How can people stand driving manuals?

[bigben]

manuals are fun, especially for cars with really small engines like mine. They give me a kick enough to make me forget that my computer is worth more than my car

 

[Parrotheader]

Originally posted by: amok
Lol, a better question would be "How can some people be so terrible at driving manuals?" I got a bit too intoxicated at dinner a couple of weeks ago (happened upon an old friend and his wife). I asked my date before I started drinking if she could drive a 6-sp, and she said yes. By the time we got to my house I was in a state of shock-induced sobriety. She downshifted it to redline more times than i can count (i was surprised to not have bruises from my seat belt), dumped the clutch every time she took off, and almost rolled back into another car on the only hill we stopped on. How does that kind of driving equal being able to drive a manual?

LOL! Personally I fall into the automatic crowd. Stick was fun when I was younger and the thrill of driving was still fresh (I'm a bitter 26 year old.) But now that most of my driving consists of daily commutes (1/2 interstate, 1/2 stop-and-go roads) I really could care less about the "fun" and "feeling of control" a stick provides. Plus, it's absolutely MISERABLE if there's a wreck or in stop and go traffic. I just want to sit back and relax and make the best of my commute. The last thing I need to be doing in heavy traffic anyway is feeling the temptation to get that racing-like sensation a stick shift provides. Even when I go out driving on the weekends now I don't miss it. I'd rather just roll the windows down, let the dog stick his head out, sip on a soda and let my free hand wander over to my wife's lap

 

[Thegonagle]

The reasons I prefer a manual, in this order, are control (manual gear selection is great in the winter, and in many other situations ), fuel economy (automatics require energy from the engine to run their hydraulics), performance (same reason as economy, an automatic takes energy from the engine to operate, plus a lower (numerically higher) first gear means more pep for take-off), and purchase price ($900-2000 cheaper in a new car, easier to make a good deal used). Plus, I was first taught how to drive in a manual transmission car.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Plus, it's absolutely MISERABLE if there's a wreck or in stop and go traffic. I just want to sit back and relax and make the best of my commute.

Boy, there are sure some drama queens out there. I can see how towing a house trailer with a fifth-wheel truck and a manual would be miserable in traffic, but I would not call stop-and-go traffic with a modern manual transmission "MISERABLE." No question, an automatic is more convenient in heavy traffic, but you make it sound as though it is torturous driving a stick in traffic, which to me is more than a little bit of an exaggeration.

 

[SnapIT]

People who drive stick and race their car knows that people that drive automatics get NO RESPECT regardless of what car they drive.

LMAO! That sounded like one of the corny lines in the fast and the furriest...

 

[Parrotheader]

Originally posted by: Don_Vito

Plus, it's absolutely MISERABLE if there's a wreck or in stop and go traffic. I just want to sit back and relax and make the best of my commute.

Boy, there are sure some drama queens out there. I can see how towing a house trailer with a fifth-wheel truck and a manual would be miserable in traffic, but I would not call stop-and-go traffic with a modern manual transmission "MISERABLE." No question, an automatic is more convenient in heavy traffic, but you make it sound as though it is torturous driving a stick in traffic, which to me is more than a little bit of an exaggeration.

Apparently there's some judgemental schmucks out there too. I'll clarify it a bit more for you then. No, it's not "torturous" which is why I didn't choose that word to begin with. But RELATIVE to driving an automatic when you're stuck in a 5mph stop-and-go crawl for several miles (which happens all the time on my commute) driving a stick IS miserable. You can't just sit back and make the best of it. You have to constantly be work the clutch about 200 times because if you don't people will be cutting in front of you constantly. And after a long day of work when I just want to get home and relax, having to constantly fiddle with the clutch is the last thing I want to do. If you enjoy it more power to you. I was just stating my preference.

 

[amok]

LOL! Personally I fall into the automatic crowd. Stick was fun when I was younger and the thrill of driving was still fresh (I'm a bitter 26 year old.) But now that most of my driving consists of daily commutes (1/2 interstate, 1/2 stop-and-go roads) I really could care less about the "fun" and "feeling of control" a stick provides.

