Anyone still driving a manual transmission car

I was talking with some younger people and found almost none are driving a manual and more than half never have.

I am still driving a manual; sort of.

I never learned. When I took driver's ed class in high school all of the cars were automatics and then I didn't even own a car until after I graduated from college.

To be perfectly honest, it's a waste to have a manual transmission car in the stop and go traffic congestion of Miami. The thought of constantly upshifting and downshifting is not my idea of fun.

I drove manuals up until June of 2018, when I bought my latest Mustang with a 10-speed auto. I got the auto because it had better performance, and Ford made some changes to the manual that reduced performance. I sometimes miss the connection of shifting, but am trying to use the manual shift option in the auto more, which I find does provide similar control to having a manual, but it still doesn't use the third pedal, etc.

As a daily driver in traffic, an auto box is very nice. For a weekend fun car, a manual is a must. I am looking at an early 1970s Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV. A beautiful little two-door that is starting to gain popularity, and rise in price as well, unfortunately.

I already know that when I finally make my first trip to Europe I’ll be mostly walking and using public transportation. I will not be driving since most of the cars there are manuals!

I do every day.

I have a 5 speed manual pick up truck as 3rd car.

It comes in handy.

It's not as bad as you think. We learn ways to deal with the traffic and often involves staying in one gear along with engine breaking and distance management of the car in front of you. Knowing how to double clutch and heel-toe helps sometimes, also.

I feel the downside of heavy traffic is made up for in spades when you're on a nice winding road or driving on a race track. Way more fun with stick.

Panzer,I would guess that nearly all rental places here in the UK offer auto options.

In 2017 around 35% of all new cars here were auto.

I currently drive a 6 speed manual but would prefer auto any day.

Love driving a manual, especially in the snow. I find with automatic, the disconnect between me and the road is jarring. I can never get used to the fraction-of-a-second delay while the transmission "thinks" about what to do next.

How would people be able to use their smartphones for texting and browsing the net if they have to have one hand occupied using a stick shift?



The horror....the horror...

My father made sure we all knew how to drive a manual and parallel park before he send us to the driver's license office for our written and driving test.

I am. But only because it was an emergency car. My automatic car broke down on my way to work one morning and I saw this one on my walk back home. I was able to pay cash for it, get it insured, inspected, and registered the same day and only miss one day of work in the deal. Six years later I'm still driving it.

*edit*
Oh, and my bike is manual, too.

Most are still manual, but you should have zero problem renting an auto. Driving in traffic might be problematic since drivers are not always civil, but then I almost got killed by a maniac on a florida highway.

One of the things I like about the auto in my Mustang is that I can shift with the paddles. It has two modes, Drive and Sport, and both can be fully automatic, or with Sport, you can make it manual only, so it won't shift until you tell it to. Even with in Drive mode, you can control the shifting temporarily, and that's helpful to get around the transmission having to "think." If I'm driving down the highway and a car is going slow and I want to downshift and go around, just a few flicks on the downshift paddle and I've dropped a few gears and can get right around them. You don't have to punch the throttle and wait for the transmission to figure out it needs to downshift (although in sport mode, it's pretty quick at figuring that out).

I was at the GM dealership once to drop off my SUV for regular scheduled free maintenance.

It was 7 am and there was a line that long at the service bay.

All the service advisers were standing around doing nothing: not even checking in the many waiting customers sitting in their vehicles.

What was the hold up?

There was a vehicle at the front of the line that has already been checked in but it was blocking the bay.

It was a manual and no one knew how.

They were on the PA asking any employee who knew how to drive a manual to go to the service department:

body shop people, parts people, office people, sales people, someone come move this.

Not one person showed up.

I finally had enough of the bull and go into that car and I moved it to the closest parking space.

One of the adviser yelled at me: Sir! You can't do that!

I answered: Well, none of you EXPLETIVE were doing it and none of you knew how.

By the way, You are EXPLETIVE welcome!

p.s.

it was one of those Vette with a 6 digit price sticker.

The only time I'd want a manual anymore is if I'm in a vintage sports car on an open road, or offroad.

Heck, I even wish motorcycles came with dual clutch transmissions.

At the current rate, knowing how to drive a stick shift will eventually be about as outdated as knowing how to use a shoe shining kit.

Give it another 15 years and manual driving period will probably be limited to ageing holdouts.

I'm an ageing holdout... I will never own or want to drive an automatic.

I meant actually driving a vehicle vs it being automated.

I own two Mustangs -

My 68 is an Auto

My 2015 GT is a 6 speed manual

The 15 is waaaay funner to drive.

Well, you simply have your right hand on the stick, left hand to text, your feet for the pedals, and knees for the wheel.
Quite simple really.

But the paddle shifters on an automatic are mostly for show. It is still an automatic. But that said, yes the paddle shifts are fun in that you can pretend it is a Formula 1 shift system.

My HiLux is a manual. Never considered anything else.

Manual all the way. The box on my Spitfire doesn't even have syncro on first gear!

3 of our cars are manual and one is an auto

BMW 325Xi Touring - Manual - my son's "Old Timer"
BMW 318i Touring - Manual - Wife's runabout
MGZTse 400 - Manual - my sports car
Range Rover Sport TDV8 - Auto - my utility wagon - long distance cruiser - off roader, it does have a almost manual mode in "command shift"

I've had stick shift since I was 16, with a few exceptions. My current ride is an automatic. Just isn't the same. My next one will be back to a manual.

