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.

I am all for freedom of choice. Problem is that the choice of actually driving a car is being removed from our options.

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.

In Orlando I take it?

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. :)

What is it you are doing with your left foot?:confused:

Yes, I wanted to stay on the Gulf coast for a change but I got outvoted.

There's the crux of the matter for the new generations, they need to interact with their media devices which is more difficult with a Manual.

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)

Both of my kids learned to drive manuals and both drive manuals as adults. Both of them have told me about comments from friends when they get in the car and see them driving a manual. This indicates to me that very few young people have the first clue about driving one.

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.

If you were closer I'd offer a spin in my 986 to negate the rental car blues. :D

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.

THE END IS NEAR! STOP SKYNET BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...ps885a3143.jpg

The gulf coast is not nearly as nice water-wise as the east coast. Trust me on this one.

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.

Automatic transmissions like PDK, Which Porsche wants to make standard in all their cars soon, allows them to do two things at once: 1) mark up the base price of every car sold and 2) keep their overpriced dealer service stations busy fixing and properly maintaining these complicated systems. a LOT more cash in their coffers.

The only benefit of a manual transmission is to the driver and an independent mechanic who would charge only fraction of the cost to fix vs the cost of servicing an automatic PDK at the dealer.

As far as driving, no question a manual transmission makes you a better driver; it forces you to multi-task the elements involved in focused driving. An automatic transmission like PDK will remove that forcing of the driver to focus and make it an option instead. Those who opt not to focus are then much more likely to practice a different kind of multitasking: shaving with the Norelco, putting on lipstick, talking on the iPhone, eating a burrito.

While I don't agree with the idea that Porsche is out to rip Perfectlap off and giggle like crazy over the extra $100s and $1000s of dollars they envision making should he ever (not likely) take the auto-plunge, I see no problem with a for-profit business making more money. I also think that generalizations over manual/auto awareness fail to address the individual and their ability to "focus" on driving. Not every gun owner shoots oneself, yet one can't shoot oneself without a gun. Not everyone that drinks alcohol gets behind the wheel after taking a drink, but one can't drive drunk without taking a drink. Having the ability to text doesn't assume that people will use it. There is no benefit to smoking and most wind up with cancer and, while one can argue that smoking is an addiction, blah blah blah, you cant be addicted to something you never tried. So, though I have hands-free capabilities, I choose not to pick up the phone when getting a call -- even though I drive a pdk. In my opinion, it comes down to the person, not necessarily the transmission.

Those are the quickest ways to get thrown out of my car head first. :eek:

Minus the lipstick ofcourse;)

My kids (3 girls) are actually very proud to have learned manual! You should see the look on the faces of the boys when they realize they can't even ask to drive my cars :)

The PDK is most certainly a very nice transmission and I enjoy driving those cars, however mine is manual.

Freedom of choice is one point. DIY service of gear box and clutch possibilty. And last not least it is also a pride thing, isn't it???

Later,
Andy

Actually I would buy an automatic PDK Porsche, the GT3 specifically. When an engine costs north of $50k to replace and unlike GM, Porsche point blank tell you that engine failure at the track is not covered on a car like the GT3, then I think an automatic transmission would do a better job of keeping such a costly engine in tact.

Out of warranty I won't touch an automatic PDK with a 10 foot pole. GT3 or otherwise.

Pride? For driving a manual? Meh. I'd rather have pride in raising good kids that live fulfilling lives, find someone (or not) to spend their lives with, have kids of their own (or not), and plan properly for their retirement. But driving stick to impress boys?

Like you and the 2 slackers tell Lloyd Dobbler, "... By choice, man. By choice."

Ok... So how exactly do you propose Porsche create this vehicle? I mean it is obvious it is not a high production vehicle.... You'd likely buy it used (right?) so the dealer isn't going to see you money... And you've already poo-poo'd the company for making cars more expensive... I mean if they stick with manuals and charge customers less for new cars... Please tell me how Porsche should make this very expensive car?

