Posted on 02/25/2024 2:23:39 PM PST by Red Badger
Lots of manual transmission cars in Europe. Just got through looking at rentals there. They charge a premium for Automatics; my experience is that it mostly Americans that rent them. I can drive a stick, but I’m out of practice and don’t want to be refreshing myself while keeping track of signs in foreign languages in countries where speed limits are enforced.
Every one of my kids has, or in one case HAD, a car with a clutch. I made them learn to drive on it.
If you’re not shifting, you’re not driving - just steering.
I had a 2003 Jetta TDI with the 5-speed manual.
Good car. Got 367,000 miles out of it.
I have a 2016 Honda Accord with a 6-speed manual.
I HATE ... HATE ... HATE!!!!! Automatic transmissions. ALL automatic transmissions are JUNK ... period.
Friggin lazy good for-nothing worthless people in this country can’t learn to drive a manual??? What the Heck!
If I ever get another car/truck, it will be some old thing from down south with a manual.
Not Babylon Bee. That was my first thought.
I’ve had a number of stick shifts over the years, but I certainly don’t miss them. I love the 10 speed automatic in my Chevy half ton. Way better than any stick shift could ever be.
Have one. Diesel. 48 mpg at 80 mph. Wonderful car.
I’ve had several automatic and manual transmissions over the years and if they were available and I was convinced that it was the best bang for the buck, I’d only select a manual. One of the big concerns is simply that the market for a stick transmission is far less.
One of the main reasons why I’d pick a manual transmission is how much money it saves on brakes. If driven properly (by gearing down), one can get away with minimizing braking to a huge extent. Whenever I’ve mentioned that in similar discussions, folks have said “sure but now you are paying for new clutches more frequently.” I only recall replacing one clutch over the years (and the cost wasn’t that bad)... but I had to get rid of a couple cars when the automatic transmission crapped out (and I replaced a few) and rest assured, the cost is far higher than putting a new clutch ind.
Sometime last year, I rode to lunch with a Frenchman on TAD to America. He told me that most European cars were manual rather than automatic. I had trouble believing him but did not try to comment on his fact
If so, there should be lots of VW’s with stick shifts available
Plus, usually, low-IQ CARJACKERS CAN’T DRIVE STICK SHIFTS.
Wonder if a car could be customized to have literally, separately, both an automatic and manual transmission, with a switch on the dash to select which one was operative.
I enjoyed the stick but wouldn’t want my wife to drive one. She wouldn’t want it either.
Back in 1964, I bought a bran new red VW beetle. I bought it with funds from being run over when I was 8. I bought it in anticipation of marriage and graduating from college and a new job.
A prerequisite for marriage was learning to drive the VW and the stick shift. She diligently accepted the challenge.
(on the way home from the VW dealer, I ran over a section of discarded snow chain and had a flat tire)
Yes. Most ‘automatic’ transmissions are essentially manuals with a computer operating the clutch and changing the gears.
But you would have to have a clutch pedal that did nothing when in auto mode.................
Last car I had that was manual was 91 VW Fox GL with a 5 speed.
Decent little car, .9L engine, made a whopping 80 horsepower... but, paired with the 5 speed manual, I never had any issues with pickup, merging onto highways, or passing folks... and it got em 40MPG+ on the interstate...
Not bad for a 91.
Sold it back in 2000. I don’t know if I’d want a manual again, too much city driving these days, but definitely a good skill to learn and know. (Knew how long before I owned that car)
I always use public transportation—trains, buses, ferries—in Europe. Always figured it would cost a lot more to have a rental car. I learned to drive on a stick shift but have driven automatics for so long I am badly out of practice.
“Most ‘automatic’ transmissions are essentially manuals with a computer operating the clutch and changing the gears.”
Correct. They’ve made automatics that could be shifted manually, but it’s not the art form of engaging the manual transmission’s pedal-operated clutch, shifting the gears with a stick, double clutching, etc.
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