It's not using a clutch, but it does give immediate shift control. If I'm cruising in 10th gear and want to pick up some speed, I can manually downshift to 6th or 7th using the paddles about as quickly as downshifting a manual and it has the same result.

Parallel parking used to be required to get your driver licence. Don't know if it still is.

First vehicle was a m'cycle but the family car was an auto '66 Chev. At the same time had a summer job where I had to drive an old Jeep which had a reverse H standard.

Generally switched back and forth between standard and auto with each vehicle I owned, the last 2 being standards. Found the 'autos' made me a lazy driver.

My last automatic was over 10 years ago, I’ve had 2 5-speed pickups and a 5-speed Jeep since then, and my current Jeep is a 6-speed. The 5-speed Jeep is in the middle of a very slow rebuild from the ground up and will be getting an automatic because they’re better in the mud.

I avoid taking the interstate anywhere whenever possible, it’s much more fun to take the back roads and give the gears a workout. The 6-speed and 4.0l in-line 6 is a really nice combination.

Automatics get a bit more interesting when they're modified for performance, eliminating the soft, lazy factory shifting regime that's meant to please soy boys and soccer moms.

Can you immediately shift into neutral ?

My Saab Aero Sport was auto and it had shift buttons mounted on the wheel. Very inconvenient and awkward to use. They were the 2 least used buttons in the car.

Also,I prefer a traditional auto,I don't go in for these new-fangled dual transmission things.

Yes and no - the paddles don't support it, but you can push the console shifter forward and it will stop at neutral. It's not the same as true manual, but I would say that the paddles are for more than show. DCTs often allow for pulling both paddles and going into neutral that way, and it might be helpful if this auto had it, but again, I think the paddles can be very useful.

Paddles would be fun when just getting on it accelerating, but just don’t appeal to me. I don’t think I’d ever use them. It’s the clutch and action of shifting that’s satusfying and gives a feeling of more control in all aspects of driving, not just accelerating. I still feel like my right hand and left foot should be doing something. LOL

The brother lent me his 'auto' Vette one day. Hit the brake and grabbed the shift lever forgetting it was an auto (was driving a standard at the time). What a wild ride but no wreck but was close.

Yeah, my left foot went for a phantom clutch for a while after getting it. It also took me a while to think of it differently than just any other auto and start using the paddles. Again, it's not the same as a true manual, but it does offer some of the same control under different circumstances. Driving on a twisty road can be fun using the paddles, as you're downshifting while braking, then upshifting exiting the corner, etc.

Believe me, it is not a problem for europeans.

And to answer the question, I still have a manual gearbox with my Celica (G)TS, and I've changed my daily car with an automatic recently, it is not I absolutely wanted an automatic, but because of what manufacturers offer nowadays in Europe.

It was for me too.

Dad picked a busy street in the neighborhood next to an apartment complex where the residents parallel parked their cars on the streets adjacent the different sides of the complex to teach me how to parallel park

So here I was trying to parallel park and it's a busy streets and there are cars coming up behind me and I am in a panic.

There are 2 lanes so they can go around me on the left lane but at same time I had to make sure it was safe for me to back up and turn without hitting anything behind me and beside me.

I was 14 years old and you can imagine the panic I was in.

I prefer manual, but used cars with manual transmissions are way overpriced for the cars I like (BMW)

BMW does have fantastic steptronic transmissions which are a fair approximation of a sequential gearbox, though it's not quite the same and you can definitely feel the loss of performance, and the shifts are not as quick as you can be with a real manual, especially newer 6 speed manuals.

My next car will be a manual M series, probably a mid 2000's E46 M3.

Useful in snow or on the narrow lanes of Devon where my eldest daughter has moved to. Engine braking saves on disc pad wear. 99% of my driving is in auto mood though.

So the bottom line seems to be that if you are the type of driver who actually enjoys driving and view driving as a casual sport then the manual transmission is the way to go but if you see driving as strictly a routine necessary activity then the automatic transmission is more practical and simple to use.

I drive a manual and while I can see the advantages of an automatic for someone who spends a lot of time in queues, I do enjoy being able to perform the occasional heel-and-toe. It makes driving more engaging for me which is why I also do not like the modern electric parking brakes. I've saved myself from trouble on a couple of occasions pulling the good old mechanical parking brake.

This is no longer true. Many manufacturers no longer offer manuals at all. Mercedes and BMW are good examples. You are perfectly able to rent an auto car, indeed most rental firms offer autos as a selectable option when you search for cars.

Thanks for that correction semmern!

I love manuals. I hate automatics.

Every car I've owned since I was 16 was a manual except for one and only one car, which was a POS. My current car is a manual. It is my 3rd Civic. When I bought it though, I was surprised because Honda had it listed as being available in manual in their catalog...yet I had to have it special ordered and built and delivered to the dealer to get it. This was the first time I've had to wait for delivery. I had to wait something like 5 weeks (they gave me a Honda Element as a loaner). This was my first real indication that manuals were going to the wayside. The dealer said that the automatic transmissions were getting so well designed that they actually had slightly better fuel mileage than manuals.

