What percent of Americans can drive a stick shift car? (emissions, Volvo)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 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.
Whiel it may be fun to you, I 'd like you to ride with me on my commute and point out, when I shift, just exactly how it added measurably to the enjoyment of driving on the commute. You can't.
I still prefer a good manual trans and will always have one in a small engine car. But I have just as much fun in my 740iL as I do in my MINI Cooper. And the 740 is an automatic.
Well, we agree on one thing - you also prefer manual in a small car... So why the 'tude? :-)
Since I have mentioned before that I frequently manually shift one of my cars and since this video is stored on my computer anyway, here is a short video of me accelerating and manually shifting my '66 Plymouth Fury with 383-4 bbl V-8 and Torqueflite automatic transmission.
It kind of sounds like it has a manual, doesn't it?
Well, we agree on one thing - you also prefer manual in a small car... So why the 'tude? :-)
Because I hate people that make unintelligent comments re automatics vs manuals. I hate people that make quantative stamtnes about qulitative opiniins and assertions of fact when there are none to be made. After 35 years of dealing with cars and 50 years of dealing with people, I've learned one major thing: most peopel dont' ahve a clue and have very little real world experience, yet act like that limited experinece is all encompassing and that opinions based on that limited experience are etched in stone.
90+% of the time when you shift, you do it out of muscle memory because you have to shift then, and don't even think about it. Unless you're just starting out and still learning how to shift. It doesn't give you MORE control, it is simply one more thing you have to do to be in control. By itself, moving your left foot once every few minutes also does not measurably add to the fun of the drive, especially if you are not even thinking about it when you do it (which most people that have experience don't do anymore).
I always challenge people to ride with me and point out what part is fun in shifting, and how that equates int othe fun of driving. I also say if it's the fun in driving, then could you in fact install a clutch pedal and shifter on your easy chair at home and get all the fun of driving out of that? If not, then what IS the fun of driving? Can you have fun on those 45mph indoor fast go karts that have no shifting whatsoever? If so, why?
I also ask if I'm driving my BMW 740iL rather than my Mustang, where am I not in control of the car? Where am I not able to tell the car where to go, how fast to go there and the like? Are the controls that really matter to getting you where you are going actually the steering wheel, brake pedal and throttle pedal?
Yes, there ARE times when shifting can be fun. Executing a perfect heel and toe downshift while going onto a freeway onramp and balancing the car on that knife-edge, but really, how often can you do that on the street (and if you say every day, I submit you need to be on a track not driving on the street). And of course, extracting the most power out of a small engine car requires that mechanical connection that a manual transmission provides (though some modern automatics have gotten damn good at that for small engine cars).
But, even though I prefer a manual trans in small engine cars and most sports cars, I like a good automatic as well, especially in a luxury car, truck, or large engine musclecar (like the built C6 automatic in my old '71 Torino GT w the modded 429SCJ big block), and some track cars (see below). And thus I challenge people to come ride with me back to back in my cars and point out where the manual adds fun in one that you don't have in the other. On the street, back to back on the commute, the trans has no bearing on the fun factor, nor on how much in control I am.
I had perfect control over that car. I built the automatic trans in that car myself and the car was massively fun (1.02G laterally, low 11s in the quarter mile). More fun that any manual trans economy car or sedan on the street. So after years of reading people on forums say the same silly things with not much experience to back it up and no real answers to my questions to them, I have an issue with people that say that a manual trans is more fun, or that you're more in control. My decades of experience with both good manuals and good automatics says that's not necessarily the case.
Because I hate people that make unintelligent comments re automatics vs manuals. I hate people that make quantative stamtnes about qulitative opiniins and assertions of fact when there are none to be made. After 35 years of dealing with cars and 50 years of dealing with people, I've learned one major thing: most peopel dont' ahve a clue and have very little real world experience, yet act like that limited experinece is all encompassing and that opinions based on that limited experience are etched in stone.
90+% of the time when you shift, you do it out of muscle memory because you have to shift then, and don't even think about it. Unless you're just starting out and still learning how to shift. It doesn't give you MORE control, it is simply one more thing you have to do to be in control. By itself, moving your left foot once every few minutes also does not measurably add to the fun of the drive, especially if you are not even thinking about it when you do it (which most people that have experience don't do anymore).
I always challenge people to ride with me and point out what part is fun in shifting, and how that equates int othe fun of driving. I also say if it's the fun in driving, then could you in fact install a clutch pedal and shifter on your easy chair at home and get all the fun of driving out of that? If not, then what IS the fun of driving? Can you have fun on those 45mph indoor fast go karts that have no shifting whatsoever? If so, why?
I also ask if I'm driving my BMW 740iL rather than my Mustang, where am I not in control of the car? Where am I not able to tell the car where to go, how fast to go there and the like? Are the controls that really matter to getting you where you are going actually the steering wheel, brake pedal and throttle pedal?
