have to say on my drives to work I barely ever touch the break (unless I come to a round about or something) and just use the gears to slow me down, so much easier.
Not sure why you'd ever recommend an auto over a manual, unless you just constantly drove on motorways...
Cities clogged by traffic prefer autos.
You can slow down all you want with a manual, but in stop and go traffic, they are just punishment. Commutes in So. Cal. can take 2 hours or more, and average 10mph or less. Not touching the brake isn't an option and leaving a gap so you can keep rolling doesn't work. Leave a gap of 10 feet and you can bet money that someone will pull into it. Besides, you can be stopped for several minutes at a time, rolling won't help. If there is an accident, it can be hours of this to get past it. On longer commutes where an accident occurs, you may as well just go stay in a hotel because by the time you get home, eat and shower, it's time to go back to work.
One free way down there is called "The Parking Lot", they don't even bother reporting slow traffic on it, they report when it's moving.
My car is 14 years old. I hope it lasts me at least another 6.
why?
My favorite cars were a 20 year old BMW and a 35 year old pickup.
I'm sorry, but new cars aren't all they're cracked up to be..
Yes, they run better (usually), better mileage (not always), more reliable (absolutely), but what you spend on a month in payments, is less than I spend in a year on maintenance and probably insurance too. Plus, they all tend to look alike, and often feel like driving a video game (no feel of the road), too many gadgets... Blah. Most of the cars I have owned, including the BMW didn't even have cup holders, unless you count the passenger. It's a car, not an entertainment center. The right car IS the entertainment.
Give me 60k to spend on a car today and I
might buy a Hyundai (for practicality) or Mx5 (for fun), the rest would go towards something older, and I guarantee, the older car would get more miles on it than the new one.
Older cars have class and style all their own.
The only city you shouldn't drive a manual in, especially if you don't know how to drive one well enough, is San Francisco.
You haven't driven in So. Cal. then.