Why do people still drive manual cars?

Smoove wrote:

As one poster pointed out, it deters texting and driving which is why my kids will learn to drive a manual and will have one as their first car.

Actually driving a manual made me really good at texting and driving when I was in high school. Yep, I'll admit I did it. Smart? No, of course not.

What are you missing? THE FUN OF IT!

When you drive a stick shift, you feel as if the car becomes an extension of you. I learned to drive on a '73 VW Beetle back in 78. I don't recall never having a manual shift car. Give it a try, you'll love it.

Stick is a HELL of a lot more fun to drive than automatic. You are actually driving the car rather than riding in the car. Shifting just comes naturally to me. I learned to drive on a VW bug converted into a dune buggy.

The only negative is that stop and go traffic sucks ass when driving stick.

Modern automatics with computer controlled shifting get better mileage over stick . Those old fools who think stick gets better mileage don't know what they are talking about.

If you aren't wearing the tires out faster with a stick then you aren't enjoying it. I can spin out whenever I want to but the trick is to accelerate as fast as possible from a stop without squealing the tires.

Downshifting to slow down is fun, especially into a turn, but it isn't good on the transmission and clutch so I don't do it very often.

If I am on a two lane highway and I want to pass someone then I jam it into a lower gear and accelerate like a rocket.

My car is an early 2000 model with over 150K miles and I haven't worn out the clutch.

Starting on an uphill is easy if you know how to use the parking brake, but I like to let it roll back a little to startle whoever is behind me.

I once drove stick in Australia, but I had to practice for a bit to get the hang of left hand shifting. After a few minutes I got the rhythm of it.

Definitely for the fun of it! I love trying to drive the car super smooth and feeling of shifts. Or gunning in second gear.

My car has both. I used the "manual" option one time when I first got it 6 years ago and haven't used it since. I have had a lot of stick shifts over the years and just got rid of one last year.

I think the main reason is that they are CHEAP. I saw a new car with a manual advertised for 9,600. Closest to it was 10,500.

I was also just reading about the cv transmission that are in a lot of the lower end cars because it is much cheaper to make.

It's already been said, but I'll say it again anyway...

SO MUCH MORE FUN!

It's a one speed!!!! wrote:

My car has both. I used the "manual" option one time when I first got it 6 years ago and haven't used it since. I have had a lot of stick shifts over the years and just got rid of one last year.

I think the main reason is that they are CHEAP. I saw a new car with a manual advertised for 9,600. Closest to it was 10,500.

I was also just reading about the cv transmission that are in a lot of the lower end cars because it is much cheaper to make.

It's not a manual if there's no clutch!

A manual give you better control in snow and icy conditions. With "hill assist", which prevents roll back, starting on hills are not a problem. And of course, the main reason ... more fun!

I drive one so that clueless dicks (like the original poster) can't steal my car!

It's a one speed!!!! wrote:

My car has both. I used the "manual" option one time when I first got it 6 years ago and haven't used it since. I have had a lot of stick shifts over the years and just got rid of one last year.

I think the main reason is that they are CHEAP. I saw a new car with a manual advertised for 9,600. Closest to it was 10,500.

I was also just reading about the cv transmission that are in a lot of the lower end cars because it is much cheaper to make.

You don’t have both. Is there a clutch pedal? Probably. You have a gear selector or gear paddles on the steering wheel or something like that. You don’t have both.

I never really considered a manual because I didn’t want the hassle of shifting gears in the city where I do most of my driving.

Then I got a motorcycle and understood the appeal. And now I want a manual.

Excluding the number of mechanical reasons, it's just much more fun to be that level of in control of the cars movements.

Jose el Plomero wrote:

You are too sheltered. In many countries, it is hard to find an automatic.

It is a life skill. There are parts of the world where you will not be able to rent an automatic. You do not want to admit that you can't drive a manual to a rental car vendor whose first language is not English.

Less likely to be stolen, as thieves often don't know how to drive a manual shift.

With manual shifting you have SO MUCH more control and "feel". Why do you think Indy, Nascar, etc race cars are manual instead of automatic?

I do have a manual sports car as a weekend car. I’d rather drive it everyday, but I must say it’s more comfortable driving my suv to work. Driving itself, driving my sports car in traffic is not the problem, but sometimes, getting in and out of the sports car can be a chore. I understand manual cars don’t equal sports cars, but in my opinion, manual in a sports car is the funnest. Although, I do want to drive a truck or wrangler in a manual and see how fun that would be.

mmassa wrote:

Do they not know that automatic cars exist? What am I missing?

Indeed. Why go fly a kite or take a canoe trip when you can just pop a pill?

mmassa wrote:

Why do people still drive manual cars? What am I missing?

Balls, son. You're missing balls.

Because nothing else even comes close to the euphoric feeling of barreling into a corner, one foot on the clutch while the other foot works both the brake and accelerator in an effort to carve through the apex only to exit with a handful of opposite lock and victorious tire smoke.

Go back to your Prius and baking cookies.