Lol, I've got a few years on you, but I still enjoy driving my car on the weekends, especially the weekends I head for the narrow and curvy roads in the area my mother retired to. I can sympathize regarding the traffic issue though, which is why I have an automatic for day-to-day .

 

[timmyG]

i drive a 5 speed pickup truck. i cant imagine ever driving an automatic and i dont think i will ever buy an automatic unless im like 70 or something but even then when i sit at home and watch matlock all day i think i would still prefer manual.

 

[Priit]

IMO, driving a manual is fun and easy. I haven't ever driven a car with an auto thought I can perfectly understand people who prefere those. Biggest pleasure is to drive a car/truck with non-synchronized (without synchromesh) manual gearbox: keeps you busy so driving doesn't become boring

 

[weirdwaldo]

Heh, rekon im bit of an oxymoron here but my daily driver is a manual but my muscle car ('79 camaro) is an automatic.

Way I see if is if ya got a small engine, stick is the way to go, gives ya more power when ya need it. Course if ya got a 400+hp car I pity da foo who tries to keep up shifting with it.

 

[Stifko]

I would never get an automatic either, unless its a great car for free.

Manual is the way to go. Much better control and more fun to drive, IMHO.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I've found there's two types of drivers:
Active and isolationist.

An active driver sees driving as an event, they'll look for the roads that are fun to drive, they WANT to feel the road, they're willing to get a manual because it helps them get a feel for the road, car, and lets them excersize a greater amount of control.

An isolationist driver sees driving as a chore. They want as little input from outside as possible. Thier ideal car is a box they step into and out of 30 seconds later at thier destination.


One thing you'll notice, although BMW and Mercedes Benz seem to cater to the same market, they cater to different types of drivers.

 

[cavemanmoron]

Originally posted by: HiTek21
You can shift gears when you need the power, not have to slam on the gas pedal and wait for the automatic transmission to change gears. I love stick shift and will never buy automatic. I guess everyone has their own prefrence. Oh yeah and Manuals cost about 2 grand less than the auto

Edit: It also keeps other people who don't know how to drive stick from driving your car =P

LOL i agree,
my Car,a '67 Camaro is worth more $$ because it Is a 4 speed standard
I drive either auto or standard,
the standards that are a little tougher to shift,especially when i dont use them a lot,and then forget for 10 seconds,are some of our Road Ranger trucks at work; we have one that the gear pattern for
9th/10th gear is reversed,and sometimes i go to 10th gear,and the truck loses some momentum,before i remember LOL
Most heavy duty vehicles are standard,as are most of the more fuel efficient vehicles

 

[cmdavid]

manuals are cheaper, last longer, and are easier to fix...

 

[cavemanmoron]

While you are practicing your shifts please find me some manual transmissions rated for 700+HP. When I build my 351 drag car(Fox Body Mustang) if you can find a 700+HP manual to put in it I will do so. I guess all these guys just can't drive a manual like you can.

what tranny is in warren johnson's car?>
what is in John Forces car?
etc. LMAO
ever hear of Lenco??etc
here is a list of NHRA Stock class index,notice the auto cars are slower

linked to save space LOL
with the technology available now the newer Auto trannies are very durable ,and also much more fuel efficient than the old ones!!

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: cavemanmoron

While you are practicing your shifts please find me some manual transmissions rated for 700+HP. When I build my 351 drag car(Fox Body Mustang) if you can find a 700+HP manual to put in it I will do so. I guess all these guys just can't drive a manual like you can.

what tranny is in warren johnson's car?>
what is in John Forces car?
etc. LMAO
ever hear of Lenco??etc
here is a list of NHRA Stock class index,notice the auto cars are slower

linked to save space LOL
with the technology available now the newer Auto trannies are very durable ,and also much more fuel efficient than the old ones!!

Umm. That was my whole point. They all use autos!

 

[Demon-Xanth]

John Force's car doesn't have a transmission. He has a series of clutches.