But anyway, I love manuals. I don't have a problem with them in traffic. I drive in Chicago traffic all the time (the intersection of 290/294/88, known as the "Hillside Strangler" was rated in the top 3 for worse traffic tieups, and ranked ahead of the Bay Bridge) and don't mind it at all. On fact, I enjoy it, and I'm so used to it, I'm not even conscious of my shifting. I read here alot of people don't like to drive sticks in traffic because they don't like to downshift and engine brake. To be honest, I never do either. If I need to slow down, I throw her in neutral and coast down/bleed energy and/or use the brake. I've tried downshifting and engine braking before and the car lurches forward and makes an obnoxious noise and you get the same results--I feel like it's inelegant. Neutral and braking is much more smooth. Plus I'd rather spend money to replace the brakes than the clutch and transmission should it come to it--but I've never lost a clutch or transmission to that in 32 years of driving a stick.

But I gotta tell you what I love about it is not only the mileage, but most of all the control I get. I have acceleration on demand, without any delays. And in Chicago winters, well, if it wasn't for a manual transmission where I can disconnect the transmission from the wheels and dump all that torque when I hit a patch of black ice--well it has saved my butt a bunch of times. Being able to shift into a higher gear than is needed also helps prevent my tires from spinning as fast and losing control when trying to drive through snow patches.

Plus it's also fun. With all the simming and piloting I do, it's nice to feel a stick in my hand and I often make a turn and can see the HUD symbology in my head as I pull behind another car, haha.

I sometimes do have to take my left foot and put it closer to my seat with the knee up when I drive an automatic so I don't hit a brake pedal that I thought was a clutch. Other than that I can still drive an automatic fine. I just never really understood really why they have a tach in automatics since what does the driver care about RPMs when the car shifts for them? It makes me feel like automatic drivers are stick shifter wannabes. Which leads me to why I absolutely hate paddle shifters. Why get an automatic if you want to shift gears? Just get a manual then and stop pretending!

I have taught people how to drive a stick before, some in as little as no more than 10 minutes. I'm a bit unorthodox about it though. I may take a few minutes to explain the principle...clutch in, 1st gear, bring the clutch up slow, add a little gas--but that's it. We do a few laps in a parking lot then the real fun begins. I take them to a hill and have them start the car on the uphill and drive it up the hill. They learn REAL fast how to not stall in this case. To me, the worst thing you can do in a stick is stall out while in the middle of heavy traffic. You have to make sure you don't roll back and hit a car, or get the car started again before someone hits you or gets road rage. You have to be able to recover and restart the car under stress and get moving ASAP. And this takes great clutchwork and the ability to perform under stress. Remember in "Glory" when the one guy was a good shot, and Col Gould knew that yeah that's great when you're casually shooting, but how about when someone is firing off a gun in your ear and screaming at you? Or when Tom Cruise was shooting at the Japanese soldier on the range and yelling "SHOOT ME!"? Same idea. Learning under stress gets you ready for the real thing.

So I put them on a hill. They start the car, and try to get up the hill. Of course they stall right off the bat, then I immediately start yelling "Get the car started, get it going! the guy behind you is honking and yelling! You're gonna roll back and hit him! Get it started GET IT GOING GO GO GO! HEre come another car, it's gonna hit you because you're stuck in the intersection and he doesn't see you move it move it MOVE IT!"

Usually, by the third time, they have it downpat no problem. Then I give them their wings, haha.

Yeah, I'm a jerk, but they thank me afterwards.

Oh, funny story. My wife was born and raised in Poland but she left there before she really got a chance to learn to drive there. So she doesn't really remember how to drive a stick so I taught her. We were at a stop sign on a local street and I didn't need to do the stress test because a cop pulled up behind us waiting for us to go. That was stress enough. She kept stalling and she was freaking out. I didn't want the cop to get annoyed so I jumped out of the car and ran to his (which in retrospect was probably a stupid idea, but I had on my mind to explain what was going on first and foremost). When I got there he was sitting there cracking up. I said, "Sorry, I'm teaching her stick" and he just kept laughing and said, "It's alright I'm in no rush." So I got back in my car and my wife get the car moving, but in her stress, she popped the clutch and spun the tires as we took off like a rocket ship.

I told her "That is probably the only time ever where you can do something like that in front of a cop and not get busted!" It was funny.

v6,
boNes

I love manuals. I hate automatics.

Every car I've owned since I was 16 was a manual except for one and only one car, which was a POS. My current car is a manual. It is my 3rd Civic. When I bought it though, I was surprised because Honda had it listed as being available in manual in their catalog...yet I had to have it special ordered and built and delivered to the dealer to get it. This was the first time I've had to wait for delivery. I had to wait something like 5 weeks (they gave me a Honda Element as a loaner). This was my first real indication that manuals were going to the wayside. The dealer said that the automatic transmissions were getting so well designed that they actually had slightly better fuel mileage than manuals.

