Seeking out stick vs settling for an automatic

Buying a manual car IMO is a waste of time unless it's something super fun. Even then, I drove my co-worker's 17' Mustang GT 6MT, I hated it. What a waste of time, my V8 Genesis was way more fun if it had a better tune.

They aren't any more reliable than an automatic these days. Automatic transmissions don't die like they used to, unless it's a CVT Nissan. And no clutch to replace.
 
Years ago, when many cars/trucks had very low power engines, the 4 or 5 sp manual trans extracted more useful performance out of them. They also gave a respectable fuel mileage bonus. Especially, all the 50 to 80hp econo cars. In the 70's and 80's you weren't a cool kid or middle-ager with anything but a manual. A well respected early 3 speed auto, the Chrysler 727 torque flite, was said to bleed off 45 hp that a manual trans did not do.

I don't know how much parasitic loss you have with a CVT trans but I would guess that it's less than a conventional automatic? I never owned an automatic with more than 4 speeds, so a conventional auto with 5 or 6 speeds would be pretty nice in my book. Yes, I know that that there's many 8 speed and up auto trans. I've only driven one CVT car, a Sentra loaner for a few days some years ago. Enough to know that I'd never want one. It took Subaru many years to come up with a CVT that would work behind a 1.0 LT 3 cylinder Justy. Long after they acquired the rights from van Doorne. A friend purchased a new Murano a year or two ago. He claimed that the Nissan salesman told him that Nissan invented the CVT.:rolleyes:
 
I taught my niece here how to drive a manual and she has a six speed Civic Si now.
A08BD57D-6D4F-4C47-8020-12AEFE161074.jpeg
 
I don't miss the days of DD'ing manual jeeps. They all had hydraulic clutches but I've never been behind the wheel of another passenger vehicle which a clutch THAT stiff.

The gearing also helps / hurts a lot. My subaru had a pretty low 1st gear and could creep along in traffic nicely. My pickup is the same. The Focus I had was awful in traffic and couldn't creep along slow enough.

Yea that was the issue I had in the focus. Although first gear was adequate for most creeping in traffic, after a while of 2 hours of clutch in......clutch out....slip clutch etc gets annoying. That and going up a slight incline with a car that has a small engine and everything gets bogged down. Then add A/C, any passengers, etc. The CVT in my mom's Fusion and Ascent isn't actually as bad as I thought it would be; driving-wise. 2 hours of stop-go traffic in any manual sucks and doesn't make a car more fun to drive.
 
Your comments would have been mine twenty years ago. That's when I bought my last manual, a 2002 Elantra. The new automatics are so much more efficient, and I guess I've gotten old. Don't really miss shifting.
 
The DC beltway pretty much killed the manual for me. I tore the rubber off the clutch pedal from so much creeping. With a larger engine, I don’t mind the automatic. The poster above mentioning the 80s car was spot on. When we only had 85 Hp in a station again, or 65 HP in a minivan, putting the revs where the driver wanted it was a huge advantage. The only time I’ll override or manual shift an auto now is when something is approaching in traffic and I’m concerned about precise timing.

I’d be thrilled if the spare car was a manual. I would. That Lexus GS in a manual with the smaller 4T would be a hoot.

I saw a rare one this week ... E36 manual…. It sounded like a 4? It was a 323?? I really wanted to find a 318 2 years ago and the ones I saw were on the 4th owner with plantlife growing in the nooks and crannies.
 
I made a point to rent a manual in Europe last month. Got an Audi A3. Aside from a really tall first gear, I loved it. I felt like I was *driving* again. yeah zf makes great autoboxes but I’m ready to go back to my roots and use the 3 pedal experience to distract from the disorder of modern roads.
 
I have a bad left knee so I have no desire to own a manual transmission. That is why when I went to buy my Mustang, an automatic was the only transmission I considered. My car is plenty fun with an auto.

I say buy what makes you happy and if you have to hold out for awhile to get what you want, do it. A car is not something you want to have buyer's remorse about.
 
