I can't drive a stick

[M1Accord]

and I am glad I never own a stick car.

My buddy and I got stuck in traffic today. He was driving his Subaru with stick and it was the most painful 2 hrs traffic of my life. Stop and go and stick don't go together. With modern automatic that can shift manually, I see no reason for a stick. I love to own a car with paddle shifters unit someday.

I would think shifting gear on some of the twisty roads around here can be downright suicidal.

 

[Chris142]

I can!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a8SNT3uy-4

 

[M1Accord]

No glutch, not fair. I am real bad at working the clutch. I did get my license with a stick car though but had not driven one since. I doubt I could do it without stalling out at every light now.

 

[TallPaul]

The worst of traffic jams don't bother me driving a stick. Ah, twisty roads are a blast with a stick.

 

[k2xj]

Quote:

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and I am glad I never own a stick car.

My buddy and I got stuck in traffic today. He was driving his Subaru with stick and it was the most painful 2 hrs traffic of my life. Stop and go and stick don't go together. With modern automatic that can shift manually, I see no reason for a stick. I love to own a car with paddle shifters unit someday.

I would think shifting gear on some of the twisty roads around here can be downright suicidal.

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I agree!! But more importantly....what oil is he running...LOL

 

[Warlord]

Honestly, is it really that hard for some people to shift their own gears? I have no trouble with my stick shift in any situation.

 

[onion]

I've driven so many trucks and tractors with a clutch that my left foot just moves up and down reflexively sometimes, even though both my cars are autos. Now and then I even double-clutch my old F-150 when downshifting out of habit... seems to work fine. A clutch is no big deal even in traffic once you've had practice. It becomes second-nature.

 

[M1Accord]

I just think modern auto is so smart that is obsolete. If I want to downshift my Honda V6, I just let off the gas and lower the gear. Or I can just press the gas down half way and the car does it automatically. When driving, hands should be on steering wheel, not playing around with stick.

 

[01rangerxl]

Manuals are pretty much obsolete in most cars, but there is a fun factor that is hard to make up for. I love driving my manual transmission truck. Having to constantly shift in traffic is more than made up for with how much fun it is on open roads, but that is just me.

In larger trucks a manual can still have big advantages, such as engine braking and a really low first gear to get a load moving.

 

[globey]

eh...I have owned only two cars with an automatic transmission. I learned how to drive with a stick and I own a stick now. I enjoy driving a stick shift as I am able to control when I want to shift gears.

 

[JHZR2]

It is lack of skill, not because an MT is bad.

BMW has mastered the ability to select the right gear ratios to make driving in traffic (and I did it in DC for 5 months) a breeze. Honda and apparently subaru arent quite there yet (I know because we have an integra as well).

Autos have gotten much more advanced, but all this coming from someone who owns a honda, my advice is to watch out - Honda ATs arent exactlythe pinnacle of durability, so save your pennies for a rebuild - seriously, not putting you down, they just arent that good.

Advanced computers, more gears, etc. have gotten ATs to the point where their fuel economy can match MT cars, and most makers shoot MT economy in the foot right off the bat, because MT cars are more 'performance oriented' in mnay applications, so they are geared more aggressively for more acceleration and less economy these days.

Most folks that drive stick well can't stand AT vehicles. People that are AT minded are afraid to drive MT vehicles.
The only shame is that automakers cater to the AT crowd more than to the MT crowd, because more and more people understand less and less real physics,and would prefer the ease of mashing the go pedal and not thinking how their car really moves.

JMH

 

[Chris142]

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No clutch, not fair. I am real bad at working the clutch. I did get my license with a stick car though but had not driven one since. I doubt I could do it without stalling out at every light now.

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Actully I do have a clutch. I only use it to get moving. Doesn't matter if it's my truck or jeep I don't use the clutch to shift.

 

[M1Accord]

well, in the case I am as good as you then. lol. I am so used to driving auto that I wouldn't remember using the clutch. Therefore, I would stall out or crash into someone bumper if I emphasize too much on "using the clutch."

 

[Titan]

to really drive twisties well, the ability to select the correct gear is what makes it really fun. Yes, I guess a paddle-shifter, or something like that would be as good, but, the handling of the extra weight of the automatic isn't as good overall. Still, I understand what you mean about being stuck in traffic!

 

[01rangerxl]

Once you learn how to drive a stick, it usually comes back pretty quickly. My parents sold their last manual transmission vehicle in 1998, and it was an infrequently driven 3rd vehicle at that point. I got my truck in 2004 as my first vehicle, and since I did not know how to drive a stick at the time, my dad did the test drive. He was a little rusty at first, but it came back quickly. The only spot he had trouble on was our extremely steep driveway. He smoked it a good bit going up and told me "that is what you don't want to do." My mom also had not driven a manual since 1998 and it came back to her quickly as well. As they say, it is like riding a bike, you never really forget.

 

[TallPaul]

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When driving, hands should be on steering wheel, not playing around with stick.

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We don't play with the stick. We shift the transmission. Most of the time both hands are on the steering wheel. Show me someone with an automatic who has never driven with only one hand on the wheel?

 

[MarkC]

For me, driving a stick is fun, I hate automatics, and hope to never own one. I've had MT's since I started driving 31 yeasr ago, and I like it. All manual, all the time.

 

[-Clayton-]

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When driving, hands should be on steering wheel, not playing around with stick.

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[CivicFan]

2 hours of stop and go traffic can be tiring. That was the only time I wanted to have an automatic instead of stick shift. now I drive an automatic and sometimes miss my older cars with manual transmissions.

 

[onion]

I enjoy my automatic while munching on greasy fast food through stop'n go traffic. Also comes in handy while talking on the cell phone, looking at a map, flipping somebody off, screaming at younguns, and clipping nails.