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45 minutes of stop and go traffic in a rig with a clutch that actually requires a little pressure to disengage it will tame anyone's enthusiasm for a manual shift.
Of course, the shift patter of my 20 speed manual Unimog gear box gives me my fill of manual shifting:
I agree. Did the hurricane evacuation thing with Hurricane Rita and endless miles of others clutch pedaling it about three feet at a time in near 100 degree heat in the mid-afternoon. The Ranger overheated enough to have the AC blast out hot air my way. That was not nice.
That is when I decided my next vehicle was going to be an automatic.
Screw that involvement with the road stuff!
Now, that aside, if I bought a sunny day convertible behind my work truck and whatever second truck I end up buying soon, so be it.
Otherwise, too many knee, ankle, back and post-workout pains to bother with a stickshifter anymore.
Anyway, off the find a Superchip...takes the bogginess out of my truck's shifts and will beat anything a manual trans has.
i know that automatics are the rule in america but what percentage of cars in the usa are automatic as opposed to manual
in ireland , automatics are very rare , certainly less than 10% , i myself drive an automatic
ps , its humorous to europeans how american tv often features gags surrounding a charechters inability to drive a manual or a stick as americans call them , it highlights the novelty of a manual in america , over here if you grinded the gears on a manual by forgetting to engage the clutch , you would be seen as a retard of the highest order , its one of those classic culture clash jokes
Then, why do people in Europe overwhelmingly prefer to drive stick? As automatics passenger cars catch up to manuals in fuel economy, Europeans have no more reason to buy a manual. But they still do.
The reason is that in most European countries, you have to learn how to drive a stick in order to get an unrestricted driver's license. In the US, people stick to automatics because most Americans, especially younger ones, can't drive a stick even if their life depended on it. Even in the trucking industry you're seeing more automatics, despite their much higher purchase price, significantly lower fuel economy, and higher maintenance costs since it's getting harder to find drivers that can shift.
i can only really speak for my own country but i will tell you why manuals are the overwhelming choice in ireland
1. manuals are significantly easier on fuel than an auto although the margin has narrowed
2. we dont have the big huge highways like in america , ireland is small and many journeys involve travelling short distances on windy roads , automatics are much harder on juice when your on a country road than on a motorway
3. automatics cost on average 15% more to buy new than a manual
i suspect many other countries in europe have the same reasons
I bet you bother to do fluid changes, too! Most don't bother until it is too late.
I've always done the auto trans fluid change about every 20,000 miles or so. It works. It's cheap insurance. I also believe in a drain and filter versus a flush. I have to argue with them that I don't want a flush.
Then, why do people in Europe overwhelmingly prefer to drive stick? As automatics passenger cars catch up to manuals in fuel economy, Europeans have no more reason to buy a manual. But they still do.
The reason is that in most European countries, you have to learn how to drive a stick in order to get an unrestricted driver's license. In the US, people stick to automatics because most Americans, especially younger ones, can't drive a stick even if their life depended on it. Even in the trucking industry you're seeing more automatics, despite their much higher purchase price, significantly lower fuel economy, and higher maintenance costs since it's getting harder to find drivers that can shift.
I think it's a cultural thing. My cousin and his wife in Europe were considering buying another car. Someone was showing them a Renault or Citroen, I forgot the make, and it had an automatic. They'd NEVER seen one before and then took it around for a spin. His wife said to me she thought "please, get that thing out of here."
On the other hand, when I go over there, I usually rent an Opel Corsa automatic or a Smart Car (automatic). It is so much easier getting around in the unruly traffic and crappy roads with an automatic. However, once many Europeans move to the US, many eventually settle on an automatic...and stay with one. I may LOVE Europe, but I sure as hell like having an American car.
I love shifting gears while my wife never learned how to drive a stick. Now with many brands offering 6 speed manuel transmission my mouth is watering. My 76 GMC had a classic 3 on the tree. I remember taking that in to have it smogged and the smog tech had no clue what to do with it. He told me I had rigged the transmission and turned it into a manuel. He said that it was supposed to be automatic. I explained the 3 speed gear box with the collume shift and he still would not let me smog the truck. I had to go somewhere else. Then again if someone was thinking I had the knowledge and ability to turn an automatic into a 3 speed maybe I was better off going someplace else anyway.
My Porsche and Hyundai are both 5 speed manuel transmission and I would have it no other way.
It depends on the car, it depends on how much power the car makes, it depends on how good the manual/auto tranny is etc etc.
This would be my answer too. I looooove shifting in a sports car. My 4 cylinder commuter car on the other hand (which is a MT) not so much...I wish I had an automatic for when I sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
I'm glad that my dad taught me how to drive on his old 4-speed hatchback. I would hate feeling limited in my car choices because I didn't know how to drive both types of transmission. It certainly came in handy when I traveled to Europe and the MT rentals were much, much cheaper than the automatics.
i prefer manual transmission in any type of vehicle.
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