Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First car - Manual
Second Car - Auto
Third car-Manual
Fourth (truck) - Manual
Fifth - Auto
Sixth - Manual
I stand corrected, 2/3 of my vehicles were manuals. It's not that I think they are inherently better, it's more that I'm in the lower end of the car market. Vehicles with DSG are not going to be the cheapest.
Even though the CVT will usually out accelerate a manual while being more efficient, I chose a manual because of lower initial cost and my perception of CVTs. I just think of them as running on rubber bands and spindles.
OP, we're not the ones you should be asking. Go to your doc and get an X-ray of that knee. Then ask your doctor what he thinks about manual vs. auto for you.
I don't believe those on this thread who have said knee pain is usually muscular. My doc told me a few decades back that EVERYONE past 50 has some arthritis, that it just depends on how much they have. (Luckily, I don't have too much yet at 72).
I've found that as I age, I have more and more little physical problems, and those problems take longer and longer to heal. I'm currently recovering from a rotator cuff that I tore back in February. It still hurts, but for the first couple months after the injury it would have been a real chore to shift my old F250.
I've owned more sticks than automatics over my lifetime, including my last F250, which I bought new in 2000 (when I was 55) and drove until 2014. I really liked the manual transmission, not so much for upshifting as for downshifting on steep mountain trails when carrying a heavy load to keep the brakes cool. (I had overheated the brakes on my previous '89 F250 w/AT, and it was pure luck that I was able to find a spot where I could pull off the trail and turn uphill to stop.)
But I'd decided shortly after buying my 2000 that the next truck was going to be an automatic... when I discovered that their max towing loads were higher than with my 6-speed stick. We're currently an all-automatic family now, for the first time in nearly 50 years. Age is a part of that, improved automatic transmissions is the other part.
You know, I had problems with my left knee for years. Lately, it hasn't been bothering me. I wonder if it has to do with switching from manual to automatic after 25 years.
While this specific thread is about the problems in owning a manual transmission car, some have tossed around the idea that transmissions of today are so much better at anticipating the driving conditions that the car can change gears faster, more economically, and more efficient than the driver can.
Someone mentioned the different kind of transmissions now offered for the modern car. How these newer transmissions can increase the speed of driving, if you are so inclined.
What the new transmissions miss though is the fact that people like me want to be a part of the driving experience. Shifting, as archaic as it has become is fun for me. I love to be a part of the experience.
You know, I had problems with my left knee for years. Lately, it hasn't been bothering me. I wonder if it has to do with switching from manual to automatic after 25 years.
I had surgery on my left knee about 15 years ago. Very creaky if I get up from a squat, but I still drive stick. Cable-actuated clutch too.
Of course who knows what my knee will be like in 20 years. I should really look into a hydraulic clutch conversion for that car. Might extend my ability to drive it.
While this specific thread is about the problems in owning a manual transmission car, some have tossed around the idea that transmissions of today are so much better at anticipating the driving conditions that the car can change gears faster, more economically, and more efficient than the driver can.
Someone mentioned the different kind of transmissions now offered for the modern car. How these newer transmissions can increase the speed of driving, if you are so inclined.
What the new transmissions miss though is the fact that people like me want to be a part of the driving experience. Shifting, as archaic as it has become is fun for me. I love to be a part of the experience.
Working the clutch, shifter, and gas pedal together is indeed an integral part of the fun. The so-called manual modes of automatic transmissions offer more driver control than regular automatics, but they are, basically, yet more pushbuttons—without the visceral feedback you get operating real manuals. I consider them a concession only, to be chosen only because a manual transmission is not offered.
I had a manual on my Cabrio convertible. It was fun MOST of the time, but during that time I used to go back and forth to my daughters thru city traffic, and that was not at all fun.
I would say, for everyday around town driving, a manual is fine, but if you have much stop and start traffic driving, don’t do it.
1) Will the knee issue go away after a little while?
2) Would you buy a manual car at 58?
1. Probably not (been there). Surgery or PT can help. So can Advil. It is likely arthritis or meniscus or both. You could get a knee replacement and it might go away.
2. Yes. Normally I would not have anything else. However I am now driving a BAT and manual would be unpleasant in that. One day I will fix the JH and or get something smaller and manual. Whats a little pain in exchange for having so much fun?
Finding a manual is not easy. My son wanted one and went to talk to various dealers about leasing. Most told him to go to VW. "VW is the king of MT" However VW only offers MT in higher end vehicles which are wildly overpriced IMO. Best bet, get an older car.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
