Just wondering what the folks on TC think of manual transmissions. I got my first one at the age of 17 when my grandfather gave me his '63 Chevy with column shift and non-syncronized first gear. Then I bought a '77 F100 column shift, an '84 F150 floor shift, a '95 F150 floor shift, and finally an now driving an '01 Ford Ranger floor shift. That's 38 years of stick shifting. But I have driven a lot in automatics because my wife has an automatic. At least her car ('99 Plymouth Voyager) has a nice simple 3-speed automatic that functions well. She had a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer that had a horrible automatic (and horrible HVAC that was way too complicated).
But for me, shifting the gears makes me feel like I am part of the machine, keeps me involved, and is a whole lot of fun. I'll use an automatic to get from point A to point B, but with a manual, I am inclined to take back roads and extra excursions, just for the fun of it, when I have the extra time which is rare.
Manual transmissions for me. As Florestan said, it's fun and keeps one alert. Folks who have only driven automatics don't know what they're missing. Also, going automatic is a lazy way to drive.
The only problem with automatics is that they're not automatic enough. Still waiting for Google to save me from having to perform such tediousness as using the pedals and steering.
Erm....I can't drive! When I was a boy in the 60s I always thought the Ford Zodiac Mk. III which were used as taxis in Worcester looked cool, especially in the taxi company's black livery.
I think the rest of it goes like this (for me anyway): P R N D U L L
But not to make this an anti automatic thread. I do appreciate that some prefer automatics and don't think they should have to drive a stick--but try it at least. If they phase out manuals in the U.S. I might have to move to the UK. When I was a kid (1960s/70s) manual transmissions were pretty abundant and the term "standard transmission" still made sense because it was the standard equipment on many vehicles.
I forgot to mention that I like my manual transmissions driving the rear wheels.
Then there are the pseudo manuals where they give you a gate, but I drove one once and quickly went back to full automatic. There is nothing quite like the good old fashioned clutch disc and pressure plate set-up.
I forgot to mention that I like my manual transmissions driving the rear wheels.
Then there are the pseudo manuals where they give you a gate, but I drove one once and quickly went back to full automatic. There is nothing quite like the good old fashioned clutch disc and pressure plate set-up.
...except when the throwout bearing goes poof, taking the rest of the clutch assembly with it and leaving me with a $2500 repair bill. I loved my 1995 5 speed manual, front wheel drive Volvo 850 for 173K miles but ended up replacing it with a 1996 automatic transmission 850 - the first car that I have ever had with an automatic.
In normal vehicles I prefer a stick-on-the-floor manual trans. My Prius C is so computerized that the infinitely variable auto trans makes perfect sense.
I do like the floor shift, but had a couple column shifts and really have fond memories of column shifting. Also fun to confuse people who don't know about manual transmissions when you give them a ride. Used to call them Three-On-The-Tree and when the linkage got loose after many miles we call it Find-Em-Or-Grind-Em.
Here is my '77 column shifted F100. It had full mechanical clutch linkage with a rod (not a cable). You can see the rod going through the floor behind and between the clutch and brake pedals in the first shot. Yeah that is an image of Jimi Hendrix hanging from the mirror. Also love the way dashboards were designed so you could store tons of junk on the dash. Bottom photo is cruising on the highway so the lever is back and down, really can't see it. That's my sister driving.
I'd love to join the stick-is-best club. Your argument about being involved, the active driving, all true. I thouroughly enjoyed hammering our little Alfa Romeo through the Alps or getting very silly with my poor mans Porsche 924. Our familycars, Volvo and Mercedes estates, all manual shifters and rearwheeldrives. Great cars, all of them, yeah stick rules.......
But then we got this RangeRover, V8 with a silky smooth automatic box. Whooohaaa, sorry guys, I'm joining the sissyboycamp of fully automated lazy driving :lol: ........unless I can convince my wife that this classic '87 Porsche 911 is not idiotic with 3 kids and 2 dogs. Afraid I'm going to fail......
I first learned to drive a manual transmission (or straight shift as we call them in my part of the world) in a fuel truck for private aircraft. I would practice out on the ramp on the late shift when no one was looking because driving a manual was a prerequisite for being hired. There are few things as terrifying as starting out herky-jerky with 2000 lbs of 100 octane aircraft fuel sloshing back and forth at your back adding its weight to the vehicle's jerking. Fortunately it only took me a few nights to get the hang of it and my ruse was never discovered.
I've had a few manual transmission cars and they're fun in their own way. But these days I prefer not to have the headache of a motorized vehicle at all. I've been on time for work for several years now since I abandoned the finicky high maintenance noisy smelly things.
I've had several manuals and of course quite a few motorcycles, which were all manual. But where I live now you're often finding yourself in stop-and-go traffic for long periods of time. I'm afraid than manual transmissions just get too tiresome then. The newer auto transmissions (as on my current car) can handily be shifted up and down (without clutch) but I seldom do that, being of advanced age and no longer quite such a sporty person. Staid and boring is my ticket.
Only 3.9% of new cars sold in the US have manual transmissions according the recent numbers online. I drove a stick for several years just out of college... the car was about $2000 cheaper than a comparable automatic... because so few people can actually drive a stick. Dealing with constant stop-and-go rush hour traffic I'll stick with the automatic.
I've never owned anything other than a manual. My father-in-law's car was an auto - I drove that a few times, but struggled to keep my unemployed foot out of the way!
I used to drive my boss' automatic occasionally. It sounded like it was changing gear all the time. I felt like shouting "Who's driving this car, you or me????!!!"
Anyone here ever tried the Citroen 2cv manual box? Our first car, convertible and all, but with very outlandish gearshifting.
The ultimate care to separate the boys from the men...:lol:
Brings back memories, My second car was a medium blue 2CV, had it for two months, my mum had me sell it after I rolled it over in the 90 degree bend on the dirt road up to the house where I grew up, that suspension was/is very treacherous going to fast in to steep corners on narrow roads with "deep" side trenches... (First car was my grand dad's hand me down Morris Minor, third one was a Maroon second hand 1971 Volvo 164!)
I answered manual, but I have an automatic. There was no "If I had a choice it would me manual" option! I'm not sure why, but I think it's related to the same reason I write with a fountain pen and wear a mechanical watch.
That is a great option I should have included, but it was outside my thought process because there are a few things in life I refuse to give in on and one is a manual transmission. So I do have a choice because I am not going to let anybody stop me. A lot of guys will give up the stick and get a kid hauling automatic van, we'll we have that but I also retain my stick.
In some cases I guess if there is not enough money to afford more than one car you are stuck, but I have 4 vehicles at my house (not counting the motorhome) and the worst cost is insurance. All four vehicles total purchase cost (one is my son's S10 pickup--also a manual!), is $13,800. Yes, for the cost of one new, stripped down economy car I got 4 cars: 1997 Ford Escort with 36,000 original miles (no work needed, mint condition), 2001 S10 pickup (no work needed), 2001 Ranger pickup (had to spend a few hundred on brakes when I got it), and the 1999 Plymouth Voyager (needed about $1700 of work for brakes and a radiator, and some other misc stuff).
I do like mechanical watches (but stopped wearing watches since I have a cell phone) but am not fond of fountain pens since click top ball points are so much more convenient.
Manual transmission, every time! How else can I optimize my escapes from the filth? Automatic transmission is for the old biddies and lazy fat geezers.
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