[Houston] Would you buy/drive a 5 speed?

Imagine driving a stick, going up one of the steepest hills in San Francisco behind a delivery truck and then the driver comes to a complete stop about halfway up the hill. That's fun. So was the rolling back down the entire hill.

 

A manual shift car in Houston is no problem. Houston is as flat as a pancake. I drove a manual in Los Angeles, while living in a very hilly section of West Hollywood. That was a nightmare.

 

manual>>>automatic

i drove a manual trasmission vehicle the entire time i lived in houston (well, during the years i was of legal driving age.) i never had a problem. i prefer manual transmissions over automatics because i prefer the control over the vehicle.

 

do you guys really choose your transmission option based on what others might think of you???

 

Question, have some of the people who think manual is cool actually driven a manual? I'm not talking about taking a spin around the parking lot. I'm talking about everyday. It's horrible. I didn't think it was fun, maybe cause it was my first car so I had more worries than stalling.

Would I drive a manual again? No.

Would I drive a manual again to save money? Yes.

The hot chicks will be all over your bumpy ride

 

If you're talking on a phone while driving then please stay off the roads no matter what type of transmission you have. The worst drivers on the road almost always have a phone on their ear.

 

Well it all depends on what car too. I could understand my cousin's pain when he used to drive a 1990 trooper that had a manual. Bleh!!

But if it's a sporty car with some zip then yeah I would recommend getting a manual.

 

That's true; however, all drivers with phones aren't the worst drivers..

 

The most important thing to have on a car in Houston is a sound working air conditioner. All the rest including what type of transmission you have it just minor details.

 

Its really not a big deal. I drove from the Woodlands to south of the Village every day last summer and my 6-speed never really annoyed me at all.

 

i drive a 5-spd

thankfully i dont' have to deal with I-10...

 

Every preference has its adherents. Personally, I don't like not being able to shift the gears. I absolutely will not buy an automatic. It's not about saving money (though that's a nice bonus) for me, it's just how I like to drive. I've been driving cars with manual transmissions since I started driving in 1987. Though I have had a few automatics over that span, I didn't enjoy driving them as much. And I haven't had an automatic since 1998. So, I've been driving a car with a manual every day for the last eight years and more often than not in the 11 years prior to that.

But given how small the manual transmission market actually is, I know I'm in the minority of the overall population.

I hate that so many car companies don't give their customers a choice.

 

my experience is limited to 1 day of driving a manuel. this was about 10 years ago when my friend decided to teach me. she (yea, i know. how manly is that to have a girl teach a guy) had an old car and didnt' really care much that i was scratching the gears, but she knew i was a fast learner. wouldn't you know it, within 30 mins, she had me cruisin' down the fastlane of 45 north. that was fun and i definitely enjoyed the control.

that's all i have to add.

 

Back when I had to commute I got sick of shifting in traffic jams everyday. And my riders literally got sick, motion sick.

 

Your just set yourself up to be made fun of; face it, you can't drive a stick.

 

All my cars have been manual and I would not trade it for automatic. Manual gives you more control and it is funner to drive. I feel weird when driving automatics and it just doesn't feel right. I guess it depends on your personal preference. There aren't any real hills here so there's not much to worry about. It does suck when you are stuck in traffic but it's all good.

 

I drive and email/text at times, so a manual would not do it for me.

Yes, I've driven manual here in Houston for about 3 years.

I prefer an automatic for my everyday vehicle.

 

I've driven a 5-spd for the last twelve years....many of those years have been in Houston.

 

A manual isn't smooth. Not saying passengers should get motion sick, but if you were blindfolded, you would know you were riding in a manual even with the most experienced driver. I think that was his point.