Support NeoGAF

[DeaconKnowledge]

Lot's of people in here shitting on manual transmissions that clearly have never driven one. "Look down at your feet?" What the fuck?

I drive a 5 speed manual and I absolutely love it. People are talking about autos acting faster? Not in all situations, not by a longshot. I can control and maintain my speed out of a turn at pretty much any point of the turn with a stick, couldn't even think of doing that with an auto. Not to mention getting quick off the line and downshifting at a low RPM for more speed on the highway for passing. I'm left at the mercy of the transmission with an auto car in all of these situations.

Manual is insanely superior for driving if you want to control every aspect of your drive. Yeah, some people are douches with it and only know how to use it for quick line starts, but it's way more nuanced than that.

 

[twinturbo2]

Manual. Period. Automatics are for wusses.

If you don't want to shift, then buy an electric car.

I can't imagine why the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger have automatic transmissions. For the V6 motors, okay, those are posermobiles, but for the V8's... can't understand why.

 

[Stinkles]

I can't imagine why the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger have automatic transmissions. For the V6 motors, okay, those are posermobiles, but for the V8's... can't understand why.

Because those are all cars enjoyed by fat old retirees and rentals.

 

[Core407]

I can't imagine why the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger have automatic transmissions. For the V6 motors, okay, those are posermobiles, but for the V8's... can't understand why.

Because automatics make up like 95% of all car sales. Eventually you won't even be able to get a car in a manual which is a travesty in itself.

 

[Aquavelvaman]

I will always buy manual transmissions. Anyone that thinks it is harder or requires more attention is crazy, it is second nature and you never think about it.

Pros:
More control.
Better gas mileage.
Save brakes by downshifting.
Better acceleration.
Doesn't lurch forward every time you take your foot off the brake.
~$2000 cheaper on new cars

Cons:
"harder"?

 

[wormstrangler]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't DSG's and those other fancy systems still 'manuals'. But just controlled with servos, hydraulics and computers?

So...manuals still give you the best control. Just you have computers doing the 'hard work' of engaging and disengaging the clutch.

 

[Stinkles]

I will always buy manual transmissions. Anyone that thinks it is harder or requires more attention is crazy, it is second nature and you never think about it.

Pros:
More control.
Better gas mileage.
Save brakes by downshifting.
Better acceleration.
Doesn't lurch forward every time you take your foot off the brake.
~$2000 cheaper on new cars

Cons:
"harder"?

Of course driving stick requires more attention and is harder. It's exponentially more difficult to learn and master than the almost complete lack of technique required to drive an auto.

Once learned, driving a stick is easy, second nature and most of your other points have some validity, but pretending stick is no harder than auto is easily the most ridiculous claim in this thread.

And all you stick fans are doomed anyway. You won't be able to buy a single stick shift from any of the major manufacturers 10-20 years hence.

 

[Core407]

Of course driving stick requires more attention and is harder. It's exponentially more difficult to learn and master than the almost complete lack of technique required to drive an auto.

Once learned, driving a stick is easy, second nature and most of your other points have some validity, but pretending stick is no harder than auto is easily the most ridiculous claim in this thread.

And all you stick fans are doomed anyway. You won't be able to buy a single stick shift from any of the major manufacturers 10-20 years hence.

I hate American drivers. Easily some of the most retarded people on the road out there. Every time I'm in a car with a friend, I basically brace myself for an accident every turn. Kid somehow thinks speeding up as a turn approaches is the right thing to do. Not to mention he fumbles with his iPod 90% of the time while driving, barely keeping his eyes on the road. Can't count how many times the kid has almost killed me. Such stupidity...

 

[Stinkles]

I hate American drivers. Easily some of the most retarded people on the road out there. Every time I'm in a car with a friend, I basically brace myself for an accident every turn. Kid somehow thinks speeding up as a turn approaches is the right thing to do. Not to mention he fumbles with his iPod 90% of the time while driving, barely keeping his eyes on the road. Can't count how many times the kid has almost killed me. Such stupidity...

I concur. Stick and auto drivers both.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Manual for life.

Can't imagine driving without a knob in my left hand.

 

[Ether_Snake]

You can't grab a phallic object when you have paddles.

 

[koam]

I've been driving stick for 10 years now but i think i might switch to auto for my next car. Stop and Go traffic sucks for manual.

 

[Tornado Condor]

I really want to learn how to drive manual cars. They look pretty fun.

 

[sif]

I think there is a lot of confusion between automatic, sequential manual (semi-automatic), manual and dual-clutch gearboxes in this thread. An automatic with a torque converter is the standard automatic gearbox and are generally the smoothest, yet slowest shifting and result in the worst fuel economy. A semi-automatic has a normal manual gearbox, but the clutch and gears are operated by servos and various hydraulic systems eg Ferraris "F1" transmission or BMW SMG. They have a reputation for being the jerkiest (due to the gearbox being poorly coded to anticipate shifts (see Vanquish and SMG) of all the gearboxes but have the potential to be the fastest (that includes normal manuals) and can simulate heel-toeing on downshifts and other cool stuff like launch control. A dual-clutch gearbox is the best of both worlds IMO (R35 GT-R, Ferrari California, Veyron, VW DSG, BMW DCT etc.). They are almost as fast as sequential manuals and heel-toe on downshifts, but are as smooth as normal automatics. Power delivery is uninterrupted by shifts because of the 2 clutches which improves acceleration. However, they are more expensive than normal manuals (usually by about £2k) which is not so great.

Personally, dual-clutch is my favourite for the above reasons, but they are not available on many cars, so I would go for a manual purely for the fun of heel-toeing and added control, plus in the UK you cannot get a full license without learning "stick" so it comes naturally to me.

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

Automatics are great. I'm about as interested in manually shifting to drive as I am in doing cartwheels to make my toaster work.

 

[sk3]

It seems the amount of people that know how to properly drive a manual is small. Every time I drive with someone in a stick shift car the car herks and jerks every time they shift. For that reason alone, sticks suck.

Give me an electric car with 1 gear, please.

 

[twinturbo2]

Because those are all cars enjoyed by fat old retirees and rentals.

Lemme guess, you can't handle the V8 sound? Wuss.

 

[gcubed]

screw reaction time, quick shifts, etc... all these posts and no one has mentioned how slushboxes are power sucking pigs?

 

[bionic77]

I really want to learn how to drive manual cars. They look pretty fun.

That is the main reason to get a manual. Everyone in here can talk about the extra control you have over the car (and they are right), but the main reason to get a manual is that they are so much more fun to drive (assuming you get a small sporty car, driving a manual pickup truck is not nearly as fun).

Though I wouldn't recommend it if you live in a major city and have to deal with a lot of traffic jams. That will suck all the fun out of driving manual. But if you do get a manual and learn how to handle the car the first time you take your car out on a long windy road you will understand the passion people have about it.

 

[Rewrite]

Learning both is the best thing ever. I prefer automatic though.

 

[Stinkles]

Lemme guess, you can't handle the V8 sound? Wuss.

You don't have to guess. I included all the information in the post. All of the cars you listed are super popular with chubby retirees who wear leather jackets and the type of people who love to watch Mecum car auctions.