Survey: Auto or Manual transmission?

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Volvo 240 with 5-speed, and Toyota pickup with a 5-speed, so yes I prefer manual.

My Oldsmobile is sitting in my field waiting for a rebuild on the automatic transmission.
 
For me it really depends on the vehicle. The car must be fun to drive with a manual. A doorless/topless Jeep Wrangler with the 4.0L or a BMW 3-series sedan come to mind. Rowing gears constantly in an econobox to maintain speed on a hilly highway isn't really the same, and lots of bigger trucks have a throw that seems like 2 feet.

My next vehicle I would like to be manual. The only problem that really arises for me is the fact that other people can't drive manual. I get severe migraines every so often, and have needed other people to drive home because I couldn't see with the vision effects of the migraine.
 
I'm British and old. Automatics are for lazy people that can't drive.

And Americans, of course.

That viewpoint MIGHT be just a BIT out of date, though.
 
Originally Posted By: Kuato


8 Manual 4 Automatic 1 Neutral


I coast in neutral a lot, but I've never managed to do it for a whole journey.

Spose it depends where you live.

Still, I'm impressed.
 
I like my manual in the Challenger SRT, even in creeping/crawling traffic.

Modern manuals are a lot easier on the left leg than 60s/70s vintage muscle car transmissions like a Chrysler A-833, Muncie, or Ford Toploader. The pedal pressures are WAY lower, and the engagement much smoother.
 
I drive too many miles in the big city to be dealing with a manual transmission.

It's fun sometimes, and sometimes I drive the 1970 VW Beetle but I don't want to row through all those gears just to pull up to another red light and start all over again.
 
Manual! You mean they make another kind of transmission? J/K
My parents drove sticks up until they bought a 1967 Olds Vista Cruiser. Dad always thought of automatic transmissions as a black science. Mom didn't care too much for automatics either, but did very much like it when GM came out with the "self choking " carburetor.

Since the Olds, there have been very few automatics in the mix which of course lead to my parents driving base model cars. My dad, at 89 years old currently drives an older Exterra which he bought new. He would have gotten the manual, but it only coming in the stripped models, and him wanting luxuries like electric windows, he reluctantly bought the slush box version. He hasn't had a single problem with the auto trans, but he still keeps a wary eye on it. Needless to say, he old school.....
 
Manual all the way.

My last 4 cars have been manuals. In fact I search out cars which have good manuals (a BMW 5 series, a 2007 Honda Accord - an uncommon 1 year only sedan with a V6 6MT, a Toyota Solara SL which had a V6 5MT).

In over 50 years of driving I've only owned 2 automatics, both bought used. One was good, the other one wasn't (and a big headache on a low value older vehicle).
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Modern manuals are a lot easier on the left leg than 60s/70s vintage muscle car transmissions like a Chrysler A-833, Muncie, or Ford Toploader. The pedal pressures are WAY lower, and the engagement much smoother.


Those old Long clutches that Ford loved would really build up your left leg muscles.
Modern diaphragm clutches now make shifting a breeze.
I guess the counter is off, but I prefer a clutch, but only because I live in a rural area. Stop-and-go rush hour traffic is not fun with a clutch.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
This survey displayed 2 things. People prefer automatics and can't count. Must be connected, somehow.

....by the fact that everyone is a human being? Of course.

Surely that's what you meant, and not anything insulting.
 
I counted them all up, interpreted confusing answers, added my manual vote, and here is what I came up with:
Manual: 20 Auto: 9 Neutral: 1

Manuals don't bother me in traffic. The worst part about driving manual in traffic for me is imagining all the clutch wear going on.

Autos [censored] me off. They don't shift up when I want them to, they get [censored] gas mileage, the torque converters refuse to lock up except in top gear at lower loads(older autos) which means you can repeatedly press the gas then let off and the rpms will vary wildly, meanwhile your speed stays the same.... This leads to incredible inefficiency, more heat, and an annoyed driver. Just use the [censored] gears! Don't pretend that you have more gears because of your stupid torque converter! Meanwhile, new autos are just fine, they lock up the TC right away and are much more fun and fuel efficient.

And above all, manuals are just way too much fun. I have never understood the mentality that a car needs to be a purpose built sporty/fun car to have a manual. A manual will make anything more fun! Take my car for instance, just some boring V6 sedan. Add a manual to it, and suddenly it becomes something special.

Autos also don't conform to my driving style: Moderate throttle at low-medium rpms to keep engine efficiency high. Autos interpret my throttle command as shift at 4000 rpm, meanwhile in the manual, I shift at about 2700 when it is clear in front of me. If I am done accelerating, and don't need extra power to traverse inclines, then I will shift into very high gears, autos never do that for me. (One exception being my dad's 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550)


Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Manual all the way.

My last 4 cars have been manuals. In fact I search out cars which have good manuals (a BMW 5 series, a 2007 Honda Accord - an uncommon 1 year only sedan with a V6 6MT, a Toyota Solara SL which had a V6 5MT).

In over 50 years of driving I've only owned 2 automatics, both bought used. One was good, the other one wasn't (and a big headache on a low value older vehicle).


The Honda Accord V6 6 Speed sedan was available for TWO years, 2006 and 2007, I have a 2006 right now.
 
My neighbor DD's a 2000 Toyota Tundra V6 5MT and at 120,000mi he tells me it needs a clutch replacement since he can feel the clutch slipping when passing on hills. Now sure how much a shop will do it but it's around $500 for parts probably more for labor.
I used a DD a 2004 Ford F250 6MT ~100,000mi and the clutch gave out for no reason in unusually heavy traffic while carrying a pallet of quickrete. It was during an event so I was able to flag down people to push the truck off the road so I can call a tow truck.

Never manuals in a truck. For someone who daily drives trucks in one of the nation's worst traffic I prefer automatics. I prefer changing a fluid than muscling out a transmission.
 
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14 vehicles, most 100-300k on them, all manual shift and have never replaced a clutch. I might be just lucky. I've Never owned an automatic.
 
If I was commuting in a city I'd want an auto, open road commute would be a manual. Last manual I had was a Lada, it was nightmare in stop/start traffic. I hate going to the city on my bike, if caught in traffic, they travel slower than my idle speed in 1st...so I have to stop, wait for a gap to build up, then take off, stop, and do it all again. In 1980 I rode a Norton into the city everyday, the clutch wasn't fully home until 30mph...no way you could ride that in peak hour traffic these days.
 
Two autos in our house, an '07 F-150 & Caravan.

Two sticks in our house as well: '97 Tracer wagon, and an '05 Escape.

I commute 100 miles a day in the Tracer, it's 99% highway. It's basically in 5th all the time at 65mph with the cruise on lol. My wife drives the Escape when she's tired of the Caravan and wants to row through some gears.

We both prefer sticks, UNLESS we'll be in traffic (a trip to NY for example), OR we'll be towing a trailer with the truck.

So put us down for 2 manual votes please.
 
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