Manual transmission "snobs"?

surfstar · May 16, 2007

I drive one for ALL of the reasons

I also think that if we only had manuals, there wouldn't be any cases of someone pressing the wrong pedal and flooring through a store entrace or down an outdoor market. My Grandpa (RIP) drove an extremely well-cared for '88 Accord 5spd until he passed away, over 80 years old. (I'm not saying we should only have stick shifts, just an observation/theory. I know not everyone can drive one physically for various reasons - heck I've had surfing/snowboarding injuries which made my clutch quite painful to operate)

Not only are you more "connected" to the car, you're required to be more aware of whats going on. It makes you think more about driving.

Warlord · May 16, 2007

ABCDEFG for me. I've seen far too many broken down AT's from far too many manufacturers to ever consider owning one again. From my experience only GM autos were tolerable. They're the only manufacturer who can match the shift points to suit my vehicle and driving style. The worst were Fords and Hondas.

obbop · May 16, 2007

Prefer manual but the truck on the lot with the A/T had everything else I was seeking so got it cheap.

Another consideration is resale value.

Many more of America's bleating sheep idiots demand an auto tranny.

Interesting article read awhile back told of the huge percentage of idiotic brain-dead lethargic Americans who have never used a manual tranny.

CBDFrontier06 · May 16, 2007

I can testify to three families I'm acquainted with that all have kids approaching driving age, and they are ALL looking for cars with A/T for thier kids' first cars. They're all afraid the kids are going to use up too much of their brain capacity operating a shifter and won't pay attention to where they're pointing the car. I think that's a travesty. The allowed price range of my first car pretty much mandated that it be a M/T, and I'm grateful for it.

I hate to think about how much driving pleasure I would have been denied over the past 20 years if I'd never learned to drive a stick. Honda Civic Si, Eagle Talon TSi, Altima 3.5 SE, Plymouth Sundance 3.0, Mazdaspeed6 - all better cars with M/T.

01rangerxl · May 16, 2007

Quote:

I can testify to three families I'm acquainted with that all have kids approaching driving age, and they are ALL looking for cars with A/T for thier kids' first cars. They're all afraid the kids are going to use up too much of their brain capacity operating a shifter and won't pay attention to where they're pointing the car. I think that's a travesty. The allowed price range of my first car pretty much mandated that it be a M/T, and I'm grateful for it.

From my experience, the opposite will happen. They will think the car will do everything on its own, and they can focus on everything else (cell phones, friends, etc...).

Drew99GT · May 16, 2007

Try driving a car with 110 hp through the mountains with an A/T. THAT is why my Corolla has a 5 speed manual. GUTLESS with an auto! However, man is it a PITA in heavy traffic or starting out on steep hills, or driving on rutted bumpy dirt roads where very slow speed is required.

LouDawg · May 16, 2007

Quote:

Many more of America's bleating sheep idiots demand an auto tranny.

Interesting article read awhile back told of the huge percentage of idiotic brain-dead lethargic Americans who have never used a manual tranny.

That's what I was talking about...that mindset right there. It's those words like "sheep", "idiotic", "brain-dead", "lethargic" that I was expecting or wondering about. Of course I understand this is a generalization, so I take no offense as I do not consider myself any of the above. And it certainly does apply to many, MANY unthinking, self-centered Americans.

But there are many who probably don't consider a manual because it's just of no interest to them. They're not interested in the joy of driving, feeling connected to the road, worrying about the AT going out in 100K miles because they'll get rid of the car before then anyway, etc. They have other things that are more important to them, and messing with a manual (or even thinking about one) is one less thing they have to think about in their "busy" lives.

For my part, I learned to drive on a 1978 4WD F150 with huge clutch throw and a shifter that was longer than I was tall. I have always loved driving manuals when I've had the opportunity, but my family situation hasn't really permitted me to own one.

nicrfe1370 · May 16, 2007

Quote:

I think those overzealous A/T haters are just lacking in other areas

I think psychologists/iastrists would say that overzealousness on any subject is a result of poor self esteem at best.
My experience with auto's has mostly been in Subarus, where they are completely worthless. My father had a Dodge Ram with an auto that needed 3 rebuilds in 150k miles. My brother's Chevy Caprice with the LT1 on the other hand had a beautiful auto; very smooth but positively firm, smart shifting, basically bulletproof. A friend's Audi A4 had one of the nicest auto's I've ever driven, even with the 4-banger. I will likely forever be a manual user though, there are too many things I can do with a manual that even the best auto can't do.

ccs v2.0 · May 16, 2007

Why? Cause I can.

I don't mind driving a stick in Chicago traffic; I want the power ready when I press the throttle and I get to select the gear I danm please to be in, not some programmer in some cold basement somewhere. If I want to skip gears I do, if I want to start in second gear on a snowy day I can and if I ever get stuck somewhere, I could rock the car back and forth between third gear and reverse if I want. Try that on a slush box. Any questions?

