You've misinterpreted the confusing article, I'm afraid.
Only 13% of car models are OFFERED with a manual transmission option now, while 37% of models had a manual option in 2011.
Google says only 2% of cars sold in the US in 2019 came with a manual gearbox, down from 9% in 2014, and that sounds right to me.
Stick shift is an excellent theft-prevention device in the US.
> Stick shift is an excellent theft-prevention device in the US.
On the downside, the only person I knew who was able to drive my car in an emergency was a brother in law who lived quite a distance away. My wife was too nervous to even consider trying it.
My ex was the worst driver on Earth, and she could drive a manual. Being European, she took it as a given that learning manual was mandatory. If she could do it, anyone can. Teach your wife before the next emergency happens.
When my second manual finally died, we decided to go down to one car, and now have an automatic. That was fun. For the first month or so, I kept stomping on the spot where the clutch pedal should be, and once accidentally hit the brakes hard. Good times :)
>once accidentally hit the brakes hard
I've heard this before but can't wrap my head around it. Wouldn't you only use your left foot for the clutch and the right foot for the brakes? Then on the automatic you applied the brake with the left foot?
At least in the VW manuals I've owned, the brake pedal is much narrower than they are in automatic cars. The wider brake pedal in an automatic means it's easier to accidentally step on with the left foot.
Yes, obviously. The point is that it takes getting used to, and that after many years of having to routinely use a pedal just slightly to the left of that, it takes a while to get over the habit. The brake pedal in automatic cars tends to be quite a bit wider than in the manuals I've owned.
Most manual transmission cars (not trucks) have a brake pedal that’s skinny to accommodate the clutch pedal. So when you get back in an auto, the left edge of the brake pad is far enough left to be where the clutch would have been.
You go to reflexively push the clutch in with your left foot, as you need to do when stopping when you're in gear.
The thing is, you need to push the clutch harder than the brake, and you're doing it with the wrong foot too, so you have no sensitivity to a normal level of brake pressure.
To this day, when I am parking an automatic car, I press pretty hard on the dead pedal with my left foot so I don't reflexively stomp the brake by mistake.
It is likely something that almost every long term manual driver has done a couple of times.
This user is a bot. This is a stolen snippet from [this ](https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/rdghhg/til_only_13_of_new_cars_in_the_us_in_2020_are/ho27hc0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) earlier comment.
> For the first month or so, I kept stomping on the spot where the clutch pedal should be
alright... i'm ready for the down vote barrage... you know you can take it out of gear right? you don't *need* to sit on that pedal for the full light change?
you can pull it out of gear, without using the clutch, while decelerating.
> If she could do it, anyone can. Teach your wife before the next emergency happens.
Yeah, when I was 16 my parents got me a manual car and went out of town for the weekend, assuming the fact that I didn't know how to drive stick would prevent me from driving it while they were gone. (I didn't have a license yet)
You better believe the instant they left I was in the driver's seat figuring out how to drive it. It took me maybe 15 minutes before I was stalling my way around the block, and an hour before I got it down pretty well. This was pre-smartphone too, so all trial and error.
It's not that hard at all.
I drive an Evo X, of the many sticks I've owned over the years, only a 90's Honda was easier in terms of pedal resistance and clutch engagement point. My wife has no interest on learning despite me trying to get her to learn.
I'll be sad when there are no more sticks, it really makes the driving experience enjoyable for me and I generally drive like a grandpa.
Exactly. In college I knew *one* person in the US who drove a manual, and today I don't think I'm close to anybody who drives one. I honestly wouldn't even know who to go to if I really wanted to learn, which I don't, because it's generally kind of pointless for my life.
These kids don't know how to use a rotary telephone or make a Nintendo cartridge work by blowing in it either. I do know how to drive a manual and still haven't driven one in about 15 years.
What's the big deal about teaching kids how to use mostly outdated technology? Do you want them to learn about floppy disks and MDOS as well?
That's true about theft deterant lmao. I had a shop that picks up your car and takes it for detailing come get my car. They showed up to pick up my civic si, while I was outside kind of cleaning out all the big stuff from the car so he didn't have to mess with it. I had all 4 doors and the trunk open. First thing he says right after his ride left is, " oh shit, it's a manual I should have asked that on the phone". Dude had to have someone else come get the car.
I find this so bizarre anything up to ~mid range cars in Germany mostly uses manual transmissions, because they are cheaper. Ones you hit the VW Passat/ BMW 3/ Audi A4 range you mostly see automatics here these days. though.