.
I prefer manuals and only buy manuals as private cars. Enough driving autos as company cars.
In traffic it makes a huge difference what car though. The GTI's clutch is easy, while the Mini's
is quite heavy and my old Porsche's even more so. Manual transmissions not only are more fun
(at least to me), manual transmissions are still the most efficient. I heard many saying modern
autos are more efficient. Yes, much more efficient than traditional autos, but still not as efficient
as a manual transmission. Some people seem to fall for marketing blah-blah. Noboby's buying
autos for efficiency, autos are bought since people are too lazy for shifting and kicking clutches.
.
 
.
I prefer manuals and only buy manuals as private cars. Enough driving autos as company cars.
In traffic it makes a huge difference what car though. The GTI's clutch is easy, while the Mini's
is quite heavy and my old Porsche's even more so. Manual transmissions not only are more fun
(at least to me), manual transmissions are still the most efficient. I heard many saying modern
autos are more efficient. Yes, much more efficient than traditional autos, but still not as efficient
as a manual transmission. Some people seem to fall for marketing blah-blah. Noboby's buying
autos for efficiency, autos are bought since people are too lazy for shifting and kicking clutches.
It's all about the gearing and the gas mileage. I had the stick before, don't miss it, just drive autos now. Before when you had 5 speed manuals, yes, you could get better gas mileage than a 3 speed automatic, it's right there in the label. But with 7-10 speed automatics and lockup torque converters, not to mention CVTs, the gas savings of the manuals go away. Then you're just another cog in a machine. I drove a stick for 5 years, a few times during that time I had leg injuries like twisted ankles and whatnot. No fun to drive then and also no fun in stop and go traffic. If you're in an area with minimal traffic, not such a big deal.

And let's not bring up laziness when talking about a car. I mean you could always walk or run.
 
It's all about the gearing and the gas mileage. I had the stick before, don't miss it, just drive autos now. Before when you had 5 speed manuals, yes, you could get better gas mileage than a 3 speed automatic, the gas savings of the manuals go away.

Here is a shot of my 2010 Cobalt XFE driving “rural city” with few stops

I guess I disagree with your assessment, how many automatic cars randomly get 72mpg on a tank?

I don’t do it every day but the fact I can and an auto never could says something

3BBDBC17-1240-43A7-8FC7-F7207AACD76C.jpeg
 
I recall getting 42mpg in an 86 escort, carb motor, 5spd, in the appalachians between Knoxville and NC. I was staying in the higher gears, turning the engine off during coasting and just clutching back in when power was needed. I was 17. Dad was with me. We were both pretty impressed and did the math 3 times to be sure.
 
Here is a shot of my 2010 Cobalt XFE driving “rural city” with few stops

I guess I disagree with your assessment, how many automatic cars randomly get 72mpg on a tank?

I don’t do it every day but the fact I can and an auto never could says something
There's pics of cars getting 99mpg out there. It's easy to do when coasting down a hill. I'm just going by EPA numbers. They have a fixed methodology that gets followed. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

Case in point is the 2021 Hyundai Accent 33/41 in the automatic and 29/39 in the 6 speed manual. Mustang is the same. Camero, Civic etc.

 
There's pics of cars getting 99mpg out there. It's easy to do when coasting down a hill. I'm just going by EPA numbers. They have a fixed methodology that gets followed. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

My lifetime average on the car is 46mpg, many Prius don’t average that so I stand by my comments, I don’t need a mountain to get good economy especially in slow driving
 
My lifetime average on the car is 46mpg, many Prius don’t average that so I stand by my comments, I don’t need a mountain to get good economy especially in slow driving
Right, you prefer anecdotal evidence to fact based evidence like official EPA numbers. The hallmark of science is repeatable, reproducible results. My comment was basically that automatics now get better gas mileage than manuals. And I backed that up with EPA data. You show just a screen shot of a 2010 car. Ok, enough said.
 
Back
Top