Drove a 6spd manual yesterday...don't miss it

Status
Not open for further replies.

wemay

Site Donor 2023
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
17,195
Location
Kendall, FL
I haven't owned a manual transmission equipped vehicle for some years. Yesterday I drove one for the day, my brother's 370z. It was fun for...ohhh...10 minutes. Before this drive I had nostalgic feelings but no more. Can you still be a car enthusiast and not want a manual transmission?
 
I've continuously owned and driven one since 1976. There'll probably come a day when I won't own one, and will I miss it. What's amazing is how many people are out there that have no clue how to drive one.
 
I'm with you brother. I drove a couple over the summer for a course. It was fun to see I still could drive one without issues but I don't miss it. I bet driving one on the Phoenix parking lots during rush hour is the pits.
 
In Europe you find that automatics are the rarity. My Volvo V40 is an auto and I spend most of my time in traffic or on the motorway so it makes perfect sense. However, when the roads get twisty and I want to get the hammer down and make some progress nothing at all beats the control and feel you get with a manual. Our Mondeo and Defender are both manuals. The Defender suits a manual as it adds to the agricultural feel you get driving it.
 
I learned to drive on a manual tranny(a good thing to know). I've owned several manual tranny vehicles including pickup trucks & vans(3 & 4 on the floor and 3 on the tree). I drove small 6 wheel dump trucks for a living back in the 70s for a couple of years with my Uncle's small construction company as well as working with my DAD(gas station) and drove his '62 tow Jeep w/3 on the floor.

However, I haven't owned a manual tranny vehicle in many, many years, I still jump into some of my buddies cars for fun now & again(Mini Cooper, '61 Vette, anything new) . But overall, I don't miss them. If I never drove one again, it'd be OK!
 
Last edited:
Its obsolete technology really. The historical pluses for manual were 1) you could shift when your wanted to higher performance, 2) they were cheaper, and 3) they lasted longer.

for the last 15-20 years the only thing this is true is the #2 and somewhat #3. AT are lasting over 200K miles regularly with normal maintenance. Computers have them shifting better than you could with a manual for high performance drags and since they are not readily available, getting one is not much cheaper. There are rare cases where the standard is more expensive since it is a special process.

Old tractors maybe but even my yard tractor/mower has a hydrostatic transmission and I LOVE it. don't miss clutching and shift ole nelly to get into and out of corners.
 
Sometimes I wish I could rev-match and heel/toe, but it's hard enough to resell a coupe in today's market I could only imagine how difficult it would be to resell a couple that had a 6mt.
 
My Jeep Wrangler is a manual and it is fun to drive, but it's also a weekend vehicle that sees very low mileage. My BMW is the daily driver and is auto. I still consider myself a car enthusiast. I drive the car 90 miles a day through traffic, so a manual would be torture.
 
I still very much enjoy it and these days 90% of my driving is around town. There have been times (like when we lived in southern CA and I commuted 50 miles in heavy traffic) that I didn't like it, but I would always prefer to have a manual. My wife is also in the same boat.
 
My '68 Vette has worn 2nd gear synchros. Downshifts are nearly impossible.
Banging 2nd gear in a 427 Roadster with the top down is fun.
Other than that, I don't need to row my own.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
but it's hard enough to resell a coupe in today's market I could only imagine how difficult it would be to resell a couple that had a 6mt.


Don't know about coupes but some cars like GTIs and WRXs are harder sells with an automatic. Plus on an older car, it's much cheaper to change a clutch than an automatic transmission.
 
If you are a rush hour commuter into a city , say 30 miles out and your normal drive is over an hour. Stall and crawl. Why would you want to pedal push? The performance of an automatic can mimic a manual if you control shift points manually.
grin2.gif
 
For me it depends on the car you're driving. I've driven Corolla manuals, etc. Very boring but a fun car such as my old ZL1 was a blast with a 6 speed! I don't currently own a manual but would absolutely if it were a leisure vehicle(commuting in PHX is rough with a manual).
 
i will always drive manuals until i physically cant..its true modern autos are so much better than when i grew up in the 80s and 90s...but i enjoy the driving experience. it probably helps my cellphone is in my pocket while i drive.
 