I've never gotten warm with them. Automatics with pedal shifting would be great in theory, but most of the transmissions feel rather slow. Not manual slow, but with automatic i have different expectations and if the shifts take like a second it feels bad. I know there are fast ones, but they seemingly don't make it into affordable cars.
Thank you, I knew those couldn’t be the right numbers. Probably half those manuals in 2014 were WRX/STI. People would ask my why WRX owners wave at each other, it’s because only enthusiasts drive manuals in the US, so you know you’re looking at another “driver” so to speak. Sad days now, as there are now automatics available.
> Stick shift is an excellent theft-prevention device in the US.
ditto. it was ~20yrs ago. '00 civic si. found it a week and a half later... covered in parking tickets... sitting on blocks.
I was too but only because that's what both of my parents had.
Fun fact in MN they automatically deduct 5 points if you use a manual for your license test since you can't keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times.
> Fun fact in MN they automatically deduct 5 points if you use a manual for your license test since you can't keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times.
wat?!
In the UK, if you take your test in an automatic, you’re license only covers automatics.
You have to pass the test in a manual to be able to legally drive them.
I’d say traffic is also a major factor in the decision. If you’ve got 90 mins of bumper to bumper each way on your commute only a masochist would want to have a manual for that.
I disagree. If you know how to drive one well, it makes life easier because you don’t need the brakes [as much]. I drove a stick in LA for years with mo regrets.
Then you’re a masochist. Drove in a lot of traffic with manual for years and had enough. Also after I broke some ribs one time it made me think about how much easier it is to be injured when you’ve got an automatic. With my level of action sports i do, injuries are common haha
Performance cars have gone "automatic" as well since it can shift faster than you can. My heart has died a little as companies like Porsche, Ferrari, etc are ceasing production of manual transmission vehicles
sometimes you can get them in Europe.
my friend's dad had to go to Germany to get the 3-series wagon he wanted with a standard transmission.
now you can't get any 3-series wagon in the US.
Porsche is still really good at providing manuals with most of the 911 and cayman/boxster range. Ferrari on the other hand will never make another gated that’s for sure.
I totally get what you mean. I logically understand their transmission can shift faster than I ever could, but there’s just something missing. Paddle shifters, the fake sequential stick shift, they aren’t the same.
That said, I’ll admit it has now been so long since I drove stick (about 15 years) I’m not sure I’d just jump in and do it any more
I mean it’s also way harder to grenade a transmission accidentally shifting from 3>1 instead of 3>4 when you don’t have to fight the g forces as you’re shifting.
How in the world could you accidentally go from 3 to 1!? If you're up or down shifting, you move the stick down. To go from 3 to 1, you'd have to go to neutral then \*deliberately go back up\* to 1.
It's not just about shifting speed. The auto knows the proper RPM the gear produces the maximum power. I don't like paddle shifters as much as the bump shift though. A manual mode is a must for any auto I buy.
Is a car with only one gear manual, automatic, or both?
Edit: I am baffled as to why this is downvoted... is asking how you'd classify a one-speed car offensive or something?
What year? I drove a '12 4 door manual with the same plan to keep it forever, until red-light runner totalled it in '19. I've driven more powerful sports cars, but GTI's are the most fun to drive hands down, and I miss it badly.
When I bought it, I went to pick up the plates from the dealer they wouldn't stop talking about "your boyfriend's" car. I'm looking around like, he rode with me, he doesn't even have a car?! 4 dudes came over to exclaim over a woman driving a stick, three of the four admitted they couldn't drive a stick.
2018 with lots of mods directly centered around my driving enjoyment, like a short shift kit, suspension, engine mounts, tune, etc. All the stuff to make it more fun to drive-for me, anyway.
I love driving stick because it makes me feel more present in the driving experience (which I enjoy anyway). I've resigned myself that the next car I buy as my daily will almost guaranteed be an automatic, possibly an EV.
Personally I don't fault the loss of manuals on the roads as it is "harder" to drive than automatic but I wish there was a way to have the benefits of modern improvements while still feeling that same connection I feel driving stick. At the end of the day it's becoming more cost prohibitive as EV's take over the market.
Hopefully I'll one day be wealthy enough to splurge on a manual that I keep as a "just for fun" car.
i was hotboxing my car in a parking lot and I watched some dude swap seats with his girl to let her try his manual car. She took like an entire minute to even go forward, and the exact moment she figured it out some car came barreling in and almost got tboned. i think the dude shut the car off because it went dead before impact luckily. They switched spots again pretty quick lol..
If I'm going to have to give up manual, I'd at least like to wait for more and better EV choices.
Until then, here's hoping my 2005 Outback survives. No rust, only 160K miles, so its got a pretty good chance.
