Fed Up with Driving a Manual Transmission?
- Thread starter parimento1
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Unfortunately, the terrible gearing in my focus and it's high idle "feature" meant it would idle between 10 and 15 MPH in first gear. And if I was creeping along in heavy traffic in a clutch in, clutch out, clutch in, clutch out type of situation, it would keep bumping up the idle. More than once, I had to pull off to the side because the engine was just racing away at 2500RPM for absolutely no reason. After a minute or two, it would calm down. The best I could get from two different dealers was it was a strategy to keep the catalyst up to temperature for the PZEV rating.
Neither of my current vehicles do that, thankfully. Though, I did get stuck in a traffic jam in my pickup while towing. I just put it into 4LO with the hubs unlocked and let it walk along at half the speed of smell.
Wait, did she hate the car, or did she hate that you sold it?
She hated the car because it was manual. Which I always thought to be odd as she always had manual cars in Brazil but then she moved to the US and got spoiled by automatics. The problem for me is that the auto is a status symbol in Brazil so I'm fighting against that as well.
Unless you're constantly stop and go on hills especially, I cant understand getting sick of it. Unless you don't care one bit about vehicles/mechanical stuff and would rather do gardening or crafts or something.
The only reason I haven't had a manual car is my vehicles of choice were 80s full size GM's, because they were cheap and could be driven and fixed forever. Now I have one full size Olds and half ton gm truck for work (also not available in manual transmission).
You ain't using your left leg - At least at a 1/4 mile line at stop sign, I just tested my Subaru, It will creep in first around 1 to 2 MPH with the car at idle and first engaged. The Idle control will keep the rpm at 750.
If traffic was that bad Id not be driving. In fact my wife changed her shift to 5:00 AM to 1:30 since you could not commute to work or Home on Route 495 North or 93 South in the Boston area at 6 AM or at 4 PM.
Well sometime you can’t avoid the traffic. Fortunately my working days are long past. A year or so I had to make around a three hour trip for a funeral. Good thing we left early because the traffic was typical before the virus thing happened. The traffic was stop and go for about 40 miles headed up and around 30 miles coming back.
These days I try to avoid the interstates. They are parking lots most of the time but there are times when one has to travel on them.
I sometimes consider the manual transmission free exercise, when in stop and go traffic, albeit for my left leg only.
I favor manual transmissions for reliability, affordability, and control. I have never had a transmission related failure in my 10 years of driving. I've only driven manuals. Honestly, if I did live in a place like LA, I would not daily a manual. Automatics can be just as reliable as manuals. Still, I prefer the sentimental faith that manuals are more reliable than autos, just for the truism, simpler = less stuff to break. I will always own a manual transmission car. I have replaced the clutch myself, and it wasn't hard. And as others have mentioned, I savor the fact that the cars are less likely to be borrowed or stolen.
I favor manual transmissions for reliability, affordability, and control. I have never had a transmission related failure in my 10 years of driving. I've only driven manuals. Honestly, if I did live in a place like LA, I would not daily a manual. Automatics can be just as reliable as manuals. Still, I prefer the sentimental faith that manuals are more reliable than autos, just for the truism, simpler = less stuff to break. I will always own a manual transmission car. I have replaced the clutch myself, and it wasn't hard. And as others have mentioned, I savor the fact that the cars are less likely to be borrowed or stolen.
80% of my driving over the last 32 years has been in manuals. I currently drive an auto (VW dual clutch). I've gone back to autos several times based on my commute - they just make more sense when you are sitting in traffic all the time. The dual-clutch I currently drive is brilliant and I'm glad I chose it over the 6-spd. Always fun to read the manual zeolot crew's comments and how they love sticks in stop/go traffic 
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Nope and I'm 67 and will continue until I no longer can. It is just so natural now for me and besides I have the auto 2004 Le Sabre if really needed in the future.
By the way, many a day, I have driven the 680 corridor 13 miles in traffic and 2nd gear without ever having to come to a stop. Works best in the #4 lane versus all the others.
By the way, many a day, I have driven the 680 corridor 13 miles in traffic and 2nd gear without ever having to come to a stop. Works best in the #4 lane versus all the others.
Your stop and go sounds like utopian stop and go.
