I drive a corvette with three pedals, clutch, brake and gas. However, as far as I know, 2020 corvettes are all auto transmissions, what a joke.

I remember being blown away when Porsche came out with Tip-Tronic and being able to drive it quicker than a stick. A friend of mine has a late model Z4 BMW, still has the stick and is a true joy to operate. Back in '69 I remember the fastest car in the county was a Plymouth Roadrunner with a factory Hemi and 727 automatic, nothing could touch that car and I'm sure it was faster with the automatic. Slip and slide with Powerglide, why do drag racers use them...they last.
I remember the first time I broke down and bought an off road vehicle with an automatic, I never looked back...smooth and safe. What if your battery fails and you have to jump start it, those days are long gone my friends. Nowdays the off roaders are rock climbing places we never thought possible and all the while enjoying air conditioned comfort and listening to music via satellite.

I was stationed in Japan in the mid '60's but had my "Western" car with left hand drive so I only had to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.

Sometime in the '09's we took a trip to England and decided to drive up to Scotland which required renting a car. Driving on the "wrong" side didn't bother me, but having to shift with my left hand was worrisome enough that I paid extra for an automatic......


(It was also my first experience with a round about, but that is another story altogether)

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

That's another reason I don't drive a stick in the US. Being right handed, I want to steer with that hand and shift with my left. Not a problem in England. The one time I drove a stick here, using my right hand and pushing away all the time for higher gears just felt bizarre.

Now, if you really want to fox somebody, put them in a RHD car in England with a ZF box that has first on the dogleg. I owned one for a while, and it had my Dad shaking his head.

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Release the Kraken

Although I have owned and driven manual transmission vehicles in the past, I find them annoying in city traffic. I am 100% auto these days because I want my driving to be relaxing rather than work. Maybe I've just gotten old and lazy.

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Or something like that . . .

The present one has two pedals, as would any vehicle I intend to drive a lot. A half hour driving a stick is about as much as I can take. The 8 speed is an awesome transmission and besides being a pleasure to drive, it will destroy the same car with a 6 speed manual in a race.

I prefer the 3 pedals...I think shifting keeps me awake!

I was told, as a teenager, while learning to drive a manual 1960 old Ford pickup was that it would make me a better driver...did anybody else get that story?

And don't know if it's true about being a better driver, but it is what I prefer to drive, as my current '08 Roush Mustang is stick and so was it's predecessor, '96 Mustang Cobra.

Looking at the OP's list, I was wondering about new pickup trucks. I know my kids like their Toyotas with manual drive and won't have anything else.

And, as WardenRoss posted, it is just about theft proof to many of the newer drivers.

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2 Blessed 2B Stressed

I've had lots of manual cars and trucks I have driven them hundreds of thousands of miles.

No more for me

Time has passed them by autos are faster, more economical, etc.

My old thinking was it was easier for me to replace a clutch or some synchros rather than rebuild a transmission.

No more stuck in hours of traffic jams pumping a stiff clutch until your leg is shot.

In performance and drag cars a manual hasn't been competitive in thirty years and more so today.


For a long time after the manuals were gone, I'd pull to a stop sign and try to step on the clutch...

.

Driving a stick soon lost its allure after a few times being stuck in stop and go city traffic.
All my cars are presently automatics.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I always laugh when geezers pick on millenials. Go to any car show and watch the geezers try to show off leaving in their exotics and listen for the sound of gears getting sharpened and clutches burned up
hysterical, get an auto and save yourself the embarrassment.

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Sure you did

I started out driving the 4-pedal cars back in the 60s, and owned mostly manual transmission vehicles until recently. The 2-speed axle was a skill I picked up while working for a roofing company at 16. My last truck was a Ford Superduty with the club cab and 8-foot bed, manual shift, 22 feet long. Much fun going through NYC pulling an 18 foot trailer. My current pickup is a Silverado 4x4 with a V8 and automatic.
My wife was a teacher at a middle school. One day we had to swap cars and she took the F350 to work. Lunchtime came and some of the guys were wondering who had the big blue truck. They were impressed when she said she did, and they were more so when she told them it was a manual.

