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Actually, if most people preferred manuals most cars sold should be manuals! There aren't many manuals, especially from an American Car maker to choose from. The car manufacturers want us to think we want the cars they are marketing to us. They stopped giving us choices and started giving us their choices. Back in the day, didn't it seem like all makes except Cadillac were available as manuals? What went wrong? Was I dreaming?
I totally agree with this. When I first started driving in the early 90s, you could luck out more to find a stick if you went to the Japanese dealers. Now, this isn't the case. It is maddening!
I don't buy new cars (they aren't in my budget)...but with used...it was impossible for me to find a 'nice' stick shift. I had to settle for an auto. My first one ever (and this is my 5th car)!
"Real driving" can only be done in a stick...IMHO.
I totally agree with this. When I first started driving in the early 90s, you could luck out more to find a stick if you went to the Japanese dealers. Now, this isn't the case. It is maddening!
I don't buy new cars (they aren't in my budget)...but with used...it was impossible for me to find a 'nice' stick shift. I had to settle for an auto. My first one ever (and this is my 5th car)!
"Real driving" can only be done in a stick...IMHO.
My daily driver is a Volvo C30 turbo, with an automatic (with a shifter tap shift). I wouldn't have it any other way. The turbo would be better managed with a manual, but for daily commuting the auto is pleasant. I will say I rarely use the tap shift. It just is not the same as a manual, and adds little to the driving experience. However, in that car, it is slow to respond to changes too.
I also have a V6 Fiero, with a 5 speed Getrag transmission. I wouldn't have it any other way for a weekend/fun car.
Basically, best of both worlds!
If I had to have just one car, and had to chose, I would lean manual. Lots more fun! However, it would be a tough choice, because while I love the manual for driving enjoyment in the right environment, the constant shifting in traffic on the commute is more work than fun too.
i miss when you jam it from 4th down to 2nd and floor it. the shifting motion that seat of the pants pull is the absolute coolest thing EVAR!
I do something similar with my '66 Plymouth Fury with 383-4 bbl big block V-8 engine with modified Torqueflite automatic transmission...
Driving at about 20 or 25 mph in 2nd gear, and at the same time floor it and shift into 1st gear, then shift back to 2nd gear at about 40 mph. Fun to get rubber in 2nd gear! It really pushed you back into the seat. Automatics can definitely be fun!
Manual for the control. I rent a lot and find that a lot of them when you floor it go quickly to 15 mph and stick there before the automatic decides to throw it into second, sometimes with a thud. Not safe on expressway on-ramps. I read that on some models you get the same mileage with the manual transmission than the hybrid version. There are only a few models with this choice so it may not be a fair comparison.
I see many kids today that wouldn't be able to drive a manual shift if their life depended on it. High schools don't have Driver's Education courses or own cars for said courses. So kids probably learn to drive from their parents who own automatics.
Manual for the control. I rent a lot and find that a lot of them when you floor it go quickly to 15 mph and stick there before the automatic decides to throw it into second, sometimes with a thud. Not safe on expressway on-ramps. I read that on some models you get the same mileage with the manual transmission than the hybrid version. There are only a few models with this choice so it may not be a fair comparison.
I've never felt unsafe on an on-ramp with any of my 4 cars with automatic transmissions.
Unless the transmission has a shift kit (like on 2 of my cars) or is a high-performance transmission, there should not be a thud when shifting. And easy way to avoid what you described is to shift it manually, like I do with 2 of my cars on a regular basis. You can control cars with automatic transmissions, too. I've been doing it for 30+ years. As has been mentioned before, both types of transmissions do basically the same job... to change into a different gear. One is done manually and the other is done automatically, although it can be done both ways, too.
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