In the US, most cars are automatics. I think for ease of use and convenience this is ok, but I think I would have more fun driving a manual. I have only driven a manual four or five times though. I'm sure by the time I get around to having a manual, it will be illegal to drive cars at all because they'll all be autonomous.

[tp4tissue]

Dude, this is weird. This is the second time in a couple of days that someone has created a thread on a topic that I was thinking about that day.

In the US, most cars are automatics. I think for ease of use and convenience this is ok, but I think I would have more fun driving a manual. I have only driven a manual four or five times though. I'm sure by the time I get around to having a manual, it will be illegal to drive cars at all because they'll all be autonomous.

It's the internet,  There must be a composite trigger somewhere online, CES probably.

The info then filters down through the Hive and triggers the logical loops on car topics.

[Maledicted]

Dude, this is weird. This is the second time in a couple of days that someone has created a thread on a topic that I was thinking about that day.

In the US, most cars are automatics. I think for ease of use and convenience this is ok, but I think I would have more fun driving a manual. I have only driven a manual four or five times though. I'm sure by the time I get around to having a manual, it will be illegal to drive cars at all because they'll all be autonomous.

You will certainly have loads of fun driving stick, so long as you can avoid a lot of heavy traffic.

I'm not going to buy into autonomous cars at all until they stop killing people, and even then, they can cart me off to prison then. I'm not going to trust a program to navigate the highway for me. The only possible plus I see is, hopefully, software driving more efficiently/sanely than the average yahoo, instead of slamming on their brakes constantly for no reason, cutting everyone off at 20mph under the limit, drifting into other lanes/not using turn signals, etc.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see so many people align with what I figured may be the case.

[TheBeardedClimber]

Oh man. Driving the stick is the best. I have been thinking of getting an older stick wrangler to drive on the weekends. Waiting until I pay off my current car first.

[Maledicted]

Oh man. Driving the stick is the best. I have been thinking of getting an older stick wrangler to drive on the weekends. Waiting until I pay off my current car first.

I have always thought a Wrangler would be fun, that gas mileage though.

[TheBeardedClimber]

Oh man. Driving the stick is the best. I have been thinking of getting an older stick wrangler to drive on the weekends. Waiting until I pay off my current car first.

I have always thought a Wrangler would be fun, that gas mileage though.

!00% agree, that gas mileage is a killer. If I could snag one cheap and just drive it around town its no big deal, but right now I could never justify it as a daily driver.

[Olumin]

People from the US (were automatics are the norm) feel superior about driving a manual only until they get sick of it in city traffic and get themselves an automatic again. In Germany you learn on a manual. I can drive them of cause, but I never could stand them. Drove an automatic ever since I got my licence.

I suppose in Germany automatics are still considered a luxury, because back in the day they came at a premium. Not so much today, most cars on the road in Europe are still manuals however.

EDIT: I know most people who like to drive stick like to drive for fun. If it’s about the experience of driving a car, of cause there is no replacement for a manual. I however, don’t drive for fun. I was never a car guy. They get me from A to B.

[Maledicted]

I don't think it has anything to do with feeling superior. It is just a better experience, and your car is a lot more controllable, and reliable. If you read all of the posts, you would see that I have driven manual exclusively for the past 10 years. I'll never go back.

[noisyturtle]

I do prefer manual.
Can't drive them, but I do prefer them.
It's the idea of having more control that's appealing, knowing all the while I couldn't handle it.

[chyros]

It's very satisfying driving a manual. Both of my cars have been true old four-on-the-floor specimens. There's just something deeply connecting driving a manual.

That said, it's not as much fun in traffic jams, and especially when driving in other countries, when renting a car, I generally go automatic. Much less to worry about.

Haven't driven a car for years now though - I couldn't justify keeping one anymore.

