Do you/can you drive a manual?

[Founders]

In the US just 2 percent of all new vehicles sold in 2018 were manuals and only 20 percent of vehicles offer the option according to Edmunds. With the continued growth and development of electric vehicles the future is looking pretty bleak for the manual transmission as an option. As government regulations change in favor of electric vehicles for the masses the use of internal combustion and manuals in cars will eventually be a thing of the past. According to BP's Statistical Review of World Energy, global oil reserves at the end of 2012 were 1.7 trillion barrels. Given that the world consumes about 86 million barrels of crude oil per day, it would be easy to conclude we will run out of oil in 55 years.

 

New cars sold in the US still offering a manual option.

 

With all that said I'm a sad panda, every car I've owned has had a manual transmission and I still prefer it as my daily driver. Don't get me wrong sometimes it's nice to hop in another car and not have to shift, but I feel if I ever gave it up I'd regret it immediately. I know that eventually it will no longer be an option at all so I prefer to enjoy it while I still can. I'm interested to hear what everyone has to say, thanks for participating.   

[atxcyclist]

My car has a manual transmission, and my motorcycle has a regular sequential motorcycle gearbox. I owned an old 4x4 Suburban automatic for a while around 2010, but I've had my current car since new in 2005. I can see why people don't own manual transmission cars as much and why they've fallen out of favor. I'm more than happy to drive my car for hundreds of miles on the highway, but I'm done working a clutch pedal for stop-and-go traffic. 

[Mr.Meerkat]

Me cahh has a manual. Here in the UK, at the moment, it is about a 60:40 split of manual-to-slushmatics but not too long ago, the ratio was more like 80:20. Since maybe 2014 or 2015, the number of autos sold increased drastically. 

[Flying Sausages]

Last time I drive a manual car, I got 5 stars popo chase

[zassou]

i learnt to drive on a 90s civic with stick shift. japanese make the best manual cars, most european brands have spongy smushy clutch and weird throttle response

[minibois]

I learned driving manual for my license and my primary/only car is a manual.

Never driven an automatic.. As for cars 'out there in the wild', I feel like 95% is manual. Most brands are advertising their automatic cars nowadays though.

[dcgreen2k]

I drive a 2004 Toyota Corolla with a manual transmission, and I love it. Stop and start traffic, which is one of the most common reasons I hear for people not liking to use manuals, isn't bothersome to me at all. My first car had an auto trans, but I started learning to drive stick about a month after I got my learner's permit. I live in the USA if that makes any difference.

[captain_to_fire]

I studied driving with a manual transmission. Now, I'm spoiled by automatic transmission.

[WereCatf]

Automatic transmission never got much wind under its wings over here. Almost every car is manual, just like they should be.

[ARikozuM]

My Bimmer is manual, but the mileage makes it a weekend vehicle while my auto Celica is the daily, unless I feel like driving the other convertible. 

 

Spoiler

Yes, I own two convertibles. Don't roast me.

 

[atxcyclist]

12 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

My Bimmer is manual, but the mileage makes it a weekend vehicle while my auto Celica is the daily, unless I feel like driving the other convertible. 

 

  Hide contents

Yes, I own two convertibles. Don't roast me.

 

Convertibles are real nice on a spring day with the sun out.

[The1Dickens]

14 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

My Bimmer is manual, but the mileage makes it a weekend vehicle while my auto Celica is the daily, unless I feel like driving the other convertible. 

 

  Hide contents

Yes, I own two convertibles. Don't roast me.

 

Plot Twist: Lives in Alaska

 

On topic: I learned on an auto, first car I bought was a manual. Last car was an auto (CVT, most depressing thing I have ever driven), and now I'm looking for a manual again. That is the number 1 thing on my quite short list of 'needs-to-have'.

[WindirBear]

I mean automatic are popular because they save with better gas mileage, and have been proven Superior over manual trans.

 

However, I prefer engagement, and simplicity of standard. Simplicity as in, replacing parts for it.

[imreloadin]

Driving a manual to 90% of Americans...

[Levent]

I love rev matching, heel toe and clutch dumps. For my every upcoming car I will be getting a manual if I got the option, I do love me some fast automatics although I will still take manual over autos every single time.

[SaviorSix]

Learned on a manual, upgraded to an automatic.

[TempestCatto]

I would love to learn, and I honestly think I'd like it better than auto. I don't know anyone with a manual, nor can I afford to swap one of my current vehicles (nor do I want to). I also can't afford to buy a cheap beater with a manual. But, at least I can drive!

