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Because go juice has always been expensive there. And manual transmissions are lighter, cheaper, less complicated, and above all will ekk out more MPGs than a auto.
Plus cars are a lot more fun to drive with a manual! You become a part of the car and not just its operator! You have a lot more control over acceleration and deceleration.
Did I mention it is just more fun! Live once, have fun throughout!
After 38 years of manual transmissioned vehicles, I bought an automatic. Manual was not available for the engine option I wanted. After 4 years, I still miss the stick. Just feel I don't have the same level of power control with the automatic.
Being a '50s-'70s Cadillac fan, I prefer automatics.
My second choice of cars is the '60s/early '70s American muscle cars. Even then, I prefer an automatic for a few reasons... the Mopar Torqueflite, the G.M. Turbo-Hydramatic and the Ford C-6 were all excellent transmissions. In an identical car, virtually as fast as a manual.
I also like the choice of shifting a car manually or letting the trans shift automatically.
I installed a shift kit in my '69 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and have the best of both worlds. Quick, firm shifts and the covenience of an automatic.
Incidentally, I have a road test of a '71 Plymouth Road Runner. Either a 440-6 Pack or a 426-Hemi (I forgot which one) and the testers discovered that it would run a 13.8 second 1/4 mile even leaving the transmission in "Drive!"
Plus cars are a lot more fun to drive with a manual! You become a part of the car and not just its operator! You have a lot more control over acceleration and deceleration.
Did I mention it is just more fun! Live once, have fun throughout!
Exactly. Neither my wife nor I will buy an automatic. Any time I had one in the past, I just didn't keep it long (e.g. '70 Buick GS455 convertable, '96 Impala SS). They were quick and fast but not really fun.
I have noticed that the automatic trasmission has still not caught on in Europe, though it is becoming increasingly popular in Japan.
Any ideas on why the Europeans still prefer the stick shift?
That's funny , because when I think of driving in Europe, I do think of the manual Transmission automobiles. So why is that ?
Well just think of all those cool car chase scenes that have been filmed for great movies throughout the motion picture industry's history. I can think of those narrow twisting roads along the mediteranean coast in that movie , 'To Catch A Thief ' with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. But especially starting in the 1960s. Remember all the Spy flicks ? 'Man From U.N.C.L.E' , 'The Saint' with Simon Templar , etc ? How about the various 'James Bond 007 chase scenes from the 60s, 70s & 80s ? How about more modern times with the Jason Bourne movie series with Matt Damon ? What about the movie series of 'The Transporter' with Jason Stratham ?
So keep those European traditions of manual transmissions right where they are. If it's not broken , why fix it ?
Manuals are more fun to drive, usually better on fuel but horrible when in traffic jams.
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