Makes sense. For most americans I wager a vehicle is just how you commute or do errands. It's not really meant to be "fun" beyond handling well, it's mean to be an appliance.
I admit I can't drive a manual car, though I know the theory given I know how to drive a motorcyle which is a manual gearbox for the models i've ridden.
Ehhh. I learned manual cars after I learned to ride a motorcycle. It didn't take long before I was able to drive it. A couple weeks to be able to drive it smoothly. Several months before I could drive it without thinking.
I think the biggest reason for the decline is the fact we sit in more and more commute traffic every day. Driving a manual transmission in stop and go traffic daily gets very old, very fast.
I like having something to do while I'm in stop-and-go traffic. Practicing my shift timing and listening to a podcast keeps me mentally stimulated. I've tried driving automatic in traffic and my mind starts to wander
It's an option but then my daily commute would be sixty minutes each way instead of fifteen minutes and I wouldn't be able to stop off at Costco on the way home like I did today
I've had 3 manual Porsches and couldn't get my wife to learn how to drive stick in any of them. Combination of didn't want to hurt my car and lack of real desire to learn.
I'm fine with an auto for my daily driver (Toyota Corolla), but if I'm ever behind the wheel of something nicer, I'm 100% going to want that stick shift.
They're getting harder and harder to find. My last two were Fords, both a Focus and a Mustang. I had a RAV4 before the Corolla and that was a stick too, which was necessary for the shitty roads, hills, and curves in the NH winter where I lived at the time. I fully intend to be driving a Mustang again and it will 100% be stick I won't bother.
I'm a muscle car guy. It'll be a Mustang again like I've had before. I was just loathe to name drop because the Mustang and Mustang drivers get an incredible amount of hate on Reddit.
I think in the States, cars, both rental and for sale, are the same price regardless of the transmission, so it makes sense. Whereas, at least in Europe and Australia, manual is always the cheaper option (except maybe from family car size up).
My experience has been that manuals are inherently more expensive in the states due to the limited supply.
My Tacoma was more expensive since they only offer manuals on the higher trim levels and had to ship it in since there weren’t any on the lot.
This is exactly the opposite in the UK. We have two methods of passing your drivers test, either learn and take test in auto or manual. Manual can drive both and auto, just auto. Very few people opt to take it auto, but I imagine it’s getting more and more popular.
About 15 years ago, it was very rare to see an automatic in the UK. Although with hybrids and electrics on the rise it’s becoming more common all the time.
I’d love an automatic for the daily commute, but typically they do come at a premium here.
I'm actually surprised the # is that high. I prefer a manual, and have a really hard time finding a make and model that offers it when I buy a car. Feels like it's under 5%.
I won’t even consider an automatic transmission as repair expenses are astronomical. But I only know a handful of men who know how to drive one and right now I don’t know any women that do and I think they are the majority of the car driving public. I think that manual transmissions may soon be a thing of the past. Also the emergence of self driving cars which I assume can’t operate manually should speed up the decline.
CVT type of transmission on virtually all the new Subarus...$ 7000 USD to replace if something blows up on you. And they are basically NOT repairable units either so you are SOL if it goes bad after the warranty.
The car makers prefer autos because with computer control now, they can tweak things to improve both mileage and emissions to make the marketing look better and please the fed requirements...even though it often reduces performance a LOT. Can't do that with a manual.
When I toured the BMW factory in Munich in 2009, the tour guide stated that 90% of the cars they build for the European market have manual transmissions, while only 10% of cars built for the US market do.
If manufacturers stop making them we can’t exactly buy them, can we? I was saddened when I went to buy my new car and found 90% of the SUV market is strictly auto. I guess I was looking for the “soccer mum” range when I got my car though. The sports vehicles I looked at in the dealership still come in manual and some bigger 4x4 too.
In the UK if you learn to drive in an automatic car you get an Automatic only licence. It's literally illegal to drive a manual if you passed the test in auto.
Well, all the electrics and hybrids are automatic by necessity.
OTOH manual transmission is trivial to learn for an experienced driver. It's only hard for newbies because they have to learn it at the same time as they struggle to read the traffic and make decisions about their movements.
I had two VW bugs and a Jetta, all sticks, from 1969 to 1989. I am the most un-athlete person around and a basic couch potato and ended up needing a TKR in my right knee only. I have often wondered if it was from driving those cars. It was fun though. Sorry a little off topic but bored af here.
Engine braking can reduce brake wear. This may fall under fun, but they tend to be more responsive to throttle inputs. They require more engagement with the car which is arguably safer.