But anyway, I love manuals. I don't have a problem with them in traffic. I drive in Chicago traffic all the time (the intersection of 290/294/88, known as the "Hillside Strangler" was rated in the top 3 for worse traffic tieups, and ranked ahead of the Bay Bridge) and don't mind it at all. On fact, I enjoy it, and I'm so used to it, I'm not even conscious of my shifting. I read here alot of people don't like to drive sticks in traffic because they don't like to downshift and engine brake. To be honest, I never do either. If I need to slow down, I throw her in neutral and coast down/bleed energy and/or use the brake. I've tried downshifting and engine braking before and the car lurches forward and makes an obnoxious noise and you get the same results--I feel like it's inelegant. Neutral and braking is much more smooth. Plus I'd rather spend money to replace the brakes than the clutch and transmission should it come to it--but I've never lost a clutch or transmission to that in 32 years of driving a stick.

But I gotta tell you what I love about it is not only the mileage, but most of all the control I get. I have acceleration on demand, without any delays. And in Chicago winters, well, if it wasn't for a manual transmission where I can disconnect the transmission from the wheels and dump all that torque when I hit a patch of black ice--well it has saved my butt a bunch of times. Being able to shift into a higher gear than is needed also helps prevent my tires from spinning as fast and losing control when trying to drive through snow patches.

Plus it's also fun. With all the simming and piloting I do, it's nice to feel a stick in my hand and I often make a turn and can see the HUD symbology in my head as I pull behind another car, haha.

I sometimes do have to take my left foot and put it closer to my seat with the knee up when I drive an automatic so I don't hit a brake pedal that I thought was a clutch. Other than that I can still drive an automatic fine. I just never really understood really why they have a tach in automatics since what does the driver care about RPMs when the car shifts for them? It makes me feel like automatic drivers are stick shifter wannabes. Which leads me to why I absolutely hate paddle shifters. Why get an automatic if you want to shift gears? Just get a manual then and stop pretending!

I have taught people how to drive a stick before, some in as little as no more than 10 minutes. I'm a bit unorthodox about it though. I may take a few minutes to explain the principle...clutch in, 1st gear, bring the clutch up slow, add a little gas--but that's it. We do a few laps in a parking lot then the real fun begins. I take them to a hill and have them start the car on the uphill and drive it up the hill. They learn REAL fast how to not stall in this case. To me, the worst thing you can do in a stick is stall out while in the middle of heavy traffic. You have to make sure you don't roll back and hit a car, or get the car started again before someone hits you or gets road rage. You have to be able to recover and restart the car under stress and get moving ASAP. And this takes great clutchwork and the ability to perform under stress. Remember in "Glory" when the one guy was a good shot, and Col Gould knew that yeah that's great when you're casually shooting, but how about when someone is firing off a gun in your ear and screaming at you? Or when Tom Cruise was shooting at the Japanese soldier on the range and yelling "SHOOT ME!"? Same idea. Learning under stress gets you ready for the real thing.

So I put them on a hill. They start the car, and try to get up the hill. Of course they stall right off the bat, then I immediately start yelling "Get the car started, get it going! the guy behind you is honking and yelling! You're gonna roll back and hit him! Get it started GET IT GOING GO GO GO! HEre come another car, it's gonna hit you because you're stuck in the intersection and he doesn't see you move it move it MOVE IT!"

Usually, by the third time, they have it downpat no problem. Then I give them their wings, haha.

Yeah, I'm a jerk, but they thank me afterwards.

Oh, funny story. My wife was born and raised in Poland but she left there before she really got a chance to learn to drive there. So she doesn't really remember how to drive a stick so I taught her. We were at a stop sign on a local street and I didn't need to do the stress test because a cop pulled up behind us waiting for us to go. That was stress enough. She kept stalling and she was freaking out. I didn't want the cop to get annoyed so I jumped out of the car and ran to his (which in retrospect was probably a stupid idea, but I had on my mind to explain what was going on first and foremost). When I got there he was sitting there cracking up. I said, "Sorry, I'm teaching her stick" and he just kept laughing and said, "It's alright I'm in no rush." So I got back in my car and my wife get the car moving, but in her stress, she popped the clutch and spun the tires as we took off like a rocket ship.

I told her "That is probably the only time ever where you can do something like that in front of a cop and not get busted!" It was funny.

v6,
boNes

My first car was an automatic, a '79 Monte Carlo, but all since have been sticks. A Mustang currently.

For me the reasons are many. I think a manual is lighter, faster, more reliable, less expensive, requires less maintenance and is way more fun to drive. The driver has more control over the car and the brakes last longer. When I am required to drive an automatic I instinctively reach for it or go to push the non-existent clutch.. And then do it again on the next stop. Where's the #%&*$# gear shift?!

Are you guys really heel-toeing in a passenger car? Doing some trail braking on the way to the market are we?

My last standard car was my MX5/Miata which I sold 3 years ago when I got my XK8. My wife has terrible arthritis in her left knee so the daily driver must be auto. The only time I drive a standard now is on semi-annual trips to the UK. You never forget IMO

1993 Honda Accord. 5 speed manual trans 4cyl. engine. It is the original engine and transmission. Just had my 4th clutch put in it and the front ball joints and upper control arms replaced. This is my daily driver and it has well over 500,000 miles. The odometer stopped working over 5 years ago with 465,000+ still showing on it. Best car I have ever owned and I love driving a stick. I will drive it until the wheels fall off.

