Stick or Automatic???

[simple_gifts]

I have two sticks, one ECVT

No reason for anyone to learn to drive a stick unless they want to.

I think everyone should learn a musical instrument.

 

[Delta]

Fun car is manual and the rest are autos except the truck. The truck was priced right, so I am stuck with the 5 speed. Although with the 4 cylinder I think the auto would be horrendous.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

What's a Spark? That's not a Fiat Pop 500 in a new rapper is it?

 

[Nick1994]

Auto. I don't want to deal with a stick in traffic, I drive way too much to deal with that nonsense.

Occasionally I drive the 70' Beetle to work. While it's a lot of fun, I'm done with it by the time I'm home.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
What's a Spark? That's not a Fiat Pop 500 in a new rapper is it?

Chevrolet Spark

 

[djb]

I learned in a manual, and always buy a manual when there is a choice.

But suggesting that everyone should learn to shift a manual is absurd. It's pretty much like saying "everyone should learn to use dash-mounted mixture and spark advance controls", because those controls were once common.

There will be even less call for the skill as EVs become more common.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Corolla is a five spd manual the Duramax has the Allison. Nice having an auto when you're towing 14,000 lbs. Don't worry about down shifting on hills I have a B&D exhaust brake.

 

[FCD]

Manual, i have not driven a automatic yet that i like.

 

[E150GT]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Originally Posted By: E150GT
Its maddening that you can't get a lot of cars with a manual today. I had plans back at the end of 2015 to buy a VW with a diesel but could not get a new one with a manual as they were all sold out. I really like the manual in my Mazda 6 and I do like the manual in my truck. If I had a more powerful truck I would be ok with an automatic I think.
I was looking at a new Accent sport model, I wanted the rear disc brakes. But it only came with an auto. If I wanted the stick I had to get the base model with the clumsy drum rear brakes.


Yes it really makes me mad that if a manufacturer does offer a manual, they only offer it in a base model. I have said here before that I was frustrated with the lack of manuals today and the fact that i wanted a sunroof with a manual in my Mazda 6 but Mazda said no. They offer it in every country except the USA.

 

[BrocLuno]

It all depends on where you drive and how much traffic ... I live in the country and insisted on sticks, until I had to start commuting through the SF Bay Area

I have a Class I and IF I ever got another truck and had to do ANY metro driving, it would have an Allison. Auto's all the way

 

[barkingspider]

I really enjoy drive my stick , but stop and go traffic makes it unbearable

 

[unclescotty]

3 pedals until i have only one leg

 

[i_hate_autofraud]

I grew up on manual stick shift, lived out of town surrounded by 'twisty roads' that were fun to
drive on with a stick shift!

Then I got an automatic winter beater, so bored at first, I could hardly stay awake! Nothing to do!

Recently rented a car with 'sports shifter' + shift paddles on the steering wheel!! Why on a 4 door family sedan
with a 4 banger motor I'll never know! LOL

Pointless in the city, OK on the twisties in the country!

 

[NDL]

Standard trans all-the-way. I used to drive my Ford Ranger in NYC stop-and-go traffic regularly, and never had an issue.

Standard trans requires little maintenance, and is more reliable than today's fifty speed automatics (which, only God knows how much a rebuild costs). And I always choose a more appropriate gear for my driving than the car's computer.

Only negative: my Wife has a handicap and can't drive a manual trans, which limits us to one car.

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: unclescotty
3 pedals until i have only one leg


Roger that! Ladies at my work would veto a stick because, "Then I have to use both feet to drive".

I said to them, "I never noticed you complaining about the need to use both feet to walk".

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Quote:
....
Goes to shift and slams on the brakes, been there done that....


Ditto, I have disturbed oilBabe occasionally driving her car by going for the non-existing clutch pedal in her car.

 

[MCompact]

As I have posted in other threads, I've come around to the opinion that a manual tends to be more entertaining when the car actually needs a manual gearbox. For example, my 318ti(with a Turner Motorsports Conforti chip) makes around 140 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm. You simply must keep the engine wound tight to make anything close to rapid progress- and it's a whole lot of fun to drive it in that fashion. In contrast, my M235i makes 330 lb-ft of twist from 1400 to 4500 rpm; with such a flat torque curve there is almost always a ton of thrust available regardless of rpm and/or the gear selected. It's also nice to have a car that can convert from cruise mode to track toy mode with the press of a button. If I was buying an M2 or M3 I would definitely go with a manual every time, but in the less intense models an automatic transmission does not detract from my enjoyment of the car- but then at 60 years of age I'm fast approaching geezer status.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
I dont know how to drive an automatic.

I don't know how to drive an auto either. Manuals all the way for me!

 

[SilverFusion2010]

Manual for fun and track, auto for daily driver. Autos have improved tremendously since the powerglide. Change the fluid occasionally and they'll outlast everything but the engine

 

[Kurtatron]

Die hard manual lover here. Both my cars are stick, and I would have it no other way. I have a 1999 Toyota Solara and 1991 Toyota Previa. My favorite reasons for owning stick are fun, control, and cost.

I will never get rid of my Previa. There just doesn’t exist a full size 7 seater vehicle with a stick today. I can drop the transmission in 3 hours on this van (love older cars, so easy to work on). I can replace all the clutch parts for $300 and get 150k miles out of it. I get to control the rpms at whatever speed I want, and I love double clutching and rev matching for the ultimate smooth shift. It’s rewarding, and that’s why I love it.

I too wish that more cars today were sold with stick. I would love to get a full cab truck with a stick, but they don’t make them anymore. The Tacoma only comes with stick and full cab if you go all out 4wd V6 for 36k. Yikes.

I will always try to buy manual, stop and go is just exercise for my left leg.