I have two with 3 pedals, gas, brake and E brake. Another with 3 pedals, gas, brake & clutch. The E brake is a lever in this little truck. And 1 with 4 pedals, gas, brake, clutch and E brake.
I used to love manual transmissions. I like to drive and shifting was just another interaction that kept me in tune with the vehicle.
After 45 years of driving I no longer care to shift if I don’t have to.
The automatic transmission in my 2014 F 350 is a wonderful thing. I am told it is very much like the Allison that GM trucks come with but have no idea. It works quite well for towing. A friend bought a newer F350 diesel with the 10 speed auto in it and he loves it.
I do not see another manual in my future unless a really good deal pops up for another work truck and it happens to have a manual tranny.

1987 Chevrolet 1/2 ton 4X4. Four speed with granny gear. 2004 Nissan 350Z with Stillen supercharger, six-speed manual. I don't do much driving in traffic.

..about manual trans, but those days are behind me because of my back. If I were 'country driving' I would like it, but heavy traffic, Fahget it.

Oh, my car has three pedals, three pedals has my car.
If it doesn't have three pedals, then it's not my car.

Acc, brake and emergency brake.

I do kinda miss the button that stuck out the floor and stomped with your foot to turn on the high beams.

I can't say I had one with the starter on the floor but I remember seeing them.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Last vehicle I had with a clutch was my 1995 Dodge Dakota pickup. There are times when I miss having a manual transmission but then I get into some of the normal Houston bumper to bumper traffic and I do not miss it too much.

It's interesting to read the comments from folks who don't want to drive a standard transmission because of stop-and-go traffic. I've driven my manual transmission cars in downtown Washington, D.C., and midtown Manhattan at rush hour, and I've driven rental cars with standard transmissions in Frankfurt, Munich, Salzburg, and other cities in Europe. I've never given it a second thought...I guess when you don't know any better, you don't mind it, eh?

Speaking of starters on the floor.....
When I was in High School (in the 1950's) I had a week-end/after school/summer job as a grease monkey. I can remember that some of the cars from the 30/40/50's seem to hide their starter buttons. The usual were either on the floor, a button on the dash or later, a twist key. There were a few that were sneaky. I always thought the one that was under the clutch pedal (You just depressed the clutch and then pushed a little harder and it activated the starter was a good idea. (Even my current car requires the brake pedal to be depressed before it will turn on.)
The real nasty one (I think it was some model of a Buick) had it on the gas pedal. Just floor the gas pedal and it would prime the carb and start the engine. Just had to ease up quickly.....


I also remember (in the '50's) how they liked to hide the gas filler cap on some makes......

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Here are both of my three-pedal cars.

My 2013 VW Golf R has 154,000 miles on it, on the original clutch. I maintain it by the book. It uses half a quart of oil every 5,000 miles, and the only unscheduled repair I've ever had to make to it was a right window motor several years ago.

Two years ago, I bought a 2018 BMW M2 for summer and weekend use. I've driven it only 5,000 miles, but I'm planning a road trip for this fall that will add about 3,000 to that. I had been thinking about the BMW for a while, but what pushed me to buy it when I did was that I didn't know how long I would still be able to get a standard transmission, a CD player, and an integrated GPS; those features all seem to be falling by the wayside...

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Both of mine are 3-pedal, 6-speed. The GT350 had no automatic option. The Tacoma wasn't readily available; the dealer had to go to Spokane to get it for me. I've had a long line of manual transmission cars. There were a couple automatics that wriggled their way into the garage, but I did not like them at all.

The first manual I drove as a kid was an MGB. I thought I understood what to do. I knew the shift pattern, understood clutch, brake, gas. How tough could THIS be? I got in, put 'er in neutral, pushed in the clutch, started the engine and . . . dumped the clutch. Never even thought that wouldn't work. My buddy Steve was laughing his head off and said: "now try it this way . . ."

I actually much prefer a manual because of my back. I have sciatica down my left leg and working a clutch actually helps tremendously in keeping my leg from going numb while driving.

I do prefer the old 4 on the floor, but my 6 speed manual is fine. I only use 5 and 6 on the interstate anyway, so I basically drive it like a 4 speed. Sixth gear is an overdrive anyway, and 5th is basically an in-town overdrive.

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Possum—The other white meat!

Same here. I don't understand the argument that traffic is a downer with a manual transmission. Shifting becomes semi-autonomous. Muscle memory. It just happens.