[invariance]

My preference would be for a manual, but relegated to autos as the wife has an auto-only licence. 
I haven’t driven a great variety cars, but I would say with a manual the driver is more connected with the experience: aware of engine revs to initiate a gear change, the change in forces are more pronounced with the gear change (especially if linger between gears and give it more throttle when engaged), sound of the engine as it moves over a greater rev range.
Sources manual: 1965 Holden HD Special station sedan, 1981 Holden Gemini TG SL, 2002 Mazda 323.
Automatic: 2002 Mitsubishi Mirage CE, 2002 Holden VY Commodore station wagon, 2014 Ford Territory SZ.

[iri]

I prefer an automatic.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

It's very satisfying driving a manual. Both of my cars have been true old four-on-the-floor specimens. There's just something deeply connecting driving a manual.

That said, it's not as much fun in traffic jams, and especially when driving in other countries, when renting a car, I generally go automatic. Much less to worry about.

Haven't driven a car for years now though - I couldn't justify keeping one anymore.

I adore that in Europe, you guys have decent enough mass transit and things close enough to be able to just walk.

Whenever I travel outside of the U.S. I always get very used to that, since nothing in the U.S. is ever conveniently close. (Maybe more so on the East Coast.)

[fanpeople]

I prefer an automatic.

I didnt know Lada Niva came in automatic.

[chyros]

It's very satisfying driving a manual. Both of my cars have been true old four-on-the-floor specimens. There's just something deeply connecting driving a manual.

That said, it's not as much fun in traffic jams, and especially when driving in other countries, when renting a car, I generally go automatic. Much less to worry about.

Haven't driven a car for years now though - I couldn't justify keeping one anymore.

I adore that in Europe, you guys have decent enough mass transit and things close enough to be able to just walk.

Whenever I travel outside of the U.S. I always get very used to that, since nothing in the U.S. is ever conveniently close. (Maybe more so on the East Coast.)

I never use public transport or walk anywhere either. I cycle everywhere.

This is mainly possible because of the high population density here (more than 15 times as dense as the US, and about a quarter again as dense as the city of Sydney) and lack of any appreciable elevation xD .

[fohat.digs]

and lack of any appreciable elevation

This is the big thing. Hills are killer, and you quickly realize that stretches that seemed "flat" in a car are far from it in reality (says someone who has lived the majority of his life in the foothills of the Appalachians).   

[iri]

Speaking of hills, I would actually prefer a (diesel) manual when driving on very hilly terrain.

[fohat.digs]

Speaking of hills, I would actually prefer a (diesel) manual when driving on very hilly terrain.

For example, in stalled traffic facing uphill?

[Signature]

Speaking of hills, I would actually prefer a (diesel) manual when driving on very hilly terrain.

For example, in stalled traffic facing uphill?

Stalled traffic is a pain in a manual. Have only driven manuals in my life, but wouldn't mind automatic aka driving on easy mode.

[Maledicted]

I couldn't stand to live in a major metropolitan area. My little city of 30,000 is already too big for me.

If anybody has a problem with starting from a stop on a hill ... they probably should be driving an automatic, or my stupid 2012 Chevy Sonic apparently.

Chevy thought in their infinite wisdom, that people who want full control over their car should have traction control that can't be entirely turned off without pulling out the ABS fuse. They also added some stupid feature that holds the car in place for a second or two when starting from a stop on an incline. They touted it as some major innovation. I freaking hate it to no end. The pedals aren't even pneumatic, and the power steering is electronic, so it has come to the point that using my Logitech G27 in a video game feels more real than driving that car.

It's very satisfying driving a manual. Both of my cars have been true old four-on-the-floor specimens. There's just something deeply connecting driving a manual.

That said, it's not as much fun in traffic jams, and especially when driving in other countries, when renting a car, I generally go automatic. Much less to worry about.

Haven't driven a car for years now though - I couldn't justify keeping one anymore.

I have never even had a pleasure of driving a 4 speed before. What sort of cars were they? They must have been old.

[tp4tissue]

Logitech G27 more real than driving that car.

