how to get over a stick shift

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell

Actually the manual has had a revival in the US of late, the reason being that younger folks are increasingly interested in shifting for themselves and like the more involved feel.


Sorry, but that is not the case! I think there is still enough demand for manuals to keep them available in some models, but that's not due to young people unless they are enthusiasts.


Yes enthusiasts. And a big part of the enthusiasts are those often referred to as "ricers." I think it is time we appreciate that they are just a different school of hot rodders, and the fact is, anyone who drives a stick shift is helping this fight. More power to the ricers who drive manual transmissions!

Automatics weigh more, often shift poorly, never shift when I want them to, are very difficult to change the fluid on, eat extra power to spin slush, etc. Not for me--ever.




They aren't a ricer unless they have a massive [censored] cannon and a 4ft tall wing. Or maybe a ridiculous body kit. If they are just an Import fan driving a manual Civic with some bolt-ons, they are an automotive enthusiast just like anybody else who appreciates cars.


Thanks, appreciate the info. Still, even with the massive can and park bench wing, if it's a manual they are fighting the good fight to save the stick.

 

[Dakota1820]

i really really like stick shifts . i need to find a car thats low maintenance, reasonable cost to work on and fun to drive and safe with a stick. that would be my perfect car.

 

[GearheadTool]

Quote:
i really really like stick shifts . i need to find a car thats low maintenance, reasonable cost to work on and fun to drive and safe with a stick. that would be my perfect car.


BMW 5-series, early 90's.

Don't let 'em get to ya.

 

[KitaCam]

Since the other thread on subarus was locked...

OP asked about cost effective (parts/accessability/difficulty of repairs) maintenance and one thing about manual transmissions is that they are cheaper to repair than autotransmissions...

With regard to Subarus...a boxer/horizontally opposed piston design is the "R" type BMW MOTOCYCLE engines used for many years, and I believe the only engine in BMW cycles prior to the "K" type engine introduced about 10 years ago...google for more.

As for Volvo being an alternative to the Subaru...Volvo parts are expensive, much moreso than Subaru...something to consider...

...but getting ANY used car is a trade-off between cheap initial outlay vs repairs down the road (pun only, and though indeed intended...it's not a curse on your future car!)

If the car was "driven only to church on Sundays", (my Kitacam was driven only to work and back, 20 highway miles each way plus some on local streets)
...was well maintained by its prior owners (get records if possible),
...and can be gotten cheap, (try to get the price down to "trade-in" value for a car in good condition, see KBB.com and edmunds.com)...
...then that will offset the cost of repairs later....

Oh...and don't overthink it...identify the NEGATIVES, what you DON'T want in a car, to minimize the choices and then grab the best deal knowing that there'll always be better ones AFTER you get yours...you got one that "fit the bill" so don't look back...

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: KitaCam
and I believe the only engine in BMW cycles prior to the "K" type engine introduced about 10 years ago

30 yrs ago. The K100. It was a modified Peugeot car engine. Honda had a 4cyl water boxer before that.

 

[KitaCam]

Forgot about the k100...gettin' old...

 

[itguy08]

Sticks are fun when you have no traffic and have a light clutch. I lerned on stick and drive one for my first 5 years of driving. It wasn't bad but when I got my G35 with the 6 speed it was fun too. Then after almost 6 years (5.9 to be exact) it was getting old on the daily commute with all the stop and go. It got to where I hated driving it daily as it was such a PITA.

Got the SHO and it's an auto. It's got the manual mode and will do what you want, including bounce off the rev limiter. I don't miss the 6MT much at all as I get the best of both worlds. In the mountains, I manually shift with the paddles. In day to day I let it do it's thing.

That being said in a second car I'd go stick again in a heartbeat. But for daily driver, I'll take an auto. Heck, many cars are faster with the auto as it does perfect shifts every single time and at the right time.

 

[Spazdog]

I didn't plan on getting an automatic. I had planned on getting a Mazda3S with a manual. The Mazda6S was marginally less expensive, the manu-matic worked better than the manu-matic in the EclipseGT or XG300, and it was a bigger hatchback. But the biggest selling point was pitching it into a dog-leg corner onto the freeway on the test drive. Wow. This thing might be better in a corner than my Integra GS-R. (I still think it is...had a lowered '98-06 regular cab shortbed Silverado inches off my bumper entering the cloverleaf day before yesterday. By the time I exited the cloverleaf, he had dropped no less than 5 car lengths and looked to be sawing at the wheel in my rearview. He roared past me, all flowmasters 20"s and 4.8/5.3 screaming on the freeway looking very angry that a stupid fwd 5 door had so easily left him)

I've learned to live with the automatic. Still not 100%....next car I get will almost certainly have a manual. But when I'm stuck in gridlock on I-35W, I do not miss that third pedal a bit.

 

[grampi]

Sports cars will never not be avaiable with a stick...that said, what got me over wanting a stick was driving in heavy stop and go traffic...

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: rationull
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Since manuals are quickly becoming extinct, you might as well suck it up and get used to an automatic, unless you're ok with driving 20+ year old vehicles for the rest of your life. It's gonna happen sooner or later, might as well start now.

You can't always get what you want and sometimes you just need to compromise and take what you can get. Very few people are driving their dream cars. If everyone drove the cars they really wanted, there'd be nothing but Ferraris, Bentleys, and Maybachs on the road. Minivans and Corollas wouldn't exist.