S!Blade<><

Both cars I've ever owned were manual. Anytime I drive an automatic, I get caught looking for that "phantom clutch." Problem is, on an automatic, that brake pedal is much wider so I clip it as I'm first starting out and think I should be going into second.

500k! Wow! All of my Civcs racked up over 250,000 in the space of 8 years before I got a new one. My current one has 168000 after 8 years...so I'm not driving it as much as I used to, so I expect her to last for a loooong time (unless she rusts out first).

v6,
boNes

Oh yeah DBond. On downshifts I like to slip my foot over from the brake to the gas while downshifting, typically when preparing for a turn. I once did exactly that when I realised I needed to turn into a car park and I was perhaps a bit too keen because my manoeuvre earned me the nickname of Stirling Moss, bestowed upon me by one of my passengers on the occasion.

When done perfectly, the transition between gears is so smooth, and the turning manoeuvre itself should also be smooth. When testing new cars I always check the pedals and how the brake and gas are placed in relation to each other.

It's not proper trail-braking though, at most a bit of weight management putting the weight on the front axle at the right moment.

I do suspect that with non-performance cars, brake balance is set to something like 40-60 at least, to ensure that most breaking is done by the rear wheels thus making it virtually impossible to proper trail-brake.

I don't use it much in a straight line just reducing speed. Coming up to red lights I just get off the gas, roll of a bit of speed and take it down a gear, engine braking until the revs are about right for another downshift. Then I repeat as required. Often, the red light has turned into green by the time I arrive at the crossing. Smooth and economical. With modern gearboxes there is really no need to match revs with the gas.

I wish I had a friend that even knew who Stirling Moss was.

30+ years now driving a stick and never even thought about heel-toeing it around town.

Trailbraking though, that's a different thing now isn't it? Balance is the key to proper cornering

Ya know another great thing about driving a manual is so many cannot do it, it's almost a mystical thing these days. I see it when I drive my son's friends around. Most are quite fascinated that a car can be operated in such an odd manner.

I've always done the neutral+braking too, for the same reasons. It seems to me that unless you're on a track or something and trying to maximize performance, that just works better.


To me, this is the biggest reason to have a manual. That immediate control is not something that can be duplicated on an auto.


Shifting gears manually in an auto can be useful. As I mentioned before, when I want to pick up some speed, it's faster to downshift with the paddles first, then accelerate, just like you would with a manual. Same with driving in a sporty situation - you can lock it in a gear with paddles, and keep it in whatever gear you think works best as you're coming out of a corner or whatever, so you have very similar control, just not using a clutch. For that, you also need to have a tach, because you choose to shift it based on the same criteria that you would in a manual.

If you are on a downhill, just ride the clutch.

Another great benefit, to driving a manual around where I live, is nobody can drive one. This means it probably wont get stolen, and you never have to loan it out.

Yeah good point.

"Hey, mind if I borrow your car?"

"Sure, no probs, it's a stick"

"Err, thanks anyway, I'll just ask Bob over there"

*satisfied grin*

I have two automatics, one manual and one with the Formula1 racing transmission which is a 6 speed manual with no clutch on the floor. The paddle shifting electro-hydraulically operates the clutch. It has a normal and a sport setting. Normal allows for softer and slower shifts while the sport mode shifts fast and firm. Much faster than any human could make the shift. The computer registers how you are driving and will do the rev matching on both up and down shifts. Pulling both paddles shifts into neutral. Took about an hour to get the proper feel and process down correctly, but once you have it down it is superb. If you have never driven one, make it a point to do so. All the benefits and cool of a stick without some of the drawbacks. You can tell it is a manual as the revs climb and you shift with all the wonderful engine note changes. And the engine burble on downshifting is really pleasing. People will turn and look at it.

One problem I have switching between the different cars I fumble with things. OK, how do you start this one ? Then driving the automatics I’m dancing my feet trying to search for the clutch and foot lifting to match revs. Then getting into the F1 I will forget to shift and will set that engine howling as I approach the7,800 redline or I’ll get distracted and lug the engine to near stall. Takes a little bit for brain to reestablish what I’m driving.

And all the other minor things. Which side is the gas fill on, does this one have a gas flap release and where is it, which way does the stalk move for a single windshield swipe, etc.

The traffic light Grand Prix, car in front pulls away sharply and I give gas in the Range Rover, smooth up change from the Range and the car in front then dips the clutch to change gear and I have to back off the gas, yep even the heavy 3 ton SUV has a smooth and fast gear change, and that is just matching the acceleration of the vehicle in front and letting it get out to a safe braking distance from you.

The MG (supercharged Mustang 4.6l V8, 400bhp) has a heavy clutch and a slow almost agricultural (read Mustang) gear change, the gearbox is a modified 5 speed Tremec from the Mustang, with a hydraulic clutch rather than the cable operated one as was fitted to the 2004 Mustang GT, gear ratios are a little different with 5th being not quite the high ratio overdrive as per the Mustang, top speed is down to 170mph compared with the theoretical 200mph+ on the Mustang.