You're really not a PDK guy P Lap and that's cool. However, I can't see the doom and gloom you do. For starters, the new manual is based on the PDK box, ut oh! Secondly, PDK is relatively new, someone independent will eventually work on them and even if they don't as they become more ubiquitous they will be available at a junkyard. There are tons of expensive things in a modern Porsche, obsessing on PDK repair seems a little silly to me, after all a new engine isn't exactly cheap. In closing, I want to say I was a manual guy too, I simply can't do it now without losing my legs for four or five days not worth it, so no more Fiat driving. With PDK you can shift without taking either hand off the wheel or changing the focus forward, I find that to be a distinct advantage and in opposition to the persistent message that manual will always be better. More fun? Perhaps sure but superior? I'm not seeing it.

cfos, I find your response to AndyA6's comment about his daughter's taking pride in being able to drive a manual transmission as being insulting and non-responsive; clearly we all want our children to be 'good kids who live fulfilling lives', but the two are not mutually exclusive.

I agree with those who suggest that automatics such as the PDK outperform manual transmissions and are therefore the wave of the future in performance cars. However, as with many others here, I still prefer driving a manual transmission. I too take pride in having mastered double-clutching and while I must admit that I could never hope to achieve the accuracy of the PDK in my own downshifts, I am also not trying to squeak out fractions of a second in lap times. To me it is somewhat akin to performers who use auto-tune in their live and recorded performances - yes, the result is perfect pitch, but without the requiring the same level of talent and artistry. Michael Buble apparently uses it and it is another reason that I prefer to listen to Frank Sinatra, who sang and recorded in an autotune-free time, rather than Buble. If not always precise, Frank's sound was human and real and all the remarkable fof it.

Brad

My, sometimes I guess I forget how much the internets are serious business -- perhaps this forum, too, since I had my 911 hiatus. I wasn't meaning to insult anyone directly (or indirectly, as in your case). Rather, I offered my opinion on what I choose to recognize with pride -- not stating that this is only thing. Likewise, I am not offended by the people rallying for "Save the Manuals!" nor their opinions of others for choosing "auto" transmissions (or heaven forbid, a 987 tiptronic!) -- as if having an auto implies you cannot "focus" while driving because one is busy doing other things, because they can.

Incidentally, there are several posts in the history of this forum for you to champion, should you so choose, and you may be surprised at some:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/12127-when-youre-out-your-gf-wife-post107086.html#poststop

More recently, this one:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/46395-help-my-wife-wants-boxster.html

Why does the Wife get a base and he get an S? Was Phil's 1st post; it is doubtful anyone knows anything about the guy or his wife... :rolleyes:


And, as a matter of fact, you may be interested to know that I'm also a champion of people being able to drive equally:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/12127-when-youre-out-your-gf-wife-post107161.html#post107161

I guess I forgot my emoticons in my more recent posting. :rolleyes:

Wow...I can't believe I read all of that nonsense :p

I prefer driving a manual when it's a sports car, automatic for DD. Porsches decision to go all PDK is idiotic IMO, but I'm not a Porsche lifer anyway, so I don't really care.

One big advantage is that stupid people can't drive my car...
Every long lost family member or friend, "Wow! Is that a Ferrari? Can I drive it?"
Me, "It's a stick."
They, "Awww! I don't know how to drive a stick shift."
Me, "I wouldn't let you even if you did." ;)

You have no idea... :D My fav -- the "biased" ticket:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/14143-got-biased-ticket.html

Gosh, if only it were an auto... he may have been less focused and not gotten a ticket.

I dunno . . . I'm starting to miss my old manual Celica.

Yup. You heard me.

Perfect; I've invested in long wearing lipstick, no refresh needed.:D

I would like to echo the comments about n drivers of manual cars being more engaged. I truly enjoy driving in Europe because the drivers are more engaged. I believe this is likely due to the fact that most of them are actually driving their cars as opposed to acting as passengers that have to go to the trouble to steer. I really enjoy driving in places like Rome and Florence where even the smallest econobox driver has ther had in the game (and what a game it is)! They make eye contact, they move quickly and precisely (if not always predictably). After spending a few days in that environment, US drivers seem like sleepy zombies that struggle just keeping it between the yellow lines...

Really? That's all you've noticed? :)