Great wheel !!

[fohat.digs]

Chevy thought in their infinite wisdom,

I have never even had a pleasure of driving a 4 speed before.

You all know that I am really old. 2 of the cars that I drove regularly when I started were my grandparents' Chevrolet Bel Airs, first a 1957 with a 6 cylinder and "3 on the tree" and then, not long afterwards, they traded for a 1966 with a small V-8 and the 2-speed "Powerglide" automatic. That thing would do 60 mph in first gear!

I also drove a couple of "4 on the tree" cars, early-1960s Mercedes and Wolselys as I recall, both well worn with a lot of mileage. Finding the middle column of gears in there was like using a combination of dowsing and clairvoyance. 

[chyros]

and lack of any appreciable elevation

This is the big thing. Hills are killer, and you quickly realize that stretches that seemed "flat" in a car are far from it in reality (says someone who has lived the majority of his life in the foothills of the Appalachians).

Wher eI lived in the UK, I had to cycle up a really steep road to get to university. It was steep enough that I would dismount to do it. It's not so bad if it's just one street you have to hike up, but more than that and it becomes somewhat futile, I'd think xD .

That said, I'm sure it helps that if I cycle 30 minutes in any direction, I pass through two towns .

[iri]

Speaking of hills, I would actually prefer a (diesel) manual when driving on very hilly terrain.

For example, in stalled traffic facing uphill?

Great example. Will there also be landmines and toddlers running in between cars?

[Maledicted]

You all know that I am really old. 2 of the cars that I drove regularly when I started were my grandparents' Chevrolet Bel Airs, first a 1957 with a 6 cylinder and "3 on the tree" and then, not long afterwards, they traded for a 1966 with a small V-8 and the 2-speed "Powerglide" automatic. That thing would do 60 mph in first gear!

I also drove a couple of "4 on the tree" cars, early-1960s Mercedes and Wolselys as I recall, both well worn with a lot of mileage. Finding the middle column of gears in there was like using a combination of dowsing and clairvoyance.

That's really cool. I sometimes wonder if I was born in the wrong time.

Great example. Will there also be landmines and toddlers running in between cars?

Well, of course. Isn't that already part of your daily commute?

[Sniping]

I feel like people make way too big of a deal about it sometimes. People are definitely crossing the line when they get to the point of saying stuff like "I can't drive anything without three pedals". I know a couple of people that say that kind of thing. I drive a normal soccer mom SUV most of the time, and drive my manual sports car maybe a quarter of the time. Most of the time I'm doing normal city/town driving where there's no way I could possibly drive the way I want to drive my faster car.

[Maledicted]

I feel like people make way too big of a deal about it sometimes. People are definitely crossing the line when they get to the point of saying stuff like "I can't drive anything without three pedals". I know a couple of people that say that kind of thing. I drive a normal soccer mom SUV most of the time, and drive my manual sports car maybe a quarter of the time. Most of the time I'm doing normal city/town driving where there's no way I could possibly drive the way I want to drive my faster car.

I could see that being the case in California if you don't have a particular preference, or something, especially if the land is especially flat. And if you live in a major metropolitan area, that's reasonable even if you do prefer manual vehicles.

All automatics without relatively big engines that I have even ridden in have had heart attacks going up major hills (I'm talking like 60+ degree incline behemoths). I also like having the extra control of not only choosing a gear, but controlling the application of power to the wheels through that gear, when starting from a stop in icy/slushy/snowy conditions. This also extends to engine braking in adverse conditions. The deceleration is then perfectly controlled without much concern of losing traction. Added to this is the fact that if your brakes completely fail on the highway (this has happened to me) you can engine brake to safely decelerate, and even still drive the thing home/to a shop. Additionally, I'm still relatively certain that manual transmissions, being far less complex than automatic transmissions, are still far more reliable/bulletproof than automatics, and I'm the sort of guy that buys a car used, for cheap (in cash), and drives it for years and years until it falls apart. I think the only possible exception to this is if they somehow made a transmission as (nearly) simple as a stick shift, mechanically, and offloaded (most of) the mechanical complexity onto the computer, although that also just adds more unnecessary software that can go haywire as well.