BMW? well I don't like them, it was the gear change on a manual 530i that put me off getting one and going for the MG instead, there is a restrictor valve in the clutch slave cylinder that regulates the speed at which you can release the clutch, you could not do a fast shift with it at all. Dump the clutch and look down and you could see the pedal slowly rise up off the floor

Wife would rather have her Ford Focus back, she keeps saying how much she misses it, the injector pump failed on the 1.9l turbo diesel, I told my son to leave it alone but no he got a can of brake cleaner and sprayed it in the intake and tried to start it, it screamed it's nuts off rev counter went up to 6,000rpm and the needle was pegged on the stop past that then it went clunk and stopped, bye bye Focus. He has had to chip in some cash for the BMW.

i miss my manual Toyota Corolla and Honda CRX

1st car I got was a manual Toyota Yarris

Switched to an auto Toyota Matrix
was always serching for the clutch and didnt like it

Now I'm driving my manual Subaru WRX.
Nothing like having full control of your car

Yep. First car I drove from when I was in high school to just a few years ago (1999-2015) was a manual 1993 Honda Civic Coupe EX. My current car, a 2014 Honda Accord Coupe LX-S is also manual. It's the only way to drive.

1978 Chevy custom deluxe and an '80 something or other Isuzu PuP. 3 on the tree and 5 on the floor with 4X4, camper covers on both.

I'm in my mid-50s and grew up on a farm. I was driving tractors at age 5, plowing fields myself at age 8. The first pick-up I drove was at age 6 or 7. Not only was it a standard, it was a three-on-the-tree. It also had a floor starter. If you want real fun, try driving a truck with a 6x4-two gear shifts, twenty-four forward gears and NOT synchronized. Been there, done that, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UKblOPU-4g

I learned to drive when we were stationed at Fort Ord in CA in my Moms stick shift VW Super Beetle, my Dad taught me the basics and then would let me take off to the back part of the base and just drive around and get better at shifting. After that it was 15 years before I had a stick shift car of my own and I have had one of my ever since. Currently have a 240sx as a 2nd car and an ol' pick up truck as my daily.

I don't drive one every day any more, but my "weekend" car is a manual.

arthur666, do you ever find yourself trying to shift your automatic of forgetting that you had to shift in your manual.

I mix between my cars so much that I find that I will lose myself in other thoughts and fumble as to which I am driving; automatic, manual, or F1.

I have a 2005 Ford Escape. 149,000 miles on it and still has the the original clutch. The car runs great, looks terrific and I see no reason to get rid of it. Hell..it still has the original brakes!

Yeah sometimes. I often do shift my automatics. Wife's Escape has paddle "shifters". It annoys her when I do that.

But my DD is a new Ranger, and while you can shift up/down with a toggle, going thru 10 gears is just ridiculous. Though I will downshift by pulling lever back into sport mode, which drops a couple of gears. When I'm on an exit ramp or coming to a stop at the bottom of a hill for, example.

Never driven an honest F1 style with real paddle shifters.

Nice! I had a '96 and a 2000. Sold the 2000 2 years ago and I miss it. Reeeally thinking about another one. That RF would be nice, but I could be happy in another NB.

I bet! S2000 is one of the coolest cars ever made, IMO.
I'm a Ford guy at heart. But old Miata was the cheapest way to go. For $ amount I've put in to have a track-ready RWD car, I would have had a Mustang that still needed tons of work. Miatas have a really low running cost: easy on tires and brakes. And I love the situational awareness of having the top down. It's still slow though.

*2000 Miata that is

Oops. Heh. I should have picked up on that 'cause you said NB.

Nice pair.

I miss our 5-speeds (we've owned more sticks than automatics). Even Atlanta traffic didn't phase us both driving manuals.

I learned to drive in a 1962 Falcon wagon with a 3 on the tree. That was 47 years ago. I have owned at least one manual shift car ever since. My latest is a 82 Mustang GT that I have been hammering on for the last 20 years or so.

I like seeing people having old vehicles that they are holding onto. I keep vehicles a long time. Not because I can’t afford to change, but I like buying something nice and retaining it. I have old stuff.

1969 Cessna 177
2001 Jaguar XK8 convertible
2006 Maserati Spyder CambioCorsa
And just sold my 1994 Harley

I agree OG. Daily runner - Toyota Starlet 1999. Summer car - Triumph Spitfire 1970. Gone are the starting out days when I was penniless and had to buy super cheap auction cars with a few months legality and then throw them away.

Yeah I love owning an old car. I know it's a cliche, but you CAN actually work on them. It's OBDII, but other than that, as simple as it gets. I plan to hold onto it indefinitely.

Mine doesn't even have a radio or A/C anymore. Power windows and power steering though. But if those ever go, switching them to unpowered is not very difficult.

I have saved a couple of thousand in the last three years doing work on my 95 Saturn, Yay YouTube! Water pump, upper motor mount, belt tensioner and belt, and front Struts. Tranny was doing some weirdness. Old mechanic I know said to change the tranny filter and just the little amount of fluid that you lose taking the filter off. He said if you see any kinds of material chunks your losing your clutch, didn't see any. My Tire Kingdom guys, who have been very good to me, didn't want me to do it. Bad Ju Ju they said.

Well, about 500 miles later and neither issue has reappeared, (Didn't want to up-shift to 3rd when hot and seem like a little clutch slippage)

So far, so good.