When I was given the automatic Mercedes it was to drive a route into a major city I had driven several times in a stick car. On arrival at my destination in the Mercedes I felt "different". I realized that I had a much lower pulse rate and my stress/fatigue level was less. While you may not be consciously shifting, your body still has to do all those things, and it knows it.

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Release the Kraken

Like behind the tail light.

I have 6 stick shifts and 6 automatics.
I'm not "stuck" on either - they each have their place and uses.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

When stuck in traffic in the Vette, I leave it in 2nd. That is good for 0 to a typical max traffic flow of 30.

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Common sense isn't so common.

I kind of miss the filler behind the rear plate. Fill up from either side.

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Common sense isn't so common.

As a real shifty character let me say. the underlined type people above probably take their eyes of the road and watch as they go from gear to gear.. I have ridden with people like that before.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

In a past life life I knew an old man that bought a tractor with power steering and he told me he didn't know he needed a tractor with power steering until he bought one.
Three times in my life I've had a leg in a cast and I've been able to drive an automatic. I'm not agile enough to work 3 pedals with one leg. Larry

Been driving for 42 years so learned on a stick (66 Chevelle) and had many manuals over the years. The last 2 with MT’s were a modded Scion tc and a Honda S2000. Both were fun to play with, going thru the gears on hard (but legal lol) acceleration.
Now our summer ride is a mustang with an AT. As when we bought that one we literally could not find what we wanted with a stick.
We dont mind being lazy but once in awhile miss ripping thru the gears.
Our daughter has been driving near 16 yrs and has only owned and driven manuals. From daily drivers to her hubby’s 500hp S2000 to her own modded Acura. But esp when she looks at a new car, just too few options for her. And even worse as each year goes on.

Why so many speeds? 6, 8. 10 gears come on now!
I remember when 2 was enough, PowerGlide and Ford-a-Matic two speed auto transmissions. Now some cars come with infinite gears. Constant Velocity Transmissions.

Transit buses have three of those buttons. Two for the turn signals. The one about 10 inches behind the left turn signal is for the high beam. Seems odd at first, but you adapt pretty quickly. Just don’t forget to lift your foot when you are done with the turn.

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Not in jail.

Not necessarily.

I learned to drive a stick (tractor) at 8 years old - just shy of 50 years ago now. Prior to 2002 I had owned a total of three automatics - out of around 30 vehicles I had already bought and sold. However, living in the traffic nightmare of Seattle, once I started driving an auto daily I quickly realized what a pain shifting and clutching had become.

In normal freeway traffic and even around town, the clutch and shift routine isn't much of a burden. But try doing it for an hour at a time in stop and go traffic on the freeway, where you seldom get past second gear before having to slow and stop again. Clutching and shifting isn't too much fun when you have to do it 150 times an hour.

It gets VERY tedious let me tell you. Especially compared to being able to just hold your coffee cup in your right hand and never even have to set it down!

I still enjoy driving one of my stickshifts for a change, and I certainly don't have to look at the gearshift to do it. But have become pretty accustomed to my automatics. Maybe I'm just getting old & lazy.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Been there done it. That includes 10 wheel dump trucks and tractor trailers. The clutches on those rigs are a "bit "stiffer than whats in a car or PU truck.

Like I said in my first post my 15 Vette has a auto, only because of a bad left leg. At now age 75 I have made quite a lot of clutch moves over the years.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Stick shift is one of the reasons I got sucked into the Fire Museum,,Not to many of us left that know how to drive those old stick shift fire apparatus,let alone pump them!
Let’s see no power steering, no power brakes or air brakes, maybe vacuum assist and you better know how to double clutch! But its a lot of fun and really great getting back on the tailboard again!

I'll wager at least some of that left leg issue is due to all those years of working those stiff left pedals, eh?

My point was that there are lots of valid reasons BESIDES lack of skill for driving autos. Bad knees, arthritic wrists/shoulders, tedium of stop & go, age, etc.

Though nowadays a stick shift is almost an anti-theft device since so many in the age group most prone to stealing cars don't even know how to drive one.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

[QUOTE=deadin;140825499]One of my earlier cars had 5 pedals (i.e., foot operated)
Gas , brake, clutch, starter and high beam.

The high beam is a switch and not a pedal. If You had overdrive You also had a switch under the gas pedal to kick it out to pass another vehicle. My 49 Ford coupe had them all.

