Nothing to add...just wanted to be #200 on the post I started. Never dreamed it'd go this far!
Manual transmission "snobs"?
- Thread starter LouDawg
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I didn't say that more AT cars than MT cars are stolen or carjacked.
I said MT cars are less likely to be stolen or carjacked.
There is a subtle difference between the two statements.
I'll have to defer to your expertise on that matter.
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I didn't say that more AT cars than MT cars are stolen or carjacked.
I said MT cars are less likely to be stolen or carjacked.
There is a subtle difference between the two statements.
A slight nuance that's beneath consideration.
You can curl-up and worry about the off chance your car is stolen, you get hit by a tree, or an anvil falls from the sky. Or you can get insurance and take some security measures and go on with your life.
I'll be moving on in premium AT comfort from my gated parking to only the finest places in the city. I don't go near the riff-raff except when they shine my shoes.
Maybe I should change the name of this thread to "Automatic Transmission 'Snob'"...
I kid, I KID!!!
Maybe!
I do not find my manual transmission particularly "uncomfortable." It moves the truck and that is what matters. My next truck might have an auto, it might not. It just isn't a big concern for me. Honestly the paint color, seats, options, etc... are a much bigger concern for me.
I do not find my manual transmission particularly "uncomfortable." It moves the truck and that is what matters. My next truck might have an auto, it might not. It just isn't a big concern for me. Honestly the paint color, seats, options, etc... are a much bigger concern for me.
Speak for yourself.
The difference here is a statistical problem, and I like those.
Statistically, an MT car is less likely to be stolen or carjacked, and the fact that there are fewer MT cars to steal or carjack doesn't have anything to do with it. It does have everything to do with the fact that carjackers and thieves tend to avoid jacking and stealing MT cars. (Maybe they often don't know how to drive them?)
To explain it another way: Let's say you have two buckets. In one bucket you have all of the cars that have *never* been stolen or carjacked. In that bucket 10% of the cars will be MT and the rest, 90%, will be AT.
In the other bucket you have all of the cars that *have* been stolen or carjacked. The percentage of MT cars in this bucket is less than 10% and the percentage of AT cars is more than 90%. In this case we would say that MT cars are underrepresented among those stolen or carjacked, and AT cars are overrepresented among those stolen or carjacked.
This is how one comes to the conclusion that MT cars are less likely to be stolen or carjacked. The fact that there are fewer MT cars to begin with doesn't matter; the second bucket should have the same composition as the first if an MT car were equally likely to be stolen or carjacked.
It's an important difference that applies to many statistical comparisons, not just this particular case involving AT/MT cars and their likelyhood of being carjacked.
To put it (perhaps) more succintly, a smaller *percentage* of the entire population of MT cars will be stolen. (One can draw his own conclusions as to why that may be.)
Conversely, a larger *percentage* of the population of AT cars are stolen. With respect to the absolute numbers of vehicles in each population, they are effectively rendered meaningless.
Conversely, a larger *percentage* of the population of AT cars are stolen. With respect to the absolute numbers of vehicles in each population, they are effectively rendered meaningless.
I find driving an automatic transmission car mundane.
-not every driver who has a MT drives like a jerk or a race car driver
-for people who can only afford one car (like myself, in college), MT's are cheaper to buy and ARE cheaper to maintain AND more reliable
-you're assuming the same standards you have onto everybody else. Not everybody who drives a MT is at the same stage in life as you, not everybody has the option of a better job, not everybody experiences traffic
-This isnt a perfect world, 5 gears vs. 4 are going to do better on the highway, around town, and in any situation period. Realistically im getting 2-4 MPG better than someone who drives my same car but with an auto, driving 15,000+ miles a year, it's a significant difference
-On older cars, expecially with smaller engines, driving an automatic makes it nearly impossible to merge/pass, they're loud because you need to rev the engine high, and they NEVER shift smoothly!
and last one, again about your standards
-you may think comfort is the way to go, not everybody seeks the same thing in life. I do too actually, which is why my accord is a manual, quiet on the highway, soft riding, and a pleasure to drive. If I drove in city i'd have an automatic, but since I drive mostly highway a manual is quieter and smoother, and I rarely have to shift too.
I see people driving like that every day -- in cars which I know are only available with automatic transmissions.
Since improved MPG can be objectively measured, it's not nonsense. As for the additional cost of maintaining or replacing an AT, that's also verifiably true -- not nonsense.
Involvement in the driving experience is subjective.
Maybe. But many people never bother to try. Or they try but give up before mastering the skills. Don't feel bad if you just weren't very good at it.
In the real world, it's probably about 10% difference between a MT and an AT. With fuel over $3 in most of the country, that difference adds up quickly.
Not all of us live in gated communities, in a mansion with a six-car garage, and get to choose which car to drive each day. Most individual drivers in the real world have one car, and families have one car per adult driver.
So, many of us have to choose a single vehicle that serves a number of purposes, and does them all as well as possible. Maybe a commuter vehicle that can also carry passengers or cargo, or a pickup that also serves as a commuter vehicle, or a hobby car that also doubles as a daily driver.
Advising someone that he should drive a boring AT car for his primary vehicle, and when he wants a fun driving experience he should just buy something else, seems the epitome of snobbishness.
I'm really glad I don't have your driving conditions!
It my be true that a monkey can learn to drive a manual transmission, but I have never witnessed it. I have seen chimps drive automatic transmissions, and that is why I have given the automatic transmission the nickname "chimpomatic".
The main reason I like manual transmissions is the dependability aspect. I have been driving for 27 years, and have not been forced into walking one time due to manual transmission failure. I have never even suffered a clutch failure on any new manual transmission equipped car or truck. I have had to replace clutches on used vehicles, but that was the last time the clutch had to be touched (while I owned the car).
When I was a child (before cell phones), my family and I once had to walk nearly ten miles when the chimpomatic quit (we were between Valdosta and Macon, Georgia). My feet bled for a week, and my mother nearly suffered a heart attack during this adventure. Since that time, I have continued to enjoy the many benefits of a manual transmission.
The main reason I like manual transmissions is the dependability aspect. I have been driving for 27 years, and have not been forced into walking one time due to manual transmission failure. I have never even suffered a clutch failure on any new manual transmission equipped car or truck. I have had to replace clutches on used vehicles, but that was the last time the clutch had to be touched (while I owned the car).
When I was a child (before cell phones), my family and I once had to walk nearly ten miles when the chimpomatic quit (we were between Valdosta and Macon, Georgia). My feet bled for a week, and my mother nearly suffered a heart attack during this adventure. Since that time, I have continued to enjoy the many benefits of a manual transmission.
I agree with 07TLS, my auto Elantra (last auto I ever owned) was a nightmare.. crank sensor failed once, throttle positioning sensor failed twice, missed/delayed shifts which required reprogramming several times, and each time the car simply shut down leaving us stranded. The second TPS failure left my pregnant wife stranded in Algonquin park on her way home from visiting family. So, I agree, the reliability should be 1st on my list of reasons, but it's second next to 'driving an automatic bores the snot out of me' reason
She should have hitched a ride on a moose.
I like the AT in my Accord because it gives me more time to focus on the rattles, so I can hunt them down and eliminate them. All while driving, of course.
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