Is being able to drive manual a lost art?

[GoodRevrnd]

an automatic M* is a crime.

I'd be conflicted if I was buying a new M3/4. The reality that these new high performance cars are just superior with the auto, but I would miss the driving experience of a manual in that kind of car. M2 I'd go manual no question, M5+ I'd relent and just do auto. M3/4, I think it would depend what else was in my garage.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

why else do you buy a sports car?

For most people, I'm guessing to be seen.

 

[Chaotic42]

I hate automatics. I'd never get one unless it was cost prohibitive to get a manual or I had to spend a lot of time in bad traffic. I've got a 2016 Subaru WRX and I've heard the automatic transmission is pretty good, but that car screams for a manual.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Even mass market cars until recently had an optional stick in the US. So eliminate people buying Accords, Fusions, and other volume cars with manuals, and people buying BMW's just to be seen that don't give a shit about fun-factor. How many folks are left actively looking for a manual?

 

[Ns1]

I'd be conflicted if I was buying a new M3/4. The reality that these new high performance cars are just superior with the auto, but I would miss the driving experience of a manual in that kind of car. M2 I'd go manual no question, M5+ I'd relent and just do auto. M3/4, I think it would depend what else was in my garage.

oooh wow you can mash on the pedal and buy a 100k car congrats.

aka how I feel about automatic sports cars. FFS if you want an auto buy a mercedes or lexus.

 

[BudAshes]

They're not bad sitting in traffic. That's the common excuse of people who don't drive manuals often and are uncomfortable doing it. It you drive manual every day working a clutch and stick is no more burdensome that a steering wheel and brakes. It's second nature and you don't even notice it. In my life I have never purchased a car with an automatic. My next car might be an auto, not by choice, just might be forced to do it because of so few suitable cars being offered with a manual now.

I drove a manual every day for many years in the bay area. In fact this is the first time in about 12 years where I haven't had at least one car that was a manual transmission.

 

[RLGL]

Sadly it is a lost art. Even car thieves have been stymied by the stick

 

[snoopy7548]

I'll never not a drive a manual as long as it's possible to buy them, new or used. They're simply fun to drive, even a crappy 122hp car feels zippy, and make you pay more attention to the road. I'm planning on keeping my next car for 15+ years, so I'll be set until at least 2043.

But then you have people like this ruining it for everyone...

Wife drove a manual car, and sadly I don't drive manual. The thing is, I might have had a shot at driving manual if it weren't for the fact that I already drive an automatic with 2 feet... and before anyone says anything on that - no, I have never in my life pressed both petals or the opposite petal in my life... even in emergency brake situations. That is a bullshit myth from fucktards.

Something about video games made me grow up and say "2 petals.... 2 feet".... and thus I brake with my left foot. So driving manual would be extra hard because I would have to drop driving with 2 feet AND learn to use stick shift + clutch.

I gave it a shot in a parking lot 1 or 2 times and simply said it wasn't worth it.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

oooh wow you can mash on the pedal and buy a 100k car congrats.

aka how I feel about automatic sports cars. FFS if you want an auto buy a mercedes or lexus.

TBH, manual or automatic, I will never understand someone that buys something expensive ($10k+) that depreciates from the moment you buy it (by a significant amount).

Maybe I'm just weird, I'd rather spend $20 on a damn good beer that I can consume and enjoy over a $30,000 car that depreciates to peanuts ($2-5k in 6 years)

 

[BoomerD]

They are great except for the whole sitting in traffic part. If you plan to spend a lot of time driving in rush hour traffic I'd be over it. But if this is a for fun car, or you don't live in a big city then I'd say manuals are just plain more fun.

Or driving in a city of hills...like San Francisco or Seattle. It's doable...but can be a pita.

I've driven stick for more than 40 years...3 speed floor shifters, 3 on the tree, 4 speeds, 5 speeds, then trucks, , Fuller Roadrangers...9 speed, 13 speed, 15 speed, 12 speed spicers, 3x4 brownies, 4x4 brownies, 4x5 brownies, and 5x4 brownies. (brownies are two stick manual transmissions)

Driving a stick isn't hard...there's a slight learning curve...and one of the most important things to learn is to take your foot off the clutch...except when you're shifting. Clutch plates and throw-out bearings aren't particularly expensive...but if you can't do it yourself, labor is a bitch.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I'll never not a drive a manual as long as it's possible to buy them, new or used. They're simply fun to drive, even a crappy 122hp car feels zippy, and make you pay more attention to the road. I'm planning on keeping my next car for 15+ years, so I'll be set until at least 2043.

But then you have people like this ruining it for everyone...

Yeah so what wanna fight about it?

No but srsly, whats the problem? I always argue that its safer because instead of having to move my foot from the gas in an emergency I already have a foot ready on the brake

 

[sze5003]

Yeah so what wanna fight about it?

No but srsly, whats the problem? I always argue that its safer because instead of having to move my foot from the gas in an emergency I already have a foot ready on the brake

That's way too hard to do if you are not used to it. Your left foot would accidentally slam the brake because it's just feels so unnatural.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

That's way too hard to do if you are not used to it. Your left foot would accidentally slam the brake because it's just feels so unnatural.

For people not used to it, perhaps. Like I said, from day 1 of driving I saw 2 feet and 2 pedals, so thats what I naturally presumed. I have never once "accidentally" slammed anything just because I use 2 feet

 

[sze5003]

For people not used to it, perhaps. Like I said, from day 1 of driving I saw 2 feet and 2 pedals, so thats what I naturally presumed. I have never once "accidentally" slammed anything just because I use 2 feet

I think that's pretty cool and on be able to do but I'm wondering if Uber would hire someone that did that lol. They probably would never know.

