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I've read that cars with manuals are less likely to be stolen because wannabe thieves can't drive them.
As for me, my first car back in HS was an auto, but all 20+ since then have had manual transmissions. I recently bought an SUV which was only offered with an auto because I now have a nerve injury in one leg and this is a little easier to manage, otherwise I wouldn't have considered it.
I've read that too. And while it would be logical - there's actually no real evidence or data to back it up because there are so few manuals in the U.S. Of course, with the rest of the world, that's no true at all since manuals are so common.
I've had at least one manual in the rotation since I started to own cars. And this may end pretty soon as I'm about to trade my current manual car for an EV (life happens).
I've read that cars with manuals are less likely to be stolen because wannabe thieves can't drive them.
There is some truth to the meme that says "Equipped with Millennial anti-theft device", and showing the shift pattern for a five speed. A quick Google search shows a number of cases of either attempted theft or attempted carjacking in which the perpetrators gave up because the car had a manual transmission.
I learned fairly late (in my mid-20s) to drive a stick. Glad that I did, though. I took a job in the late '70s in which my employer had a whole fleet of vehicles that were either three-on-the-tree or four-speed floor shifts. Had I not learned when I did, life would have been a lot more complicated.
In the US - about 2% of cars sold are manual. And about 20% of cars are offered in manual.
I don't think there is a real loss of anything here. Sure, those of us that prefer it have that option. But it's not like a valuable skill where not having it will put you at a disadvantage. It's like those videos of kids having zero clue how to dial a rotary phone or load paper in the typewriter. As funny as it is, it's not like they're missing a practical skill.
It wouldn't surprise me if, 20 years from now, there will be professional race car drivers that have never driven a manual transmission.
I think your numbers are way off...... Mini Cooper only had a 11% purchase rate for manuals and that is a fun car. I think the Corvette was like 10% which is why the new ones are all automatics.
Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari no longer offer manuals (Audi might in Europe though).
I much prefer a stick. Much much better for towing a trailer.
I was in Denmark and all the cars are manual transmission. I was told it was because the tax on a car purchase is so high that no one can afford to buy a car with an automatic transmission, which is an additional charge and the higher price really drives up the tax.
I bought a Volvo while in Britain and that car had a stick shift. The steering wheel on "the wrong side" was a lot more challenging than the transmission.
I'm guessing that, unless you never want to travel outside the USA, it is a real advantage to drive a stick in case you ever want to rent a car in a foreign country.
I've never driven a stick shift car, and I sort of refuse to. I don't want to ruin someone else's stick shift practicing. I also live in a very hilly city, so manual is not all that ideal. Only way I'd ever drive a stick shift is if I absolutely HAD TO, and I lived on flat terrain and never planned going up a hill again in my life. Plus, it just seems to be too much of a pain. You have to think about shifting all the time.
You have to THINK about shifting???
My VW Golf is a manual gearbox and I love it the majority of my cars have been also will keep driving a stick until I can’t anymore.
I've always preferred a stick shift, and the new ones are far better than the old ones were.
The ting about them is a person does have to think about shifting them. It connects the driver to the car much more closely, and driving a stick demands attention to the car and the road. It's a more complete and engaging experience. And when I'm driving, that's what I want- to drive actively and alertly.
They are especially good for maximizing the horsepower of the small 4-cylinder engines that are so common now.
The automatics with the paddle shifters work pretty much like a stick, but th lack of a clutch does make them different. Using the clutch is as important to me as shifting the gears is.
I'm old school thought, and I know it. I taught my 3 kids how to drive a stick when they were learning. These days, only one of them still likes a stick. Another can still use a stick, and the third has forgotten how to use them totally.
And me? I traded my last car with a stick in for a 2018 with an automatic. It will probably be my last car, as I tend to keep them until the wheels fall off, and at age 75, I realized the car I bought is a good choice for the car I'll need in 5 years. By then, I know I won't be able to drive a stick very well. I still miss the fun of driving a stick, but I'll get over it.
I think your numbers are way off...... Mini Cooper only had a 11% purchase rate for manuals and that is a fun car. I think the Corvette was like 10% which is why the new ones are all automatics.
Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari no longer offer manuals (Audi might in Europe though).
That was from a guick google - which brought up this article. And it's all cars. So in the US, only 2% of all cars sold in 2018 were manual, and 20% of new models were offered in manual.
I want a Miata primarily to be driving a stick again... I test drove a few this past summer and am hooked; as soon as the winters deals start dropping I’ll be a buyer.
I want a Miata primarily to be driving a stick again... I test drove a few this past summer and am hooked; as soon as the winters deals start dropping I’ll be a buyer.
It's so difficult to find a car with a manual these days. I currently drive an auto and hate it everyday.
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