wemay
Site Donor 2023
The vast majority of people i knew at age 16 didn't know how to drive stick. I'll be 52 in May.
Sign of the times.
- Thread starter 4strokes
- Start date
Interesting...back in '83 I pretty much learned manuals as a valet.
I remember a then new 308 pulling up. "Don't lie. Can you drive a standard well?" "Of course, sir! I am very familiar with the heavy clutch" Thank you Road and Track!
Then I drove it like a little old lady; despite being a twit teenager, I never could abuse a customers car...not a trait shared by all of the valets.
I remember a then new 308 pulling up. "Don't lie. Can you drive a standard well?" "Of course, sir! I am very familiar with the heavy clutch" Thank you Road and Track!
Then I drove it like a little old lady; despite being a twit teenager, I never could abuse a customers car...not a trait shared by all of the valets.
More like geared around inattentive drivers, which is now the norm instead of the exception.
What's the real reason to have a "self driving" car?
That was the first "automatic".
"Hold this carrot right here honey."
My first experience with manual transmissions was an early 70's Cub Cadet riding lawn tractor, whose brake pedal and clutch were one. Had to release it slowly in order to not tear up the grass, and raise the throttle level. In winter time it Dad and I would install the plow and chains, and I loved clearing the driveway.
Adapting those skills to a manual transmission was easy, and of the two family cars, one always was a manual, and I always chose the manual option when possible.
Driving a manual forces an intimacy between driver and drivetrain that is impossible to achieve with an automatic.
Learning to drive a manual transmission smoothly, efficiently, or smoothly while mashing the right pedal, in ones early years of driving, makes for far a better driver over a lifetime.
All my childhood friends who grew up learning on Automatic transmissions are the worst drivers today. As a passenger with them, I can't even look ahead, have to look out a side window and just clench. Poor lane keeping, poor speed keeping, poor response to maintaining distance or responding to traffic flow, and an inability to navigate around other traffic without some sort of interaction with the other driver. Get them anywhere near a traffic circle and redefine the word fustercluck.
Ultimately, all my friends who did not learn to drive manual transmissions at an early age, have been in far more fender benders than those who grew up driving manual transmissions.
Some of them were forced to learn how to drive manual in their late 20's, but never grasped the concept of feathering clutch and throttle to engage or disengage smoothly. Every gearshift was a horrible lurch, as if that in itself were the goal, and I just felt sorry for their vehicle, or the vehicle's subsequent owner, if it even made it that long.
Automatic everything in this day and age, has just led to uncontrolled spread of entitled idiots, who paint themselves as victims, at each and every opportunity, and society as a whole is far worse off for it.
Go polish your participation trophy,
And,
Get off my lawn
Adapting those skills to a manual transmission was easy, and of the two family cars, one always was a manual, and I always chose the manual option when possible.
Driving a manual forces an intimacy between driver and drivetrain that is impossible to achieve with an automatic.
Learning to drive a manual transmission smoothly, efficiently, or smoothly while mashing the right pedal, in ones early years of driving, makes for far a better driver over a lifetime.
All my childhood friends who grew up learning on Automatic transmissions are the worst drivers today. As a passenger with them, I can't even look ahead, have to look out a side window and just clench. Poor lane keeping, poor speed keeping, poor response to maintaining distance or responding to traffic flow, and an inability to navigate around other traffic without some sort of interaction with the other driver. Get them anywhere near a traffic circle and redefine the word fustercluck.
Ultimately, all my friends who did not learn to drive manual transmissions at an early age, have been in far more fender benders than those who grew up driving manual transmissions.
Some of them were forced to learn how to drive manual in their late 20's, but never grasped the concept of feathering clutch and throttle to engage or disengage smoothly. Every gearshift was a horrible lurch, as if that in itself were the goal, and I just felt sorry for their vehicle, or the vehicle's subsequent owner, if it even made it that long.
Automatic everything in this day and age, has just led to uncontrolled spread of entitled idiots, who paint themselves as victims, at each and every opportunity, and society as a whole is far worse off for it.
Go polish your participation trophy,
And,
Get off my lawn
Depending on how it's driven, a clutch many times will outlive some of the auto transmissions out there.
