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Everyone on the internet has a manual fetish, but in real life the auto is king. Part of the reason is you simply can't get very many vehicles with manuals. Even then the few that have it are seldom found on dealer lots.
Like most Americans, I do mainly 2 kinds of driving. Stop-and-go city and highway cruising. Both are suited to the automatic.
If you cannot drive a manual by the time you are 18 yrs old ont try to learn. I'm old school were manual was common but most people today have no idea what a manual even looks like, it's a shame that manuals are on the indanger list for cars and light truks. I can drive anything that has a motor because in my day you had to.
I've owned and driven both. My personal truck is a standard. My work truck is a automatic. I prefer the standard but for work it's easier for a automatic simply because sometimes one of the other guys might have to move it. There may be traffic etc.
Hell I can even drive a three on the tree along with a non synchro tractor transmission
I love manual except for stop and go on a daily basis. I love having that control. You can get more power out of a 4 cyl as well. I once tried a Mazda 6 cyl with stick. It was a blast to drive. Now, I have just autos though.
Manuals are a lot of fun and it sure helps to know the basics.
Imagine my surprise on a trip to Ireland (years ago mind you) that our rental car was manual.
Fortunately, I could drive manual....as the whole left hand driving and sitting on the right side of the car were enough to occupy my brain sufficiently.
My first new car that I could actually afford to choose (as opposed to having to hunt for the best used car I could get for the meager money I had when I just started) was a stick. 4 cyl '91 Geo Prizm, an auto would be sluggish, the stick was fun & responsive.
I drove three stick shifts after that, each one faster and more fun than the previous one.
However, when kids came, this was the end of it. In a family of two working parents and small kids, any adult should be able to hop into the first available car at any moment. My wife refuses to learn how to drive a stick shift, and we can't have only one car both of us know how to drive.
If I could buy any car tomorrow, a manual Porsche 911 would be in my driveway right away
I did borrow a friend's manual trans Chevy Camaro SS V8 for a weekend two years ago. Did not want to give it back
I took drivers ed and requested a stick shift. My parents didn't own one, but I figured, if I could drive a stick, I could drive anything. I've only owned 3 cars with sticks. One is a car my wife drives, Audi A3 6sp manual. I used to believe that manuals were more responsive, but not anymore. My S5 quattro shifts better than I could ever match with a manual. I recently drove the wife's car around town, and in traffic, having to drive a manual really sucked....however, taking it up on a winding road, where I can downshift on each turn would be where I would definitely miss the control you have with a manual.
I took drivers ed and requested a stick shift. My parents didn't own one, but I figured, if I could drive a stick, I could drive anything. I've only owned 3 cars with sticks. One is a car my wife drives, Audi A3 6sp manual. I used to believe that manuals were more responsive, but not anymore. My S5 quattro shifts better than I could ever match with a manual. I recently drove the wife's car around town, and in traffic, having to drive a manual really sucked....however, taking it up on a winding road, where I can downshift on each turn would be where I would definitely miss the control you have with a manual.
Good points.
Except the last one because you can downshift an automatic on a winding road, too.
I learned how to drive in a car with a stick shift. Toyota corrolla way back in the 80's. I prefer a stick shift over an automatic. I drive a pickup that I am going to have to replace soon and it is getting tough to find any with a stick these days.
I remember when I was 18 working at a furniture store evenings and weekends. I remember they were short a driver one Saturday so they asked me if i could drive the big old box truck. It was a stick shift and fun to drive.
I've owned and driven both. My personal truck is a standard. My work truck is a automatic. I prefer the standard but for work it's easier for a automatic simply because sometimes one of the other guys might have to move it. There may be traffic etc.
Hell I can even drive a three on the tree along with a non synchro tractor transmission
My first three cars had manual transmissions. 1968 Fiat 850 Coupe (was later determined to be the least safe car ever made), 1973 Dodge Colt with a small hemi & a 1973 Volkswagon Westfalia Pop-Top camper van.
But when I tried to drive my dad's 3-speed on the column truck... Oh man! I could not do it. No power steering, no power anything & on the column. I was 5 feet tall & weighed 98 lbs & I'm a girl, of course. Stalled in the intersection. My poor dad had to get out, come around & take over. Ahh... good times! Lol!
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