LouDawg · May 16, 2007

Quote:

Why? Cause I can.

I don't mind driving a stick in Chicago traffic; I want the power ready when I press the throttle and I get to select the gear I danm please to be in, not some programmer in some cold basement somewhere. If I want to skip gears I do, if I want to start in second gear on a snowy day I can and if I ever get stuck somewhere, I could rock the car back and forth between third gear and reverse if I want. Try that on a slush box. Any questions?

No, but keep in mind that this wasn't intended to be what you can do with a manual that you can't do with an auto, or which one is inherently "better". It was more about the attitudes involved...just some amateur psychoanalysis.

ccs v2.0 · May 17, 2007

Ok, just replace my "can's" with "cannot's" and title the post "AT snobs"...

Mr. Boston · May 17, 2007

Some knees have a limited life expectancy. As some of us get old-er things tend to hurt...especially when smashing a clutch all day.

Otherwise, I'd have manual on a 4 cylinder wheezer...

1sttruck · May 17, 2007

The car that we got rid of would still be running if it had a manual tranny, but it's probably a moot point as the wife doesn't want to deal with a manual anymore. Neither do most people in the US.

I can get a bit of engine braking in my truck with the manual, it'll last longer than the auto available and have fewer problems, I notice that I can compensate for the ABS brakes not 'plowing' in snow/mud/gravel/etc. by downshifting with the stick, and for me it's more fun driving.

So other than being more durable, more reliable, lower cost, providing better control in marginal conditions, being more fun to drive, a manual isn't that much different.

Autos would be fine if they offered more manual trannys.

CBDFrontier06 · May 17, 2007

Finding the car you want with a M/T in Dallas is nearly an exercise in futility. Rarely do you encounter a person that wants one. Then there are companies like Infinity that don't offer one on certain models, while the nearly identical one sitting next to it has one. The AWD G35 comes in A/T only, which is a crying shame.

ccs v2.0 · May 17, 2007

I hear you CBD, it took me six months to find my maxima and they had me on the color and options it was. My only choice was really to sign the papers or not, and by the time I bought it, two days after I test drove it with something like 20 miles, the car already had almost 100 miles on it.

CBDFrontier06 · May 17, 2007

I'm saddened when every car of the same model sitting on a lot is auto. It tells me that either 1) Autos are all they stock, as something has convinced them that nobody will buy a M/T. or 2) The M/Ts they do get in sell like hotcakes. It took me forever to find a M/T Mazda 3i, and like you, it was take it or leave it, even though it had tons of options on it that I really didn't want.

rpn453 · May 17, 2007

I don't want an automatic, but I don't care what others drive. I don't know why some are so concerned about it. Maybe they feel the future availability of standards is threatened by higher demand for automatics, maybe they think everyone should just think the same way as them and the world would be a perfect place, or maybe they actually feel superior because they've learned a skill that some haven't.

I just like to be in complete control of what my car is doing. I don't like automatics because they change gears on me when I don't want them to, I don't like that the engine speed doesn't correspond directly to vehicle speed, and I don't like the perpetual motion feeling of not having engine braking when in traffic. I like to be in the gear I want to be in with a direct connection between the engine and the rest of the drivetrain and I want predictable control of what the car is doing. I also find that I'm not as alert when I'm driving an automatic, since I don't have to think about what's going on around me as much. Plus, I don't like holding the car back with the brake at red lights. A to H on the list are just bonuses!

I will say that B should be "higher performance" not just "associated with higher performance" since 99% of cars will do better around a track and on a dragstrip with a manual.

TallPaul · May 17, 2007

My manual transmission may be the reason my truck has not been stolen over the past 17 years of parking on the streets of Detroit every day.

My knees were giving me trouble when I had a '77 F150 where the clutch had no hydraulic assist, but with the hydraulic clutch, no problem.

I have driven a stick since 1977. So long as my daily driver has a stick, I don't mind so much having autos in the wife's van and the motorhome. I would not want to be without a stick. Too much fun.

One place where an automatic shines though is when you have a sudden need to stomp on it. You just can't downshift a manual (at least not an M5OD in a F150) as quick.

When I am so old and decrepit that I can't drive a stick anymore, I hope I can get an auto with a gate that can be manually shifted. Most autos could be made a lot more fun with a gated shifter and a good shift kit to firm up the shifting.

surfstar · May 17, 2007

Quote:

I will say that B should be "higher performance" not just "associated with higher performance" since 99% of cars will do better around a track and on a dragstrip with a manual.

Not to mention the cars that are de-tuned (hp) for the ATX versions.

Steve S · May 17, 2007

Manual.the root of the word is man ,so a manual trans is manly .Less and less men in this country are manly so .......

Manual transmission "snobs"?

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