I do not even own any sports cars. I wish that I did. If I'm going to own anything, it is going to have a stick shift. Practical reasons, like above, are a major factor in that, but so is simple enjoyment of driving. Automatics are just boring. I can drive somebody else's car for 15 minutes, and I already feel my soul draining from my body. The transition is always a bit of a system shock as well, since I usually go at least a year or more without having driven any automatics, although that just takes some time to overcome.

I can certainly understand people who refuse entirely to drive manual vehicles, for their own very valid practical reasons, especially if they have a considerable disposable income. I cannot understand people who do not accept the inverse from others.

[iri]

Great example. Will there also be landmines and toddlers running in between cars?

Well, of course. Isn't that already part of your daily commute?

Landmines are banned in Soshlist Yurop, but toddlers are still legal.

[AJM]

..... All automatics without relatively big engines that I have even ridden in have had heart attacks going up major hills (I'm talking like 60+ degree incline behemoths) .....

Sorry for being a smart arse, but 60 degree would mean an incline of 173 percent!
I think the record for vehicles with tires is held by the Unimog with around 110 percent (= 47.4 degrees).

I think you mean 60 percent (= 31 degrees), which is still impressive, considering that the steepest road in the world (according to the Guinness book of records) is 37.5 percent (= 20.5 degrees).

[iri]

Yeah, in Harlech I was very grateful for my torquey diesel and the ability to select the gear myself...

[Maledicted]

Sorry for being a smart arse, but 60 degree would mean an incline of 173 percent!
I think the record for vehicles with tires is held by the Unimog with around 110 percent (= 47.4 degrees).

I think you mean 60 percent (= 31 degrees), which is still impressive, considering that the steepest road in the world (according to the Guinness book of records) is 37.5 percent (= 20.5 degrees).

Maybe not quite 60 then? 30 degrees is nothing here though. We have many very steep hills here. I live in an area that they say was basically carved out of the earth by passing glaciers as they melted. If you're not going up a hill, you're usually going down one.

[fohat.digs]

Having worked in surveying and civil engineering, I can say that slopes and grades can be very deceptive.

Most ordinary vehicles cannot enter or exit a driveway that is 1:4 because the "breakover" is so great that the frame hangs on the ground.

The basic point stands, however. For most of the past 25 years I have driven 4-cylinder Toyota Camrys with automatics, and while they are plenty peppy on regular roads, they really struggle on steep slopes.

[tp4tissue]

Having worked in surveying and civil engineering, I can say that slopes and grades can be very deceptive.

Most ordinary vehicles cannot enter or exit a driveway that is 1:4 because the "breakover" is so great that the frame hangs on the ground.

The basic point stands, however. For most of the past 25 years I have driven 4-cylinder Toyota Camrys with automatics, and while they are plenty peppy on regular roads, they really struggle on steep slopes.

that's why they have the different modes on the stick

[yui]

I feel like people make way too big of a deal about it sometimes. People are definitely crossing the line when they get to the point of saying stuff like "I can't drive anything without three pedals". I know a couple of people that say that kind of thing. I drive a normal soccer mom SUV most of the time, and drive my manual sports car maybe a quarter of the time. Most of the time I'm doing normal city/town driving where there's no way I could possibly drive the way I want to drive my faster car.

from my experience, i drive a manual car all day everyday (and a fairly old one at that still 5 speeds though) but before this one i drove an automatic, and the transition is hard, and now 2 years later when i try to drive my mother's automatic i nearly crash it because there is a brake instead of the clutch pedal on the left, so what i am saying is if you drive both regularly it isn't hard to switch but when you get used to one or the other it takes quite a bit and i see why peoples would not want to drive automatic when they are used to manuals.