Why the end of manual/shift stick needs to concern us !

interesting, have to ask about those next time looking for a car, never heard of them before

 

If the Stupids can't drive stick, then cars with manual transmissions can't be stolen.

The reality is if they're so stupid they'll vote rodent, working a clutch while shifting gears and steering all at the same time is far too complicated for them.

 

People who buy new cars don't want standards (shouldn't that be called Non-Standards?). But if you want one they still make some, and there are enough used standards around to satisfy the demand for decades to come. Its fun to drive a standard, but who drives for fun?
So they'll be like horses, some people still ride horses, on the weekend, for fun.

 

You can still get manuals in brand new cars, its not a big deal really.

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No manual can beat a car that does 0 to sixty in 8ish seconds, or runs the 1/4 mile in 16 seconds? Hell my 8500lb 4x4 crew cab diesel could out run that.

 

its becoming very very difficult to steal any type of car, no need to buy a manual tor prevent theft...

 

i suspect most people who drive entry level cars with manuals do so because they cant afford an automatic

 

I reckon before being allowed to be 'free' on the road you should have to navigate on foot, on a cycle and in a car including sometime in a manual. I see too many cases of bad indecision and decision making from pedestrians, cyclists and drivers who don't appreciate their momentum and carriage through space.
I learnt to drive on a manual but my first couple of cars were automatics. I now drive a manual car and manual van and feel more in tune with vehicles than I did in an automatic. I'll happily drive an automatic again but for my own personal circumstances, I am a better driver for having assimilated some physics in a manual.

 

Maybe we should all know how to ride a horse before using a manual too or how about adding some auto technical classes?...for 40+ yrs I've known how to drive a manual I fail to see how knowing that makes me a better driver....

 

I learned to drive on a stick and I hated it. Especially on hills. I don't think it is that important. Learning math and science and how to tell time are important imo.

 

The sensors that tell you stuff you have to go to a mechanic to get the engine light turned off, and it costs you $80.00 to find out you didn't tighten your gas cap enough, or that you ran low on windshield wash, etc... Just had to go help one of my buddies haul his car home because the alternator went out and the computer shut the car down. He could have made it home (3 miles) but he was stranded by a computer.

Yea when I drive the wife's car I use the cruise control, but in my truck (manual transmission), you don't have like you said, that luxury. I feel myself getting lazy when I drive her car. lol

 

I hear that, but it's a bigger test of skill to have two hands and two feet all workin' together. Just speaking for myself here, but I'd never have a Carrera with an automatic. People'd be laughing at me.

 

If the shifty types want to cast the "others" into disrepute, they should identify them as the "shiftless" folks, but the free market will ultimately govern, anyway.


I'm more concerned about the repercussions of the demise of handwriting.

 

If you live in areas where there is a lot of horse 'traffic' I would think learning about horses and their relationship with the road would be a beneficial thing. If that means learning how to ride then go for it.
Maybe knowing how to drive a manual doesn't make you a better driver, It has however made me a better driver as I have learned to listen to and feel the car in a way I did not do in an automatic. I am happy to accept in theory that you are a different kind of driver who does not need a manual to do this. I however, did. And I assume I am not alone.
As long as learning to drive a manual does not make your type worse drivers and does make my type better drivers, I say I would not mind if it was an accepted cultural standard to learn how to drive a manual.

 

you can shift porsche autos like a manual, and if you want optimum performance porsche driving instructors will teach how apply left foot brake technique....anyone who suggests not having a clutch pedal isn't real driving should tell that to F1 drivers who have no clutch pedal...
Bugatti Veyron, 1.25million, 253mph and no clutch pedal, porsche owners wont be laughing at Veyron owners either....

 

The PDK transmission that Porsche offers is great, but if you drive the car hard, or race it, you will be fixing it. It is fast at the track, launch control is awesome, but replacement cost is crazy. With all these new semi automatic transmissions, it seems clutch wear is a very common, and expensive problem. Its all fine in a race car, but in a spirited street machine. I will pass.

