Driving a manual transmission.your thoughts.your experiences.

[Doraemon]

My first car with a manual transmission was a 1966 Pontiac GTO. It had a 389 V8 engine, and a three speed manual transmission. The car had no options. The front seat was a bench type, with a slippery vinyl covering, the windows were manual, the car had no air conditioning, and a simple AM radio with a single speaker. The clutch was cable-operated, and a bit heavy, the shifting was rough and clumsy, though better when I installed a newer Hurst shifter. It also had manual steering and manual brakes. It is kind of hard to hold onto your girlfriend with your right arm and steer with only your left without power steering.

My last car with a manual transmission was a 2006 Pontiac GTO. Funny that the new GTO was the same color as my old one. But the new GTO had a 6 speed manual transmission, which shifted very smoothly, and a hydraulic clutch, which required less pressure. It also had full power options, like windows, locks, leather bucket seats, and wonderful steering. This car was easy to drive sideways, but very fast, I got from Orlando to Miami on Florida's turnpike in only 2 hours on a very early Sunday morning.

Recently, I tried driving a Skyline here in Japan, which was a challenge as the shifter is on the left side. Gear positions are the same, just the arm is different. It took a bit of getting used to, but now I am a switch hitter as far as driving manual transmission cars.

 

[whosaidpigeon]

Being from a right hand drive country, shifting with my right hand always freaks me out a bit.

 

[Orville]

Jeeps have a version of the CVT also on some models. Being Jeeps they have a special, very low off road gear (19:1) . The Jeeps with this CVT transmission aren't known for good MPG...but then they also have low gearing (4.12's) , are relatively heavy, boxy in shape.

Think the CVT transmission is, I believe a Jatco design...same as Nissan, etc...although with the low gear and prob. other tweaks....being for Jeep use.

Have you SEEN (my car) a Nissan Cube? LOL

 

[morgane6]

I started with an '03 Mini Cooper s 6 speed manual. I love shifting so much I don't think I will ever have an automatic. My mom taught me to drive stick, and then we both taught my younger sister. Even though my sis now has an automatic mustang, from time to time she asks to borrow my car for the shifting experience.

 

[Chango]

My cousin and her fiancé were house guests recently. They wanted to go around town so I offered them my car for the day because I had to work anyway.

While me and her fiancé are getting ready to leave and drop me off at work I'm putting my gear in the car when he freezes and says "is that a stick shift??" Turns out he doesn't know how to drive one. I felt a little bad because I didn't even take that into consideration. I mean, he's a guy right?

Almost all my vehicles have been manual. Even as a kid my dad used to let me shift for him while he was driving. Now I let my son do the same. I hope my vehicle lasts because I'd like my son to learn on a standard like I did.

 

[Doraemon]

I learned to drive in an old Ford which had the "three on a tree" shifter, then a Pinto with the "four on the floor". Then there was my old air-cooled Honda Coupe which had the shifter to the right of the instrument cluster. Then was the old Dodge logging truck which had a 5 speed trans and 4 speed axle, for a total of 20 speeds (and 4 in reverse). My last cars were a Ford F-250 PSD with 5 speed, and a 2006 GTO with a 6 speed . Here in Japan I drive a car with an automatic, I couldn't transfer my class A license here. In Japan getting a regular car license is as time consuming and expensive as a pilots license in America, and a manual transmission endorsement costs extra.

 

[Quijote]

I prefer manual myself. I currently drive a 98 accord and my family thinks I am nuts for liking them. I just feel more in tune with the car.

 

[velocityboy]

In the next few days I'll be hitting 500,000 km in my manual 96 Civic. It doesn't even have a tachometer, I just use the force to know when to shift.

 

[redfalconf35]

The only manuals I've driven have been tractors and dirt bikes. I'm sure I could pick up driving stick in a car, but it's not like I'm driving on empty mountain curves on a regular basis. 95% of my driving is in rush hour traffic, so I opted for a CVT hybrid.

 

[emwolf]

I switched to automatics when the kids started getting into the teen years. I didn't want them learning on a manual. I'd love to go back to a manual now, but I've got a car payment and a mortgage and I really don't want to mess anything up.

 

[ZJ68]

I've only ever owned automatics, and probably only will. Manual transmissions hold no appeal for me.

 

[Joma12]

Being a strong left-handed person, I abhor driving stick in the US since I got zero practice shifting with my right arm. That and working in cities where stop and go traffic is random and regular would make driving with it even worse. My hybrid is perfect for where I am at geographically and in life. I still know how to drive manual since my Japanese car was stick, and knowing how is convenient for the future.

 

[Esox]

The car I learned to drive in traffic was a 1963 Chevy Bel Air, 3 on the tree. After that it was automatics until I bought a 1967 Chevelle SS 396 4 speed. Fun car to drive, but with a heavy clutch and 3:55 rear gears it's a lot of shifting in traffic, although the old Muncie lets you shift 1-3, 2-4 and even 1-4 if the rpm is high enough in 1st, it was still a lot of shifting and a tired left leg in heavy traffic.

I prefer the control of a manual, but in the traffic here its just a pain.

 

[bobskins]

i started driving in '58, so three on the tree was my and my parent's cars. drove jeep in the army, then VWs with 4 on the floor. first job after army got company car, they forced auto trans on me. got used to it, but never forgot how to drive manual.

there's always a plan B.

 

[djm2]

I switched to automatics when the kids started getting into the teen years. I didn't want them learning on a manual. I'd love to go back to a manual now, but I've got a car payment and a mortgage and I really don't want to mess anything up.

For what it is worth I suspect that the manual transmission would decrease the odds of texting while on the road.

 

[Esox]

For what it is worth I suspect that the manual transmission would decrease the odds of texting while on the road.

By that reasoning alone they should be mandatory haha.

 

[Verndahl]

Learned to drive with a manual tranny. My wife didn't but had to when she moved to Oregon when we first were married though she never really liked it. have had onlyautomatics for the last 25 years. Took a '65 VW bug for a test drive a couple months ago and what a blast! didn't realize how much i missed it.

 

[emwolf]

For what it is worth I suspect that the manual transmission would decrease the odds of texting while on the road.

great point.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I have been eyeballing the new Miata RF. Should I get one, it will be manual.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I had too many girlfriends to fuss with shifting. I'd rather cruise around with my arm around my girl. That being said, I owned quite a few standards after marriage.