This is a terrible argument! Fight the good fight! If you would rather drive a stick shift then please, PLEASE do what you can to find one. Too many people compromising on this is only going to help along the extinction. It sounds like you'll enjoy it more anyway, so find a stick and it'll be better on multiple levels.

Well said rationull! It's up to us to keep the stick alive!

 

[Quattro Pete]

What will kill the stick shift is auto mfg practice of charging premium for a manual-equipped car. They're not there yet, but they're getting there. It used to be that a manual car was cheaper to buy. Nowadays, you see many mfgs charging the same regardless of trans (assuming all other options are the same). Pretty soon, auto will be cheaper to buy. Manufacturers will wave the "economies of scale" card, claiming it's more expensive to make a manual car because they can't spread the R&D and assembly line tooling costs over a large number of units. Whether it's true or not, it's going to happen anyway.

So, enjoy them while you can still find them at a reasonable price.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: grampi
...that said, what got me over wanting a stick was driving in heavy stop and go traffic...
If someone truly loves the stick then even stop and go traffic is a pleasure. I've driven in stop and go traffic with my stick many times and I've loved every minute of it.

Also about the automatic with the paddle shifters: If it ain't got a third pedal, then it ain't a manual!

 

[TallPaul]

I tried a paddle shifter and it seemed pointless. Also not the most responsive. Just not the same without the third pedal

Rather than a paddle shifter an H pattern would be nicer. But you would need a performance valve body to firm up those shifts. Do that and get rid of all the electronics on the transmission and you would have a fairly decent setup to accomodate those who maybe only have one leg. Still you are stuck with the slush box (torque converter). Maybe a centrifugal clutch like my minibike had back in the 1970s.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
What will kill the stick shift is auto mfg practice of charging premium for a manual-equipped car. They're not there yet, but they're getting there. It used to be that a manual car was cheaper to buy. Nowadays, you see many mfgs charging the same regardless of trans (assuming all other options are the same). Pretty soon, auto will be cheaper to buy. Manufacturers will wave the "economies of scale" card, claiming it's more expensive to make a manual car because they can't spread the R&D and assembly line tooling costs over a large number of units. Whether it's true or not, it's going to happen anyway.

So, enjoy them while you can still find them at a reasonable price.



I would pay a premium for a stick shift in a heartbeat. If I'm buying a car anyway, and there's a choice between models and options, I'd much rather pay for a stick shift than leather, HIDs, a moon roof, etc.. basically any option I can think of. There are tons of things that people pay for in cars just because it's convenient (i.e. the only car on the lot is one with options they don't need) that have a less significant effect on ownership than the type of transmission.

Not saying I disagree that's happening, though.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yeah, I know. I would be willing to pay a premium for stick as well, but many people typically buy a stick because it's cheaper. If it's no longer cheaper, then they'll get something else.

Another reason people bought them was that sticks historically used to deliver better mpg. With modern autos, that's not necessarily true either.

 

[TallPaul]

I'd pay a premium for manual transmission, rear wheel drive, hand crank windows, manual door locks, simple HVAC controls, no touch screen, and rubber flooring!

All function; no fluff.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc
Originally Posted By: grampi
...that said, what got me over wanting a stick was driving in heavy stop and go traffic...
If someone truly loves the stick then even stop and go traffic is a pleasure. I've driven in stop and go traffic with my stick many times and I've loved every minute of it.

Also about the automatic with the paddle shifters: If it ain't got a third pedal, then it ain't a manual!


Yeah a well designed stick and clutch, with good ratios is no problem at all. I routinely drive in some of the worst traffic in the USA.

When an MT has a good first and second gear, like my BMWs, its a true pleasure.

Put in a lousy clutch or overly jumpy 1st gear, and it becomes more of a hassle.

 

[ecotourist]

In Canada anyway you could get an Accord V6 4 dr sedan with the 6MT in 2007. I have one! And they are rare.

You can recognize them by the red paint in the V6 logo on the rear (as opposed to the usual black). Or by listening when they're being driven - have had guys walk up at a campground and ask if it's a V6 MT. BITOGs I suppose.

Another good choice would be a BMW 3 or 5 series. I have a 2000 528i 5MT with the M sport package. Another fairly rare car.

I suspect I'll take a hit when I sell them. But I won't sell them while they're still working well because manual transmissions are getting hard to find.

Ecotourist

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
I'd pay a premium for manual transmission, rear wheel drive, hand crank windows, manual door locks, simple HVAC controls, no touch screen, and rubber flooring!

All function; no fluff.


I tend to agree.

Even if you paid more for the manual transmission you will still end up ahead of the game if you keep the car for life and purchase it. MT have a longer lifespan and when they need servicing it is much cheaper and easier. So if the extra charge isn't outrageous you'll come out ahead monetarily. Same for crank windows, three knob manual climate control, ect...Less stuff to break, longer lifespan and more reliability.

I don't mind FWD though, although I'd like to see a small compact car with it that was affordable.

 

[KitaCam]

Pretty simple set up here...including the 3-dial A/C controls and radio controls on the steering wheel...

KitaCam's MT will run easily from a virtual deadstop to 20 in 2nd (and 10 to 40 in 3rd), so driving in stopNgo traffic is no problem for me...

As for the cost...
the dealer couldn't believe they found a stickman a week after putting it on the lot...so excited were they that they came down $3,000 from retail to trade-in value to reel me in....
And hook me they did...