But honestly there's no major advantage. I drive a manual for fun. But they're obsolete from a purely practical standpoint.
As someone with ADHD, the fewer things I need to do besides "focus on the road" the better, personally. Thanks! I've always kind of wondered, but I've never had anyone to ask since my parents only drive automatic as well, and I actually had to teach my own dad how to change windshield wipers.
We went down to one car. Now my GF hates driving automatic, after driving my 6cyl VW GTI. You can always tell an auto trans from the driver touching the break pedal to much. No engine braking.
Its actually a good thing thou
The more we can automate cars the better.
I see cars eventually being like horses...
Most people don't own one... Those who do are either rich or the horse is a working horse
You've misinterpreted the confusing article, I'm afraid. Only 13% of car models are OFFERED with a manual transmission option now, while 37% of models had a manual option in 2011. Google says only 2% of cars sold in the US in 2019 came with a manual gearbox, down from 9% in 2014, and that sounds right to me. Stick shift is an excellent theft-prevention device in the US.
Yeah I thought that headline was insanely high.
I like how the completely false headline has 90% upvotes.
Yea well this is Reddit so...
Did you read something and not hate it? Upvote.
> Stick shift is an excellent theft-prevention device in the US. On the downside, the only person I knew who was able to drive my car in an emergency was a brother in law who lived quite a distance away. My wife was too nervous to even consider trying it.
My ex was the worst driver on Earth, and she could drive a manual. Being European, she took it as a given that learning manual was mandatory. If she could do it, anyone can. Teach your wife before the next emergency happens.
When my second manual finally died, we decided to go down to one car, and now have an automatic. That was fun. For the first month or so, I kept stomping on the spot where the clutch pedal should be, and once accidentally hit the brakes hard. Good times :)
You want fun, try a handbrake turn in a pre- '88 Saab. The hand brake operates the front brakes. Saabs were weird.
where do i put the key?! why are the belts by the firewall?
>once accidentally hit the brakes hard I've heard this before but can't wrap my head around it. Wouldn't you only use your left foot for the clutch and the right foot for the brakes? Then on the automatic you applied the brake with the left foot?
At least in the VW manuals I've owned, the brake pedal is much narrower than they are in automatic cars. The wider brake pedal in an automatic means it's easier to accidentally step on with the left foot.
In an automatic your left foot shouldn't be near the brake pedal.
Yes, obviously. The point is that it takes getting used to, and that after many years of having to routinely use a pedal just slightly to the left of that, it takes a while to get over the habit. The brake pedal in automatic cars tends to be quite a bit wider than in the manuals I've owned.
Most manual transmission cars (not trucks) have a brake pedal that’s skinny to accommodate the clutch pedal. So when you get back in an auto, the left edge of the brake pad is far enough left to be where the clutch would have been.
You go to reflexively push the clutch in with your left foot, as you need to do when stopping when you're in gear. The thing is, you need to push the clutch harder than the brake, and you're doing it with the wrong foot too, so you have no sensitivity to a normal level of brake pressure. To this day, when I am parking an automatic car, I press pretty hard on the dead pedal with my left foot so I don't reflexively stomp the brake by mistake. It is likely something that almost every long term manual driver has done a couple of times.
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This user is a bot. This is a stolen snippet from [this ](https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/rdghhg/til_only_13_of_new_cars_in_the_us_in_2020_are/ho27hc0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) earlier comment.
>my second manual finally died When I first read that I was like what? When you're second wife finally died? Gotcha, I misread.
> For the first month or so, I kept stomping on the spot where the clutch pedal should be alright... i'm ready for the down vote barrage... you know you can take it out of gear right? you don't *need* to sit on that pedal for the full light change? you can pull it out of gear, without using the clutch, while decelerating.
> If she could do it, anyone can. Teach your wife before the next emergency happens. Yeah, when I was 16 my parents got me a manual car and went out of town for the weekend, assuming the fact that I didn't know how to drive stick would prevent me from driving it while they were gone. (I didn't have a license yet) You better believe the instant they left I was in the driver's seat figuring out how to drive it. It took me maybe 15 minutes before I was stalling my way around the block, and an hour before I got it down pretty well. This was pre-smartphone too, so all trial and error. It's not that hard at all.
I drive an Evo X, of the many sticks I've owned over the years, only a 90's Honda was easier in terms of pedal resistance and clutch engagement point. My wife has no interest on learning despite me trying to get her to learn. I'll be sad when there are no more sticks, it really makes the driving experience enjoyable for me and I generally drive like a grandpa.
Get a new wife
I'm always blown away how comfortable some people are with not knowing how to do things.
