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Why don't you drive a manual?

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Originally posted by: ironwing
Originally posted by: Zee
i want to get rid of the manual. pain in the ass in traffic. "fun to drive" reasoning sounds really lame by the way
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My Rabbit, Subaru DL, and Escort were fun to drive. My Hilux was a pain in the butt as I had to stomp the clutch to shift.

Having one of each, manual and auto, is great because every once in a while you get the exhilaration of stomping on the clutch only to be reminded that you are driving the auto that day.
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I switch back and forth between work and personal vehicles so much that this is a constant occurence for me.
 
Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Originally posted by: Fritzo
The automatic in my car got 2mpg better than the manual, and was the same price. No brainer there.
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No one buys a manual for better gas mileage anyway.
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I got a Scion Xa. With it's 102hp engine, I was looking more for milage than performance 🙂 I'm past that "look how fast I can go!" stage, and have moved on to the "Chicks dig me for my MPG" stage.
 
Manual for daily commute, I drove 80km a day on the busiest hwy in NA(401), no problem with hot, snow, ice even getting the boat off water. I found that if I drive auto I will fall asleep.
 
I bought a 97 Cadillac Seville STS because I like the looks, the power, and I currently travel a lot and needed plenty of space and reasonable comfort. However, Seville's are not sold with manual transmissions. It's really been bothering me more than I thought it would. I'm going to have to trade it up for something else with a stick. Anyone have any suggestions? Do the old Impala SS's have manual transmissions (the older 90's full sized beasts like this one http://www.damox.com/cars/thumbs/Chevrolet/1995_Impala_SS.jpg, not the newer mid-sized ones)?

My other vehicle is a 95 Jeep Wrangler S, 5-speed stick. Great vehicle, but sucks for travel. It's barebones, 4-cyl, no A/C, soft top (loud as hell on the highway), leaf springs front and rear, no interior options. I added on some nice stuff like Tuffy lockboxes and a stereo, but still stucks for travel.
 
My used Dodge had what it had, an automatic 4-speed, which is fine for mini-vans. It gets fantastic fuel economy as long as I don't drive it anywhere. I mostly use my other "vehicles," which are all equipped with either RapidFire or STI manual shifting, ranging from 20-speed to 27-speed.
 
I chose I don't enjoy it, because I don't want to have to DRIVE the car all the time. However, there are times I do enjoy it, but not often enough to buy one.
 
Originally posted by: mechBgon
My used Dodge had what it had, an automatic 4-speed, which is fine for mini-vans. It gets fantastic fuel economy as long as I don't drive it anywhere. I mostly use my other "vehicles," which are all equipped with either RapidFire or STI manual shifting, ranging from 20-speed to 27-speed.
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Urgh! Stupid flappy paddle transmissions!


😉
 
Daily Driver is an '07 Audi A4 3.2 manual. Love driving a manual.

On a side note, has anyone ever tried to teach your SO how to drive a stick? brutal
 
Originally posted by: jst0ney
Originally posted by: winr
1965 Ford F-100.
352 V8.


3 on the tree manual.



🙂
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Awesome I drove one of those for years. If you can drive that you can drive anything.
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Jesus I remember learning to drive one of those. I drove manual for years and it took me a while to learn that but damn it's fun after you learn.
 
in my world manuals are pointless, annoying and a PITA. I learned how to drive with a manual (dads ford courier pickup), my car in high school was a manual (1980 Ford Pinto), Car in Germany was a stick (ford Taunus). after 10 years or so of sticks i was and am sick of them and will never own another stick again.
 
Perhaps after 10yrs or so I might feel like Citrix. I've driven an auto for the first 6yrs, only to find it boring and want to try something new. RWD though was fun, especially during winter, and I still long to own a RWD in the future. My first car I decided I wanted a manual and I have no regrets, 3yrs after getting it. Where I find it fun is winding it up and being able to keep it in whatever powerband and gearing I want, instead of letting the computer guess and second guess itself.

Manual is more precise in terms of power control. Driving on the highway, with steep hills, I can downshift to where the optimal power point is, and ride it up with confidence.

Traffic in the city is a nonissue. If you time it right and keep your proper distance you can still crawl at 2mph and not have to use the stop pedal. In a 3km stretch during rush hour I see people apply brakes more than 20 times when I cruise along and maybe have to brake 3-4 times. It's not the car, it's the driver.

As to a manual being a distraction, I disagree. A manual keeps your hands and feet moving, your eyes looking, keeping you alert. Do it enough, and it becomes second nature.

 
I prefer manual transmission, and can't see myself buying anything but manual in the future unless it is for financial reasons, (ie, I find a really good deal on a used automatic and there aren't many options for manuals around).

BTW, when I first read this, I pictured someone driving down the road with a car manual. You know, the book?
 
I do drive a manual.

I fvcking hate Automatics.

I really don't mind it in heavy traffic, either. Dunno why everyone does *shrug*
 
..used a manual for many years but didn't find them cost effective. Modern automatics are trouble free and nearly maint.free.
 
Largely because my wife refuses to learn. Plus there are just so many little nagging annoyances with them that I really don't long for them anymore.

I want a free hand for grabbing my coffee. I don't like dealing with them in traffic. In the dead of a midwest winter the gearbox gets stubborn and hard to shift.

I drive a high torque vehicle that moves along just fine with the 5AT in it.
 
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