 

[HokieESM]

Ah, i think it all depends on what you're driving... and what your purpose is. If its a SUV/family car... probably an auto is best... because its just A-to-B transportation. For a sports car (or just a Sunday afternoon car), a manual is definitely the way to go... more involving... lets you pick your shift points in the apexes, etc. Kind of like those of you who want to run a Linux server JUST because its more work (and yes, there are some of you out there). And hey, its a free country.... drive what you want. Personally, my Chevy pickup is an auto and my Honda Civic is a manual (better gas mileage, my friend!). To each his own!

 

[Nemesis77]

Manual all the way! Cheaper (at least here), better performance and better gas-mileage. I find it really funny that some people here are afraid that they might break their transmission by "missing a shift" of "downshifting to wrong gear". If tasks like that are too much for you, then why the hell are you driving a car in the first place ?! I have exactly zero problems driving a car with manual transmission, even in heavy traffic. Also, manuel gives me the feeling that I'm in control of my vehicle, I decide what gear the car runs at.

 

[NFS4]

For those that keep bitching about not having control without a manual or automatics being for lazy folk, or that they will never buy another automatic, think about this:

Most SUV's are sold with automatics.
Just about every minivan comes with an automatic.
Just about all high-end luxury cars come ONLY with automatics (S-Class, A8, 7-Series, Phaeton, etc.)
Almost all GM sedans are automatics
Most pickups sold come with 4-speed automatics
Around 75% of Corvettes come with automatics.

And the figure is something like 70 - 80% of all vehicles sold in America come with automatics.

There are just some vehicles that don't lend themselves well to manual transmission.

 

[Nemesis77]

Originally posted by: NFS4
And the figure is something like 70 - 80% of all vehicles sold in America come with automatics.

More evidence proving that americans are lousy drivers . In here manual transmission has something like 80% share of the market.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Nemesis77

Originally posted by: NFS4
And the figure is something like 70 - 80% of all vehicles sold in America come with automatics.

More evidence proving that americans are lousy drivers . In here manual transmission has something like 80% share of the market.

Here's the proof:

Ward's Automotive World reported that domestic passenger-car installation rates for manual transmissions was only 13.6 percent in 1997, with light trucks coming in only a couple of numbers higher at 16.2 percent. Nearly nine out of 10 vehicles produced domestically had an automatic transmission, and installation rates for import passenger cars in the United States had doubled from 36.8 percent in 1982 to 74.6 percent in 1996.

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/driving/articles/42992/article.html

So to you guys bitching at people who drive automatics....YOU are in the minority...by a LARGE margin.

 

[Lithium381]

I love driving stick! I learned in it, and now it's what i drive.....I'll drive an auto if that's all that's there, but i would rather drive manual.....

 

[Nemesis77]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Nemesis77

Originally posted by: NFS4
And the figure is something like 70 - 80% of all vehicles sold in America come with automatics.

More evidence proving that americans are lousy drivers . In here manual transmission has something like 80% share of the market.

Here's the proof:

Ward's Automotive World reported that domestic passenger-car installation rates for manual transmissions was only 13.6 percent in 1997, with light trucks coming in only a couple of numbers higher at 16.2 percent. Nearly nine out of 10 vehicles produced domestically had an automatic transmission, and installation rates for import passenger cars in the United States had doubled from 36.8 percent in 1982 to 74.6 percent in 1996.

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/driving/articles/42992/article.html

So to you guys bitching at people who drive automatics....YOU are in the minority...by a LARGE margin.

Where exactly did I claim that your numbers are wrong? I think your numbers are correct. In my case "here" = Finland. And I guess in Europe overall manual is clearly the dominant form of transmission.

And it is a fact that americans are lousy drivers.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

So to you guys bitching at people who drive automatics....YOU are in the minority...by a LARGE margin.

How is this a persuasive argument? Statistics will also show you that most Americans drink Budweiser and Miller, listen to Britney Spears and other pop pablum, and don't read books. Does this make me wrong because I am in the minority, or just more discriminating in my tastes?

BTW, I do not mean to bitch at automatic drivers, I just dislike cars with automatics.