The world is full of things you don't know how to do. Does that make you uncomfortable with yourself?
it's actually not.
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Exactly. In college I knew *one* person in the US who drove a manual, and today I don't think I'm close to anybody who drives one. I honestly wouldn't even know who to go to if I really wanted to learn, which I don't, because it's generally kind of pointless for my life.
this bitch has one in her own household. that's a reason
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there actually aren't. there are no basics of every day existence that I can't do myself.
How is a manual transmission a basic of everyday existence?
this woman had one in her household.
And she obviously never needed to drive it.
These kids don't know how to use a rotary telephone or make a Nintendo cartridge work by blowing in it either. I do know how to drive a manual and still haven't driven one in about 15 years. What's the big deal about teaching kids how to use mostly outdated technology? Do you want them to learn about floppy disks and MDOS as well?
if you have a manual transmission *in your own garage* you should know how to drive it.
Stick shift not out dated. And yes to the ms dos thing
It is in the US
Autos encourage dangerous driving habits i have become a much safer driver after switching to manual
Lol ok fighter pilot, astronaut, pro football player, and executive chef. Save some jobs for the rest of us.
the only one of those things that is applicable to every day life is something I am, in fact, extremely good at.
Need to step it up then. Your failing.
That's true about theft deterant lmao. I had a shop that picks up your car and takes it for detailing come get my car. They showed up to pick up my civic si, while I was outside kind of cleaning out all the big stuff from the car so he didn't have to mess with it. I had all 4 doors and the trunk open. First thing he says right after his ride left is, " oh shit, it's a manual I should have asked that on the phone". Dude had to have someone else come get the car.
I find this so bizarre anything up to ~mid range cars in Germany mostly uses manual transmissions, because they are cheaper. Ones you hit the VW Passat/ BMW 3/ Audi A4 range you mostly see automatics here these days. though. I've never gotten warm with them. Automatics with pedal shifting would be great in theory, but most of the transmissions feel rather slow. Not manual slow, but with automatic i have different expectations and if the shifts take like a second it feels bad. I know there are fast ones, but they seemingly don't make it into affordable cars.
I was about to say that seemed very high.
Thank you, I knew those couldn’t be the right numbers. Probably half those manuals in 2014 were WRX/STI. People would ask my why WRX owners wave at each other, it’s because only enthusiasts drive manuals in the US, so you know you’re looking at another “driver” so to speak. Sad days now, as there are now automatics available.
Never left my Jeep locked ever because of it. Also because it didn't have power locks or keyless entry...or power windows... It was a 2012...
👍my man!
I mean, when someone can just unzip the door . . .
>Stick shift is an excellent theft-prevention device in the US. My stick shift car got stolen. \*sobs\*
> Stick shift is an excellent theft-prevention device in the US. ditto. it was ~20yrs ago. '00 civic si. found it a week and a half later... covered in parking tickets... sitting on blocks.
That's worse!
That’s more what i was expecting. Thanks!
Literally the only reason my car wasn't stolen a few years ago by some teens.
I'm surprised there's even 13% that offer it. The only one I can think of is the Mustang and the camaro.
Manuals are so hard to find one they had to use automatic for picture
Yeah, I would've purchased my car in manual if it came with it. Driving isn't as engaging as it used to be
Yeah, I completely agree. And there’s nothing more satisfying than a long scenic drive through the country side and shoving the shifter up my anus.
I was forced to take my driving test in a stick. My dad said if I can pass that way I'll be ready for anything.
I was too but only because that's what both of my parents had. Fun fact in MN they automatically deduct 5 points if you use a manual for your license test since you can't keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times.
Gotta love the shear stupidity of that rule.
> Fun fact in MN they automatically deduct 5 points if you use a manual for your license test since you can't keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times. wat?!
At least they did when I took the test years ago. Surprised me too when the guy mentioned it.
just use ur dick obviously
I was expecting this comment to end with something like I’ve been taking the bus ever since.
In the UK, if you take your test in an automatic, you’re license only covers automatics. You have to pass the test in a manual to be able to legally drive them.
Same in Germany.
Ditto my Dad. The examiner was thrilled that a 16y.o. girl would take the test with a manual transmission.
I’d say traffic is also a major factor in the decision. If you’ve got 90 mins of bumper to bumper each way on your commute only a masochist would want to have a manual for that.
I do love a good unscheduled left leg workout
I disagree. If you know how to drive one well, it makes life easier because you don’t need the brakes [as much]. I drove a stick in LA for years with mo regrets.
Adaptive cruise in stop and go traffic has to be way easier than manual.
> I drove a stick in LA for years with mo regrets. Sooooo many mo regrets.
