Manual transmission cars

[POPTOP]

Way back when, I learned to drive on a tractor. Family car was a manual on the column but preferred shift on the floor. On a hoot, learned to drive a heavy duty wrecker with so many gears, an up and down range. Loved them all. A manual is certainly not fun in heavy traffic. Gotten lazy in older age and have an automatic now. Up until the SUV we have now, DH was always driving a Jeep manual.

Lucytudeon4feet: Down shifting and double clutching, once mastered, is so much fun. It's an entirely different driving experience. It's real driving.

[Labradorks]

My parents made me learn on a manual. These days, purchasing a new car, it costs more to get a manual in all cases that I am aware of, because it's out of the ordinary.

I'm glad I still know how to drive one because I do a lot of international travel and if you rent a car in Europe, they are mostly manuals! And, if you want an automatic, if they even have them you have to rent a luxury car for about twice the price.

I drive an automatic because it's easier and means I don't have to purchase the sport model of my car. Honestly, it doesn't really matter to me. New manuals are so easy to drive compared with what I learned in -- an old farm truck.

[emma_Dad]

These days, purchasing a new car, it costs more to get a manual in all cases that I am aware of, because it's out of the ordinary.

It's actually cheaper to get a manual. It saves about 1-1.5 grand, when getting a new car.

[JC001]

Currently drive a stick but my next car will most likely be an automatic. None of the cars I'm currently considering offer a manual transmission and the older I get, the less tolerance I have for shifting in heavy traffic.

[Archie]

I'm in my late 20s and both my cars have been manual. I just bought a new hyundai tuscon which is manual. I like feeling like I'm actually driving the car and I find manuals better in snow.

I bought my first stick shift car before I knew how to drive one. I had to learn really quick

[fidgetyknees]

I miss my manual in many ways, but loved switching to automatic for city high slow traffic driving. My ideal would be to have 2 cars, one for high traffic conditions and the other open road and weekend driving.

[Mr Kleb]

Here's an expansion of your poll for you, Mr K.
Can you drive a non-synchronized manual transmission, that is, can you double clutch (semi truck)? Once I learned that, I had more difficulty driving a synchronized manual (car).
And there's even more fun to be had by dropping down a gear or two on a motorcycle to pass a car!

That is a good one, and no I cannot.

It's actually cheaper to get a manual. It saves about 1-1.5 grand, when getting a new car.

This was true in our case. Our Mazda3 Sport s (the basic model) with 69,000 klicks (around 42,000 miles) priced around $1500 less than other '09s with comparable miles. Interesting OT: I bought the B2500 in Texas new. It was around $2500 less than the '99 Ford Ranger which shares the same frame, engine, transmission, mechanicals, etc. The only difference between the Ford and Mazda is the sheet metal.

I learned to drive sticks on my brothers' '69 Beetle and remember it is a frustrating, humiliating experience. Another brother had a 74 (I think) Opel Manta 4-speed, when Opels were still made in Germany. That was a smooth car. To go into reverse you had to pull up on a collar around the shift lever before going over and down.

My first car was a '79 Celica GT liftback. Loved that car. I drive automatics for a few years in the 90s - a Buick Skylark (best $300 car I ever had), a Nissan Maxima - before buying the truck.

[AnonyManx]

I am 44 and DH is 50. We own a 1999 Corvette with a 6-speed manual transmission; we are both skilled with the stick shift. The Corvette sits in the garage and is never driven, but we can both drive it.

I learned to drive a stick in college - a roommate taught me on her 4-speed '87 Escort. She took me out to a no-traffic road near the animal science barns, parked the car on a slight uphill, and said, "You're going to stall it a few times, but then you'll have it." She was right. I've owned more manuals than automatics. I've had to pay to valet park my own car because of driving a manual (at least they admitted their lack of skill instead of lunching my clutch).

Our current daily drivers are automatics - a Scion xB and a double-cab Tundra. Sometimes I miss the manual; DH likes the automatic.

About 15 months ago we sold a 2003 Corolla to our neighbor. At the time it was 11 years old with 161k miles. Now it's pushing 200k miles. Original clutch.

[AnonyManx]

It's actually cheaper to get a manual. It saves about 1-1.5 grand, when getting a new car.

Except on some sports cars. On our Corvette the manual was about $1500 extra.

[kelsyg]

Yes, my favorite car was a VW GTI and was manual. I loved that car!