I'm 27 and I only know a handful of individuals in my generation including me who knows how to drive one. I'm going to assume out of the kids taking drivers ed currently, hardly any of them will ever step foot in a manual vehicle. It's a shame. It truly gives the driver a certain respect for the piece of machinery that you are driving. It seems like most people who drive on public roads, treat their vehicle like a personal living room cabin where they can check facebook posts and text messages. Driving isn't an action for them. I read a report that surprisingly in the past year, manual transmission car sales have gone up from 5% to 6%, the first time in decades that the percentage has actually gone up. I'm wondering if car enthusiasts know that the death of manual transmissions is imminent and the demand for the last generation of the standard vehicles has gone up because of this. Not to sound like a self-absorbed *******, but driving a car with a manual makes you a better driver. There is less room for distraction and you have more of a 'feel' and control of what the piece of machinery you are in is doing. Also, unlike most automatic drivers, manual drivers actually understand the concept of 'coasting'. Obviously the only downside is manual trans + Houston traffic. However, it's not nearly as bad is driving in a major metro area with traffic plus hills which I do in the Boston area. I daily commute with a manual in these conditions and honestly it isn't that bad. I think our roads would be a safer and more pleasant experience if the requirement to receive a license is to pass drivers ed in a manual car.
I agree that it makes you a more aware, better driver. I frequently read and even respond to emails while driving at freeway speeds in my automatic transmission SUV. I rented a car in Zurich a few weeks ago and drove to Frankfurt and it was a manual. I hadn't driven one in 15 years...took me an hour or so to get the hang of it again, but then I regained my status as the boss of the Autobahn.
True, but I'll be honest. Once at freeway speeds, a manual is as not involving as an automatic, unless it's stop and go traffic or your ripping it by constantly down shifting to stay in the powerband. So distractions on the freeway is still a issue with manual cars.
I still roll with a Manual my good sir! Yes i have noticed people taking more notice to them but it is ONLY enthusiasts. Every time someone says the benefits of driving one the automatic warriors come out so i rarely bring it up anymore. I actually think it is safer on the road if we all have one. Sure it wont stop you completely from pulling out the phone, all it means is you will be better at doing the things you aren't supposed to. However it will make you watch lights turn green and get ready instead of lurking your phone and just releasing your brakes.
Contrary to popular belief, just because you drive an auto doesn't mean you're looking at Facebook while you drive. lol. Enjoy the stick-shift while you can, but I pity the people that sit around rowing gears on the 1+ hour drive to and back from work in rush-hour traffic that I have. Their right arms probably look like Popeye's. :grin:
I don't know how to drive manual. Had lessons, but never could learn. Doesn't effect me much since I like to go around town in my scooter. I have a driver who drives my manual car.
I understand that my statement was a generalization. Of course there are millions of safe drivers who drive automatics. I'm just referring to a tendency to be lazy when modern vehicles are so easy to drive.
I have always bough manuals until I caved and switched to a dual clutch in my most recent car. I miss shifting through the gears at times since the paddles are not quite the same. Definitely don't miss it in traffic.
Yea when thats the case then i will def go out of the way to find a quicker way home. But the thing is the plus minus for stick vs auto favors the manual imo besides traffic jams.
29 here an all my cars have been manual. Well technically my first car in high school was an automatic mustang that I switched to manual. I just bought a new car, and I swore I was going to get an automatic since it gets tiring driving a stick in traffic, but the Fiesta ST only comes in manual, so here I am with another manual car.
For the average person, it actually doesn't as far as I can tell. It used to be that stick shifts got a lot better mileage, were cheaper, and performance nuts could shift better/faster with them. Now, none of those are really true. Hell, even Porsche had to be begged to start bringing stick shifts back. The people that really miss it are the ones that want to be "one with their cars" and that's probably less than 1% of the public.
Great point, thing is the pdk transmission you mentioned is equiped on ridiculously fast cars that are not made to get groceries with. They do justice for the power they have. But if you get a car like a fiesta or a new charger/challenger then the favor would be for a stick.
Shut up. No one cares. It's a small inconvenience. Most people can drive stick, most grew up driving it or had to at one point, yet They Are adults now and can afford the $1,000 to $1,200 for the auto lol. Lol at the poors Amirite big te
i have a 370z with a sport package etc. i almost got a manual. but i have my son in it time to time. he is 3 now. i didn't want to have to shift while he was inside i thought an auto would be safer. but i still wish i had a manual time to time. the sport shift doesn't do much for me.