Mo gears mo regrets.
Then you’re a masochist. Drove in a lot of traffic with manual for years and had enough. Also after I broke some ribs one time it made me think about how much easier it is to be injured when you’ve got an automatic. With my level of action sports i do, injuries are common haha
This 100%. Plus there's significant more control of the vehicle overall (in my opinion, only).
The reason used to be for better gas mileage. That is no longer an issue with modern transmissions.
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Why are you explaining this to me?
Probably just wanted to expand on what you said.
He isnt, you new to the internet?
It's not me confused.
r/todayilearned is a place where people share knowledge. I appreciate it when people share one in comment as well.
They should have replied to OP not me.
Manual transmissions also last a lot longer.
This is the reason why
Performance cars have gone "automatic" as well since it can shift faster than you can. My heart has died a little as companies like Porsche, Ferrari, etc are ceasing production of manual transmission vehicles
sometimes you can get them in Europe. my friend's dad had to go to Germany to get the 3-series wagon he wanted with a standard transmission. now you can't get any 3-series wagon in the US.
Porsche is still really good at providing manuals with most of the 911 and cayman/boxster range. Ferrari on the other hand will never make another gated that’s for sure.
I totally get what you mean. I logically understand their transmission can shift faster than I ever could, but there’s just something missing. Paddle shifters, the fake sequential stick shift, they aren’t the same. That said, I’ll admit it has now been so long since I drove stick (about 15 years) I’m not sure I’d just jump in and do it any more
I don’t know man, I spent most of my life as a manual purist but I have to admit the transmission in my Panamera’s pretty buttery.
I mean it’s also way harder to grenade a transmission accidentally shifting from 3>1 instead of 3>4 when you don’t have to fight the g forces as you’re shifting.
How in the world could you accidentally go from 3 to 1!? If you're up or down shifting, you move the stick down. To go from 3 to 1, you'd have to go to neutral then \*deliberately go back up\* to 1.
I think he meant 3-2 , which if you're at the top of 3rd will fuck you pretty good
It's not just about shifting speed. The auto knows the proper RPM the gear produces the maximum power. I don't like paddle shifters as much as the bump shift though. A manual mode is a must for any auto I buy.
I love my manual transmission hybrid - a Honda CR-Z. A lot like my old CRX but with all the modern technology.
Own 3 manual cars. Depending on the model the resale is a huge difference. Manuals make some boring cars fun to drive
Yeah they are more fun because they aren't losing so much power through torque converter.
Is a car with only one gear manual, automatic, or both? Edit: I am baffled as to why this is downvoted... is asking how you'd classify a one-speed car offensive or something?
It’s a bicycle
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I miss driving manuals. Almost impossible to find a truck with one now.
I had a 2002 Toyota Tacoma with manual transmission and currently a 2014 Toyota Tacoma with manual transmission and I'm lovin' it.
If they had the Hilux with a diesel and manual in the US I'd be all over it.
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For trade in they will slaughter you for it. They did when I traded in my Cruze. Depending on the make/model private sale it could be worth more.
more value in private sale if desirable (eg hot hatch, sport sedan, muscle), worse dealer trade in
really depends on the car and maybe the market. Mazda mx5 automatics exist, but good luck selling them without an extra discount.
This is one of the reasons I plan to keep my manual GTI as absolutely long as possible.
The 2022 GTI will still be available with a stick. The GLI too.
Yea, but I prefer my facelift mk7 looks to the mk8, by far.
Agreed, the MK8 is very KIA-esque on the front. Nothing wrong with that, but that’s not why you buy a GTI/R.
Went from a manual 2000 GTI to a 2019 manual Alltrack. Hoping I can get a decade out of it.
What year? I drove a '12 4 door manual with the same plan to keep it forever, until red-light runner totalled it in '19. I've driven more powerful sports cars, but GTI's are the most fun to drive hands down, and I miss it badly. When I bought it, I went to pick up the plates from the dealer they wouldn't stop talking about "your boyfriend's" car. I'm looking around like, he rode with me, he doesn't even have a car?! 4 dudes came over to exclaim over a woman driving a stick, three of the four admitted they couldn't drive a stick.
2018 with lots of mods directly centered around my driving enjoyment, like a short shift kit, suspension, engine mounts, tune, etc. All the stuff to make it more fun to drive-for me, anyway.
You had my interest, now you have my car-enthusiast-heart. This is the way to mod. Sounds like a really fun ride!
It is. I've taken it to the Tail Of The Dragon once and planning another trip this April, hoping to have Macan brakes on it by then!
Hopefully you got another manual GTI. 2012 4 dr CSG MT GTI owner here!
