I have approximately 1 million driving miles under my belt, most of which was with a manual transmission. my latest car purchase did not even offer one.

like, really

Of course with technology, the new Dodge Hellcat automatic 8 speed shifts in fraction of a second. Faster than any human ever could-

But, there is something about side-stepping the clutch that is awesome still



The Last Fully Manual Ferrari

By Tony Borroz, 22 March 2010
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It's a sad day for purists – and yes, on some days. I am accused of being one myself. Likewise, on both counts, it is a sad day for the Ferraristi out there – and again, I am most definitely one of those. The currently available Ferrari California Spyder will be the last car produced from Maranello that has an available stick shift.

I have long been a proponent of manual transmission cars over automatics for all of the reasons obvious to gearheads. Of course, technology marches forward, and over time, and automatics, or at least semi-automatics, have more than caught up to what manuals ca deliver, performance and efficiency-wise.

http://www.carthrottle.com/post/the-last-fully-manual-ferrari/

They're horrible in stop-and-go traffic though

until her current car. They are great for driving in snow. (Originally we lived in Ohio.)

my late 40s (58 now) I was taught to drive on a manual because that's all my parents ever drove. It actually took me quite awhile to stop stomping on the nonexistent clutch and reaching for the stick shift when I started driving an automatic.

Also, while there may not be a lot of manuals on the car lots, you can usually order one.

Plus I heard about a guy that was car jacking some lady, but he ran off after realizing she had a manual and he couldn't drive it.

I love manual transmission

Most rental cars in France (at least Paris I know) are manual. Lots of cars offered in US that only come auto are available as manual in EU.

needs expensive work.

....that nobody reads?

I love getting the extra power out of the engine with the manual trans.

Also, who can drive a stick anymore? It's great theft protection!!

Love this!

Whaaaaaaaaa, whaaaaaaaaaa, na....LITTLE GTO!!!!!!

Bad...didn't really like a manual transmission when sitting at a stoplight at the top of a hill.


Good...if your car craps out, and if it's small enough (I had two Honda CVCCs in the 80s), you can push it and pop the clutch.


Good...many of today's youth have only ever driven an automatic. If you have a manual transmission, there's a good chance your car won't be stolen

In the rest of the world, manual transmissions are still the norm. The first time I rented a car in Britain, I was told that they were taxiing me to another location because they were out of automatics at their Heathrow lot. When I told the agent that I could just take a manual, she looked at me in surprise and said she'd never given a stick to an American before. She told me that in Britain, automatics were primarily used by the elderly, the disabled, and American tourists. I was apparently the first American she'd ever met who could drive a stick

"The Silkworm" (written as Robert Galbraith), whose main character lost a leg in Afghanistan.

BTW, I've rented cars at Heathrow more than once and have never been asked if I wanted an automatic.

I recently switched to an automatic due to scarcity to the point of non-availability of a manual model. I really appreciated the first time I drove in San Francisco: it's nice not having to act like you have three feet to do a hill start! I still find myself reaching for the gear shift, though.

I rented from the Alamo at Heathrow. We were talking while the paperwork was filled out, and she told me that she'd been working there for a few months and that every American she'd met wanted an automatic. I was the very first to tell her that I'd drive a stick. She said that they just stuck Americans in automatics by default. After that, I've made a point to request a manual transmission when renting in Europe.

I feel you on the SF hills though. I actually learned to drive a stick in San Francisco. I even wrecked the back bumper of my dads car at Broadway & Buchanan when I couldn't get it into gear and rolled back into a delivery truck. Hard. Didn't do a damned thing to the truck, but I spent an entire summer working my butt off to repay my dad for the repair bill on his Nova

Sixteen going on seventeen years old and 160K, it's still practical, comfortable, good looking, runs very well and gets 30+ mpg on the highway, 27 or so in town.

Operating the manual transmission on a curvy country road with the manual top and manual windows down on a nice Fall day is a lot of fun, my grandkids are all chomping at the bit to learn to drive it since their parents have boring minivans and SUVs, the eldest gets her license next year.