I've never owned a car with a manual but I've driven tons of them - and I'm on my eighth motorcycle, and I'm real sick of shifting those in town.

I'd never willingly choose a manual for a daily driver. But if I were doing anything on a track (or buying a supercar I could never afford) then manual all the way.

Reading this entire thread has confirmed what I've always known about my car preferences. My car is purely used as a practical appliance to get me from point A to point B. The only driving I actually ENJOY is the driving I do in my PC racing sims.

Panzer, we need to get you out of Miami and up-state for a while. An afternoon in either my Jag or Maserati would change your opinion.

+1

I have no doubt that I would enjoy driving if I lived in a much less populated area.

Yeah, FL is flat land ( I know ) so not to many curves. I live in the north of Spain now, a very mountain terrain heavy area with curves everywhere. In a enviroment like that, a automatic shift suffers alot, so best to go manual, most EU cars have manual shifts because of that.

Manual shift is not so good when your older, having to clutch with your feet is a bit of a pain. When we moved here to Spain my dad did buy a automatic shift BMW because he had issues with his leg.

But as for the driving experience overall, manual shift is alot of fun, automatic is boring...

Reminds me of when dad had to go take his old timer driving test. He overheard one tester talking to another tester who had just returned from the driving test of an old timer. He had to fail the person because as the person had to lift his right leg off the gas peddle and over to the brake pedal.

That sucks. There's always left foot braking though. I know they tell you not to. But it's a good skill for performance, edge-of-traction driving that also helped me out for day-to-day driving at one point. I didn't do it on the street until my right foot was in a cast. The said "no driving". For 2 months! I had no problem using the big gas pedal in my truck with the cast, but they were worried about braking, understandably. But I'm pretty comfortable using my left foot, even in a manual.

I still don't do it under normal conditions, but this guy makes some good points:




...unless you don't know what you're doing!
A friend was following me thru the mountains of NC several years ago. We were both in manual cars. We were driving up a steep, long hill, and I noticed she had fallen way behind, and a line of cars was behind her. She was driving a Mazda 626 with a V6, so should have had plenty of power. I pulled over to wait for her at the next gas station. "What's wrong with your car???!!!" She replied "Nothing, just a steep hill I guess. I mean, I had it in 5th gear and everything." I tried to tell her to try a lower gear, but she wasn't having it. Paraphrasing: "5th gear is the strongest gear, why would you use a LOWER gear going up a steep hill?" That poor car.

Why not try racing for real?

Got a nasty gash on my right leg and went to the hospital to get it fixed up. They also said don't drive but I was 100 miles from home. Lucky it was an auto so used the left leg. Felt strange.

Because I don't want to take on the unnecessary risk to my health/well being and because I don't want to spend the money for a car that I could actually race in!


In this case, simulation is good enough for me.

Really, a good sim is pretty darn close!
I would add that I feel safer on the track than I do on I-40. Everyone is experienced, paying attention. Not on a phone or eating a bagel.
And I'm not racing, just driving, having fun.

Oviously you have to know what your doing, especially in manual shift. Also need to know your engine capabilities. I know a few that will shift without a clutch! Your gear box wont last for long though...

Red

That's actually something I always teach people on motorcycles. I've had two clutch cables break on me - only because I've done a ton of riding on a ton of bikes over 30+ years, I don't have any inherent distrust of motorcycle clutch cables over it...

Obviously learning this "skill" isn't about actually driving, just to get stopped. Unless you're on the superslab and it's 40 or who knows how many miles to the next town, yeah you'll go ahead and bang the gears a tiny bit then rather than immediately stop!

Speed Shifting without the clutch is an art form. Learned with a 72 Pinto wagon. Could hit every gear without a clutch. Took it to my 64 Chevy 3/4 ton with 3 on the tree to the same. After learning what happens when you glaze a
Clutch plate. And all the work to fix is left up you. You learn Quick. Loved it when we could could work on them this wa
First car was a 61 Buick Lesabre with a 401 V8 and 2 speed slush box early auto tranny.

Guy I used to work with had a spinal injury that affected his legs and how he used them, he had an automatic Ford Escort but the pedals were swapped around so he used his left foot for the accelerator/gas and brake. Drove the car a few times it was "interesting"



Yep the roads in Northern Spain are quite interesting
And you can have fun in an automatic too


https://youtu.be/fdsOQSxRTHg

The building on top of the hill in the video is just peaking over the peak to the right of centre of the picture

Well, there´s a reason why we have the "Costa Brava Rally" every year

Classics edition:
Costa Brava Rally - Classics

Anyone who played Collin Mcrae on the PS knows that.

I came over when I was 17 once and we used to rip the dirt with one of these...



Here´s a sample...



The good thing about the Dynae 6, or the Citroen 2cv was that they were very hard to tilt (turn over). It was like driving a boat!

Alot of fun!

Well it depends with a boat.

This popped up on my facebook page today

I'm sure that didn't last too long.

Almost everything I owned before I got married had a manual transmission in it. I still had several stick shift cars after the nuptuals (1995 Cherokee, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE-that was a fun car, 1990 Ford Ranger) but for the last 10 years I had gotten away from the left foot mafia for a while until recently.