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Hennessy venom gt. 1.25million. 270mph with a clutch pedal.

 

supply and demand says in the future it will cost more to buy a manual then a automatic

 

I think it does now, at least in most vehicles. I will pay more, im not owning an auto behind diesel, not for atleast another 10-15 years
.

 

Ah, crap!

The Mayor's first car was a Mustang with a stick. He had to have a friend teach him how to drive the thing. The best part about that car is it's steadfast refusal to stay stuck to the road. The Mayor learned how to handle skids and the rest on the slick roads of Orlando...and learned to freak shipmates out with instant donuts, too.

How many people has the Mayor killed with his vehicles? None. How many cars? Only one, when some "Defensive Driving" dipstick decided to stop immediately when the light turned yellow....paying absolutely no attention to the 3000 cargo van coming along behind him at 40 mph. It does appear that the stopping distance of idiots is shorter than the stopping distance of 3000 lb cargo vans....and, gee...it turns out he entered the intersection just as the light turned red, the Mayor's cargo van did not.

The cargo van survived the accident, the Lexus did not. What a shame. Steel, that's the Secret Ingredient!

 

No, what really does is that the car companies make more money servicing automatic transmissions than they do replacing clutch plates that don't usually burn out until after the warranty is over and people are going to non-company mechanics anyway.

Plus, with all the Stupids around voting for Obama, actually having to learn how to drive a car and controlling the gearing is something that isn't as marketable as it used to be. Stupids want to shove the key in and go, like gay marriage.

 

I'm not sure how this relates to my post?
But that driver who failed to appreciate the stopping distance of a heavier vehicle behind him certainly could have used some more physics assimilation...be that on foot or in a vehicle.

 

By the replies I'm reading on here, I'm seeing a lot of people have outdated ideas about standards and autos. I happen to own a 2012 Ford Fiesta SEL, fully loaded, with a 5 speed. Some facts about the Fiesta manual and auto tranny:

1. The hill issue with standards no longer applies, at least to the Fiesta. It has a sensor that detects if you stop on a hill, and if you do, holds the brakes for you until you begin to move with the clutch. Ford calls it "hill start assist."
2. The automatic on the Fiesta is an automated manual with 1 extra gear. According to the paperwork, it gets 1mpg better than the manual. But in real world conditions, my 5 speed is killing the auto guys. Why? Because I can choose the gear. They are getting 39, I'm getting up to 44. Real world MPG. For comparison purposes, the paper says they should get 39, me 38.
3. The automated manual is giving Ford TONS of grief. It's even getting the Fiesta a "3 star" out of 5 reliability rating. It's a very complex system that is prone to failure for many reasons. Yet, the manual tranny Fiesta owners keep rollin' along, shifting as it may, with very few issues at all.
4. For the most part, standards are better for towing. Auto's require tranny coolers, etc which add weight and complexity to the system. That's why all your 18 wheelers were manuals until VERY recently. Auto's are for one reason, ease of driving in stop and go traffic. They are very expensive to repair, while a standard is simple and cheap to fix, and will only need a clutch in its lifetime. Autos need fluid changes, torque converter changes and repairs, filter changes, etc. A standard is a "install and forget" type tranny until it needs a clutch. Pop in a new clutch and you're ready to go another 100,000 miles.

The new Fiesta ST came out, and does 0-60 in 6.7 seconds and is ONLY available with a 6 speed manual. Ford can't keep them in stock.

 

don't think that trend has reached diesel yet... so your safe

 

yup...regardless why the first vehicle stopped hitting it from behind is a driving offense anywhere... its the following driver's responsibility to know the stopping distance of their own vehicle in anticipation of the preceeding vehicle stopping for any reason...

 

you were at fault for the accident...

 

The first car I ever drove was a '46 Willys Coupe with a floor shift.


The next was a '32 dodge truck with a hand crank and a lever to adjust the timing - ah yes, a reverse lever!


Do I ever want to go back to one?

No way!

While the trannys were easy to work on, they were not as fuel-efficient as modern ones which know exactly what the optimum rpm and velocity is.