• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

More fans of stick shift switch gears

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I never understood why almost all cars in the US are automatics. It's the opposite in Europe.
Click to expand...

B/C Americans are lazy and when most people drive 2+ ton SUVs and pickups, who wants to shift for themselves?

I mean come on, when I'm driving my dad's Toyota Highlander or his Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed, the last thing I wanna think about is rowing gears...
 
Stupid/Lazy Americans. Well, that's one theory.

Part of the problem is that folks that may want a MT car may be afraid to buy one because they never had a chance to learn on one. And with only 10% of cars out there having them, and even less so that people may let you learn on... well... it's just going to be worse.

That and price, fuel economy, and acceleration are very close with autos nowadays. So there's not much incentive for a MT car.

That said, I enjoy shifting gears myself, and it's nice being able to hold in 2nd gear a little longer instead of upshifting to third and back to second when in traffic, wet roads, etc. Rush hour can be a pita though, but, not really a problem for me. But it is more work driving, not much, but enough that I think the first line is the reason.



 
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I never understood why almost all cars in the US are automatics. It's the opposite in Europe.
Click to expand...

B/C Americans are lazy and when most people drive 2+ ton SUVs and pickups, who wants to shift for themselves?

I mean come on, when I'm driving my dad's Toyota Highlander or his Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed, the last thing I wanna think about is rowing gears...
Click to expand...

Actually, when you are used to manual tranny's you don't think about it, you just do it.
I live in NY with rush hour traffic during any time of the day (Saturday afternoon's, even at night, traffic is stupid around here) and having a manual never bothers me at all. The only time I notice it is when I'm stuck on a hill. In bumper to bumper traffic I leave it in second.
 
I'm a big fan of manual trans (about 2/3 of the many cars I've driven were manual), but I think it's wasted on most cars manufactured today. The fun of a stick shift is kind of offset by the general slowness of my 4-door, 4-cylinder econocube.
 
10% in 2002? Seems high to me.

It's always a horrible chore to find the used cars that I want with a manual trans.

 
Originally posted by: TheAudit
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I never understood why almost all cars in the US are automatics. It's the opposite in Europe.
Click to expand...

B/C Americans are lazy and when most people drive 2+ ton SUVs and pickups, who wants to shift for themselves?

I mean come on, when I'm driving my dad's Toyota Highlander or his Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed, the last thing I wanna think about is rowing gears...
Click to expand...

Actually, when you are used to manual tranny's you don't think about it, you just do it.
I live in NY with rush hour traffic during any time of the day (Saturday afternoon's, even at night, traffic is stupid around here) and having a manual never bothers me at all. The only time I notice it is when I'm stuck on a hill. In bumper to bumper traffic I leave it in second.
Click to expand...

Ditto, I live in No. Va which isn't as bad as NYC or the dreaded Belt Parkway:|( ialmost hit a dead deer on there...don't ask how) but is still a handful. Travelling about 27miles takes at least an hour..on GOOD days.

Anyways, a MT isn't bad in heavy traffic once you get used to it. You have to mess with the clutch all the time, by as you said, it is something you "just do." Unfortunately, Va has a lot of hills, and those are indeed a bitch...especially at a traffic light and with heavy traffic to boot. :|
 
Originally posted by: mchammer187
MTX scares of a lot of buyers

so i'm assuming MTX in a non sports car will lower its resale value
Click to expand...

WTF is MTX, Manual Transmission X-Treme Edition? 😛

And given that AT is a $1K option on most mid-level cars, it would be logical that a used AT costs more.

- M4H
 
I've always owned manual until my new truck (04 Avalanche)

Even back in 98, I had to search high and low to find a 2 Door Cherokee with a 6 cylinder and a 5 speed. I went to about 10 dealers before I found mine.... and now I am selling it 🙁
 
i agree with this guy completely
?This, however, can foster a point-and-shoot approach to driving that worries Randy Bleicher, a racing instructor and vice president of Arizona-based ProFormance Driving Events.

?It takes away the true essence of driving,? Bleicher said. ?There used to be a skill to driving, the coordination of the feet and hands together. Now, people can go fast without thinking about what they?re doing.?

A driver?s evolution should be gradual, he added, recalling a client?s insistence that he be allowed to drive his Ferrari on ProFormance?s track. The 360 Modena was equipped with paddle shifter and no clutch.

?He went through the fence backwards,? Bleicher recalled.
Click to expand...

i learned to drive on a auto and my first car was an auto cuz i bought it used, needed it quickly, and couldnt find any sticks. my current car is a stick and i swear by it. i will not drive an auto unless im paid to do so.
 
I think another reason people are moving away from MTs is that there is so much more going on in cars than there used to be. Most cars are loaded with distractions, from your cell phone to your DVD nav to your MP3 head unit to satellite radio. People don't focus on actually driving anymore; they try and get other things done while doing it, and it's a lot easier to do that when you're driving a slushbox. 🙁
 
Originally posted by: dman
Part of the problem is that folks that may want a MT car may be afraid to buy one because they never had a chance to learn on one.
Click to expand...

that is quite true. my coworker just bought a TL. i tried to convince him so much to get a stick. so did most of his friends. he even said stick is a better option. but he bought an auto cuz he didnt know how to drive a stick. thats the stupidest mentality IMO
 
I'm currently driving my first MT. Picked it up saturday. So far it's ok. I haven't really played with it much because I'm still learning it. I did chirp the tires nicely this morning on the way to work.

It's a '00 trans am w/ ram air and the 6spd. 😀


It took forever to find a good manual car. I had to spend way more than I wanted to.
 
A lot of people prefer autoshifters simply because they don?t know how to drive a stick. I know a bunch of people, guys and gals, who can?t drive sticks.

If I was buying a small four banger I would always insist on a stick to be able to wring the most of the engine. Who wants the tranny hunting around whenever you poke the gas?
 
CVT with computer to keep RPM's in power band with a bucketload of torque (V8+) is like having your own F16.

Since that is not readily available, I guess a six speed (manual) will suffice.

Cheers!
 
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I never understood why almost all cars in the US are automatics. It's the opposite in Europe.
Click to expand...

True that most cars in Europe are MT, but slowly going away as well...There are many cars you can't get in MT at all anymore. MB SL, Audi A8, I don't think you can even get an RS6 in manual anymore. Automatics are becoming so good in many instances they're better than the Manuals.
 
Originally posted by: JeffCos
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I never understood why almost all cars in the US are automatics. It's the opposite in Europe.
Click to expand...

True that most cars in Europe are MT, but slowly going away as well...There are many cars you can't get in MT at all anymore. MB SL, Audi A8, I don't think you can even get an RS6 in manual anymore. Automatics are becoming so good in many instances they're better than the Manuals.
Click to expand...

i don't think its the performance that generally matters but moreso the driving experience, IMHO anyway. you can give me one slowass 4 banger and id have more fun with it if it was a MT than an AT.
 
Out of the 5 cars I've owned, only 1 has been an auto, and that was because it was my first car and that was the only thing I could afford. I'll drive stick until I'm too old to bother rowing gears. I hate the fact that most cars are auto, whenever I'm looking for a car to buy it's always a PITA making sure it's a stick. Most people online or in auto hunter magazines don't list the type of tranny half the time :frown:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top