 

[Darwin333]

TBH, manual or automatic, I will never understand someone that buys something expensive ($10k+) that depreciates from the moment you buy it (by a significant amount).

Maybe I'm just weird, I'd rather spend $20 on a damn good beer that I can consume and enjoy over a $30,000 car that depreciates to peanuts ($2-5k in 6 years)

Well your beer depreciates turns into piss which unless you have a market in some weird fetishes depreciates to $0.

 

[Darwin333]

For people not used to it, perhaps. Like I said, from day 1 of driving I saw 2 feet and 2 pedals, so thats what I naturally presumed. I have never once "accidentally" slammed anything just because I use 2 feet

Did no one actually teach you how to drive properly?

 

[IronWing]

That's way too hard to do if you are not used to it. Your left foot would accidentally slam the brake because it's just feels so unnatural.

I drive one footed when driving an auto. When I used to drive a stick and had to switch to an auto, I had a tendency to stomp on the clutch when coming to a stop. My passengers didn't seem to care for that.

 

[Insomniator]

There is no auto that is "superior" to a manual, its not a applicable comparison. The whole point of a manual is, driving, the manual. An automatic M4 can be .1, .5, 5 seconds quicker to 60 and it doesn't matter unless you are racing for money. It could also get better gas mileage and last longer and make coffee for me... that's not the point.

Thats not to mean there is anything wrong with an automatic car... they obviously have their place. I'm just really confused when people say 'the new automatics are better than manuals' when referring to driving a sports car.

So yes its a lost art! I have more fun in my crappy 6 spd Mini S than I would in any automatic car. It would be more fun than an automatic Viper... the whole point is the stick.

Paddle shifters don't count either.

 

[Insomniator]

TBH, manual or automatic, I will never understand someone that buys something expensive ($10k+) that depreciates from the moment you buy it (by a significant amount).

Maybe I'm just weird, I'd rather spend $20 on a damn good beer that I can consume and enjoy over a $30,000 car that depreciates to peanuts ($2-5k in 6 years)

Why does the depreciation matter? If someone is into cars they'll be excited every day to drive that $30k car, regardless of what its worth. Also I'm not sure any cars are 1/15 of their original price in 6 years unless they have 1 million miles.

 

[zerocool84]

I'm 33 and finally owned my first automatic vehicle a year and a half ago. Only ever owned manual before and all in the LA area so drove through the worst traffic imaginable with manual.

Yes manual sucks in traffic, anyone who says otherwise doesn't drive in real traffic. Yes you get used to it and deal with it, that's all you can do. Once I was getting a new car I wanted automatic, I was sick of driving through horrible traffic with manual. Only times I miss manual is when I want to have fun, otherwise I don't miss it. Automatics are faster and get better mpg.

1969 Beetle - Manual
2005 Neon SRT4 - Manual
2016 Accord Coupe V6 - Automatic

 

[PricklyPete]

I would have been lamenting about it 5 years ago...but the last auto trans are getting amazingly good. To be honest, I’d probably just get an auto...well except I would never get an auto in an M car

 

[BoomerD]

I'm 33 and finally owned my first automatic vehicle a year and a half ago. Only ever owned manual before and all in the LA area so drove through the worst traffic imaginable with manual.

Yes manual sucks in traffic, anyone who says otherwise doesn't drive in real traffic. Yes you get used to it and deal with it, that's all you can do. Once I was getting a new car I wanted automatic, I was sick of driving through horrible traffic with manual. Only times I miss manual is when I want to have fun, otherwise I don't miss it. Automatics are faster and get better mpg.

1969 Beetle - Manual
2005 Neon SRT4 - Manual
2016 Accord Coupe V6 - Automatic

Yep. At one time, it was possible to get better mileage with a manual...nowadays, with the computers controlling shift points, automatics almost always get better gas mileage.

 

[Muse]

My first two cars were manuals. But I haven't driven one in almost 50 years except, I guess, on some jobs.

I think the automatics are so good now it doesn't make sense to have a manual transmission. But I thought they were fun to drive.

 

[Ns1]

I'm 33 and finally owned my first automatic vehicle a year and a half ago. Only ever owned manual before and all in the LA area so drove through the worst traffic imaginable with manual.

Yes manual sucks in traffic, anyone who says otherwise doesn't drive in real traffic. Yes you get used to it and deal with it, that's all you can do. Once I was getting a new car I wanted automatic, I was sick of driving through horrible traffic with manual. Only times I miss manual is when I want to have fun, otherwise I don't miss it. Automatics are faster and get better mpg.

1969 Beetle - Manual
2005 Neon SRT4 - Manual
2016 Accord Coupe V6 - Automatic

10+ years driving stick in LA. Not a big deal unless you got an aftermarket racing clutch.

We are borrowing a friends new model 328 - the thing isn't even a 335 and it's already absurdly fast and smooth. Only offers a fraction of the driving enjoyment as my manual car, but it admittedly a very nice ride.

 

[Crono]

There is no auto that is "superior" to a manual, its not a applicable comparison. The whole point of a manual is, driving, the manual. An automatic M4 can be .1, .5, 5 seconds quicker to 60 and it doesn't matter unless you are racing for money. It could also get better gas mileage and last longer and make coffee for me... that's not the point.

Thats not to mean there is anything wrong with an automatic car... they obviously have their place. I'm just really confused when people say 'the new automatics are better than manuals' when referring to driving a sports car.

So yes its a lost art! I have more fun in my crappy 6 spd Mini S than I would in any automatic car. It would be more fun than an automatic Viper... the whole point is the stick.

Paddle shifters don't count either.

Best car is this. You can't really feel the road with your newfangled stuff with engines and transmissions.

Or we could go back to horses.