Why we should all drive manual cars
An interesting discussion; thought I would share.
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/why-more-cars-need-three-pedals-511497664 |
My next sports car will have the PDK flappy paddles. They are mega-excellent and I dig superior technology. :)
People should all have the freedom to their weapon of choice. |
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I dig driving ! Don't care too much for technology Josh |
In the UK, by far the majority of cars are manuals, we just prefer them. Resale values for automatics are always lower than similar spec manuals.
I'm on holiday in Florida at the moment. The hire car is lousy to drive. Big, lazy engine connected to an auto box, had no fun whatsoever in it. |
My recently acquired 2011 Boxster Sypder is a 7 Speed PDK with Paddle Shifters. Have driven manual transmission for years but they do not compare to the 7 Speed PDK. No way I can shift with the precision of the PDK.
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In the US these days, I find myself in the extreme minority. Most people seem to avoid manuals like the plague. I have been a manual transmission fan since my first car, a 48 Chevy I had in 1963.
The problem these days is that it limits my choice of vehicles. I have driven Mercedes cars for many years and have traveled to Europe on business quite alot. I drool over all the manual transmission cars over there that are not exported to the US. My MB's have been manual, but they are very rare and hard to find here. Luckily for me it seems that most Boxsters, at least the low buck ones in my price range, are manuals. I take lots of pride in my manual transmission skill, and enjoy driving a manual under any conditions. Stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway? No sweat, it means I get to use my left foot and right hand that much more. |
The problem with today's society is many parents are not requiring their children to learn how to drive manual. I just had a discussion with a friend of mine the other day that said that driving manual was pointless, because all cars are going automatic, and he did not care if his son ever learned how to drive a manual. Many Parents these days do not want to cause their children any discomfort, and apparently driving a manual can lead to frustration and discomfort (according to my friend) My first car was a manual, so if I did not learn....I would not be driving.
Problem #2, driving a manual conflicts with our ability to drive, talk on the cell phone, drink our coffee, and eat a hamburger. (It might have said that in the article, but I did not read it, so I am going off the cuff) problem #3, people compare the PDK or Ferrari's system to the far superior shifting than what a human could do. That is true, however driving is not always about flawless shifting. It is about being connected to your car, mechanically and listening to what your engine is doing while you drive, and not always having a computer control everything you do. Driving a manual gives you a sense of accomplishment when you have perfect, rpm matched, shifts. Of course computers could do this better, as well as automatic transmissions, but do we really want that? I am sorry...but I will be one of the tzarish parents that will require my daughter to know how to drive manual, because her first car will be a manual transmission. Otherwise, she will be stuck at home, looking at her parents, not having any fun. |
Well said Tnoice.
I drive both manual and automatic. But for true satisfaction, nothing beats the connection that you get from a manual. I'll never shift as fast as a PDK but I'll have a bigger smile. :) |
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I bought the Boxster as a true sports car, not a commuting box(although I do use it for that as well so I can get more driving time). I enjoy the sport of driving and shifting is part of the fun. although a computer can do it better, I want to have the fun myself. PDK paddle shifting sounds like a nice in between option for dual utility. Also, to me, knowing that the engine is coupled to the drivetrain by a fluid makes me feel like I'm always losing something of the available HP, and in fact this is so, and why fuel milieage for Automatics is typically a few points lower than a manual. For my manual Jeep Wrangler, knowing that I can push start my car if necessary is another bonus of manual. In a difficult situation in a remote area it can make the difference between life and death,(Zombie Apocalypse :eek: or dead battery in a bad neighborhood) |
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Like it or not, manual trans are going the way of drum brakes, hubcaps, manual choke, cassette players, and landau tops. In 5 years few will still be available on new cars. You will always be able to find a nice vintage sports car to keep your left foot active though.
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Had this conversation with a friend not too long ago. It is ALMOST impossible to fall asleep behind the wheel of a manual transmission. I've never had that problem and he agreed. You are just way to involved listening to the sound of the engine, both legs and both hands than in a automatic. Plus in my book.
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THE END IS NEAR! STOP SKYNET BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...ps885a3143.jpg |
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I taught my daughter to drive in the car we used to bring her home from the hospital - a 1994 Camry DX with a 5 speed. It was a great experience and I think she is a better driver because of the extra effort she had to put into learning.
She now drives a 2006 Honda Civic EX with a 5 speed. It's a fun car to drive even if it isn't a Porsche. She is the only one of her peers that can drive a car with a manual transmission. When she was 16, she was at a church-sponsored work camp. She was walking with a group of kids past a Jeep with a stick shift. One of the guys on the trip remarked, "That's a man's car." She asked why and he told her that it had a manual transmission. She let him know that she would be able to handle it. |
Meh. I don't particularly care if my daughters ever learn to drive manual. Nor will I care if they ever hear music from a record, call a phone company to compare long-distance plans, use a typewriter, wash newsprint from a newspaper off their fingers, go to a slaughterhouse to see how her bacon was created, shoot a cow to understand where her hamburger comes from, yada yada yada. Y'all feel free to do as you wish. Just my $0.03.
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