Yes, there ARE times when shifting can be fun. Executing a perfect heel and toe downshift while going onto a freeway onramp and balancing the car on that knife-edge, but really, how often can you do that on the street (and if you say every day, I submit you need to be on a track not driving on the street). And of course, extracting the most power out of a small engine car requires that mechanical connection that a manual transmission provides (though some modern automatics have gotten damn good at that for small engine cars).
But, even though I prefer a manual trans in small engine cars and most sports cars, I like a good automatic as well, especially in a luxury car, truck, or large engine musclecar (like the built C6 automatic in my old '71 Torino GT w the modded 429SCJ big block), and some track cars (see below). And thus I challenge people to come ride with me back to back in my cars and point out where the manual adds fun in one that you don't have in the other. On the street, back to back on the commute, the trans has no bearing on the fun factor, nor on how much in control I am.
I had perfect control over that car. I built the automatic trans in that car myself and the car was massively fun (1.02G laterally, low 11s in the quarter mile). More fun that any manual trans economy car or sedan on the street. So after years of reading people on forums say the same silly things with not much experience to back it up and no real answers to my questions to them, I have an issue with people that say that a manual trans is more fun, or that you're more in control. My decades of experience with both good manuals and good automatics says that's not necessarily the case.
Holy krep! I don't have the time to read your exhastive explication of why you're "right" about the purely subjective joy or lack thereof in driving a manual. I enjoy driving a stick, and you say "no, you don't?" okay, fine, whatever. At least this wasn't a political thread!
Holy krep! I don't have the time to read your exhastive explication of why you're "right" about the purely subjective joy or lack thereof in driving a manual. I enjoy driving a stick, and you say "no, you don't?" okay, fine, whatever. At least this wasn't a political thread!
And I thought I was the only one getting picked on for having a different opinion.
First car I bought was an old Mazda RX-7 (an 87') with a manual trans because I wanted to FORCE myself to learn, I figured unless I forced myself then I would never learn or have a reason to learn. Since then I've owned a Civic 5sp, 350z 6sp, C6 Corvette 6 sp and a WRX 5 sp, I would never willingly purchase a car with an automatic trans. When I bought my Vette all I could find were autos, and all I could think of is laziness and the atrocity committed by pairing a performance vehicle with an automatic trans. Instead of trying to figure out how many people know how (more like don't know how) to drive a manual trans I'd be interested in seeing data on car accidents of people driving manual trans v.s automatic trans vehicles, it's my OPINION that people who drive manual trans vehicles tend to pay more attention to the road while with an automatic trans there is less to worry about and therefore more time to text, fumble with crap in the car, talk on the phone etc leading to more distraction and more accidents.
There is no fun in driving a manual in NYC traffic... at least not that I can see
Have I owned a manual? Yes
Would I buy another one? Maybe... only as a weekender or if I move out of NYC
Had a '97 Wrangler with a manual. Fun car but I'd rather have my automatic with paddle shifters.
My boss has a '07 C6 Vette with the 6 speed automatic. It's still a blast to take in the mountains. Nothing like downshifting and upshifting while holding on for dear life with both hands on the wheel. He got the manual because his wife insisted on it. They are now in the process of getting a divorce, go figure LOL. His daily driver is a '06 Accord V6 6 speed, so it's not like he can't drive a manual.
Location: NW Oregon native currently residing in SoCal
221 posts, read 153,267 times
Reputation: 162
Learned how to drive in a manual in a very hilly town (had to get up out of a very steep driveway to even get on the road, lol), so driving manuals in hilly terrain is second nature to me, never minded it in stop and go either. I even rib my DH for "cheating" by using the emergency brake to start out on hills .
I prefer manuals, always have, always will. Driving an Auto is kind of blah to me, plus they are far more expensive to fix and less reliable than a manual. Loved, also, that I could always "push start" if a dead battery or starter problem. They are getting to be harder and harder to find, especially now I have a big family that needs a larger vehicle, no manuals available in the vans . Unless I get an old VW bus like my dad had, lol.
I love shifting gears. I love being part of the experience of driving and automatics don't seem to give me the same experience. I have driven on some of the busiest roads and freeways in the Los Angeles area as well as the Phoenix area and have never seen a stick as a problem. One of my trucks even had a 3 speed shifter on the collum (Never could seem to spell that word) I have driven some big trucks as well and not only do you shift gears but the you split the gear at the rear axle, kind of like turning a 5 speed into a 10 speed, for better need of an explanation. Lots of gun to shift for me anyway. Now my wife has no use for it and would prefer a car that drives itself.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 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 1.5 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.
. Unless I get an old VW bus like my dad had, lol.