Honestly, nowadays I hear alot more people that make fun of manuals being old fashioned, slow and their drivers as luddites than "car guys" flaunting their stick driving skills. Being a "car guy" is not considered cool anymore(if it ever truly was), and even within that it seems to make a certain subset of car people mad that others enjoy the experience of driving, rather than the pursuit of pure technological advancement and efficiency.
I mean, we have some guy in this thread comparing driving manual to playing with childs toys. He's entitled to his opinion of course, but when it seems the primary hobby of adult males under 45y/o these days is being an expert on superhero/star wars movies, whats the big deal with enjoying old fashioned driving as my bit of immature fun.
It's hard to DRIVE YOUR PHONE and shift gears at the same time. People are way to busy on their phones and playing with all the useless crap that come on todays vehicles. Manuals make good anti theft these days. 
Manual transmission is the only, I repeat, only reason I own my Toyota Previa van. It is oodles of satisfaction to drive the old lumbering beast with a manual transmission, despite being a minivan. The Mazda5 may be a future family car for me, only for the manual transmission. I could care less what others think or what they enjoy. I am only disappointed that the market doesn’t cater to people of my tastes!
But will the throw out bearing, slave cylinder & pilot bearing last? There's also Dual Mass Flywheels.
As you know, many of the automatics out there today are junk and are lucky to accrue 100k miles.
Each one has its application, but there again, it still depends on the driver. It's like the Coca-Cola versus Pepsi thing, it's all personal preference. (Coke is better)
I had a Jeep with a manual and when things get slow and technical, an automatic is so much better, anyone that says differently is just fooling themselves. On a Twisty, winding mountain road, I personally think a manual transmission is more fun to drive. Since you have to be paying attention to the road more so than the scenery, why not have fun doing it. When it comes to stop-and-go traffic, auto all the way.
Something I personally dealt with when I had my Jeep was a gimped-up left ankle, driving it at that point was not fun at all. When you're only vehicle is equipped with a manual transmission and you have an unexpected injury that affects your arms or legs, that can be a pain in more ways than one.
I had a Jeep with a manual and when things get slow and technical, an automatic is so much better, anyone that says differently is just fooling themselves. On a Twisty, winding mountain road, I personally think a manual transmission is more fun to drive. Since you have to be paying attention to the road more so than the scenery, why not have fun doing it. When it comes to stop-and-go traffic, auto all the way.
Something I personally dealt with when I had my Jeep was a gimped-up left ankle, driving it at that point was not fun at all. When you're only vehicle is equipped with a manual transmission and you have an unexpected injury that affects your arms or legs, that can be a pain in more ways than one.
I had a DMF go out on me. Clutch was mint coming out, mechanic showed me a and we agreed, it would have been fine for another 250k.
Depends on which one, right? By now the problem children are well known (most cvt, maybe 6L80?), while the robust units seem to also be well known (ZF’s). Just have to shop carefully—like always.
No it doesn’t. I watched my coworker who was scrolling through music with his phone in his right hand while holding a sandwich in his left bang out gears like it was nothing. He figured out a way to steer with his knee while also being able to keep his foot on the throttle.
I prefer sticks shifts too
however, the society makes us all lazy and dependent in many ways/fields so that they can sell us all and everything, technically advanced and complex stuff
can you imagine how the society will look alike lets say 50Y from now on; yes, consumers will have access to everything at their convenience and in comfort but at what cost, the real question lingers
however, the society makes us all lazy and dependent in many ways/fields so that they can sell us all and everything, technically advanced and complex stuff
can you imagine how the society will look alike lets say 50Y from now on; yes, consumers will have access to everything at their convenience and in comfort but at what cost, the real question lingers
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
It’s sad people can’t drive them anymore. But really not surprising I guess. I know at work anytime one of the porters isn’t there or one of the service advisors who can drive one they have to call us up to the service lane to drive the car to the appropriate location. There is one porter and all the guy service advisors who can drive stick nobody else. It’s sad. I hate having to serve as a porter since I don’t like driving lol so I usually say I’m busy and send someone else.