I've had 3-4 manual cars, lots of fun and more control rowing the gears yourself. I had to give manuals up though because traffic in my area has gotten too heavy and they were a major PITA to drive as a DD in that amount of traffic. It's very hard to sit in traffic for 45-60 minutes constantly having to creep along. I would regularly space myself in a way I could just putt along in first gear but that really pisses some people off when you have a huge gap between you and the next car.
If I were to get a weekend cruiser it would be a manual for sure.
If I were to get a weekend cruiser it would be a manual for sure.
I just remembered another BIG reason I went manual again: Pulling out into traffic from a side road onto the 50 MPH state highway.
My previous car was a CVT Nissan and with the JATCO it was like starting out in second gear!
So with the MT and a short 1st gear you can squirt into a small traffic gap when the opportunity arises - which at certain times is NOT OFTEN. the Turbo Jetta made this a wheel-squealer or nothing situation.
That's why I'm back to naturally aspirated AWD. The car just GOES from a stop when necessary.
Yet the MT driving enthusiasts leave comments suggesting we are lessor folks because of our preference for a simple drive to get us where we need to get to.
It’s usually not a preference though
Most autotragic drivers could not drive a manual and refuse to learn or even consider if they might like a stick.
They act like it’s the same as learning differential equations and building a moon rocket
I got pretty tired of it while sitting in a huge traffic jam on 636 eastbound through Garland, into Mesquite last week. You Dallasites know the road. 
Traffic was moving about 1mph, stop, start, stop, start, for a long distance, so I couldn't idle in first. It showed how out-of-shape my left leg has gotten.
Traffic was moving about 1mph, stop, start, stop, start, for a long distance, so I couldn't idle in first. It showed how out-of-shape my left leg has gotten.
I drove an auto for 21 years and then switched to a manual 6 speed for the last 5 years. I like being able to choose the gear and it's not really much extra effort except in traffic which I rarely do. I'm reading that some modern auto's have problems e.g. DCT's can be jerky and torque converter autos that won't use top gear under 70mph. I'd have an auto again but I'd want it to be near perfect. On my old auto I was able to tune the change up points to some degree with a simple adjustment. With a modern auto that's not going to be possible. With a manual at least if I get caught in the wrong gear, it's my fault rather than the cars.
I love my stick shift and do a lot of driving in heavy traffic.
I personally prefer a manual. But I also understand that most people don't have that preference. And so do auto makers. They aren't the reason for the slow death of the manual transmission....the buying public is. You can well believe that if there was demand for it manufacturers would produce them.
30 years ago Toyota sold the Previa with a manual gearbox. Can you imagine the average minivan driver hand-shaking there way through daily driving nowadays? No way. Zero demand.
Toyota offers the Corolla and Hatchback with manuals (good luck finding one), the 86 has one (makes sense as it's a sports car) and the Tacoma.....though it's been whittled down to just one powertrain option....V6 4x4.
My good friend is a sales manger at a local Toyota dealership. He says nobody wants them. 86 buyers are about the only ones he sees. And for the Tacoma? Sure a 6 speed will be what eventually sells a manual version.....but not before 200 people walk right on passed it when they see 3 pedals.
Who cares what "enthusiasts" think? My wife happily scoots around in her Corolla with a CVT, drum brakes and torsion beam rear axle without a care in the world. She loves her car. That's what "enthusiasts" don't get. Manufacturers know it.
I am familiar about that gap reaction but to hell with them I say. Besides the gap is there one minute and the next minute it is gone. If they were smart they would realize what I was doing and would fall in line. That actually happened once on 405 through Los Angeles long ago where I was pacing myself to avoid the start/stop routine. Once the guy behind me figured out what I was doing he got into it as a few others behind him and we went over 30 miles without coming to a stop. In the end my lane ultimately moved faster in the end which would be expected if people learned to pace rather than constantly start and stop causing brake lights to pop up all over the road.
Had a person once try to prove that because she daily'd a car with a stage 3 clutch, there's no reason for other people not to be able to do the same thing.
This is why I like to follow semis during rush hour. They may not be going as fast as the traffic around them but they're a lot more consistent. I hate driving manual in traffic and I will avoid traffic at all costs simply because I don't feel like pushing in/out all the time anymore.
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