 

I love the saying "having a manual is a security feature" simply because it's so damn true. No one know how to drive a manual anymore, at least not in the metro US.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

1 minute ago, TempestCatto said:

...No one know how to drive a manual anymore, at least not in the metro US.

Never say no one. I live in a metro area in the SSA (aka US) and I can drive a manual. I've driven most everyting from three on the tree to a 10 speed Road Ranger, five on the floor (one cab over had five on the tree and a four speed auxiliary on the dog house; shifting that thing was like playing golf with a rubber club), four and five speed mains with three and four speed auxiliaries, five speeds with two speed axels, etc. Most didn't have synchros meaning double clutching (although, most of the time, I didn't need the clutch once the rig was rolling).

[TempestCatto]

1 minute ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

Never say no one. I live in a metro area in the SSA (aka US) and I can drive a manual. I've driven most everyting from three on the tree to a 10 speed Road Ranger, five on the floor (one cab over had five on the tree and a four speed auxiliary on the dog house; shifting that thing was like playing golf with a rubber club), four and five speed mains with three and four speed auxiliaries, five speeds with two speed axels, etc. Most didn't have synchros meaning double clutching (although, most of the time, I didn't need the clutch once the rig was rolling).

Yes but you're a smart person/more industrial/blue collar. A person with an office job, or a hobo, most likely won't know how to drive one. Around where I live, the only people that really know how to drive one are the truckers and farmers.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Just now, TempestCatto said:

Yes but you're a smart person/more industrial/blue collar. A person with an office job, or a hobo, most likely won't know how to drive one. Around where I live, the only people that really know how to drive one are the truckers and farmers.

A lot of truckers live in metropolitan areas. Most people I know who live in metropolitan areas know how to drive manuals.

[TempestCatto]

5 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

A lot of truckers live in metropolitan areas. Most people I know who live in metropolitan areas know how to drive manuals.

I mean I still stand by it. Most city people can't do what country people can, and visa-versa.

[yaop117]

All of the (2) cars i've owned have been manual. I know eventually i'll have to join the hoard and get an autotragic, but I always plan to have a "weekend" car that's manual.

[Founders]

2 hours ago, atxcyclist said:

My car has a manual transmission, and my motorcycle has a regular sequential motorcycle gearbox. I owned an old 4x4 Suburban automatic for a while around 2010, but I've had my current car since new in 2005. I can see why people don't own manual transmission cars as much and why they've fallen out of favor. I'm more than happy to drive my car for hundreds of miles on the highway, but I'm done working a clutch pedal for stop-and-go traffic. 

I can respect that, I live in the suburbs and rarely get stuck in stop and start traffic. But I'll admit it wasn't ideal when I was commuting over an hour in the morning for work and hitting traffic every morning. But the good far out weighs the bad IMO.

 

2 hours ago, WereCatf said:

Automatic transmission never got much wind under its wings over here. Almost every car is manual, just like they should be.

So automatics never gained much traction in your bedroom? Where are you from?

 

54 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

I would love to learn, and I honestly think I'd like it better than auto. I don't know anyone with a manual, nor can I afford to swap one of my current vehicles (nor do I want to). I also can't afford to buy a cheap beater with a manual. But, at least I can drive!

 

I love the saying "having a manual is a security feature" simply because it's so damn true. No one know how to drive a manual anymore, at least not in the metro US.

Start saving up for your next car if you haven't already. Unless you're currently making payments then I guess it'll be a ways away for you. I understand wanting to know what you're doing before the purchase though. A friend of mine bought his first manual car not know anything and I had him off and running in an hour or two. YMMV, but it's not hard to learn and you'll enjoy it. Save the manual!  

[RyomaSJibenG]

i can drive both, but i just prefer manual simply because of its cheap, makes me incontrol in most situation and also kept me awake

 

the last part is especially important, when i haven't bought my current car yet, i use my parents auto car and i fell asleep in the middle of driving. I'm lucky that my driving style has always to leave a lot of space between me and front car and it was during a heavy traffic jam. Else i would have hit a very expensive Mercedes in front of me

[atxcyclist]

8 minutes ago, Ehmc130 said:

I can respect that, I live in the suburbs and rarely get stuck in stop and start traffic. But I'll admit it wasn't ideal when I was commuting over an hour in the morning for work and hitting traffic every morning. But the good far out weighs the bad IMO.

 

The motorcycle is way less strenuous in traffic, I live in the suburbs as well and work in a little town outside my city, so my commute is not too bad. I really only drive the car when it's raining.