Never had an automatic until I bought my first mini-van. There were just two times when I wished my car were auto. Once when I had bursitis in my right shoulder and then much later when I had a torn rotator cuff on that same shoulder. It was just painful to shift.

Imagine how many really bad drivers wouldn't be on the road if all there were was standard transmissions.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Sometimes I wish I could rev-match and heel/toe, but it's hard enough to resell a coupe in today's market I could only imagine how difficult it would be to resell a couple that had a 6mt.

Come here. I will teach you!

My f250 and my Jeep are manuals. I can't drive an automatic to save my life lol. My wife makes fun of me in the mountains in her FJ. I downshift the automatic for hills and can't figure out how to get the stupid shifter back into D at the bottom.

When I taught our cousin how to drive I taught her in my Jeep she prefers that over the automatic. She says it gives here more control over an automatic. She just turned 14.
 
Originally Posted by wemay
I haven't owned a manual transmission equipped vehicle for some years. Yesterday I drove one for the day, my brother's 370z. It was fun for...ohhh...10 minutes. Before this drive I had nostalgic feelings but no more. Can you still be a car enthusiast and not want a manual transmission?

Maybe if it had more horsepower it might be more fun.
Also south FL has lots of traffic that kills the fun of shifting gears.
 
Originally Posted by Chris142
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Sometimes I wish I could rev-match and heel/toe, but it's hard enough to resell a coupe in today's market I could only imagine how difficult it would be to resell a couple that had a 6mt.

Come here. I will teach you!

My f250 and my Jeep are manuals. I can't drive an automatic to save my life lol. My wife makes fun of me in the mountains in her FJ. I downshift the automatic for hills and can't figure out how to get the stupid shifter back into D at the bottom.

When I taught our cousin how to drive I taught her in my Jeep she prefers that over the automatic. She says it gives here more control over an automatic. She just turned 14.


My 350 and Subaru are manuals. There are definitely times where I get tired of driving the manual. I am also always afraid of wearing out the clutch parts in drive thrus or heavy traffic. Subarus are known for terrible throwout bearings, and everything in the F350 is 18 years old.

The Subaru is a fun manual transmission to drive. I do actually enjoy it. Proper gear spacing, a real 1st gear (not quite granny, but I'm not working the clutch). Close ratio. It can creep in traffic in 1st gear without riding the clutch.

My 350 is a terrible daily driver. I don't like riding the clutch to take off in 2nd, and the 1-2 shift is extremely slow unless I double clutch. And it has a granny gear so I get people mad when I have to make that long 1-2 shift at 3MPH in the middle of an intersection. I generally do like it for towing, I definitely would not trust a 18 year old 4R100 auto in the truck. But there have been times where the wide ratio ZF5 has hurt me in the hills. I'm either winding the daylights out of my 230K 1997 F150 engine in 2nd or 3rd gear , or going significantly slower than anything else at a reasonable RPM. One of the hills in PA I had to climb at 4500 in 2nd gear because the time it took to shift to 3rd and the RPM difference between the two was just too much. 2LO is nice for heavy traffic and tight maneuvering though. I had to use that in scranton when I got stopped on some really steep hills.



My Jeep is an automatic. I drive it maybe once a month on off road trips. I do like it on the rocks. Not so much for going down steep hills. It does confuse me the first time I drive it. I end up pushing the brake pedal to the floor the first few stop signs. Ultimately, I always end up two foot driving automatics. It was really confusing me the last time I drove it. Kept hitting park instead of reverse ... or neutral instead of drive.

The '11 Focus 5 speed I had was terrible. I called it a 6 speed missing 1st gear. Had to work the clutch way too much to take off. And in traffic it would idle at like 10MPH because 1st gear was way too tall which meant riding the brake or clutch in heavy traffic.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top