46 yrs old and have never driven a manual transmission. Parents always had automatics, friends, relatives etc always had autos. Every vehicle I have ever purchased from Camaro to full size truck had an automatic. If you put a gun to my head and told me to name someone that I know that owns a stick shift, you may as well pull the trigger.

Lived in Seattle for 30+ years. Loved my stick shift when going downhill. Easy to shift down and let the back pressure hold you back. Not so much going uphill. Especially from a dead stop on some of the downtown east west streets......

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Fully agree. My 2013 Miata (only has 17K miles on it) is 6 on the floor. I keep being asked "are you not worried about it being stolen?" as I leave it withe the roof down. I laugh and lift my hat which is usually hung on top of the gear stick. The questioner, if old enough, recognizes the manual shift and grins. I did drive an automatic shift Acura TL the last five years that I worked (from 70 to 75 in age) when my wife "persuaded me that I should take it easy on my weekly commute of 120 miles each way (only Mon and Fri), and when I "retired", the Miata fell into my hands at three years of age and only 850 miles on it. Dave_n

Many years ago I offered my used Toyota Land Cruiser to my 16 year old nephew. He was thrilled until he sat in it and noticed the gear shift. I sold it and sent him the cash.

I currently own two five speed cars.

Ed

I hear that. Fortunately downshifting an auto will allow you to compression brake too. I've been teaching my 17 year old to do that on long steep grades - downshift out of O.D. or even down to
2nd gear.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

I had my left knee replaced 14 months ago, and of course I wasn't able to drive at all. In truth, it didn't bother me, because I couldn't bend the doggone knee to get in the car on either side anyway! It was nice to be able to drive again...

Several years ago there was a stand-up comic (I can't remember who) that said humans will eventually evolve to have no left feet because of automatic transmissions.

I taught both of my sons to drive standard transmissions, and at ages 33 and 37, that's all they've ever owned. The elder one drives a Ford Focus ST, which is on a par with my VW Golf R, and the younger drives a Subara WRX and a Honda S2000.

My elder son sells cars at a local Dodge/Jeep dealer, and some of the mechanics get him to move customers' cars with stick shifts for them, because they don't know how to drive a stick...

Those folks you seen do that. Can't really work a manual shift. Just sayin.

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Expect the unexpected

True dat.

My dad always said "unless you have a basic understanding of how it works you really can't drive a clutch properly"

That right there rules out about 80% of the people today - if not more.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Ah, we have another relic on here, I see...a throwback to the days when ladders were wooden and men were iron...

I started my career in 1974. The Baltimore City FD had 55 engines and 30 ladder trucks then, and all but a few of them were standard transmissions. The first engine I drove was a '63 Mack, and while it had air brakes, there was no power steering. We actually did have a few guys in my Fire Academy class who had never driven a standard transmission, and learned on our apparatus.

(I loved riding the back step, by the way...yeah, it was dangerous, but so, so traditional... )

That must be some garage!

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2 Blessed 2B Stressed

Taught the kids to drive with a Ford Jubilee. OK, they didn't learn to shift on the fly, but they sure did get familiar with finding the contact point. Made the transition to the road so much easier.

Loaded hay out a field with my eldest grand daughter driving the IH pulling the flat bed. Idle in granny was perfect for the process, step on the gas to turn around at the end of the row. Kid's facial expression switched back and forth between fear and wide grin glee.

Biggest gripe about current manuals is the gear ratios in 1st & reverse. They're too high. If you have a reasonable 1st gear, you can let the vehicle creep in first with the engine at idle.

True story: waiting to take a road test on a large truck I was in a position to overhear the guy in front of me talking to the check driver.
"Any questions?"

"Yeah, why are there three pedals and what's this tree?" (Pointing at the gearshift).

After the check driver realized he wasn't getting his leg pulled, that was the end of that dude's road test. [Prospect drove a florists delivery van.]

Because they can match your speed to your engines best power (or economy) peak. Say your engine peak economy is at 2800, rpm AN 8 speed can keep it a lot closer to that 2800 than any 3, 4 or 5 speed auto or manual. Same goes for torque or horse power. Keep that motor RPM at the optimal sweet spot. Plus your motor requires fuel to recover RPM. let the tranny keep it there instead.