What's the deal on people from the US and 'stick-shift'/manual?
60 replies, posted
I'd rather enjoy the handling, and features of a car. You can't really go fast in a city, but you can take a turn sharper or whatever.
A manual transmission isn't going to affect those other experiences. Unless of course you have no idea how to drive one.
Texas. Lots of big old trucks here. I see manuals all the time.
I really don't see the point of having an MT for an everyday, get my ass where it needs to go, car.
Pfft automatics.
People who enjoy driving drive manuals, it's that simple, even in a daily commute i MUCH prefer a manual
Most cars here are automatic, but I believe you have the choice to have manual when you're buying a new car, not all cars but a lot of them. Most people choose automatic because it's easier.
Also, you gotta think about where/what your job is. If your job is in a more hilly, mountainous area and/or you have a construction job, you're probably going to get a manual car/truck. But a lot of the jobs here are office jobs in cities and suburbs. Flat roads and highways everywhere, so people choose automatic because there's little to no point for manual.
Manual is better than automatic only on b-roads, mountain passes, coastal highways and everywhere where driving is actually exciting. On normal everyday driving, an automatic is much better.
I love my manual 'box.
On topic, every time I've went to the US automatics seem to be so much more common than manuals, in Europe it's the other way around.
What's with them calling manuals "stick shift" it sounds dumb like calling the indicator a blinker or clicker it's stupid baby talk.
When I'm about to take my drivers license(I'm 16 now, two more years to wait(Sweden)), I'll probably take license for MT cars, because of the reasons most people said above.
[QUOTE=markg06;29535075]What's with them calling manuals "stick shift" it sounds dumb like calling the indicator a blinker or clicker it's stupid baby talk.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slang[/url]
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;29521896]I don't understand the whole automatic / manual debate personally.
To me manual transmission just seems like another distraction, just one more thing you have to pay attention to while you drive.[/QUOTE]
It's not a distraction at all in my opinion, if you know how to drive a manual car you do it without thinking about it.
It's not like you have to look down and be like "Let's see, where's the 3rd gear again?".
I prefer driving manual transmission cars because it's much more fun, It's more challenging when driving in city's etc...
[QUOTE=Cypher_09;29521807][img_thumb]http://hyundaigenesisblog.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/d99f2_manual_automatic.jpg[/img_thumb]
Inspiration taken from this post:
Just how rare is the manual transmission over there? It vexes me so. I rarely see an automatic car here in the UK (Except for the one my parents have...heh, an inconvenient coincidence), but that's all I ever see, really. Every car I've had so far has been a manual.
:psyduck:
Gotta love the Psyduck emot.[/QUOTE]
Standards are not rare, most people just prefer automatics that and the cars usually come with them already. You can still get cars that are manual, most people that got them are people who want that "driving experience", have a performance/sports car, truck drivers, pickups, etc.
I mean most people don't need a manual, they're driving on the highway from point A to point B.
One thing I do see a bit more then manuals are "slap sticks"
Manual are awesome.
And most people here have Automatics because Manual transmissions are normally only offered on Base models now (here in the US). Normally people don't want a base model. Normally people want the more powerful, more feature packed higher trim cars.
I think semi-auto is the best. You can be comfy, or sporty at a whim.
I drive a 2001 Ford Focus that's a manual. And it's really, really fun to drive. Automatics strike me as boring whenever I have to drive them.
I'm going to learn on an automatic. I heard that its the best way to learn; first automatic, then manual.
I learned on a manual, in traffic.
Shit was harrowing.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;29521896]I don't understand the whole automatic / manual debate personally.
To me manual transmission just seems like another distraction, just one more thing you have to pay attention to while you drive.[/QUOTE]
Although isn't manual cheaper?
[editline]1st May 2011[/editline]
As in if you were getting a car and there were two types for a model, manual and automatic.
Not in and of itself. But you can save a fair bit on gas.
Getting a manual transmission permit allows you to drive an automatic as well, so I think that it ought to be better to learn MT first.
I drive a stick shift 2000 honda civic ex. Eh. Its so fun. :3
I drive a gtp with a manual valve body automatic, aka I can shift it like a manual.
I just sold my other beater which was pure manual, had that car for 11 years and climbing into the gtp is a totally wierd feeling
If I have to choose between manual and automatic on the same car with the same engine, I'd choose manual. More control over the engine. Besides, the automatic is always a tad slower.
People who say that the automatic version accelerates faster simply can't operate a manual gearbox properly.
I was 11 when I started driving with manual transmission, when I moved to U.S. automatic transmission was the easiest thing to use. In my experience, if you already know how to drive a manual car it wouldn't be a problem driving an automatic one. I'd prefer manual because it's universal, means that it would be easy to drive to any kind of terrain. You would have alot of control over the vehicle you're driving too.
Manual transmission cars suck.
How am I supposed to eat my McDonald's and talk on the cell phone while I am driving if I have to shift manually???
[QUOTE=analrapist;29617447]Manual transmission cars suck.
How am I supposed to eat my McDonald's and talk on the cell phone while I am driving if I have to shift manually???[/QUOTE]
Put the cell on speakerphone, use one hand for your McDonald's, the other for the shifter, and your knee to steer. Simple.
It's obvious that people who goes to Mc Donald's drive Automatics ^_^
Hey, Yank here. I got a question for all you Euro-peeps.
Is it true that when tourists cross the pond, people make fun of them for driving Automatics?
[QUOTE=ewitwins;29618860]Hey, Yank here. I got a question for all you Euro-peeps.
Is it true that when tourists cross the pond, people make fun of them for driving Automatics?[/QUOTE]
Not at all.
[editline]5th May 2011[/editline]
There are automatics here too.
My uncle lives in California and he used to work in a garage over there, and he said that he hardly ever saw manual cars. Maybe it's just the people in and around LA that are lazy.
Here in Scotland, I've only seen one or two automatics. Ever.
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