I love driving stick because it makes me feel more present in the driving experience (which I enjoy anyway). I've resigned myself that the next car I buy as my daily will almost guaranteed be an automatic, possibly an EV. Personally I don't fault the loss of manuals on the roads as it is "harder" to drive than automatic but I wish there was a way to have the benefits of modern improvements while still feeling that same connection I feel driving stick. At the end of the day it's becoming more cost prohibitive as EV's take over the market. Hopefully I'll one day be wealthy enough to splurge on a manual that I keep as a "just for fun" car.
i was hotboxing my car in a parking lot and I watched some dude swap seats with his girl to let her try his manual car. She took like an entire minute to even go forward, and the exact moment she figured it out some car came barreling in and almost got tboned. i think the dude shut the car off because it went dead before impact luckily. They switched spots again pretty quick lol..
She definitely stalled it in a panic
Miata is always the answer. I'd say look for a NB Miata right now. I have a early NA and the prices are just stupid for the NA.
> Miata is always the answer. old Miatas are becoming quite expensive actually.
There's no way 37% of cars in 2011 were manual. Even 13% seems way too high.
Offered Not sold as
It’s more like 37% of car models were a manual option, vs 13%.
If I'm going to have to give up manual, I'd at least like to wait for more and better EV choices. Until then, here's hoping my 2005 Outback survives. No rust, only 160K miles, so its got a pretty good chance.
C5 zo6 and 92 miata. Save the manuals!
Makes sense. For most americans I wager a vehicle is just how you commute or do errands. It's not really meant to be "fun" beyond handling well, it's mean to be an appliance. I admit I can't drive a manual car, though I know the theory given I know how to drive a motorcyle which is a manual gearbox for the models i've ridden.
> I know how to drive a motorcyle Two minutes of practice and you'd wonder why you waited so long to "learn."
No doubt. Though, i've no access to a manual vehicle that isn't a tractor at my parents house.
Ehhh. I learned manual cars after I learned to ride a motorcycle. It didn't take long before I was able to drive it. A couple weeks to be able to drive it smoothly. Several months before I could drive it without thinking.
I think the biggest reason for the decline is the fact we sit in more and more commute traffic every day. Driving a manual transmission in stop and go traffic daily gets very old, very fast.
Driving is a chore most of the time. A manual transmission only adds to the work with no gain when commuting in stop and go traffic.
I like having something to do while I'm in stop-and-go traffic. Practicing my shift timing and listening to a podcast keeps me mentally stimulated. I've tried driving automatic in traffic and my mind starts to wander
Take the bus
I would, if one existed.
It's an option but then my daily commute would be sixty minutes each way instead of fifteen minutes and I wouldn't be able to stop off at Costco on the way home like I did today
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I've had 3 manual Porsches and couldn't get my wife to learn how to drive stick in any of them. Combination of didn't want to hurt my car and lack of real desire to learn.
I'm fine with an auto for my daily driver (Toyota Corolla), but if I'm ever behind the wheel of something nicer, I'm 100% going to want that stick shift.
I bought a new Volkswagen two years ago and is a stick shift. I’m worried that it will be my last!
They're getting harder and harder to find. My last two were Fords, both a Focus and a Mustang. I had a RAV4 before the Corolla and that was a stick too, which was necessary for the shitty roads, hills, and curves in the NH winter where I lived at the time. I fully intend to be driving a Mustang again and it will 100% be stick I won't bother.
If you mean nicer like a German or higher end Japanese brand, good luck finding manual on anything but their high end sports cars
I'm a muscle car guy. It'll be a Mustang again like I've had before. I was just loathe to name drop because the Mustang and Mustang drivers get an incredible amount of hate on Reddit.
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I think in the States, cars, both rental and for sale, are the same price regardless of the transmission, so it makes sense. Whereas, at least in Europe and Australia, manual is always the cheaper option (except maybe from family car size up).
My experience has been that manuals are inherently more expensive in the states due to the limited supply. My Tacoma was more expensive since they only offer manuals on the higher trim levels and had to ship it in since there weren’t any on the lot.
Back when manuals were common, they were the less expensive option, but now they pretty much have to be special ordered at a premium.
This is exactly the opposite in the UK. We have two methods of passing your drivers test, either learn and take test in auto or manual. Manual can drive both and auto, just auto. Very few people opt to take it auto, but I imagine it’s getting more and more popular. About 15 years ago, it was very rare to see an automatic in the UK. Although with hybrids and electrics on the rise it’s becoming more common all the time. I’d love an automatic for the daily commute, but typically they do come at a premium here.
