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Don't drive in a hilly city like Seattle or San Francisco. Driving up hill with lot's of traffic can be a real problem. it's hard not to roll back a little when the light changes. I was always nervous about hitting the car behind me. It never happened, but for hilly city driving give me an automatic every time.
Most new cars have hill hold. Rolling back should not be an issue. But I do agree that a manual in Frisco is not the best choice.
The last few generations know nothing about manual transmission and don't want one (of course there are a few exceptions).
On trade-in manual is a deduct in value.
I agree, there is a reason so few manuals are sold today, so few want them they have become white elephants for sellers unless it's a true sportscar. You better like your new car if it's a manual, you could have a heck of a time selling it when the vast majority of potential buyers rule it out because of the transmission.
I agree, there is a reason so few manuals are sold today, so few want them they have become white elephants for sellers unless it's a true sportscar. You better like your new car if it's a manual, you could have a heck of a time selling it when the vast majority of potential buyers rule it out because of the transmission.
Although all of my vehicles are automatics. I do prefer a manual. But I don't go seeking one on the used car market when time comes.
That is a snobbish and elitist statement. The transmission choice does NOT automatically take the fun out of a car. I sure won’t turn down the chance to drive an auto Ferrari and I sure won’t be bored driving it.
driving an auto ferrari would be the definition of elitist.
I went to pick out a VW Tiguan. Dealer talked me into test driving a Golf R. Well, all I can think about is how much fun that car was. The next morning my left knee was hurting. I've never had knee problems.
I really want a stick shift now. I've now picked out a VW Alltrack. (I'm a station wagon lover.)
Questions:
1) Will the knee issue go away after a little while?
2) Would you buy a manual car at 58?
Two notes: I don't really need a new car. My current car is 5 years old with only 30K miles. I'll probably keep it.
a manual trans can be a lot of fun to drive for sure, and you get better control over the car as well.
the knee issue should go away in time. you are using muscles in a way you have never done in the past, and since you are nearly 60, like me, you dont heal as fast as you once did, so give it time.
i have two cars that came as manual transmissions, and i am considering converting them to automatics, though i am also considering leaving them as manual trans cars as well. i went through a period where my left leg didnt work like it should, and i couldnt use a clutch. but now i am better than i was back then.
what i would do if i was you is rent an alltrack for a week or so, and drive it like you normally do, and ee if you like using a manual trans or not. this will save you from making an expensive mistake.
Driving a manual transmission is more than knee mechanics. It is the desire (or tolerance for) paying a lot more attention to actively DRIVING the car a lot more of the time. If you enjoy being more focused on what the car is doing or making more moment to moment decisions about what the car might need to do, a manual can be enjoyable and satisfying. Getting efficiency and finesse out of the best gear for the moment can make an ordinary drive to work fun.
OTOH, if you want to get in the car, turn the key, and not have to spend as much thought on it as you go down the road, you may find a manual is a PITA. If you drive in heavy traffic a lot, rowing up and down through gears hundreds of times per hour will get old. A lot of it becomes mindless muscle memory and reflex, but it can also be a constant reminder of how much less progress you are making. Frustrating. You can definitely hurt a clutch doing the wrong thing at the wrong moment. In an automatic you can turn more of your mind to other things, let the car handle those decisions, and protect itself from the flawed human behind the wheel.
I am biased. I've always driven manual transmission cars and used all sorts of manual and 4x4 trucks on the job. I like feeling and knowing a little more about what the car and the road are doing together. I like a manual in bad road/driving conditions. Maybe it only gives me an illusion of more control, but I like to think I have more say in how the car is going to handle ice or snow. It will shift when I want it to when getting out of a snowberm, in and out of a skid, can use the engine and transmission together in order to brake and maneuver.
Last edited by Parnassia; 08-05-2018 at 03:03 PM..
I agree, there is a reason so few manuals are sold today, so few want them they have become white elephants for sellers unless it's a true sportscar. You better like your new car if it's a manual, you could have a heck of a time selling it when the vast majority of potential buyers rule it out because of the transmission.
Well, the make and model of the manual play into it too. If you happen to be selling a lower mileage manual transmission Subaru in snow country you may have more buyers than you can handle. If you are trying to sell a manual Fiat, another thing entirely.
New cars all have "hill assist"......the car holds itself on the hill for 2-3 seconds to give you time to get the forward momentum going. Even most automatics have it also.
Also there's "brake hold" which will indefinitely hold the brake as long as you have the clutch pushed in. Pulling away up a steep hill is the hardest part of driving a manual which the e-brake solves.
It's not really an age issue as much as past injuries. I'm only a few years behind you and driving a manual doesn't cause me any physical problems that I don't already have. About half the vehicles I've owned were stick shift, the reason I owned this one have to do with available engines and transmissions. (a turbo CVT was the upgrade, but it wasn't worth the extra cost to me)
Stop and go traffic is when you might question your choice. Pretty monotonous and repetitive being in 1st and 2nd gear.
That is a snobbish and elitist statement. The transmission choice does NOT automatically take the fun out of a car. I sure won’t turn down the chance to drive an auto Ferrari and I sure won’t be bored driving it.
I would!
The last true automatic Ferrari was the 03 456. It was a 4 speed. The car it replaced - the 412, that lasted from 85-89 - had a 3 speed auto! Clarkson says it's the 18th worst car ever built.
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