I had decided that I was going to get something to drive around that was a little 'sportier' than a 2005 F350 Diesel. I loved the truck but parking was a hassle with it being a long bed, 4x4, quad cab truck, it wasn't great on mileage and I was putting more miles on her than I wanted, especially since I want to use this truck to pull my car hauler, not to drive to work every day. I had puttered around in a 2010 Cobalt that I let my son drive in college but it was cramped and uncomfortable and dammit, I didn't want to be cramped and uncomfortable anymore.

I went to the VW dealership one day and was rooting around looking at the Golf SportsWagens and I asked the dealer if he had one with a stick in it. He said no, unfortunately. I asked him if he had anything with a manual transmission and his eyes lit up.



He showed me this 2019 VW Jetta GLI 35th Anniversary Edition with the 6 speed manual. I'd heard of the GTI but never knew a sedan version existed. Same engine (actually at the GTI specs now, earlier ones had a little bit lower HP output and had to be tuned to be the same as the GTI), transmission, differental and the same architecture as the GTI but with a trunk. The brakes are actually off of the GTI R model so the thing is quick, stops well and shift wonderfully.

I took it for a drive and was hooked. My wife was dubious. She knows how to drive a stick but hadn't done it in at least 15 years. She stalled it a couple of times but go the hang of it pretty quick although she doesn't like driving a stick shift anymore. She was surprised my 52 year old arse wanted something like this but I like the car, a lot.

I also always wondered since many people don't know how to drive stick and I live in Chicago, what would happen if I get carjacked? I'd be like, "OK, hope you know how to drive a stick!" They'd most likely be out of luck and run off or shoot me, one or the other.

v6,
boNes

That looks great.

Last vehicle I owned that had a stick shift was my 1988 Toyota pickup. Totaled it in 2003 and I haven't driven a vehicle that I owned with a stick shift since then.


Wheels

oldgrognard
94 Harley Picture ??

1994 FXLRC













Did all the customizing myself. Lots of subtle stuff. Lowered, different tank that we changed from a dual cap to single, wide front forks, different bars and risers, cut fenders, custom wheels, special saddle bags that took some time to find the right fabricator, etc. Designed and prepped the paint, but a buddy did the actual spray. Added some black to the clear coat for a couple coats to tone down the bright colors. Took several times to get the stars laid out properly so that they weren’t just a jumble.

Put a lot of miles on her. Just sold it a couple months ago. I see it when I go to the buyers hangar. I miss her, but it was time.

Hopefully next year I will be driving a 55 Chevy Pick-up with a wrap around window.

I just saw this article today, made me think of this thread:

Electric cars outsold the manual transmission for the first time in 2019
https://autos.yahoo.com/electric-cars-outsold-manual-transmission-143000648.html

Yeah, the overall trend is very clear. Manual transmission cars will continue to be more and more a niche product for the general consumer market as time goes on.

oldgrognard thanks for the pictures!

"Did all the customizing myself."

Nice Really Nice!

My Mustang has no AC, no heat, no power steering, no computerized anything, no radio, no rear seat, still uses a carburetor and of coarse a manual transmission. Kids today like to make fun of it until they muster the courage to actually meet me at a drag strip where 99% of them get schooled.

What model/year Mustang is it?

82 GT

What does it run?

Nice car

Mine, 1983 straight 6 300" (4.9l) From what I could find out it was basically a truck engine that was in it. It was quick compared with some hot hatches but it was no drag racer, more of a long distance cruiser. Oh and it was right hand drive too, Ford sold a few in the UK from 82 - 86 most popular one was the Turbocharged V6 2.8 litre.

Fox bodies have a lot of upgradability for drag racing - light overall body and support for a good V8, as well as a solid rear axle. That's a nice looking one, looks stock.

Keeping the tradition alive. Two weeks ago I sold my stick-shift 2009 Mustang and replaced it with a Tacoma, also a five-speed stick. The hardest part about driving one of these, is finding one of these. 99% automatics on the lot it seems. Suits me fine and no one can borrow it since they always change their tune when you ask them if they can drive a stick. They don't want to admit that, so they suddenly remember an alternative and thanks anyway

Still drive my 1987 Volkswagen Vanagon

Marc..

My daily driver is an old Civic with a manual, and our two fun cars are manuals as well: an S2000 and a Type R. I love both cars, but like a couple of you have already mentioned with respect to your cars, switching back and forth between the S2000 and the Type R is surprisingly hard for the first couple of minutes. The clutch engagement points are really different, as are the gas petal responses--in part because while the Type R's inputs are mediated by way of the car's computers, with the S2000, the links are purely mechanical. The feel is so different between the two cars that I finally had to buy soft-soled driving shoes, which help facilitate more granular control over the S2000's clutch and gas pedal. And I had to do that even though we've owned the S2000 since 2003. Sad but true

I suspect that if I jumped into my old RX7 I'd have the same problem. The GLI's clutch is so much different from older cars. It is almost too easy to drive a clutch now. I actually have to work to stall the thing out. Rev limiting is great and I like the hill hold feature in some of the inner town driving in places like Tacoma though. I still need to teach my son how to drive the thing. Then again, he probably would want to borrow it if I did.

I think both of those are great cars. The RX-7 may lack some of the GLI's computer-assisted sophistication, but my goodness is its rawness ever a joy, especially on a canyon road.