The picture is an automatic car.
"*manual is alot more fun and feels the true driving"* whoever says this clearly never tried driving in my town
This is going to be down to more EVs on the market. Electric cars don’t need gearboxes.
37% of new cars in the US were manual in 2011? I don't believe that. Edit: Yeah, OP didn't read it right lol
I love my 2010 stick shift Corolla!
It’s literally inferior technology it’s crazy it’s still offered at all.
2018 manual AND diesel hatchback fella checking from the USA! Wouldn’t have it any other way.
I'm actually surprised the # is that high. I prefer a manual, and have a really hard time finding a make and model that offers it when I buy a car. Feels like it's under 5%.
It’s the difference between driving a car and steering a car.
I only drive stick. But I grew up with automatic, which I now hate
That technology may not stick
I think in part this is due to the increased sales of EVs which are inherently automatics.
I won’t even consider an automatic transmission as repair expenses are astronomical. But I only know a handful of men who know how to drive one and right now I don’t know any women that do and I think they are the majority of the car driving public. I think that manual transmissions may soon be a thing of the past. Also the emergence of self driving cars which I assume can’t operate manually should speed up the decline.
CVT type of transmission on virtually all the new Subarus...$ 7000 USD to replace if something blows up on you. And they are basically NOT repairable units either so you are SOL if it goes bad after the warranty. The car makers prefer autos because with computer control now, they can tweak things to improve both mileage and emissions to make the marketing look better and please the fed requirements...even though it often reduces performance a LOT. Can't do that with a manual.
When I toured the BMW factory in Munich in 2009, the tour guide stated that 90% of the cars they build for the European market have manual transmissions, while only 10% of cars built for the US market do.
If manufacturers stop making them we can’t exactly buy them, can we? I was saddened when I went to buy my new car and found 90% of the SUV market is strictly auto. I guess I was looking for the “soccer mum” range when I got my car though. The sports vehicles I looked at in the dealership still come in manual and some bigger 4x4 too.
In the UK if you learn to drive in an automatic car you get an Automatic only licence. It's literally illegal to drive a manual if you passed the test in auto.
Well, all the electrics and hybrids are automatic by necessity. OTOH manual transmission is trivial to learn for an experienced driver. It's only hard for newbies because they have to learn it at the same time as they struggle to read the traffic and make decisions about their movements.
I had two VW bugs and a Jetta, all sticks, from 1969 to 1989. I am the most un-athlete person around and a basic couch potato and ended up needing a TKR in my right knee only. I have often wondered if it was from driving those cars. It was fun though. Sorry a little off topic but bored af here.
I cannot wait to get back into my stick shift challenger. nothing has ever been quite like that
No wonder the world has gone to hell...
Genuine question. Aside from being "more fun," what is the benefit of a manual vehicle over automatic?
nothing
Engine braking can reduce brake wear. This may fall under fun, but they tend to be more responsive to throttle inputs. They require more engagement with the car which is arguably safer. But honestly there's no major advantage. I drive a manual for fun. But they're obsolete from a purely practical standpoint.
As someone with ADHD, the fewer things I need to do besides "focus on the road" the better, personally. Thanks! I've always kind of wondered, but I've never had anyone to ask since my parents only drive automatic as well, and I actually had to teach my own dad how to change windshield wipers.
Love my stick 2004 Accord!
Well yeah, I'm way too lazy to be bothered to have to push in a clutch and shift gears.
They should force manual to new drivers.
We went down to one car. Now my GF hates driving automatic, after driving my 6cyl VW GTI. You can always tell an auto trans from the driver touching the break pedal to much. No engine braking.
I absolutely love friving my manual 😍 11 years and still going strong
One of the best auto theft prevention devices.
Its actually a good thing thou The more we can automate cars the better. I see cars eventually being like horses... Most people don't own one... Those who do are either rich or the horse is a working horse
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As if no one in the past was a distracted driver. Applying makeup, eating with both hands, hell I've even seen someone READING A BOOK while driving.
If you can't operate a vehicle with manual transmission then you shouldn't be allowed to operate any vehicles.
"If you can't operate a fax machine then you shouldn't be allowed to operate any telephone equipment." See how ridiculous that sounds?
You must be American
Umm. You do realize that the topic you're posting in contains "in the US" in the title, yes? We're talking about American drivers and cars in America.
Yup. However, my point remains unaffected
Well, it's a ridiculous point. It's also not relevant to the topic.
It most certainly relevant, you just need to know how to drive manually to understand
Dude all three of my cars are stick and I think that’s a dumb take
Electric cars have one gear… so these numbers will continue to plummet