Manual Transmissions Soon Gone

Joined
Oct 28, 2002
Messages
59,389
Location
Everson WA - Pacific NW USA

To lament the end of the manual transmission is to eulogize much more than shifting gears. When the manual dies, little about driving will fall away that hasn’t already been lost. But we’ll lose something bigger and more important: the comfort of knowing that there is one essential, everyday device still out there that you can actually feel operating. Even if you don’t own a stick, or if you don’t know how to drive one, its mere existence signals that a more embodied technology is possible—that it once was common, even—and that humans and machines really can commune. The stick shift is a form of hope, but it’s one we’ll soon have left behind.
 
In the end if people don't buy them in quantities that validate the cost of manufacturing then why would automakers build them? It's our fault (the American people) that they will go away.

Look at Europe, you can get a dang cargo van with a stick over there.
 
"In 2000, more than 15 percent of new and used cars sold by the auto retailer CarMax came with stick shifts..."

That number seems high to me, even for the year 2000.

Some retailers tended to pack the lot with stick shifts. We had certain car lots that were mostly economy cars and mostly sticks up through the cash for junkets era.

When Fiat first sold the new 500, they were frustrated with excessive customers demanding the stick shift versions,

Although the number sold was close to 50/50 in the first year, customer orders for the stick version were extremely high, nobody wanted the automatic.
 
Stick shift? We don't need any stinkin' stick shifts. Once AI takes over you will just teleport yourself from point A to B, if there still exists A & B.

teleport.jpg
 
"In 2000, more than 15 percent of new and used cars sold by the auto retailer CarMax came with stick shifts..."

That number seems high to me, even for the year 2000.
I had two 2000 vehicles with stick shifts, a Toyota Solara V6 5MT and a BMW 528i M-Sport I6 5MT. Since 2000, I bought a 2007 Honda Accord EX-L sedan V6 6MT, my daughter bought a Mazda 5 with a manual transmission and my SIL bought a Mazda 3 with a manual transmission. 15% doesn't sound too high to me.
 
This Makes me want to buy a new Corolla or similar economy car with a Stick, but I am part of the problem demographic. I buy manually transmission used cars. I don’t buy new. I’m not a target demographic for auto manufacturers. Even if committed to buy a new car, my wife would not be happy. I guess the best thing is to preserve what manual transmission car I Still have. I will keep my 91’ Toyota around as long as possible.
 
I had two 2000 vehicles with stick shifts, a Toyota Solara V6 5MT and a BMW 528i M-Sport I6 5MT. Since 2000, I bought a 2007 Honda Accord EX-L sedan V6 6MT, my daughter bought a Mazda 5 with a manual transmission and my SIL bought a Mazda 3 with a manual transmission. 15% doesn't sound too high to me.
Stop the presses! That's five more stick shifts.... Bump it up to 16%.
 
I recently purchased a manual transmission for a project car. A younger friend who happens to be building a similar car asked why I went with a stick. He said it will shift slower and I'll lose ET.
I replied that statement tells me you have no clue why people build cars.
 
Fuel economy.... Yes, a skilled driver can generally get better fuel economy with a manual vs an automatic but the average driver ? Nope. The EPA's fuel economy ratings shows this as well. On various cars I've looked at in the past, the automatic versions normally get better fuel economy.

I used to see people driving stick shifts and for a lot of them, I kept wanting to tell them, "you don't need to rev it to 4500 rpm in every gear before you shift".
 
I wonder how much increased traffic has contributed to this.

I moved to the Atlanta area with a 6 speed Camaro Didn't take me long until I traded it on a sedan. That was me moving, but as traffic increases in many places that same thing probably takes place.
You might be on to something. I still have my 6 speed WS6, but it does suck in Seattle traffic sometimes.
 
I recently purchased a manual transmission for a project car. A younger friend who happens to be building a similar car asked why I went with a stick. He said it will shift slower and I'll lose ET.
I replied that statement tells me you have no clue why people build cars.
That is true of cars built in the last 10ish years, before that unless you did a converter, the manual was normally faster. The LS1/LT1 F-body were like that. Now automatics are so good they are just faster. Still if I were going to buy something newer (Camaro/Corvette) say made in the last 5 years I would still be looking for a manual.
 
Modern automatic transmissions are both more efficient and faster than a stick shift. But this is a recent development; the opposite used to be the case. Yet this misses the point, or the reason why some people (like me) prefer stick shift. It's about the driving experience and engagement. I spent a lot of hours honing my stick shift skills, launching, heel & toe, rev matching, etc. It's tremendous fun and makes me feel one with the car. The article linked in the OP describes this well.
 
Was at the Volvo store last year to look at the wagons. V90 wagon listed for over $60k. Beautiful car. Sales manager with dealership owner at my side, asked me what it would take to get me into the V90. I commented, after he called my S80 V8 engine a dinosaur, "put a proper V8 engine like in my car and a manual transmission", then I'm interested. No plug in battery powered cars for me.
 
It's about the driving experience and engagement. I spent a lot of hours honing my stick shift skills, launching, heel & toe, rev matching, etc. It's tremendous fun and makes me feel one with the car.
My first three cars were stick shifts and I learned to drive in my Dad's stick shift car (parents were born and raised in N Ireland and immigrated to the US). When it came to daily driving, commuting, etc, I just didn't care about all of that anymore. I did before and got pretty good at it, but after a while, I guess it became annoying (especially in heavy, stop-and-go traffic).
 
Stick shift cars are the best theft deterrent there is.
hip hop little gangstas don't know how to drive them.
This is so true. I could leave the keys in my 94 Z28 and it would still be wherever I parked it when I got back. I've tried to teach a few people to drive stick in the past decade and its essentially a waste of my time, no one seems to be able to understand how that 3rd pedal works. They all treat it like a brake despite numerous attempts to get them to understand how it actually functions.
 
Back
Top