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Old 07-25-2015, 12:48 AM
 
Location: Jersey City, NJ
638 posts, read 2,236,996 times
Reputation: 431

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I learned to drive a stick shift 20 years ago when I started driving. I always have driven manual trans until a few years ago after moving to New Jersey. The traffic was too much for me to keep riding out a clutch. It seemed hard on the car. Driving in North Jersey and NYC becomes tiring with a stick shift car, no doubt.

I decided to get a car with an automatic. Ive been driving it for 2 years and I hate it. I remember when I lived in Nevada and used to drive in the Mountains, I really liked the ability to control the car to the terrain and manipulate gears and speed. I feel the interstate and city streets are no different. I feel more in control and in tune with the road in manual trans car. Ill put up with grinding the clutch through traffic.

Are people here in the states still even driving stick shift? I rarely meet anyone these day who drives one.

Any others who moved to auotmatic and then gave it up to go back to manual?

How easy is it to find a new car with a standard transmission? Im looking to get out of this car next year.
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Old 07-25-2015, 01:38 AM
 
Location: Northridge/Porter Ranch, Calif.
24,483 posts, read 33,191,241 times
Reputation: 7607
I also like to control my three cars in different terrain and manipulate the gears and speed. All of my cars have an automatic and can be shifted up and down manually. I have driven all three of them on Big Tujunga Canyon, in the Angeles National Forest and have had no problems controlling the cars.

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Old 07-25-2015, 02:18 AM
 
33,387 posts, read 34,699,678 times
Reputation: 20028
while i know how to drive a stick shift, i have not done so for years now because of stiffness in my left leg preventing me from properly operating the clutch. however automatics can be set up to where you can shift them manually when you choose to do so, and teh addition of an aftermarket ratchet shifter prevents you from selecting a gear you dont want.
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Old 07-25-2015, 02:48 AM
 
Location: ......SC
2,033 posts, read 1,671,780 times
Reputation: 3411
I learned to drive on one. My current vehicle is a 98 nissan frontier stick shift.
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Old 07-25-2015, 05:31 AM
 
Location: NWA/SWMO
3,106 posts, read 3,965,292 times
Reputation: 3279
Quote:
Originally Posted by MR77 View Post
I learned to drive a stick shift 20 years ago when I started driving. I always have driven manual trans until a few years ago after moving to New Jersey. The traffic was too much for me to keep riding out a clutch. It seemed hard on the car. Driving in North Jersey and NYC becomes tiring with a stick shift car, no doubt.

I decided to get a car with an automatic. Ive been driving it for 2 years and I hate it. I remember when I lived in Nevada and used to drive in the Mountains, I really liked the ability to control the car to the terrain and manipulate gears and speed. I feel the interstate and city streets are no different. I feel more in control and in tune with the road in manual trans car. Ill put up with grinding the clutch through traffic.

Are people here in the states still even driving stick shift? I rarely meet anyone these day who drives one.

Any others who moved to auotmatic and then gave it up to go back to manual?

How easy is it to find a new car with a standard transmission? Im looking to get out of this car next year.
I've driven stick and auto. All my sports cars were stick. My suv's auto. The auto in my cx5 is amazing. Telepathic. The auto in the 370z I drove was pure crap. I bought the manual. It was pretty bad too. My manual in my ws.6 trans am and c6 z06 were both amazing.

For me it depends on vehicle and purpose really.
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Old 07-25-2015, 05:55 AM
 
Location: Mtns of Waynesville,NC & Nokomis, FL
4,782 posts, read 10,559,721 times
Reputation: 6528
Our '01 BMW X5 is a 5 spd manual, and our '02 VetteVert is a 6 spd manual...my CEO's '10 Hyundai Tucson is an auto, but it was available as a 6 spd when she got it.

This topic comes up here on the Juke box, every couple months.

There are a few car species to pick from that come with a manual trans, but they are diminishing in number every year. Some brands offer a 6 spd, but often with the base engine; others offer more choice.

I suspect Porsche, BMW, Corvette et al and the like are not on your short list for driving around NJ/NYC.
GL, mD
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Old 07-25-2015, 06:10 AM
 
Location: rural south west UK
5,371 posts, read 3,560,254 times
Reputation: 6518
I leaned to drive in one, I've only ever had one automatic the rest have been manual as we say here. if you pass your test here in a manual you are licenced to drive both but if you pass in an automatic that's all you can drive.
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Old 07-25-2015, 06:30 AM
PDD
 
Location: The Sand Hills of NC
8,773 posts, read 18,326,362 times
Reputation: 12001
Quote:
Originally Posted by MR77 View Post

Ill put up with grinding the clutch through traffic.

How easy is it to find a new car with a standard transmission? Im looking to get out of this car next year.
What is grinding the clutch? If you hear grinding noises when you depress the clutch you have a bad throwout bearing usually caused by riding the clutch.

Or do you mean you hear grinding when you shift gears which is caused by not depressing the clutch all the way to the floor?

Here is a list of cars available with a manual. It's from 2011 but probably still relevant.

Manual Transmission Vehicles: The Ultimate List - Motor Trend All Pages
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Old 07-25-2015, 06:42 AM
 
Location: NWA/SWMO
3,106 posts, read 3,965,292 times
Reputation: 3279
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD View Post
What is grinding the clutch? If you hear grinding noises when you depress the clutch you have a bad throwout bearing usually caused by riding the clutch.

Or do you mean you hear grinding when you shift gears which is caused by not depressing the clutch all the way to the floor?

Here is a list of cars available with a manual. It's from 2011 but probably still relevant.

Manual Transmission Vehicles: The Ultimate List - Motor Trend All Pages

Maybe he meant "grinding" in the sense of a monotonous, un-fun, lengthy experience. Like grinding through traffic at 5mph.

I kindof doubt it, but I'm just playing devil's advocate this morning.
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Old 07-25-2015, 07:00 AM
 
Location: North Port, Florida
774 posts, read 2,371,743 times
Reputation: 856
My wife and two kids learned on manual transmission cars and we all still drive them today.

I just love to interact with the car and feel much more in control. With and automatic, I continually interact with the gas pedal, and my gas mileage sucks as a result.

We all joke that the manual transmission is a great "anti-theft" device and nowadays no one can ask to "borrow" the car!

Mikey
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