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

Driving a 5-speed in Houston traffic does suck, but it's not bad enough to make me get an automatic.

 

Though I don't often drive in Houston traffic, I'm in Dallas traffic all the time, and I have no trouble driving a 5-speed.

 

Dude, driving a stick is sooooo much better than automatic. The pluses really out number the negatives.

 

Care to list them?

 

i have a 5-spd.. people who complain about houston traffic blah blah are just doing that cause its the cool and convenient thing to say.. just like complaining of houstons humid weather.. (ok maybe that one is pretty bad).. but the traffic here CAN get bad but its not THAT bad.. the city for the most part is car friendly with flat roads(no hills) and abundant parking.. if anything, CAR is the only way to get around since our metro transportation system is practically non existant.. just use your common sense and you can avoid the brunt of the traffic... TRUST ME, its not THAT BAD compared to other areas such as NY or LA.. we have it pretty good here.

 

I drove a stick in Houston for a while and it isn't bad unless you do a long commute in stop and go traffic on a freeway. If you avoid that one situation it is a piece of cake, Houston doens't even have any hills. I did stop and go traffic in a 5-speed in St. Louis and that was a far worse experience then Houston.

 

I would, those 9-2x's are awesome.

 

Well, driving a stick is MUCh more fun than driving an automatic.

You're considered a "p***y" if you drive a sports car with automatic.

Though if you drive on 59 alot, or 290 it could really suck having to start and stop. I would know. But hey, over all I would much rather have a stick shift vehicle. (if it's a car). I have a truck right now that's one too and it's no where near as fun to drive.

 

I drove a 4 or 5 speed for many years and loved it. After I had back surgery, it became a pain. Someone was asking about an advantage, so here's one... I think you are much more in tune with the road and the traffic around you driving a stick. You're more aware, which is a big plus. I'd have one today if it were practicable. Sadly, for me, it's not.

 

Look man let me simplify this for you:

1. Automatic was originally made for chicks.

2. Only panzies complain about driving stick in traffic. It just is not that bad. The only people I ever hear this complaint from is people who never drive stick. People always tell me that they cant beleive I drive stick cuz it must be a b**** in traffic. I have never heard that complaint from someone who actually drives stick.

So if you are A) a girl or B) a panzy, then go ahead and pass up on a good car just cuz it is 5speed manual.

 

ROFL..

yeah usually ppl who dont know anything complain the most.

but that said. the one time i did regret having stick was last year when Rita came.. I spent the better part of 20 hours *1st-2nd-neutral* trying to get out of houston to dallas.. by the end of the trip my left calf was twice the size of my right one and i think i still feel a little nick in my left knee(possible arthritis?) from that experience.. however, to be fair, my car probably would of died on me on atleast a couple occasions if i had automatic leaving me stranded.. my expert driving skills along with the capability of riding in higher gears to decrease rpm and increase fuel mileage allowed me to stretch out my tank just long enough to get to a gas station that ACTUALLY had SOME gas(couple gallons)..


Basically, i should of just stayed in houston

 

Don't forget you can always start a stick if your car's battery or something like that is dead...just push it let it roll and release the clutch.....got my first car going more times then none when it was close to dying...i love driving a stick....automatic is convienent sometimes...but i absulutley love stick....the power and the way you have control is awesome.

 

Driving a 5-speed is not that bad in Houston. My father did it for about 30 years, 70 miles a day, in Houston traffic. I've done the same commute for probably about 2 years total.

There's lots of advantages to a 5-speed. Usually it's about $800-1000 cheaper to buy, with more power, more fuel economy, an extra gear, more fun, and is cheaper to fix. Plus, you can shift when you want to. Automatics always seem to shift a couple seconds too slow, or drop down only one gear when you want to drop down two gears. Automatics have improved a lot over the years though.

 

I was in the same dilemma and unfortunately I chose wrong. I thought I'd hate driving stick in the Houston traffic but I regret getting automatic everyday. Not once have I said. Man thank god I have automatic. =(. Worse decision in my car buying experience ever.

get the stick. Like someone said earlier. Positives outweigh the negatives.

 

A good transmission is not that big of a deal in traffic, but once you're in some twisty turns in the country it's all worth it.

Standard >> Auto [even if it has an optional manual shift]

 

I hate automatics.

 

Think about how bad it is to drive a stick in downtown San Fran with all of those effing hills. Houston is flat so it is a piece of cake.

 

I drive a 6 speed in Housotn every day. No problem.

Go for it.

 

I also drive a 6-speed with a heavy clutch everyday on nothing but city streets. Although it can get tiring at times, I would NEVER be caught dead owning an automatic transmission sports car.

Ever.

It's like a man law or some s-hit.