Anyone still do stick shift driving?

[TribalDrumz]

My last 4 cars have been German

Of the 4, 3 of them have been some kind of automatic, with paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel

Audi A3 - DSG (dual clutch system with an automatic driving mode)
BMW 335i - ZF8 with paddle shifters
BMW M340i- ZF8 with paddle shifters (this model isn't actually available in manual)

If you look at the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times for these cars, the autos outperform the manuals. With the manual modes engaged you still get the benefits of revving up the engine super high, engine braking, downshifting for more power, etc.

There's a reason manual transmissions are being phased out. The 4th car I mentioned that I owned before all of those was a VW Golf with a manual transmission. I replaced the clutch on that thing twice before selling it.

And at the end of the day , a manual sports car is more to drive for certain pure car enthusiasts regardless of automatic being faster. Paddle shifting is not as fun as rowing your own gears and hitting the twisties.

E46 M3 track car my cousin has is so fun to drive

 

[Cajun]

Also I bet my bud @Yorick does

 

[NickNick]

My last 4 cars have been German

Of the 4, 3 of them have been some kind of automatic, with paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel

Audi A3 - DSG (dual clutch system with an automatic driving mode)
BMW 335i - ZF8 with paddle shifters
BMW M340i- ZF8 with paddle shifters (this model isn't actually available in manual)

If you look at the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times for these cars, the autos outperform the manuals. With the manual modes engaged you still get the benefits of revving up the engine super high, engine braking, downshifting for more power, etc.

There's a reason manual transmissions are being phased out. The 4th car I mentioned that I owned before all of those was a VW Golf with a manual transmission. I replaced the clutch on that thing twice before selling it.

I don't think reliability is the reason they are going away. I believe it's multiple reasons; the big one being that torque converted autos have become so good that they are faster and more fuel efficient, the second being the group of people that buy brand new manual cars is pretty tiny these days. There is no point of car manufactures to continue to develop and produce manuals, even more so when you consider the future is going to be mostly EVs.

 

[mixmastermo]

And at the end of the day , a manual sports car is more to drive for certain pure car enthusiasts regardless of automatic being faster. Paddle shifting is not as fun as rowing your own gears and hitting the twisties.

E46 M3 track car my cousin has is so fun to drive

When the E46 was out the auto available on the M3 was not up to par. Things have changed since then.

FWIW of the cars I listed the DSG on the A3 was the most fun and responsive. ZF8 is till really good, but DSG was even better.

I'm not going to argue with anyone if they prefer manual, but I do think there is a misconception as to what modern autos in performance cars actually feel like. The auto in my BMWs feels a lot different than an auto in something like a Nissan Maxima.

 

[Reign Supreme]

I miss my 95 Civic but driving a stick in this shit traffic in Seattle is not good.

 

[nonoob]

If you look at the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times for these cars, the autos outperform the manuals. With the manual modes engaged you still get the benefits of revving up the engine super high, engine braking, downshifting for more power, etc.

Drove "stick shifts" forever, learned to drive a '65 Mustang manual. Don't have to even think about driving, still second nature.

Performance desired? Wake up, AT's now dominate.​

 

[koquerelle]

This is how I imagine automatic drivers:

Small dick energy.

I haven't in a long time and I don't miss it.

 

[Iron Mang]

I have an VW EV and a 6 speed Lesbaru Forester. Both get driven often.

 

[TribalDrumz]

When the E46 was out the auto available on the M3 was not up to par. Things have changed since then.

FWIW of the cars I listed the DSG on the A3 was the most fun and responsive. ZF8 is till really good, but DSG was even better.

I'm not going to argue with anyone if they prefer manual, but I do think there is a misconception as to what modern autos in performance cars actually feel like. The auto in my BMWs feels a lot different than an auto in something like a Nissan Maxima.

Trust me I know the performance of new luxury sports cars and if it wasn’t for dealer markup I would look into a new m340i awd.

 

[Meatspin]

I have an VW EV and a 6 speed Lesbaru Forester. Both get driven often.

lesbaru

 

[Beechwood]

I was at the car dealers this morning, and walking around the lot was a car model I used to drive 20 years ago. It even had the same color of my old car. it was a stickshift, the last stick shift I've owned and driven. It will likely remain that way. It was a wonderful car in many ways, but the stick shirt driving drove me nuts and i vowed never again.

 

[Mike]

I find it funny when this thread comes up, how many people are convinced that there are NO advantages in driving manual.

I mean I understand why one would choose to drive automatic and I really don't care, but to disregard the advantages in terms of control and driving experience indicates to me that many people with an opinion on the mattet actually can't drive manual.

I wouldn't say no advantage, but as someone that drove in every kind of weather and terrain with a 2wd automatic as a new driver it gets a little overblown that you NEED to have one by some folks.

 

[Rob Rain]

I've been driving my fiancée's car for the last year. It's an auto but I usually use the manual override. Proved useful being an auto when I broke my leg.

 

[Jacket time]

both my cars are manual
2008 Forester
2023 Civic

The Honda will outlive me so I will always have 3 pedals

 

[jefferz]

Yes, driving manual is actual driving.

So, how many Mustangs have you totaled?

 

[Natural Order]

Last four vehicles have all been manual. Love it, hard to get away from.

 

[BoogerDawson]

Yes, every day.

 

[TrueBias]

Yes. My Honda Accord which will be ten years old at the end of April is manual. I don’t want to let it go because I don’t know that I’ll be able to find another stick shift. Any car that’s manual these days is paddle shift which I don’t like.

Hilarious this thread came up cuz last week I was thinking, I'll bet people would make fun of my honda accord cuz its cloth and a manual.

Leather sucks in Florida and since it's a slow ass car, I did not want an automatic.

My previous car was a 1999 trans am 6 speed manual, so I needed something.

 

[jlagman]

I find it funny when this thread comes up, how many people are convinced that there are NO advantages in driving manual.

I mean I understand why one would choose to drive automatic and I really don't care, but to disregard the advantages in terms of control and driving experience indicates to me that many people with an opinion on the mattet actually can't drive manual.

I generally don't get involved in these threads because they always devolve into pissing matches, but just to add to this, for every person who says it's "so much easier" to deal with traffic in an automatic, I usually infer one of two things; 1) they learned to drive on an automatic, tried a manual for a bit, then reverted back to an automatic and/or 2) they don't  really enjoy the act of driving, which has become a necessary evil, so they want it to be as convenient as possible.

Now, I personally don't give a fuck what transmission someone chooses, do what you will with your money. But maybe it's because I'm stubborn and increasingly distrusting of newer technology and our dependence on it; but I will personally choose to own a manual transmission vehicle for as long as they're available and will deal with the "burden" of working a clutch in traffic, in exchange for the spirited drives I can only experience through driving a manual.