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A stick shift, preferably four-on-the-floor, is the way to go, if you want to really have control of a car and get full enjoyment out of driving. You get better mileage, more power to the wheels and can effectively use it to more safely slow down under slick road conditions.
My Dad believed you should know both methods. He was right!
My date injured his leg when we were at a sporting event. We couldn't leave the car in the parking lot.
It was a stick. I got to drive it
But hey, if folks are discouraging having that skill in your bag of tricks when stuck in an area because you don't know how to drive a stick...then who is really the wise one?
I had a car that I had to drift down a hill, pop the clutch and vrooom...it started Couldn't do that with an auto matic. Saved me from the 150$ towing bill .
Its a preference for some....invest in what you are comfortable with.
[quote=bfrabel;45280144]Why would they be horrible to drive in traffic? With that attitude you might as well get an autonomous car that drives for you, or take public transportation/Uber everywhere?
Some people enjoy driving, and a stick shift can add to the experience. It takes a little more effort and concentration but it's really not that bad once you get the hang of it.
To the O.P.. Could you ask the currant owner of the car to teach you? That might be your best option. I bet you'll catch on quickly.
I have to agree that manual trans are not so much fun in heavy traffic, nor are they fun when you're caught on a steep hill and have to stop mid way up. I've been driving my manual trans car for 14 years now and I have to admit that I still get a little nervous being stuck on those steep hills. I've also been driving mostly manual trans cars for over 40 years. I just like them
Honestly, I would not recommend buying a car with a manual trans unless you learn how to drive one first. I've tried to teach two shorties, one male and one female how to drive my car and they both gave up. They're just not for everyone.
I absolutely hate being stuck on the Eisenhower in rush hour traffic for an hour with my car. Clutch in clutch out, clutch in clutch out for an hour of crawling along. Ugh. Kill me now.
This link keeps getting posted on this subject,
it gives four reasons,
1. Because people were getting better fuel mileage- ok, so very low on my list of reasons why to drive a manual.
2. For control- stating you can just manually shift your automatic. Last time I drove an automatic (10 years ago), shifting through gears was extremely close, and easily able to move the shifter too far to shift into a lower gear than wanted, or maybe shifting into neutral. To avoid this I would have to look at the shifter taking my eyes off the road. Problems that a stick shift does not have. When accelerating, I can rev through my power band and get up to speed quicker than an automatic because it does not know when I want to shift. I know from physics that the most stable way to take a turn is to slightly accelerate through the turn. I always downshift before my curves, or when I want to pass, I can downshift before I start passing. It is safer and more proactive for me to do this BEFORE I need to. (I better state I know about paddle shafters, cvt, dsg, slapshifters...).
3. Cost- I have put over 150k miles on my 2002 truck that has well over 200k miles on it, and I drive it hard. Still have the factory clutch and no problems.
4. Not as fun because of traffic or "wanting to slap someone"- I don't usually have to drive through traffic, nor do I feel the need to have a hand free to eat, drink, or more commonly use a phone.
try a motorcycle, the clutch idea works the same but the mechanics are bit easier. I've also heard a larger engine with more torque is also easier to clutch.
Don't even need to visit the attached link to realize it's probably true. Read it I did, however, and they pretty much said what I would: times have changed.
Prior post, being refuted, indicates the following: "A stick shift, preferably four-on-the-floor, is the way to go, if you want to really have control of a car and get full enjoyment out of driving. You get better mileage, more power to the wheels and can effectively use it to more safely slow down under slick road conditions."
So, I've owned mostly manuals across thirty two years of driving. They've always been, by a long shot, an extra layer of control that automatics simply do not have. Just a fact; one can do all sorts of tricks with manuals one (could not previously) do with an automatic.
This year, I bought a car with an automatic manual (so-called), Porsche Doppelkupplung aka PDK transmission. PDK, Audi's relatively new dual-clutch auto, Ferrari's version of-same, ditto BMW, have changed the equation. I had to experience it to believe.
The details are a bit beyond this short reply, but let's put in this way: I personally find single-clutch automatics miserable pieces of flotsam, for a host of reasons. I won't drive them unless in specific need. The dual clutch systems that totally work, see above, are a whole new thing.
Really have control of the car: check. Pop it from auto to manual, flip of the wrist quick left on the center stick. Now it's paddle-shift only. No clutch pedal, otherwise similar to any manual.
Better mileage: emphatic NO. In auto mode, non-sport (setting), my Porsche gets high-twenties mileage which I'd not have believed unless witnessed as-reported by the onboard computer and at the fuel pump. How that is possible with a 430hp engine is mostly around the car shifting to a higher gear whenever feasible, and instantly going to power if-needed with double downshifts that car does for me (or I can do, via the paddles).
More power: no. See above. Nothing robbed by the transmission here.
Slowdown in slick conditions: I go to full manual and feather a bit in various gears, as I do with my manual truck. Car is AWD which helps immensely, too.
My other vehicle is a 6-speed truck. I like that dearly, too, and will run it until the wheels fall off, hopefully not sooner than an additional ten or more years (it's already ten this year). Every advantage of my manual truck has been superseded by PDK.
That's technology, folks. We live in a great time for automotive advancement.
To be clear, though: *absent* one of the better dual-clutch auto-manuals, I'd still keep clear of automatics and go for manual, to this day, if that were feasible for any given car purchase.
I would say go for it. It's easy to learn and you'll never regret learning how. I assume you're interested in the manual because it would be more fun to drive. There's really no practical reason to go manual.
My first few vehicles had the 4 on the floor (and later 5 on the floor). Then I spent 20 years with automatics. Now I'm happily back in a 6 speed manual Mustang.
A lot of the shifting enjoyment is determined by where you drive, though. A lot of my driving is done on semi-rural winding roads, shifting with different road conditions. Straight line stop and go city driving can be a bit of a chore.
And keep in mind that, except for sports cars, a manual transmission will give you lower resale value.
You may have seen the Facebook posting titled Millennial AntiTheft Device, and below it is a picture of a 6-speed manual shifter.
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Last time I drove an automatic (10 years ago), shifting through gears was extremely close, and easily able to move the shifter too far to shift into a lower gear than wanted, or maybe shifting into neutral. To avoid this I would have to look at the shifter taking my eyes off the road. Problems that a stick shift does not have. When accelerating, I can rev through my power band and get up to speed quicker than an automatic because it does not know when I want to shift. I know from physics that the most stable way to take a turn is to slightly accelerate through the turn. I always downshift before my curves, or when I want to pass, I can downshift before I start passing. It is safer and more proactive for me to do this BEFORE I need to. (I better state I know about paddle shafters, cvt, dsg, slapshifters...).
